They say Kabini was once a private hunting destination of Mysore Maharaja. Nagarhole national park has rich variety of flora and fauna. It is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka and a perfect destination to indulge in nature. The most favorite attractions of Kabini are wildlife road safari and a boat ride safari.

Stay at: The bison Kabini        

African styled tents, rustic restaurant, wall full of wildlife photography, antique furniture, lake front rooms and what not to like, a very offbeat destination in the banks of Kabini river. Totally it was my long overdue offbeat destination. It might not look fancy on outside but the minute you enter those well-furnished tents I think you’ll definitely fall in love. As my husband and I both are passionate about adventure destinations we decided to book this resort (though I’m not satisfied with last minute booking price). Totally it’s an upscale and unique resort. We were so excited to meet the wilderness of nature (I mean safari). We stayed at this resort as it was completely an offbeat resort unlike other luxury resorts. There are so many other resorts there, which you can book through travelling websites.

You can book this resort through their website www.thebisonresort.com

Things to do at the property:

Wildlife Safari:

             The Karnataka Forest Department operates 2 types of Safaris in Kabini, a Jeep Safari and a Boat Safari both in the Morning 6am – 9am and Evening 3pm – 6pm.

Jeep Safari –

You will be escorted by the resort to Jungle lodges and resorts premises (the government owned lodge which arranges the safari) and from there you will ushered into a canter. Our in-house naturalist Shashank (from the bison resort) guided us throughout the safari. We went for safari every day but we couldn’t spot any big cats rather we spotted Indian bison or Indian Gaur, fox, wild dogs, herd of deer everywhere, few birds, elephants, sambar. To spot big cats morning safari is the best. Naturalists usually spot these big cats by warning calls from birds and langurs. And also, they spot leopards and black panthers through their binoculars as they always rest on tree branches. Our naturalist Shashank explained each and every animal and also the birds we spotted throughout the safari.

Boat Safari –

             Boat Safari was really a delightful one for me. Kabini backwaters is really a treasure of wild life. The dead trees in the middle of the river are really a photogenic spot to capture birds. One side of the Kabini Reservoir has Nagarhole national park and on the other side it has Bandipur national park. We spotted otters swimming in the water, painted stork, peacocks, a Tusker, kingfisher, crocodile sleeping on the banks, eagle eating a dead fish and many other birds. We waited by few warning calls but there was no luck, we couldn’t spot any big cats.

Nature Walk: You can go for a nature walk early in the morning around the property. You can spot few birds and enjoy the nature.

Coracle Ride: The resort will arrange coracle ride if you want in the evening. You can enjoy the beautiful sunsets in the backwaters of Kabini River.

Bonfire in the evening: You can relax sitting beside bonfire and enjoy the evening.

             The resort experience was really awesome, the tents, bathroom inside a tent and little balcony were really good. The food was good, it is usually a buffet with veg and non veg dishes. The view from the deck near the restaurant was beautiful. Watching sunsets by the view of lake is surreal and it was one of my best sunsets I have watched. My husband went for a safari in the evening and I stayed back at the resort. While I was regretting my decision suddenly, I saw the magic of colours in the sky and the reflection of those colours in the lake was picturesque. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I took out my cameras and captured one of the most treasured pictures of my life. It was really an amazing evening.

The resort also has a rescued horse’s sanctuary called the backwater sanctuary. You better not touch those horses because some of them are blind and they are rescued animals.

It was indeed a beautiful experience amidst the pandemic.

How to reach Kabini: Kabini is 80km from Mysore and 240km from Bangalore. Both the cities are well connected by air, rail and road.