Nagarhole Rajiv Gandhi National Park comes under Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Niligiri Sub Cluster of Western Ghats of India which are protected under UNESCO as Biodiversity Hotspot! Check out the whole map of Western Ghats under UNESCO here. Btw, image heavy post ahead, alert!!!One of the very primary reason to visit Kabini is to go inside Nagarhole National Park and try our luck in spotting a big cat! According to the present rules and regulations, jeep safari is organized twice a day by the government and I chose to go one in the evening and another 2 days later, in the morning of birthday! Did I spot a big cat? Read on to find out. The jeeps are loaded at Kabini River Lodges (more about in the Tips section at the end of the post), which is about 2 km from the entrance of the national park. Every jeep has a naturalist in it and my first one was with Mr.Chirag and 2nd with Mr.Sharath, both of Orange County Resorts. The main road that actually goes into the park is SH33 and is used by several vehicles. Off SH33, a road goes into the jungle - a bumpy dirt track. It has 2 zones, A & B and I managed to take both the routes on my 2 trips. In one of the trips, soon after I started in a tiny water hole, I spotted a Sambar Deer. Then I spotted several several Spotted Deers and Langurs. Next up we went closer to the backwaters and spotted a herd of elephants along with Spotted Deers (Chintals) and Wild Boars!Back into the forest we spotted several types birds, mountain squirrels, peacocks etc and as the day wrapped up, almost near the exit again another waterhole with filled with gorgeous Elephants including a mom & calf!!! Though I got to spot a lot, big cat was still elusive!2 days later, on my Birthday, early morning, we set out again in the early morning safari at 6 AM. Soon after we entered the forest, there, on the road, comfortably seated was the Leopard!!!!! My Birthday, began with seeing a LEOPARD!!!Soon after we came, the fellow seemed disturbed, and chose to walk away into the forest! Yup, so we got to see its catwalk too!!!The number of birds I saw was oh so many - Peafowl, White Breasted Kingfisher, Hoopee, Yellow Footed Green Pigeon, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Golden Flameback Woodpecker, Racket Tailed Drongo, Green Bee Eaters and ofcourse Pond Herons, Sparrows, Red Vented & Whiskered Bulbuls, Jungle Babblers, Cowcal, Koel and so many more! In the main backwaters, I got to spot Cormorants, Darters, Egrets etc. This time one of the Malabar Giant Squirrel also managed to pose for me sitting on a branch right atop our jeep.Soon after that, our naturalist spotted the footprints of a tiger! We followed it and reached a waterhole where langurs where yelling at the top of their voice - the alarm sound. We waited long at that spot to see if she would come out, but unfortunately that did not happen! At another waterhole we spotted 3 Sambar deers, and a Barking deer! A Birthday with Leopard, Barking Deer, Sambar deer, Racket Tailed Drongo, Asian Paradise Flycatcher in the wild????? What more could I ask for?!!!!! I could ask for Tigers too! I'm yet to see one in the wild!!!! But for this Birthday, I'm just more than happy!!!!!
Here's a tip:
Till early 2016, taking your own vehicle inside the national park was allowed. However now, with more and more awareness about the conservation and giving more importance to the animals, than the tourists, drive-thru & drop-in safari has now come to an end. As of now, you HAVE to stay in one of the 6 resorts here (Orange County Resorts, Kabini River Lodge of Jungle Lodges, The Bison, Kaav, Serai and Waterwoods) in order to take up the Jeep safari. Also when the river is brimming, there's a boat safari as well about which I can't comment on much, coz I didn't get to do it.
The cheapest accommodation (tented cottage) in Jungle Lodges (the cheapest of the 6 resorts) is Rs.8000 (per person in a twin sharing basis) including Jeep Safari. Yes, the prices are steep, but that's to curb too many tourists. Safari is organized only by Jungle Lodges of Karnataka Government and there are 2 safaris a day with 10 vehicles in the early morning and 11 vehicles in the afternoon which is a couple of 18 seaters, and the rest are 10 seaters. The other 5 resorts have a tie-up with Jungle Lodges to take their guests in. So only about a total of 200 tourists are allowed in everyday. So you have to book early! Guests at Orange County Resorts, Kabini are given to option to go on the safari as soon as they check in and if interested, a seat is booked for you in the safari of selected date & time. This is at an extra cost of Rs.1720 for Indians and Rs.2720 for Foreign nationals. Phones are to be put in airplane mode and no food or drinks (except water) is allowed inside the sanctuary. Cameras with more than 300mm zoom lens, need a separate camera ticket as well. Half of the jeeps take zone A and half, zone B. Even those within the same zone do not go in a convoy and take different direction as soon as they enter the forest. The drivers of these jeeps are in contact with each other and as soon as they spot a big cat or elephant they inform others and the rest reach the spot asap.
To get there:
The Safari begins at Kabini River Lodges of Jungle Lodges.
From Mysore: 76km
From Bangalore: 228km via Mysuru
Dedicated to Venkat
