Sakrebyle Elephant Camp sits about 8 km from Shimoga on the banks of the Tunga river, and it is the most accessible wildlife encounter in the district. The Karnataka Forest Department runs this working elephant camp where around 25–30 elephants are kept for forestry and ceremonial duties. You can watch the daily bathing in the river in the morning — elephants led by their mahouts into the shallows is genuinely impressive at close range.
The camp is open to visitors in the morning (roughly 9 AM to noon) and again in the afternoon. There is an entry fee and you can sometimes arrange a short elephant ride, though availability varies. The setting on the river is pleasant and you're likely to see the animals being fed and exercised. It's not a sanctuary — these are working elephants — but it gives real insight into the traditional human-elephant relationship that has underpinned forest management in Karnataka for centuries.