Dubare is a reserve forest area located amidst the lush greenery of Coorg on the banks of river Kaveri, in between Kushalnagar and Siddapur. The local tribes, Kurbas are the inhabitants of the region. Dubare is famous for the Elephant Camps that are run in this region. Each camp has about 150 elephants. Since the times of the Maharaja of Mysore, the Dubare Reserve Forest was used to train the elephants for the impressive Mysore Dussehra festival. At the camp one can even take part in various elephant activities under the watchful eye of a trained guide. You can scrub, feed and ride the elephant.
The decidous forest of Dubare is famous for wild asiatic elephants, bisons, gaurs and many avian species. One can even get cose watch of crocodiler in river Kaveri. The backwaters with their hidden islands and thick forest along the banks is where visitors can spend a a quiet afternoon.
The Nagarhole National Park also called as Rajiv Gandhi National Park is one of the important Tiger Reserves in Karnataka state.
Dubare is the perfect destination for the tourists to get an adventurous stay and a memorable fun trip. Dubare offers to its visitor’s fun, fishing, rafting and trekking in the wild hilly terrains.
Air: Mysore domestic Airport is the nearest airport, which is at distance of about 75 km from Dubare. Taxi charges about Rs 1200 from Mysore to Dubare. Bangalore International Airport is the major airport nearby. Bangalore is about 227 km away from Dubare and it costs about Rs 3200 by taxi. Bangalore is well connected to most of the major airports in India and abroad.
Rail: Nearest rail head is Mysore, which is 75 km away. This station is connected to Bangalore and other local cities in the state. Taxi charges from Mysore to Dubare are about Rs 1200.
Road: Many state owned buses are available to reach Dubare from nearby cities. KSRTC buses from Bangalore to Dubare costs about Rs 350 and buses from Mysore to Bandipur costs Rs 150 approximately.
Fishing: The Elephant Training Camp, which trains the wild elephants with the help of local tribes Kurabas, is under the Forest department. It is a scenic beauty to watch the tamed elephant bath in the river and to be scrubbed fresh by their mahouts. The mahouts will then exhibit the various commands the elephants can comply with. This can be vividly portrayed by making elephants execute some mock logging operations.
Enthusiastic tourists can opt here for free elephant rides within the camp. One can enjoy the rarest friendship of tamed elephants in this camp, where in one can get a lucky chance scrubbing the elephants and feeding them.
Rafting: The rafting in river Kaveri is another major attraction in Dubare. There are few good camps around Dubare that offer rafting down the Kaveri river. Coorg Adventure Sports Club has started river rafting near Dubare Elephant Camp in Kushalnagar.
Adventure Club makes use of three river rafts. The rafting will commence near Dubare and will conclude at Kushalnagar Polytechnic College, Madapattana. It covers a total of 11 km. One rafting can accommodate seven persons. The adventurers will be equipped with life jackets along with head gear.
The best time for rafting is from mid-June to mid-September.
Trekking: Dubare is a place where adventurous tourists can demonstrate their capabilities and get thrilled. Trekking along the wild forests, hillocks and river banks brings lot of cheers to those who love this sport.
There are great trekking opportunities for the enthusiasts in Dubare. This place has many luxuriant trekking ways in the middle of forests and hills. Some of the well known trekking trails are in the hills of Brahmagiri, where one could trek their way to the Irrupa Falls.