Included
Everything from the moment you reach the station or airport.
- Airport / station transfers
- All safaris
- Permits, jeep, driver, guide
- Resort, double occupancy
- All meals
Kabini
Big cat heaven — the backwaters of the Kabini river, on the southern edge of Nagarhole, and the best leopard odds in India.
The park, mapped
How Kabini sits
Kabini is the south-western reach of Nagarhole, drawn here around the backwater that gives it its name — the reservoir that pulls elephant herds down to the water in the dry months, and the reason this is elephant country first. Drives run the forest along the water; the boat works the edge. The markers are the camps on the bank.
The place
A reservoir with a forest around it
Kabini is not its own park. It is the southern end of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, 643 square kilometres of mixed deciduous forest, open grassland and teak, and what makes it Kabini is the river — dammed in the seventies, so the forest now runs down to a reservoir with drowned trees standing in it.
That water is the whole reason to go. As the level drops through the dry season it exposes a wide margin of grass that everything walks out onto, and the animals that would be invisible in thick forest are suddenly in the open with a clean background behind them. It is also why Kabini is the one Indian forest routinely worked from a boat as well as a jeep.
The client's phrase for it is big cat heaven, and the reputation is specifically about leopards: Kabini has one of the highest densities in the country and they are unusually visible, on rock and on the open banks rather than only in trees at dusk. The black panther the place is known for is a melanistic leopard, and seeing one is luck rather than a plan — anyone selling it as an itinerary item is selling you something they cannot deliver.
The essentials
Kabini in numbers
- State
- