Bamboo Rustles Camp – A Mesmerizing Trail In The Eastern Ghats

By Meera

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Tucked away just two hours away from Bengaluru is the Bamboo Rustles Camp amidst the verdant, rolling ranges of Eastern Ghats in Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu. Far away from the madding crowd and the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru life, the Bamboo Rustles Camp comes as a pleasant surprise whose existence we were not aware of till now. 

View of cottage in Bamboo Rustles Camp

Tharangini, Pooja and I decided to take a chance as we stumbled upon its existence accidentally and since we wanted to go on a short trip, this seemed an idyllic destination for a short nature trail.

Driving down Hosur Road and crossing the Attibele toll gate into Hosur and Krishnagiri town, we took a left turn from the national highway after about one or two kms.

Suddenly, the terrain changed with settlements here and there and temperatures decreased, we could see hordes of Indian Rollers on power lines and as we went ahead, we could see more bird life in the agricultural fields. After about 15-16 kms, the scenery changed for the good and our glimpse of the Eastern Ghats was indeed breathtaking.

View of the Eastern Ghats

A view of the waterbody near the Bamboo Rustles camp

View of the camp from top

On the way to the Bamboo Rustles Camp, we saw a lot of bird life including shrikes, baya weaver birds, bush chats, magpies, green bee eaters, and many more. We couldn’t believe that such a verdant habitat existed so close to Bengaluru.

Female pied bush chat

White wagtail

A view of Eastern Ghats at Melagiri

 After taking a few turns in the nearby villages, we finally arrived at our destination – which was very serene and silent with the accommodation nestling amidst the hill ranges in front of a rustic wonderland. The Bamboo Rustles Camp is a nature camp with very basic facilities so as to not disturb the habitat and its unique wildlife.

Flight of birds over the ghats

A view of the camp

Also, just remember, it is good for a night stay only and don’t expect any jazzy or modern facilities. It's an utterly silent place near a small village which makes it very rustic with no modern amenities - no fast food, no junk food, no music, no TV, and no cell phones. This is a perfect place for weary city dwellers to just spend time with nature and each other.

We stayed in a boutique rammed earth cottages and the wall layering was beautiful. The roof is local coconut wood and local thatch has been used. The cottage was very spacious with an attached bath. Some 4-5 adults can stay in one cottage. They have deliberately kept less lighting in this place so that their guests can enjoy the beautiful night sky. The camp has an eco-friendly solar powered system (no connection to the power grid) and they are proud that even their borewell runs on solar.

Badminton area

A view of the research activities of local flora

After a hearty meal and cool glasses of buttermilk prepared by a local villager, one has to clean the plates and glasses. After this, we relaxed in a hammock (in front of our cottage) underneath a huge tamarind tree in the company of two very affectionate dogs – Coco and Chica which ran around this camp with all freedom and gaiety. At 4.30 pm, we went round the camp which has a rustic jungle pool and also a swinging walkway. Pooja managed to jump in the deep pool and enjoyed the cool waters.

Pooja enjoying a dip in a well

Later, we went on a jungle trail at the back of the Nature Camp – the habitat is scrub forests with rich flora and abundant bird life. On our trail, we saw many rose ringed parakeets, Shrikes, Baya Weaver birds, racket tailed drongo, Short Toed Eagles, Shikras, Bee Eaters among others. One can sight many butterflies of different species. Further down, there was a huge water body surrounded by hill ranges with pond herons, egrets, Indian Spot-billed duck, White-breasted water hen and others.

A view of baya weaver bird nests in the scrub forests of Melagiri

Pied Cuckoo also known as the heralder of the monsoon

Even as the sun went down, we returned to our nature camp but on the way, we encountered many nests of Baya Weaver birds amidst the thorny bushes just next to the waterbody. Since the sun was setting very fast, we decided to continue our forest trail in the Eastern Ghats the next day.

Short toed snake eagle

Another view of flight of birds over the ghats

       Some things to remember, the hosts of Bamboo Rustles or Bamboo Pit Viper Research Foundation are pushing for is - holistic conservation in the Eastern Ghats. They have a Sustainable Nature Camp and the NGO is dedicated to biodiversity restoration & documentation (www.bpvrf.org) of both floral and faunal species exclusive to Eastern Ghats.

In 2012, Bamboo Pit Viper Foundation started with a goal to hold wildlife workshops and has held many birding, herpetology and butterfly workshops over the last 13 years. In 2024, the founders set up Bamboo Pit Viper Research Centre as a company. This serves as a research centre where researchers, students and interns can stay and intern here and immerse themselves in studying various species found of the Eastern Ghats.

How To Book Accommodation?

To visit this nature camp, email at: bamboorustles@gmail.com

Call or WhatsApp: Crystal at +91-80979-80656

Since the owners and managers are often out in the wild. So, email your enquiry if you can't reach them.  

