Getting there from Balakrishna Udupi Homestay:
There are frequent State Buses plying from Udupi to Shimoga. Once you reach Shimoga Bus stand, you can hire a rickshaw to take you to the Safari. The other way is to drive down in your own car. The Shimoga Lion-Tiger Safari is about 160 km from our Udupi Homestay. A day trip by road to Shimoga can be planned. The Safari houses an expansive enclosure for Tigers and their game.
The drive by road is comfortable and takes approximately 4 hours. Besides the Big Cats, the Shimoga Lion-Tiger Safari also houses some great wild life which are native to the indian sub-continent. These include a variety of peacocks and pea-hens, Panthers, Python, Crocodiles, Deer and many more.
About the Lion Tiger Safari in Shimoga:
The enclosures are very well maintained and the animals look healthy. The visitors are taken around the entire facility in a Van that is reinforced with iron mesh. An armed forest official escorts the van for the entire duration of the safari. This makes the visitors feel reassured and also ensures that everyone maintains safety requirements. The delight of the tour is that the tigers are used to seeing the Van around and do not get disturbed or intimidated by its movement. They often walk along the van letting the visitors get a very close range look at the tigers. However, some visitors do get carried away and try to get down or peek out from the Van to take pictures or just for a kick. The Forest officer will shout at you and prevent you from doing this. Rightly so. These are wild animals and their behavior can never be predicted. So be safe and enjoy the ride!
Carry some food when you leave Udupi Homestay: If you plan to make this a day trip, make sure you leave early in the morning and carry some food parcels for safety. We did not find any good options to eat inside the safari.