Kabini - The Watering Hole Of Karnataka

Yet another Weekend and the same old routine of visiting a mall watching yet another flop and finishing off with an expensive dinner was on the cards but hell no!! We visited a Jungle watched the wilderness in its true majestic beauty and dined on the banks of the splendid water hole of Karnataka - Kabini

Kabini is situated in the southern part of Nagarhole Forrest dividing Nagarhole national park and Bandipur national park which is the main reason Kabini is a popular wildlife destination of Karnataka. Based on a documentary made by Mr. Ullas Karanth leading tiger expert of Karnataka the density of tiger is highest in Nagarhole national park. The Documentary was shown to us by the resort and is mandated by the Karnataka government to all the resorts to play this 50 minutes documentary for all the guests so that they are aware of the rich density of wild life that exists in the Nagarhole national park and are inspired to play an active role to preserve this rich population of Flora and Fauna so that our future generations can experience and enjoy the same.

  

Kabini River

So getting to the details of the trip. One of our friend was back from the US for a short vacation and so we decided to Head to Kabini for a weekend trip. We were a total of 5 people. After much research on Google we zeroed in on Water woods resorts and lodges which is just 100 mts from Jungle lodges kabini. Initialy we were a bit sceptical about the type of resort and if it was worth the money 3.5k Per person per night Jungle lodges was 6k per person per night. But once we reached the destination we were taken aback by the beauty of this resort. The resort is located right at the Kabini river bank and was a perfect setting for a weekend romantic escapade. They have a huge property spread over 10 Acres. The resort is not as popular as jungle resorts and the Owners did not want to market the resort and keep it a low-key until the new block is built. The resort was worth the money and I only hope they don't increase the tariff like the other resorts in its vicinity. The staff of the resort were very friendly and we enjoyed hospitality in its true sense.

  

 

Water Woods Kabini

We left Bangalore at 7 in the morning and reached Chanpatna by 8. We had a sumptuous breakfast at kamat and headed to Mysore. The plan was to take the Mysore - Manandanwadi(NH33) road. We reached the Nagarhole forrest gate by 12. The road through the forrest gate to Kabini was closed and we had to take the diversion before the forrest gate. the 12kms stretch from the forrest gate to Kabini is in a pathetic state and you need a 4X4 to do this stretch . My car tyres took a beating in this stretch  and I was cursing myself as to why did I chose to come to Kabini until we reached the resort. Once we reached the resort we were thankful that we chose Kabini for the weekend getaway :) .

We freshened up quickly and the lunch was served. The food was really yummy at the resort. After the lunch we took a stroll at the banks of the river inhaling the fresh air which is scarce here in Bangalore. Surprisingly none of us wanted to take a nap and we headed to the Jungle for the wildlife safari. The owner of the resort joined us for the safari and hence we were lucky to be taken to the Core Area- B of the jungle. We all were excited about the safari and desperately wanted to sight a Tiger. But as the saying goes it is not about you wanting to spot a Tiger it all boils down to the Tiger's mood if it wants to see you :) . We couldn't spot a Tiger in the safari however we had a close shave with a herd of Elephants, The young Male Elephant in the group charged at our safari vehicle twice and it was super exciting :) . We spotted Bisons, Wild Boars, Some Indian Sambar and Deers.We also spotted few exotic birds and watched an Eagle feeding on another bird. So overall the Jungle safari wasn't all that disappointing. We reached the resort by 8 in the evening and the Hotel staff played the Documentary of noted Zoologist Ullas Karanth about Nagarhole National Park. We were intoduced to the wild life existing in the park and were truly mesmerised by its beauty. After the documentary the resort arranged for a camp fire right at the banks of the river. It was an amazing experience for us. We partied and gossiped till late in the night and retired to bed.

Elephant Herd

The young male on the right that charged at us

Wild Boar

Camp Fire organised by the resort

It was 7Am next morning my roommate woke up looked out of the window and let out a loud cry of WOW!! and ran out of the room with the Camera. For an instance I thought he spotted a leapord or a Tiger. When I looked out of the window the scenery was simply mind blowing. It was a Breathtaking view of the sunrise illuminating the lake.I too exited the room to experience this breath-taking view. The hotel staff served us Tea. Cool winds, Back waters, clear blue skies and amazing view of the sun made a perfect Sunday morning. Breakfast was served and as usual it was yummylicios. I took a quick swim in the cool water and did some boating with Wifey.










Below are some pics of the spectacular morning sunshine.....

 

Beautiful Sunrise

The sun illuminating the River

Fresh cup of tea a perfect Sunday Morning

Boating with Wifey

We had to check out by 12 but really did not want to. This was the first time that I have ever enjoyed Hotel facilities. Usually I booked hotels just to dump our luggage and head out to explore the place. We checked out by 12 and reached Bangalore by 5.

Kabini was a truely amazing experience an enriching experience for me. I would definitely recommend Kabini for a memorable Weekend.

Credits:-

A great vacation is not possible without a group of like minded people and I am thankful that I had great friends accompanying me on the trip.Also A great Vacation is not possible without good hospitality and I am thankful for Water woods Kabini to make our stay comfortable and easy  .