Kabini - Elephant Dwellings

By Author: Rashmiranjan Patil
Total Articles: 261
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Kabini is situated in the Nagarhole Wild Life Sanctuary, by the backwaters of the Kabini River, in the state of Karnataka.

Located at a distance of about 70 km from Mysore and 200 km from Bangalore, Kabini covers an area of about 580 sq km.

According to the Project Elephant reports there are around 6000 elephants in the contiguous stretches of the Kabini forests comprising of Nagarhole, Bandipur, Biligirirangana and Mudumalai.

Other than the wild elephants, a lot of other animals roam freely in Kabini. Mouse deer, spotted deer, sloth bear, gaur, sambhar, tiger and panther are some of the other animals found here.

Other than the wild animals, birds like painted storks, egrets, herons, ibis, serpent eagle, vultures and a lot of other migratory birds are found in the forests or near the water bodies.

The accommodation options in Kabini are limited and most of the available Kabini hotels are in the top bracket for the high-end customers.

Kabini River Lodge, once the hunting lodge of the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore, is a heritage resort. This resort has about 14 double rooms, 10 cottages, ...
... and 6 tented cottages with attached modern bath and other amenities. This Kabini hotel is surrounded by the Kabini River on 3 sides.

Kabini Lake View Resort has 8 guest rooms of double occupancy with all the modern amenities.

Waterwoods Lodge and Resorts have exclusive river front access of the Kabini River and is built in colonial style with 6 bedrooms that are air-conditioned and offer river front views.

Orange County Kabini has 33 rooms, classified as Pool Huts and Jacuzzi Huts. The resort also has an in-house restaurant.

The other Kabini hotels are The Serai and The Bison.

The other activities in all these Kabini hotels include kayaking, wildlife safari, nature trail walk, bird watching, boat cruise, wildlife photography, bicycle trails, elephant rides, wildlife movie screenings, campfires and barbeque.

All of these Kabini hotels have room service, car parking, multi-cuisine restaurants, facilities, laundry, free pick up and drop from the nearest railway station and airport.

There are a few jungle lodges in the forest. The forest department can arrange for stay if booked in advance.

There are Kodava homes on the periphery of the park, which offer an excellent experience of warm hospitality.

Jeep safaris and canter rides can be arranged from the forest department and has to be booked in advance. In the mornings and evenings, guided tours are conducted into the forest. Elephant rides can also be arranged and are more exciting as they can penetrate the dense thickets and sightings are more guaranteed.

Kabini is well-connected. Mysore is the nearest railway station. There are daily KSRTC services to Kabini from Bangalore and Mysore.