Kabini River Trip

May 8, 2009

In June/July 2005, when suddenly faced with a weekend to kill, James and I dashed off to a place called the Kapila resorts after our friendly travel arranger tipped us off about fabulous prices at a famous area. We had a great time enjoying the tranquility of the Kabini river that flows between the Nagarhole and Bandipur forests. And the sight of a few deer and birds like peacock that we were able to spot in the lush green forest. And mesmerised by all the talk of large elephant herds gathering by the river. Yeah, Kabini is apparently one of the top five in the world for elephant viewing.

I have been waiting for four years to go "in the season". Finally, March this year looked like a possibility; unfortunately, some travel or other kept coming in between. Anyway, after a bit (lot) of coordination, Raghu and I managed to find a place at the price we liked. 

Kabini River

We were told by all the resorts we were contacting that this was the right time even though it had rained two nights before we left. Anyway, Raghu's extended family and I got into the Corolla. And I took control of the wheels :) 20 minutes into the drive.

A beautiful ride on a much improved Bangalore-Mysore road, although punctured thorougly with nasty speed bumps, lead us to Mysore. We took the outer ring road and headed toward Hampapura. Not many signs on the way, but you get to drive through pretty countryside dotted with small villages. Around noon, after about 4hrs of driving we arrived at our resort, Waterwoods, which showcases pictures of celebs like Kumble and Goldie Hawn who have stayed there. Decent, but pricey place. Apparently, they shop for groceries 20km away; that explains it (smile).

After a sumptuous lunch, a relaxing afternoon capped with some high tea, we took off for the forest a little before 4pm in a private jeep. The guide, like in my previous trip, seemed quite competent and confident. 

We entered the forest and started seeing deer pretty soon. Apparently there are four kinds of deer in this place; except one species, the rest can be seen in generous numbers. The Langoor (monkeys) were showing off in groups here and there; and the quietness of the forest was only shattered by the noise from our jeep and an occasional cuckoo.

Suddenly, the driver stopped the jeep and asked us to remain quiet. There were about three to four adult elephants and one really young one feeding on the bamboos by the roadside. Obviously, one should be careful not to irk a protective mother; so we stayed watching them for a while. As we drove by them about 10 feet away, one of them made a slight move; just enough to get our hearts pouding. Our first sighting was spectacular! Wow! 

After a few minutes of admiring the forest beauty, we pulled over by another jeep. They had seen a leopard cross the road a few minutes back, and it was just resting by the edge of the forest behind some tall grass. We could make out the shape, after wondering few times if imagination was playing a bigger part (smile). About 15 minutes later, it decided to get up and head into the forest at a deliberate pace; may be it got tired of the too many (about six!) tourist jeeps pulling over and incessant chattering from some of the groups. We got lucky! Hurrah!

Sensing my anxiety to see the elephant herds, the driver started taking us to various sections of the river banks. Awesome scenery; occasional huge tusker or two. But the herds were nowhere to be found (sad). I clicked away at things in the fading light knowing that all the preparation of the earlier weeks had not materialized the way I was hoping; and I was getting myself ready for some March in the future.

I guess the sky felt my plight too; few minutes after we returned to the resort, it opened up big time and shed a big bucketful of tears - effectively sealing a return visit the next morning into the forest. So, we ate the hot food indoors quietly and found solace in the many books filling the living room library and retired early. Next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and headed out of Kabini.

Srirangapattanam

On the way back, just past Mysore, we decided to cool ourselves in the Cauvery river. So, we went toward the sangama near Srirangapattanam. A one-minute coracle ride took us to the rocky middle section of the river, where the water was waist high. We splashed and swam (kinda) in the river for an hour; of course, only after cautiously weathering the fear of dealing with the slippery rocks for the first 10-15 minutes. The weeds (kelp?) growing in the water give a creepy feeling when touched (smile).

After a brief stop at the now famous Nimishamba temple, which Raghu claims was previously deserted (15 years back), we headed toward the Gumbaz where the tombs of Hyder Ali (father of Tipu Sultan) and some others is located. Many photo moments later, we arrived at the Tipu's summer palace, the Dariya Daulat Palace. 

The grounds are huge at this place and lined with tall big trees. But the palace itself looks drab from the outside, especially with all the protective covering done by the archealogy department. If you can muster some patience at this point and enter the palace, which is essentially one medium size two-level building with a small number of rooms, you will be in for an AMAZING visual treat. It is really a shame that they prohibit you from taking pictures. I can't fathom the thought process of the learned ilk that comes up with these silly rules; add to that the video camera extra-charge rule when everyone carries a device these days that is capable of shooting video. !@#$%*&!

Every inch (yes, every inch) of the walls is covered with beautiful painting! There are large war scenes, miniature portraits of nobles in rich homes, pretty flowers - all in color that fits so well and pleasant to the core. There is the usual display of arms, paintings etc. inside the building, but IMHO you have to really stop and admire the walls and the ceiling. It must have taken them many, many years of intense labor to finish this building.

Finishing up

We stopped by Maddur Tiffins (which I recommend you don't), had our evening tiffin and headed back to Bangalore surviving the rain-induced traffic.