Feb 18th, 2025

The Kabini jungle is special for me because this was where I had embarked on my first South Indian safari in October 2023 and where I had the intense pleasure of spotting tigers in 2 out of my 3 safaris. In addition to that thrill, I had also encountered many other exciting jungle beings like dholes, barking deer, mongoose, innumerable spotted deer and langurs, several birds, elephants and many more.

I love going on safaris but unfortunately due to certain personal reasons I have not been able to give in to that indulgence too often.

So it was with great delight that I jumped at that chance when I was invited by the lovely people at the charming Fireflies Kabini jungle resort, with the carrot of a safari also being dangled at me.

So what trophies did I return with this time? Well to be honest, it was not as fruitful (or animal-full as I hoped) but it was exciting nevertheless to just get out there and travel through the jungle.

I have covered the details of Kabini in my previous post but I will repeat the information here too for the ease of my readers.

But before that, I will first tell you about this trip because I know you must be impatient to see my ‘trophies’. So enjoy the story now and let us get to the other boring details later 😎

My safari – 

As I said, my earlier safaris had been quite successful and I had high hopes that my ‘tiger lucky streak’ would remain unbroken. Also, this safari was on a weekday morning and hence of a 3 hour duration, which gave me hope of having a better chance of sighting several creatures. But alas, that was not be. In fact it was so bad that even the highly common Spotted deer turned their faces away from us 😏

Eventually we did get to see a few creatures from the usual suspects, namely peacocks, wild boars, langurs, gaur, elephants and the slightly more unusual find of a pair of Malabar squirrels. Some of the pictures are below.

The good thing about this dull trip was that we had booked the new safari bus, which made it far more comfortable than otherwise.

Another positive development was the presence of a brand new washroom on the safari trail where the bus makes a stop there during the course of the trip. This was a welcome addition indeed since in the past there was no option at all of a toilet, for the entire duration of the safari.

 

A short video glimpse –

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One had to really ‘dekho gaur se’ (stare hard) to spot this Gaur!

These elephants looked like the very same trio who posed for me in October 2023. I think they plant 3 elephants at the same location for every safari 😀

The mid sized chap actually pretended to mock charge at us, just to up the excitement quotient 😎

The Malabar squirrels were so busy performing acrobatics in the tangled branches, that they did not even deign to pose properly!

Our luck was so bad that even the ubiquitous Spotted deer turned their faces away from us.

They did relent after that and gave us a ‘pity’ glimpse.

As I always say, this experience goes to prove yet again that safari sightings are quite the gamble and heavily dependent on the vagaries of fate.

Safaris are a very addictive activity and I will hopefully be back again someday, sometime, some-forest.

About Nagarahole National Park  – 

Nagarahole National Park is one of South India’s premier forests and a major attraction for wildlife enthusiasts. Earlier known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park, it derives its present name from the literal translation of serpentine stream, many of which flow through the forest (in Kannada, naga is serpent and holaey is stream).

Straddling the districts of Coorg and Mysore, this park is a part of the Nilgiris biosphere reserve and occupies a core area of around 645 sq km and a buffer area of around 200 sq km, totalling to nearly 850 sq km.

Originally considered the private hunting ground of the Mysore Maharajas, this forest was eventually designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955. It was accorded the status of National Park  in 1988 and further in 1999, it was declared as the 37th Project Tiger Reserve  of India. India currently has 54 tiger reserves across the nation.

The Kabini river is a major river that flows through the park and Kabini also refers to  a part of the Nagarahole National Park which has its own gate for the safari.

Nagarahole is contiguous with the Bandipur Tiger Reserve which is located to its South East. The Kabini River separates the Nagarahole National Park from the Bandipur National Park.

The Nagarahole road through the jungle is open for general traffic other than 2 wheelers, 3 wheelers and goods vehicles. However there are timings and vehicles are prohibited from 6 pm to 6 am every day by closing the entry gates into the park. Also during the daytime, entry and exit times for each vehicle are recorded and one cannot loiter indefinitely in the forest.

Apart from the general vehicular movement, there are safaris which are operated so that the public can enjoy the forest and the beautiful life forms it holds within.

Wildlife –

The deciduous forest is home to several species of fauna and flora. Some of the notable inhabitants are tigers, leopards, gaurs, elephants, sloth bears, wild boars, barking deer, sambar deer, mongoose, Malabar squirrels, Asiatic Wild Dog also called dhole and of course lots and lots of spotted deer (chital) and langurs.

Avifauna thrives in this jungle with over 250 species of birds and the park has its fair share of reptiles too.

Safari options at Nagarahole – 

The safaris are operated by Jungle Lodges and Resorts (also commonly referred to as JLR), an eco-tourism hospitality brand by the Government of Karnataka which has its presence across destinations that cover adventure, beaches, heritage, nature and wildlife.

Apart from this, the other option is the safari operated by the forest department.

It is useful to know that the park has 2 separate zones for the safaris called Zone A which is mostly through wooded area and Zone B which is closer to the Kabini waters. The safari conducted by JLR  is permitted to cover only one of these zones at a time and their vehicles are accordingly labelled as Zone A or Zone B. However, the Forest Department canter bus safaris are allowed seamless access across both the zones.

There are 3 safari gates for the park namely the Nanachi Gate near Kutta, the  Kakanakote Gate near Kabini and the Veeranahosahalli gate near Hunsur (which currently does not seem to offer bookings on the online portal)

One can choose the gate as per their convenience.

The Kakanakote gate is nearer for travellers from Mysore and Bangalore and the Nanachi gate is convenient for those approaching from Coorg side.

Types of safaris –

There are 3 types of safari possibilities which are the Jeep, Boat and Canter (bus) safaris.

