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It was going to be our first stay at a wildlife B&B. As our cab drove past the Bandipur National Park (Karnataka) and entered the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu), we caught several glimpses of magnificent elephants and golden Chital deers happily grazing across the forests. The drive perfectly set the mood for our vacation.
A narrow lane from the main road took us to Wild Pastures by Nature Resorts, a little B&B in the middle of open, sprawling grasslands. The setting immediately justified the name of the stay. There was absolutely nothing else on the piece of land except the cottage, lush green grass, a few animals grazing at a distance, and a white hammock hanging on one corner.
Thanks to its off-white hues and soft green gable roof, the newly-built B&B almost blended with the landscape, without drawing much attention. Further away on the left, the hills of Nilgiris stood tall covered with mist, making for a stunning view from the B&B.
Now, let me take you through the rest of our experience here, starting with the highlights.
Contents
Best Parts About Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
# Porch setup
As we entered the cottage and set our eyes on the porch’s white dining tables on either side, I knew this was going to be our favorite spot. We sat here for hours, savoring the raw natural surroundings of the place. The porch also had a carrom board for game enthusiasts.
# Wildlife activities
The elephants of the area visit the cottage on some nights to graze on the grassland, informed the property manager, Mr. Satish. Besides, the Wildlife Safari point is in close proximity to the B&B and the drive was quite memorable, as we spotted many elephants and deers on this route as well. Also, through their connections, you can easily get the safari tickets based on availability.
TWT Tip: Let the manager Mr. Satish or the chef Mr. Arjun know if you want to be woken up/alerted when the elephants visit. The chef, especially, can spot them from the kitchen’s glass windows.
# Home-style, customizable food
One of the best parts about the food here is that the chef can whip up whatever you wish to eat, as long as the ingredients are available. We enjoyed a variety of sumptuous Indian and Chinese delicacies during our stay, including home-style and a few restaurant-style dishes. But more on that later in the article.
The Room At Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
Wild Pastures offers 2 spacious rooms, besides a dining hall, a sitting hall, a kitchen and a sit-out on their porch.
Our room exuded an elegant, old-world charm, with the most gorgeous antique dressing table and cupboard. Accentuated by golden-hued handles, they looked like they were brought straight out of a period film. Large glass windows allowed the sun’s rays to light up the room.
A painting featuring Chital deers from the surrounding forest hung on top of the bed. While vibrant blue-pink cushions (from India Circus) on the cozy pure-white bed, added a striking contrast to the cream-brown palette of the room.
The corner tea table featured neatly-placed glass water bottles, tea and coffee sachets in a wooden box and colorful tea cups from India Circus. Inside the cupboard, there was a hair dryer, hangers and disposable bathroom slippers. Two vintage lounging chairs sat on one corner, while the room also had a large flat TV with Netflix subscription.
The bathroom had a glass partition for the shower area, and a toiletry kit, including wooden toothbrushes.
Overall, the room had all the amenities, style, cleanliness and comfort one would need for a memorable stay within a forest.
The Food At Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
Wild Pastures offers a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes from both Indian and Chinese cuisines at their restaurant ‘The Wild’. The menu also includes local Tamil specialties such as Chettinadu curries, Kolambu and Veechu Parotta.
It would be safe to say that the food here was homely, simple and easy-to-digest. We were served freshly-cut fruits and juices for breakfast, while other meals were accompanied with soups and appetizers of our choice.
The chef also checks about your dietary preferences and plans each meal based on your requests. Here are all the dishes we tried during our stay here:
Traditional Tamil Meal – Steamed white rice was served in a thali along with a vegetarian Puli Manchi, Sambar, Pepper Rasam, Pickle, Chutney, Pappadam, Bhendi Kadhi, and a Cauliflower 65, sprinkled with south-Indian masalas. This was one of the best meals we had here as we got to taste local Tamil flavors and the meal was quite wholesome with a variety of flavors on one plate.
Idli, Medu Vada and Plain Dosa – This breakfast platter was comforting and delicious, with the softest Tamil Nadu-style idlis, crisp mini vadas and paper-thin dosas served with a scrumptious coconut chutney.
Chole Bhature – The puffed-up bhaturas were served hot with a flavorful chole curry that was spiced just right.
Fried Rice – The Fried Rice was perfectly done with thinly-sliced stir-fried mushrooms sprinkled generously across the rice.
Rotis with Mushroom Masala – Prepared with a mouth-watering tomato-based gravy, the mushroom masala paired beautifully with the soft phulkas.
Pepper Babycorn – This one was spicy, crisp and ideal for the December weather, with its generous dose of local black pepper.
Manchow Soup – Served with fried noodle toppings, it tasted better and milder than most other manchow soups I have had before. Not overtly spiced, it was a delight to have with the crisp noodles.
Sooji Halwa – The chef had customized this dish to be dairy-free, as I am a vegan, which made me very happy and satisfied my sweet cravings.
Activities & Amenities At Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
The stay offers and recommends several activities both within and outside its premises. Here are some of them:
# Safari – While you can book the tickets for the Mudumalai/Bandipur wildlife safari online, the staff at Wild Pastures can arrange for the tickets quicker through their connections in the forest department (purely based on availability and with the charges applicable). We didn’t have to wait in the long queue and got our tickets for the van safari within a few minutes. The safari was worth it, as we could spot quite a few deers, elephants and peacocks relaxing in their natural habitats.
