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Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

About:

Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Kodagu District covers an area of about 181 sq km. It is surrounded by evergreen and semi-green forests as well as shola grasslands.

The species of animals found in the sanctuary are gaur, elephant, tiger, leopard, jungle cat, leopard cat, wild dog, sloth bear, wild pig, sambar, spotted deer, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, slender loris, bonnet macaque, common langur, barking deer, mouse deer, Malabar giant squirrel, giant flying squirrel, Nilgiri marten, common otter, brown mongoose, civets, porcupine and pangolin. It also houses a variety of snakes including python, cobra and king cobra. Avian fauna includes emerald dove, black bulbul and Malabar trogon.

The forest-clothed, cloud-kissed Kodagu district (formerly Coorg) in Karnataka is among the few that have preserved their beauty and rich wildlife. The high forest cover is represented by three wildlife sanctuaries and the world-famous Nagarahole National Park. Among them is the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary consists of low-elevation rainforests (40 m above mean sea level at Makut) in Makut wildlife range to high altitude shola-grasslands in Srimangala Wildlife Range (1607 m above MSL at Brahmagiri peak). It is the birthplace of many perennial streams. Prominent among them are the Lakshman thirtha which takes its birth in the high sholas and cascades down in the form of the 60 meter high Iruppu falls near the Iruppu Shree Rameshwara temple.

The sanctuary derives its name from the highest point, the Brahmagiri peak, which is 1607 m in height. The temperature here ranges from 5° to 32°C, and mean annual rainfall varies from 2500 to 6000 mm.

FLORA: The area has mainly evergreen and semi-evergreen Shola forest in bloomforest, and in the higher altitudes, there are grasslands with shola forest patches. Bamboos are well represented in these forests, with Bambusa bambos being dominant.The sholas are made up of dwarf evergreen trees or 'krummholz', stunted due to the strong winds at higher altitudes. Sholas are surrounded by grasslands.

FAUNA: Mammals in the Sanctuary include elephant, gaur, tiger, jungle cat, leopard cat, wild dog, sloth bear, wild pig, sambar, spotted deer, lion-tailed macaque, NilgiriBlack bulbuls are found in the upper reaches of the Western Ghats langur, slender loris, bonnet macaque, common langur, barking deer, mouse deer, Malabar giant squirrel, giant flying squirrel, Nilgiri marten, common otter, brown mongoose, civets, porcupine and pangolin. Python, cobra and king cobra are some of the snakes found in the Sanctuary. Interesting birds in the Sanctuary include emerald dove, black bulbul and Malabar trogon.

Location info:

Address: Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Kodagu District covers an area of about 181 sq km.
District:Kodagu district
Nearest City:virajpet
Best time to visit: Between October and May is the best time to visit the Sanctuary. Dec-Jan is considered the best time, due to pleasant weather and added advantage of no leeches.

Climate/Weather:

Summers are dry and tourists are restricted during the fire season. It is not advisable to visit the park during peak summer or from July to August when the monsoons are at their fury.

History:

 

Interesting things to do:

Key attractions: >Tiger, Elephant, Gaur, Chital, Sambur, Dhole, Leopard and Common Langur are found here. Once the northern limit of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, the sanctuary today has healthy populations of endemic species such as the Nilgiri Langur and Lion Tailed Macaque. Clawless otters and rare, endemic birds, butterflies, amphibians and reptiles are also seen. >Rainforests, coffee estates and brilliant landscapes.

Interesting things to Visit:

Worth seeing: Spectacular views of Western Ghats from the Brahmagiri peak, Iruppu falls.

Nature camps are undertaken for school children at the Narimalai campsite. There is a trekking path from the lrpu falls, where the River Lakshmana Tirtha begins its journey, to the Narimalai camp, and further on to the Brahmagiri peak and to the Munikal caves.

Mobile range info:

 

How to reach?