The jeeps and boats are almost exclusively offered only to guests of JLR and guests of resorts which have a safari tie up with JLR. The safaris are usually a part of the booking package.

Boat safaris are conducted on the Kabini Backwaters Forest by the Karnataka Forest Department. Booking assistance is given by the resorts where one stays.

Managed by the forest department, the canter bus safaris are low cost and open to the general public and each bus can accommodate around 20 people. A newer and more comfortable bus has been recently introduced with a more expensive ticket. This vehicle has plush seating in a 2 + 1 row pattern unlike the older buses which have 2 + 2 seats in every row.

Safari details – 

Timings –

The forest department bus safaris are operated in the morning and evening and the timings are the same throughout the year irrespective of the season.

On weekdays (Monday to Friday) the duration is 2.5 hours and timings are –

Mornings – 6.30 am to 9.00 am

Evenings – 3.30 pm to 6.00 pm

Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) offer 4 safaris per day of 1.5 hour duration each.

Mornings – 6.00 am to 7.30 am and 7.30 am to 9 am

Evenings – 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm and 4.30 pm to 6 pm.

Booking and contact – 

The canter safari can be booked at the Forest Department booking counter at the safari gates or can also be booked online.

Online sales begin a month in advance and only 4 tickets can be booked from one person’s account.

The live counters open an hour before the safari begins and only 1 ticket is given per person.

50% of the tickets are reserved to be sold across the counter but it is advisable to pre book online since one cannot predict the queues and on-the-spot availability especially on holidays.

Also, seat number allotment is done just before the safari begins, so even those with pre-booked tickets have to visit the counter at least 30 minutes ahead of time, to get the seats assigned.

The safari tickets are non refundable and non changeable.

Kabini bus safari booking link
https://www.nagaraholetigerreserve.com/

Choose the Kakanakote gate option while booking the Kabini safari. This is also referred to as the Dammanakatte or Antharasanthe gate.

The Nanachi gate option is for the Nagarahole safari.

Current charges for the safari –

Bus/Canter Safari –

Monday to Friday – Rs 600 + tax for Indians and Rs 1000 + tax for foreigners

Saturday and Sunday – Rs 450 + tax for Indians and Rs 750 + tax for foreigners

Note – The tickets for the new bus are not listed online as of now and have to be bought at the counter. I paid Rs 855 inclusive of tax on a weekday. The pricing details are not yet available on their website.

Safari charges are periodically increased, hence please refer to the website for the latest figures. Camera charges are extra and depend on the equipment.

We also had to pay parking charges despite the parking being by the roadside outside the gate.

Visitor Profile – 

Guests of all ages are permitted at on the safari. However, it is unwise to bring little children who may not understand the need for silence in a forest. There is also no access for the mobility challenged and the jungle trails can be quite bumpy and uncomfortable and hence not suitable for those with relevant health issues.

Where to stay – 

Kabini is generally known as a high budget destination due to the many luxury resorts which have been established here. However, there are a few homestays too for the budget conscious traveller.

During my trips to Kabini, I had stayed at the beautiful luxury resort Red Earth Kabini when I visited in 2017 and during my recent visit in October 2023, I stayed at a homely and comfortable homestay called RathnaPrabha Farm and this time in February 2025 it was the delightful Fireflies Kabini.

Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) the government run chain of jungle stays, also has it presence here and is one of the preferred stay options, being a ‘one stop shop’ for boarding, lodging and the safari which is accompanied by experienced guides. One can choose from a range of combination packages while booking.

Many of the private luxury resorts also have an association with JLR, which permits their guests to avail exclusively of the JLR safaris.

Best time to visit – 

Kabini is a year round destination and is open through all seasons.

However, the peak time is considered to be during October to March weather wise and April and May for better sightings in the jungle. June to September is the monsoon period and while this is also a great time to be amidst the lush and verdant rain washed surroundings, there is a chance of safaris getting cancelled due to bad weather.

Phone and internet connectivity – 

Signals are not all that bad inside the forest and to some extent, phone and internet access is sufficiently reliable, barring a few random spots along the way.

What you should carry – 

Warm clothes including gloves and socks are advisable in the non summer months because mornings and evenings can get quite chilly on the safari.

In the warmer seasons, it is better to wear light cottons.

Caps, masks (the safari trails are quite dusty), cameras, binoculars, comfortable footwear, drinking water and such items will come in handy. Food items are not permitted on the safari.

As always, carry your Aadhaar or any photo Government id copies.

Additional Information – 

The Kakanakote gate has a reasonably usable washroom.

There is a small stall selling basic packaged snacks and water.

Parking is available and is kerbside outside the gate but despite that, it is to be paid for.

There used to be no option to use the washroom for the duration of the safari in the past but this time I was pleasantly surprised to see that a brand new washroom has been built and the bus makes a stop there during the course of the trip.

Getting there – 

By air –  The nearest Airport is the Mysore Airport, which is less than 100 km away. This airport has very limited flights.

The nearest major airport is the Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore which is 270 km away from the park.

Train – The nearest major railway station is the Mysore Railway Station (70 km) followed by Bangalore (210 km).

Cabs or private vehicles are the best means of transport from the airports/stations.

Road – There are excellent roads leading to Nagarahole National Park from the surrounding major cities. Getting there by private vehicle or cab is the best way from Mysore (around 90 km) and Bangalore (around 220 km).

 

Please Note –

My narration is based on the inputs I received from various sources as well as my personal experiences.

I would really appreciate your feedback and comments in the comment box below.

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For more pictures see My Facebook –  Kabini Jungle Safari – Round 2

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This itinerary was specially curated hence some of the features might have been personalized accordingly. Before booking, please check the facilities offered in your package.

Feb 18th, 2025