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I had heard about Kabini since many years but always postponed visiting it thus far. Here on Team-BHP as well we have seen it covered extensively by many of the visitors. Finally this year in April we decided to visit Kabini. This is a travelogue of our Kabini visit.
Trip Planning:
Was looking for some place to visit for the May Day time period and felt this place would be ideal. We have a toddler who is 2.5 years old and so we have been avoiding the longer drives since he gets impatient sitting belted up in the Baby Seat. So Kabini seemed like a good place which was not too far away and we could also halt in between as needed given that from Bangalore one has to go via Mysore to reach Kabini.
The trip was planned from 27.Apr.2019 to 01.May.2019. We decided to stay a night in Srirangapatna at the Mayura River View and then proceed along to Kabini from there. The plan was to spend 2 nights in Kabini (28th and 29th) and then head back to Mysore on 30th Apr. Stay a night in Mysore and then head back to Bangalore on May Day. The breaks were added to ensure my son does not feel the drives to be too long.
Booking The Stay:
Initially I went thru some online reviews and booked Red Earth at Kabini for a night and also booked another night at Kabini Lake View Resort. Finally after reading about the exclusive access that Govt. Of Karnataka owned Jungle Lodges has on the Jeep Safari here on Team-BHP, I cancelled my Red Earth booking and booked a night at the Jungle Lodges facility in Kabini,
The Kabini River Lodge. The pricing for the Kabini is on the higher side and it costed Rs.21,000 approx. per couple for a night. My son was not charged additional as he is below 5 years of age. I have to admit that this is possibly the highest I have paid for a single night stay anywhere in India and so was hoping it would be worth it. To keep budgets under control, the second night at Kabini was booked at the Kabini Lake View Resort which worked out at around Rs.7,000.
What's Included: The charges for the Kabini River Lodge included stay in a room in the East Bungalow, Food which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner and also the charges for 1 Boat Safari and 1 Jeep Safari.
My Photography Experience:
Thought I will cover this aspect as well more as a disclaimer, I am not much of a photographer and have remained a wanna-be photographer for a long time now. I do not own a D-SLR but a Mirrorless Camera – the
Panasonic Lumix GX85. I have 3 lenses at my disposal, the 12-32mm Stock Lens, a 45-175mm Zoom lens and a 25 mm F1.7 Prime lens. The 45-175mm Zoom ( equivalent to 90-350mm in 35mm format) I felt should help me take some wildlife photography shots though I know that this has its own limitations.
The advantage though was that the camera itself comes with 5 axis In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) and the lens too has its own IS which when combined provides an excellent still shot which Panasonic calls the Dual-IS Mode. So, all the photos that I would share as part my post would be from the configuration that I called out here. There are of course some pictures that were taken using my Mobile Phone - these do have the watermark on them to indicate that the picture was shot on Mobile.
And the Trip Starts - Day 01: Bengaluru to Mayura River View, Srirangapatna
We started lazily in the afternoon on Saturday. The destination was to reach Mayura River View which is a nice resort located on the banks of the river Cauvery with access the river bank from within the resort. We had gone here once already before but we had planned to visit again as we enjoyed the calm atmosphere a lot. On the way to the Resort we stopped at a Highway Restaurant called "Ruchi Mane" and finished Lunch there. Post lunch we reached the Mayura River View Resort close to 4 PM.
Access to the River Bank from within the Resort Coracle Rides can be taken from within the Resort itself View of the River Cauvery - the sound of the water flowing is peaceful and serene Landscaping & Greenery at the Resort Some Birds at the Resort More Landscaping Lush Green Lawns My Son running about on the Lawns Restaurant with View of the River
The restaurant and its placement is a highlight of the Resort. They have built this at a height with an excellent view of the river. One can be seated with a good view of the river and have food seeing the river flowing and also hearing the sound of the flowing stream.
Walkway from the Restaurant Lighting at the Resort in the Night Addl. View: Lighting at the Resort in the Night Restaurant with Lantern Type of Lighting Close Up of the Lights Restaurant Entry Sign Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangapatna Consecrated in 984 AD
Just 2 kms away from the Resort is the famous Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. This temple is part of the "Pancharanga Kshetrams" and is the first one of the five also called as the "Adi Ranga". The name of Srirangapatna for the town comes from this temple. We decided to visit the temple in the evening. There was not much crowd and we had a good visit to the temple.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangapatna - Addl. View
After returning back to the resort we had dinner at resort and ended the day with a walk nearby.
Lovely little trip. Thanks for sharing. Kabini has been on my to-do list for long but somehow didn't manage it yet. The prices of Jungle lodges are exorbitant across karnataka. Even our very own Bannerghata national park jungle lodge cost me around 16k for a cottage(twin occupancy) way back in 2011. 21k for Kabini sounds outrageous :Frustrati
Are there any other resorts around which can help enjoy the place similarly without being so exorbitant? How were the road conditions? Guess you did it on the City? Any issues with low GC?
