Bhadra Dam, Lakkavalli
One of Karnataka's oldest big dams, holding the reservoir that forms the tiger reserve's western edge.
The Bhadra river, which begins at Gangamoola under Kudremukh and runs the length of the district through Kalasa, Horanadu, Balehonnur and N.R. Pura, is stopped here at Lakkavalli. The reservoir behind the dam is wide and island-scattered, ringed by Western Ghats forest, and it forms the western boundary of Bhadra Tiger Reserve. There is a garden on the dam approach, a long view down the spillway, and boats out onto the backwaters when the level allows.
What to do here
- Walk the dam approach and garden
- Take a boat onto the backwaters when the level permits
- Watch for river terns, ospreys and cormorants on the islands
- Combine it with the Muthodi range for a wildlife day
The reservoir is the reason the tiger reserve holds the density of prey it does, and the backwaters are the district's best open-water birding — river terns nest on the islands.
History
Built in the 1940s–60s as one of the state's earliest major irrigation projects, the Bhadra Project irrigates a large part of the Chikmagalur, Shivamogga and Davanagere plains and remains among the oldest and biggest dams in Karnataka.
Travel tips
About 60 km from Chikmagalur town via Tarikere. Late afternoon light is best over the water. Boating is seasonal and depends on reservoir level — ask at Lakkavalli rather than booking blind.
Please note
Do: follow the posted photography restrictions — the dam structure itself is a protected installation. Do: wear a life jacket on any boat, without exception. Don't: swim in the reservoir; there are crocodiles and the drop-offs are sudden. Don't: feed or approach wildlife on the shoreline.
Stay nearby
Places to stay around Bhadra Dam, Lakkavalli
Combine your trip
Places near Bhadra Dam, Lakkavalli
LakeBhadra Backwaters, N.R. Pura
The upper reach of the Bhadra reservoir — coracles, islands, and the tiger reserve on the far bank.
ViewpointZ Point
Kemmanagundi's sunset ridge
Shanti Falls
A small fall on the Z Point path that almost nobody stops at — which is the whole point.
Simhanagadde Jain Kshetra
The Jwalamalini atishaya kshetra — a Jain place of miracles, and the district's Jain centre.