Dubare elephant camp morning
Coorg · 4 hrs · Cab and boat · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2000 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2000 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹2400 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long day. ₹3200 for the vehicle.
The camp at its best hour
Dubare is a forest camp on the Cauvery where retired timber elephants live out a gentler working life. At its best, early, it is genuinely moving: elephants walking down to the river through morning mist, the crossing by boat, mahouts starting the day's routine.
At its worst, midday, it is a queue in the sun. The difference is entirely about when you arrive and whether your crossing and entry are already sorted.
This booking is the early version: pickup at 6:30, first boats across the river, the bathing and feeding routine watched from the right spots with the crowd still an hour away, and breakfast by the river after. The car is booked for your group, so the price holds whether there are two of you or six.
Why the early, arranged version
The hour makes the experience
The elephants' river time is early. By 10 am the magic is a queue. The 6:30 start is the whole point.
The crossing is the choke point
Entry is by boat and the jetty is where independent visitors lose an hour. Your crossing is arranged both ways, for everyone in the car.
Context, not just proximity
A guide explains the camp's history and each elephant's story, which turns a photo stop into something you remember.
Where you'll go
1. The drive down to the river
An hour from Madikeri through the estates while it is still half dark. The early start is the whole design of this morning.
2. The river crossing
Entry to the camp is by boat, and the jetty is where independent visitors lose an hour. Your crossing is arranged both ways and timed for the first boats.
3. The elephant camp
Bathing and feeding, watched from the right spots with a guide telling you each elephant's story and how the camp came to be. About ninety minutes.
Optional interaction fees, charged by the camp at its own counter
4. Riverside breakfast
A local breakfast near the jetty once you are back across, included in your booking. You are home with the day still young.
How you get there
Car plus river crossing, both arranged
Dubare is about an hour from Madikeri, and the camp sits across the river. You book the whole vehicle both ways and the boat crossing both ways, with timings that put you on the first boats. The price is flat for the car, not per head.
- Pickup: Your stay in or around Madikeri at 6:30 am
- Vehicle: Swift Dzire up to 4, Tata Sumo up to 8, or Innova / Ertiga up to 6, with driver
- Crossing: Camp boat, both ways, arranged
- Drop: Back by about 10:30 am
The morning
6:30 am: Pickup
Down through the estates to the river.
7:30 am: First boats across
The river in mist, before the jetty queue exists.
7:45 am: The camp
Bathing and feeding routines, with a guide telling each elephant's story. About 90 minutes.
9:30 am: Riverside breakfast
Local breakfast near the jetty, included.
10:30 am: Drop
Back at your stay with the day still young.
In your price
- Private car with driver both ways and boat crossing both ways
- Camp entry and guide
- Riverside breakfast
Not included
- Elephant interaction fees the camp charges optionally
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Optional elephant interaction fees, charged by the camp at its counter
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Wonderful for families; children of all ages welcome. The boat and riverbank need basic sure-footedness. Wheelchairs unfortunately cannot manage the jetty. The car seats four or six depending on which you pick, at the same flat price.
What to bring
Sun protection, shoes that can get muddy, and a dry bag for phones at the crossing.
River rules
In high monsoon flow the forest department suspends crossings, sometimes on the morning itself. Any suspension is a full refund or free reschedule, your choice, no questions.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Interactions follow the camp's and forest department's rules, always mahout-supervised. We do not book or endorse elephant rides. Riverbank time is guided.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. You are paying for the car, the crossing and the guide for your whole group. A family of five pays what a couple does.
Are there elephant rides?
The camp has phased them out and we would not book them anyway. The bathing and feeding routine is the real experience.
Will we definitely see bathing?
It is the camp's daily routine in the early hours, which is exactly why this booking starts at 6:30. Nature keeps its own diary, but early is as certain as it gets.
Can we combine this with rafting?
The adjacent rafting is seasonal and river-dependent. Ask on WhatsApp after booking and we will tell you honestly if it is running well.