Cat spotting is pure luck. In my 2 visits to Bandipur/Madhumalai , I was lucky to spot a cat only once & the feeling was amazing to see them in natural habitat. Way better than seeing them in closed confines of Bannerghata national park. Marvelous creatures clap:
Quote:
Originally Posted by vsrivatsa
(Post 4690962)
The pricing for the Kabini is on the higher side and it costed Rs.21,000 approx. per couple for a night. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoumenD
(Post 4691951)
Even our very own Bannerghata national park jungle lodge cost me around 16k for a cottage(twin occupancy) way back in 2011. |
WOW! Those are insane rates! And I believe these places are full almost every weekend? Who says the economy is in trouble?! :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoumenD
(Post 4691951)
Are there any other resorts around which can help enjoy the place similarly without being so exorbitant? |
Always possible. And always a trade-off between time and money. If one has the time, head there on a weekday, book a safari directly by standing in line at the forest department booking counter. Not sure of the safari costs, but will be waaay cheaper than what the resorts charge you. Sometimes jeeps are available on weekdays for non-resort visitors, otherwise it's the canter for direct booking.
For stay, if one has their own transport, then there are sure to be several small lodges in the towns around Kabini within 10-20km.
It's the same with any tiger reserve really. Not so long ago, when I had more time than money, used to take a bus to reach Bandhavgarh from Jabalpur, just show up without any reservation or booking, get a safari ticket and hire a gypsy and driver and go on safaris. Getting accommodation was also not an issue, used to ask the gypsy drivers and forest guards to point me to local hotels and lodges. The fancy resorts take care of everything and you can book in advance, but overcharge a ton.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoumenD 21k for Kabini sounds outrageous :Frustrati
Are there any other resorts around which can help enjoy the place similarly without being so exorbitant? |
Kabini has been very expensive since a long time. I remember I had checked almost 7-8 years back and still 16K for a couple even then. The next option close by is the Kabini LakeView Resort which costs approx. 7K.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoumenD How were the road conditions? Guess you did it on the City? Any issues with low GC? |
Road Conditions are good. Although it does become single track with two-way traffic. I have so far not faced any issue with respect to GC on the 4th Gen City so far in my ownership itself - I am running on the upsized 195/60R15 Michelin tyres since Day 1.
Quote:
Originally Posted by am1m
(Post 4692088)
For stay, if one has their own transport, then there are sure to be several small lodges in the towns around Kabini within 10-20km. |
Not aware of much options close by but beyond 20 kms (approx 25 kms away), HD Kote is another rural town which is about 45 mins drive from Kabini and has some cheaper options in the range of 4K to 5.5K. Also I had seen this article long time back which had listed an approach to explore Kabini while not spending much:
URL
However, it looks like the folks at JLR realized the above approach and completely cancelled the Jeep Safari for people on day visit - so if one does not stay in an expensive resort then the only option now is the Mini Bus or the Canter:
Quote:
While this blog got very popular number of people asking for this soared and it was not liked by the higher ups and jeep safari on a day visit has been cancelled since beginning of 2016 |
Quote:
Originally Posted by vsrivatsa
(Post 4692455)
However, it looks like the folks at JLR realized the above approach and completely cancelled the Jeep Safari for people on day visit - so if one does not stay in an expensive resort then the only option now is the Mini Bus or the Canter: |
That is unfortunate. But that's the way things are becoming.The government wants only 'high value' tourists in wildlife zones these days.
On one hand, it does help restrict the number of people who will visit a tiger reserve. But the sad part is a lot of the locals will not get a chance to see what's right in their backyard. And of course the backpacker/independent/budget/student traveller is totally out of the wildlife equation these days. Mainly for high-end family/guided photography tours and travellers. Pity.
Ah one more member falls into the Kabini trap!! :) Nice travelogue, vsrivatsa.
You are indeed lucky to have spotted both the Red Headed Vultures and Indian Vultures together. I have not seen them very often out there. It is also really wonderful that the elephants are making a comeback in the Kabini/Bandipur/Wayanad region. The big herds have been absent for many years now, but this year I have seen huge herds numbering 30 or more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stryker
(Post 4694059)
Ah one more member falls into the Kabini trap!! :) Nice travelogue, vsrivatsa.
You are indeed lucky to have spotted both the Red Headed Vultures and Indian Vultures together. I have not seen them very often out there. |
Thanks! In fact, I changed my booking from Red Earth to JLR Kabini River Lodge based on the advice I received on your Kabini thread here:
>
Very nice travelogue.
I was in Kabini from 3rd to 5th May - my first visit there.
The problem with Kabini is that the safaris get a bit intense. The morning one takes almost 4 hours and the evening one 3 hours. The sum and substance is that one hardly gets time to relax in the resort. Voluntarily skipping safari would be a heart wrenching emotion given the amount one had already paid.
One the positive side, we did finally get to see the elusive tiger and a leopard grandly sitting on a tree. This is after umpteen number of visits over the last decade.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepak_misra
(Post 4697350)
The morning one takes almost 4 hours and the evening one 3 hours. The sum and substance is that one hardly gets time to relax in the resort. Voluntarily skipping safari would be a heart wrenching emotion given the amount one had already paid.
One the positive side, we did finally get to see the elusive tiger and a leopard grandly sitting on a tree. This is after umpteen number of visits over the last decade. |
Agree with your thoughts on the duration of the Safari but I guess Kabini provides the most sightings mainly due to that. After check-out we put all our luggage in the car and roamed around in the resort for an additional hour or so as we also felt we had not spent much time in the resort itself.
Good to hear that you managed to see some of the big cats :thumbs up
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