Kabini 2014

Having lived in Bangalore, albeit for a short period,  I look for opportunities to drive not too long, yet as remote as possible into the wild. Kabini happens to be one of them. This beautiful forest is about a 4 hour drive from Bangalore.

Kabini is home to a plethora of wildlife such as Tigers, Elephants, Foxes, Leopards and deer to name a few. Kabini forest reserve is part of the Nagarhole National park, which also encompasses Bandipur and Masinagudi forest reserves, alongside the banks of the Kabini River.

We stay-put at the spectacular Red Earth resort, the rooms of which were breathtaking. Each cottage was a room by itself, with rustic feel on the inside, and each having its own private Jacuzzi. What better way to enjoy a silent night while immersing yourself to the pleasures of warm water and aromatic bath salts, while appreciating the star studded sky!

The hosts and owners at Kabini are also very hospitable and go out of your way to make sure that you have an enjoyable stay. There is a swimming pool, coracle rides, birding safari, a vintage looking bar and a classy lotus pond, all in one campus! A unique performance would be hosted every evening at Red Earth – mostly performed by the locals; but what you see is sure to take your breath away!

In the morning, we took the early morning canter ride for our safari. The first thing we spotted was a tigress, who was coming to the watering hole to quench her thirst. Apart from the regular sightings of the deer, mongoose, foxes and elephants, we were very lucky to spot the elusive leopard!

This sly cat, left his scent mark on a tree and then went on to climb it. Quite an awesome sight to see, just a few meters from ourselves.

If you want a more exclusive jeep ride, you would have to request for the same in advance. Somehow, we were going with a laid-back holiday mood. It is only later we realized that maybe the jeep safari would have been better.

On the flip-side, none of the jeeps spotted the tiger or the leopard 🙂

So overall, we had an amazing trip! If you are on to quench your wildlife thirst, the lush green Kabini is the place more than Bandipur which on the other hand is quite dry and deserted.