Price: INR 340 (adult) & INR 173 (children) for minibus. INR 4200 for jeep with additional charge of INR 130 for kids.
Timings: 6:30 am to 10 am & 2 pm to 5 pm.
Note: It’s important to remain silent during the wildlife safari to avoid scaring the animals and also to prevent unnecessary attention.
# Elephant camp visit – After our early morning safari, we reached the Theppakadu Elephant Camp just in time (opens at 8:30 am). It turned out to be one of our best experiences here.
The elephants, who happily graze across the forest, are brought in by their mahouts to the camp for a feeding session around this time. The Tamil Nadu forest department neatly places each elephant’s food in front of their name plates in a room.
The younger elephants are assigned smaller blocks, while the older ones get more of the blocks made with ragi, rice, coconut, jaggery, etc. It was a delight to watch how their food was arranged and how the elephants were fed. Some of the elephants were nodding their heads out of happiness, while the younger ones were spitting their food out and throwing tantrums.
We also met Bomman and Bellie here, the couple from the Oscar-winning Netflix film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. They politely obliged for pictures.
Price: INR 30
Timings: 8:30 am to 9 am & 5:30 pm to 6 pm.
# Swinging on the hammock – This is a lovely spot where you can just swing away, while admiring the raw nature around, listen to music, read a book or stare at the sky.
# Picnic on the lawns – If you’re craving for an outdoor picnic, the staff at Wild Pastures can set up a table outside on the unkempt grassland. Request the chef to make some of your favorite evening snacks and spend some rejuvenating time here.
# Outdoor carroms – Within the B&B, a carrom board is present on the porch, where you can stand and enjoy the game amidst the wilderness.
How To Reach & Location Of Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
There are 2 ways to reach Wild Pastures. You can either reach the Mysore airport/railway station and take a taxi, which will take around 2 hours. Or, you can reach the Coimbatore airport/railway station and take a 4-hour-long ride to the B&B. The nearest major bus stop is at Ooty, 2 hours away from here.
The location makes a stay at Wild Pastures quite interesting, as it is situated in Masinagudi, which is within the thriving Mudumalai Forest. But just a 40-minute drive will also take you to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, where you can simply enjoy the elephant-deer sightings on the way or opt for another safari.
We found a little handmade store at a petrol bunk on the Bandipur Forest road, where we bought some great quality T-shirts featuring tiger/elephant prints.
TWT Experience Summary Of Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
If you’re a wildlife enthusiast, you’re going to love and thoroughly enjoy your stay at Wild Pastures by Nature Resorts. From wildlife sighting opportunities all around, to the unkempt tapestry of the area, delicious and homely food, several outdoor seating spots to enjoy the raw nature, and vintage rooms with minimalistic luxury, a stay here offers the perfect offbeat experience without compromising on comfort. We went back with lots of memorable moments.
Inclusivity checklist:
✅Kid-friendly
✅Vegan-friendly
✅Family-friendly
✅Couple-friendly
✅Eco-friendly
✅LGBTQ+ friendly
✅Hammock
✅Netflix
✅Outdoor dining
✅Games
Price of room: INR 7728 on weekdays & INR 7952 on weekends; INR 1400 for extra adult & INR 850 for kids aged above 5
Contact: 8088855855
Address: 9/259, Chemmannatha Road, Mavanallah, Masinagudi, Tamil Nadu
Booking link: Booking.com
Frequently Asked Questions About Wild Pastures By Nature Resorts
1. How far is Wild Pastures from Mudumalai Wildlife Safari Point and Theppakadu Elephant Camp?
Wild Pastures is at a distance of 12 km (30 minutes) from Mudumalai Wildlife Safari Point and Theppakadu Elephant Camp. Nature Resorts’ general manager Mr. Jyothish had recommended that we visit the safari early in the morning, as all the animals usually come out around this time to graze. And quite rightly so, we were able to spot many animals as we started around 5:30 am.
2. Is Mudumalai Tiger Reserve worth visiting?
Yes! Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is a gorgeous forest covered with lush, unkempt greenery and a variety of flora and fauna. Though we couldn’t spot any tigers, we saw many elephants, peacocks and deers (some with babies) roaming freely from a very close distance.
3. What is the cost of safari at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve?
The wildlife safari at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve costs INR 340 per adult and INR 173 per child for vans and INR 4200 per person for jeeps, plus INR 130 for each child.
4. Is online booking available for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve safari?
Yes, you can book the tickets for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve safari on their official website. Both morning and evening slots are usually available for the safaris. However, in the peak season (winter), it is advisable to book the tickets well in advance.
5. Can we meet Bomman, Bellie and Raghu from The Elephant Whisperers movie in Theppakadu Elephant Camp?
Yes, the couple Bomman and Bellie and the young elephant Raghu visit the Theppakadu Elephant Camp everyday during feeding hours (8:30 am to 9 am). We met all three of them during our visit.
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4 thoughts on “Looking For A Wildlife Stay? This B&B In Mudumalai Forest Is A Must-Visit! ”
Very nicely written about your experience of stay. The place will be loved by all travelers.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave your valuable feedback on our content. 🙂
Such a beautiful stay and you were able to meet the Elephant Whisperers!!
Yes! It was such a pleasant surprise! 🙂