Ranebennur: How i enjoyed my trip to a blackbuck sanctuary.

I love animals and the desire to visit the blackbuck sanctuary started lingering in my mind when i saw the board which read "Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary". It was a nice joyful experience for me even though the place is quite small compared to the other sanctuaries i have visited. Ranebennur is district headquarters of Haveri in Karnataka state. It is next to Davangere and falls on the Bangalore - Pune highway (NH4/AH48).

We reached there a bit late in the morning at around 8.00 Am in our own vehicle. There was one forest guard along with us who took us inside the sanctuary. The very first thing that we spotted in the sanctuary was the langurs with long tail and they were in groups of around 20.

The further we went, we were able to see the beautiful peacocks. We spotted them at many places in the sanctuary. This place is attached to the farm fields and there were couple of them in the fields as well. Being a novice in photography i could not capture better images. We never went to any sanctuary in our own vehicle, so this was a new and nice experience for me. Animals and birds are very attentive to any kind of sound so we were trying to be as silent as possible holding back the excitement. Amongst the birds i could spot many laughing doves and sparrows also.

The sanctuary can be covered in couple of hours at max. The guide took us to the watch tower where we spotted group of deers and a blackbuck as well. I could spot two blackbucks in this visit. There were many group of deers running around and if you have a camera with the good resolution you can take nice pictures as well. The place has few trees, many bushes or plants and Eucalyptus plantations.

Also i could find couple of the nests which were so lovely.

How to reach?

The sanctuary is about 7 - 8 kms from Ranebennur town. You need to take a turn from the Ranebennur bus stand and there are sign boards which would lead you to this place. Before reaching the sanctuary we need to buy tickets from the forest office which is on the way.

There is a minimal fees of 25Rs per person and 500Rs for your vehicle. Incase you wish to take the forest department owned vehicle then one should inform them well in advance so that they can arrange for the jeeps.

This place is less visited by the tourists and it is an amazing experience altogether. If you are travelling towards Belgaum or somewhere near to Davangere from Bangalore then you can visit this place. The forest officials and guards are approachable and seemed to be nice.

Ideal time to visit:

September to March would be the good time to visit this place as it is not so sunny and the animals can be spotted easily. Sanctuary is open on Sundays also and if you want to visit on Sundays, then prior reservation should be made as the office would be closed on that day.

Timings: Open on all days

Morning - 6AM to 9AM

Evening - 4PM to 6PM.