Location map:



More in the Second Part of Bamboo Rustles

Thirunelli – A Silent Destination For Nature Lovers Only

By Meera

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Thirunelli is an unbelievable destination where one can see nature at its wildest and wildlife from your place of stay.

Deer in Nagarhole forest

It was a rainy day when we left Nagarhole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka to reach Thirunelli in Kerala. On our way, we managed to see herds of spotted deer, langurs, bonnet macaques, however, the drive itself was very heavenly with the unique forest aroma, sounds of birds reverberating in the dense jungle.

Deer in Nagarhole forest

 As we crossed the Nagarhole forest check post and entered Kerala, a rickety pathway led us to enter the other side of Brahmagiri hills. The first sight of Thirunelli was mesmerizing with the countryside soaked in dark green hill ranges amidst floating mist and the heavy scent of jungle life.

Scenic Monsoon drive 

Thirunelli Town

A quaint school

The entire Thirunelli town with its ancient Maha Vishnu Temple is nestled amidst the lush and sylvan Brahmagiri hills. The first sight of Thirunelli, led me to ponder that I would be prepared to do anything to see this nature’s spectacle and biodiversity again and again. Compared to other destination spots in Wayanad, Thirunelli is silent, sacred and untouched.

A view from the dining area

Even as we drove for the next 20 kilometers to our accommodation in Thirunelli – the Jungle Retreat, light was fading and the weather was turning damp and cold.

The three musketeers

Lotus pond next to the cottage

Maya, I and Tharangini reached this beautiful retreat where we were welcomed by our host Manu and others. After a refreshing cup of tea, we settled in our picturesque cottage that was situated in front of a lily pond, a misty hill range and forest pathways leading to a watch tower. Since it was dark, we decided to drive quietly in the night around the forest area with its winding pathways.

Colorful agricultural field

A stag seen from the cottage

The Thirunelli township is located deep in the forests and so, one gets to see many wonders of nature be it the birds of the Western Ghats or the crisscrossing wildlife from Karnataka to Kerala and back.

Another elephant in the forest

 As we bundled up in the back of a jeep around 7.30 pm and drove ahead, the silence of the night, the cicada sounds and the hooting of owls were reverberating in the eerie darkness. Driving for about 10 minutes, we spotted elephants to our delight.

 All of us sat in silence and even as our jeep crawled - we could clearly spot two female elephants and a calf in the middle. The elephant family were peacefully feeding on the grass in the dark night.

Since this road falls on the Thirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor, and Elephants have the Right of Way, we cannot obstruct them and have to drive very slowly and carefully.

 In fact, we seemed to be following one group of elephants that were scattered here and there. As we traveled further, we managed to see more elephants -loners and females with calves.

 Our host and guide Manu informed us that these elephants migrate from Karnataka during the summer months and now they were traversing back home to Nagarhole as the monsoons had started and there would be plenty of water and food available in their resident habitat.

Brown fish owl

Going through the forest where we could hardly see any human presence or other vehicles, we did not get down anywhere as it is very dangerous and risky. As we were returning from our sojourn, we managed to see an Indian Gaur at very close quarters. It didn’t seem to be bothered by our presence and was grazing in solitude.

On our return journey to Jungle Retreat, we glimpsed the sight of a Brown Fish Owl that was sitting like a Buddha on the branch of a tree. Not just these, we spotted many herds of Chital that were hopping away merrily with their coats glistening in the darkness.

View of the elephant that came to Jungle Retreat in midnight

The first night of our stay was very exciting as at 12.30 am, we could hear the sounds of an elephant trumpeting. To our amazement, we saw a huge tusker near the watchtower. Since it had decided to stay put, we too decided to have a peaceful night. So, one has to be very careful in the night in these surroundings as many wild animals visit Jungle Retreat often during the eerie hours.

The watchtower at Jungle Retreat

View of the cottage from the watch tower

The second day of our stay was a complete washout as it poured and poured non-stop till evening. But we enjoyed ourselves looking at the misty mountains and verdant surroundings and munching on sweets and savories. In fact, I and Maya were stuck in the Watch Tower for about two hours in the rain but I managed to get a few shots of birds.

A view of the hill ranges

A rainy day at Thirunelli, Indian Gray Hornbill

After a sumptuous meal and rest, we decided to visit the ancient Mahavishnu Temple amidst the rain. The drive to the hilltop temple was itself very peaceful and relaxing. Undergoing renovation, there is not much to see but the view of Thirunelli town from the hill is very scenic and beautiful.