Nearest Railway Station:Mysore (140 km). By rail or road from Bangalore to Mysore (140 km), then by road to Hunsur (45 km), Gonikoppa (40 km), and on to the Sanctuary (18 km)
Nearest Airport:Mysore (140 km)
Road Transport:Start from Bangalore by bus towards Virajpet, Coorg. Once we reached there get down at Gonikoppalu which was 16 Km earlier to virajpet. From Gonikoppalu take a private bus to Srimangala. by road from Mangalore to Madikeri (105 km), then to Virarajendrapet (30 km), then on to the Sanctuary (7 km).

Nearest Visiting places:

Trekking paths:
➔ The Srimangala range sports an exquisite 4.5 km trekking path from the Iruppu Falls (800 m. above sea level) to Narimale (1,340 m. ASL). After reaching Narimale, trekkers usually climb to the Brahmagiri peak and Pakshipatalam caves across the border in Kerala's Wayanad district.

➔ From Narimale, you can also walk through the sanctuary from east to west over the next two days. There are hardly any trails after either the Brahmagiri peak or the Pakshipatalam caves even in summer. On advice of the local forest department and led by a forest guide, our team walked along the narrow clearing that marks the boundary between Karnataka and Kerala.

Nearest Petrol Pump:

virajpet

Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:

Srimangala has a forest office very close to bus stop, just ask people around to get to the office.
Narimale forest trekking shed, pitch tent, Makutta forest bungalow

Things to carry:

Do carry food items & match box, you only get utensils and nothing else.
Carry enough sleeping material, you do not have bed or blankets at IB.

Tips & Suggestions:

To stay at Narimale Camp IB. So, we had to pay rupees 170 per head which includes charges to stay at IB and also entry fee for Brahmagiri Sanctuary. Apart from this one have to pay rupees 200 as guide charges.

Help Line/Phone Number:

Police Station:virajpet
Nearest Hospital:virajpet
Society/Community Phone Number
Contact details of Forest Range Office, Srimangala.
+91-9448813835. Try calling them up 2 days prior you leave for trek.

Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Division. Hunsur- 571105,
Mysore District. Phone: 0821 - 652 041

Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary Nearest Attraction

Cauvery Nisargadama
This place is located in the Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka very close to Kushal Nagar. Nisargadhama is around 120 kms from Mysore and around 260 kms from Bangalore. Located 4 kms before Kushal Nagar (when driving from Mysore), it is a small and circular island formed by the branching of river Cauvery....more
Kabini WildLIfe Sanctuary
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Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is one of 21 Wildlife Sanctuaries of India's Karnataka state. This sanctuary is located near Mandalpatty in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu district and has some attractive scenery. Spread over 102 sq km, the sanctuary is situated in the Western Ghats and has thick evergreen and semi-evergreen forests....more
Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary
Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Southern Karnataka state of South India. It is located in Kodagu district and is spread over 105 km2 and lies in the Western Ghats. This sanctuary is named after Talakaveri, the origin of the Cauvery River which lies on the eastern edge of the sanctuary....more
Rajiv Gandhi National Park
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Abbey Waterfall
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Irpu / Iruppu Waterfall
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Mallalli Waterfall
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Nisargadhama Falls
Nisargadhama Falls in Karnataka is about 25km on the way to Madikeri from Bangalore. 2 kilometers from Kushalnagar, Nisargadhama is a beautiful island carved by the Cauvery. Karnataka's geographical topography is dominated by the Western Ghats that is the source of many rivers flowing though out the land....more
Lakshmana Tirtha River
The Lakshmana Tirtha is a river of India that has its origin in Kodagu district and flows eastward. It joins the Kaveri River in the Krishna Raja Sagara lake. Kodagu is a district of Karnataka State in Southern India. It is also known by its anglicised name of Coorg. It occupies about 4,100 square kilometers (1,580 mi2) of land in the Western Ghats of Southwestern Karnataka....more
Kaveri River
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Harangi Dam