Harangi dam, Dubare elephant camp - Coorg,Karnataka

Ahead of Dubare , we headed onto Harangi dam which is 6km from Nisargadhama..Harangi Dam  buit on river Kavery, is a grand water reservoir....Since it was closed for some maintenance all we could was happily sit and relax with no hustle bustle of the crowd...There is a statue of  goddess kavery near the reservoir...The road towards the dam is deserted and its a relief from the highway road that we left behind...

Dubare forest reserve is 10 km from Harangi dam.. Dubare elephant camp is managed by the forest department of Coorg..Take a left turn from the highway driving towards Madikeri and you’ll find   yourself through narrow country road with coffee and cocoa plantation with sprinkler.. Most house had a look of farm house at the outset , there were traditional houses too…On both side of the road are either occupied by coffee plantation or traditional homes… I felt like going through my native except for the coffee plantations..

Driver told us that the river Cauvery and the climate has made the land very fertile for all these plantations and flora to flourish…When our vehicle had to pave its way to the approaching vehicle both drivers had to work to avoid any kind of clash…

Dubare elephant camp has been a taming center for elephant from the days of Maharaja of Mysore..This elephant camp now also functions as an information hub... To reach the camp we had to cross the river in a raft.. Rafting is another top attraction especially during monsoon…. Tucking in life jacket we were guided to the raft with few instructions from the raft guide and commands to be followed , I had my basics of rafting done and slowly rowed through the river, it was fun to move right under the low tree branch crouching , lying flat, rowing fast, turning slow, sitting still enjoying the beauty around etc etc…There are two options for rafting, one is of 8.5km and another 12km..The 12km is alluring during the monsoon (june to september)when the water levels are high with a strong downstream current..The best time to visit Dubare camp is at nine in the morning if you are interested to take part in the elephant camp activity.. Like Nisargadhama there are elephant safaris but costlier and shorter than Nisargadhama.. Apart from elephant camp there are options for fishing and for short trekking ..River Kanake and Sujyoti merges here with river Kavery making it great for fishing, there is a back water (forgot the name)near by which is also known for its fish resources only thing one has to obtain a permit from Coorg wildlife society , Madikeri..But fishing is not realy my kind of thing, waiting patiently with rod,reel, angler at the mercy of fish, I still wonder how come I had so much fun in school during monsoon getting away from the prying eyes of teacher sneaking away with friends...Experiencing elephant  at arms distance was exciting...To get the most out of the experience morning nine is the prime time when the elephants are taken for a bath, tourists are allowed to get involved in scrubbing, oiling and every steps, do watch out for the calf 'the most entertaining' part , watching it move along the herd enjoying the water, splashing water all around, I couldn't help but smile reminded about human kids, this of course made this day great just like my last day at Kushal nagar...After bath visitors can also feed the elephants with their everyday dose of jaggery, banana etc...How cool isn't.. Ironically the elephants are so tamed they appear completely out of their natural way of life...