Maha Vishnu Temple

Maha Vishnu Temple

The return journey to our homestay was pretty exciting as we managed to see the very famous elephant of Tholapetty forest range, the “Thirunelli Tusker” or Kannan as he is known in these parts. The magnificent was in fact, moving fast, saluted too and trumpeted in all its glory. Standing at 10-12 feet, the sight of this massive and peaceful tusker thrilled us to no end.

Kannan, the majestic tusker

However, the second night was still more exciting and thrilling as at 11.30 pm, we suddenly saw Malabar Gliding Frog in the sitout of our cottage. The frog was literally hopping from one place to another and we were desperately running after it to photograph this unique amphibian that glides so smoothly. Further, we sighted this again during our breakfast as the frog was gliding from one end of the tree to another.

Malabar gliding frog

Malabar gliding frog

Thirunelli is a destination only for those people who are nature lovers and do not thrive on modern amenities and excitement. So, therefore, if you plan a visit to this mountainous town with its beautiful weather, go only if you are a nature or wildlife lover as there are no facilities or infrastructure like children’s play areas or glitzy malls or swimming pools or adventure and game activities.

Thirunelli hill ranges

How To Reach?

Thirunelli in Wayanad district, Kerala is about 270 kilometers from Bengaluru and by road, it is very convenient to take the Bengaluru-Mysuru-Hunsur-Kutta-Nagarhole route. Once you reach Nagarhole Tiger Reserve and drive to Mananthavady, from here, it is about 20 kilometers only to Thirunelli. However, one has to cross the Nagarhole forest check post before evening hours as the forest entry and exit restrictions are there and one cannot drive between 6 pm to 6 am in Karnataka forests.

Location map:

Exploring the Kotilinga Chakrateertha site and its surroundings

By Tharangini

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In our recent visit to Hampi in Karnataka(India) we were quite eager to visit the Kotilinga Chakrateertha site and a Shiva Temple on the banks of Tungabhadra.

These places get submerged when water is released from the TB dam during monsoons in Hospete, and is inaccessible during for almost 5-6 months. 

After successfully hiking up to Hirebenekkal, we were quite confident about being able to easily walk approach this place and visit a couple of temples nearby.

This place can be approached either by coracle or walk and with Srinivas as our guide, we decided to go by coracle and come by walk.

70+ years Mariswamy and his wife Saroja took us across Tungabhadra in their coracle. 

After a brief coracle ride, we were dropped off at a point closest to the the Lingas.  The water was calm enough in our coracle ride, giving us a chance to appreciate the ruins along the banks. Everywhere we turned, there was something to catch our attention.

Low level waters exposed a carving of a goddess on a rock. Every rock was a canvas
for the artisans of the Vijayanagar Era.

The almost worn out steps leading to an unknown place of worship or a meditation point for sages.

Another temple ruin as seen from the coracle. The stacking of cut rocks to
 achieve a perfect level for the base is clearly evident here. 

Another meditation shelter with barely visible steps, again as seen from the coracle.

The pair of Nandis nestled in the rocks keeping a watch on the river and its travelers.

When we got off the the coracle, what we had not bargained for was how Tungabhadra for over so many years had smoothened the rocks to such amazing perfection. She did not make it easy for us and that made navigating these rocks a pretty slippery ride.

Hirebenekkal almost felt like a walk in the park after this. 

A family of devotees greeted us as soon as we got off the coracle.

Lord Vishnu in Ananthashayana looking incredible. The small holes above indicate
some kind of roof or shelter was pegged in there. All the holes are perfectly symmetrical. 

Lakshmi Narasimha, clicked while precariously balancing on a rock.
The peg holes can be seen here too.

After a few minutes of climbing and clambering, with expert support from our guide Srinivas, we finally reached Kotilingeswara. 

Kotilingeswara or Sahasralingeswara as it is sometimes called are a set of Lingas arranged in a square. Though 'Koti' and 'Sahasra'  indicate crore or a thousand, totally they are much much lesser . Maybe just around 600 in each set.

A close up view of the large Linga in the center and the surrounding lingas

The indication of the direction to prostrate from.

There are a couple of sets like this but there are so many more individual Lingas all over the place. Just carved into the rocks here and there. 

Now the real reason behind carving these Lingas in this way is unknown, but there are a lot of speculations. Some say this was a way for general population to worship the Lingas, while others associate a numeric significance to the number of Lingas.

Anywhere we turned, we could spot Shiva Lingas carved out, either singly or in pairs. 

Another one, but with just the outer boundary

And another. It was so fascinating. 

A series of Nandis right next to the Kotilingeswara

An abandoned construction as seen from the Kotilinga Chakrateertha site

All these temples in the Kotilinga Chakrateertha site have been constructed during the reign of Vijayanagar empire and are dated between the end of 14th century and beginning of 15th century.

In the next blog, we will explore the Shiva temple that is accessible only when the water level in Tungabhadra recedes.

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