Dubare elephant camp is a feast for your senses. You would love it even better if you are a wildlife enthusiast. Throughout the year, you can watch elephants being trained here.
Do you love elephants and want to see them real up close? Then head to Dubare Elephant Camp at Kushalnagar in Kodagu district. Here, wild elephants are tamed and trained to perform tricks, like playing football, jumping over a wall, doing ‘namaskara’ etc. These mammoth creatures were not always so obedient.
They were rogues which were rampaging through the coffee plantations and agricultural fields. Once a rogue elephant is caught it is brought to Dubare to be trained. Once tamed, these elephants are used for various tasks by the department, like lifting trees fallen on roads and game tracks.
More importantly, these elephants are a major attraction at the world-famous jamboo savari during the Dasara festivities at Mysore.
A large number of tourists visit the camp to see how these mammoths are trained. It is open throughout the year and, every evening, the elephants perform to the gathered crowd and show off their skills.
The camp is right next to the Cauvery river and you have to go on a small boat ride to reach the camp. Set deep inside the forest, the camp surround- ings are home to bison, spotted deer, bears etc. You can also try your hand at boating and river rafting at the camp. The camp now has 20 elephants.
How to reach?
* The camp is 240km from Bangalore
The route is: Bangalore – Mandya – Hunsur – Kushalanagar – Dubare Elephant Camp
Where to stay?
* Either you can stay at the camp which has comfortable cottages, or at Kushalnagar.
Emerging Explorer 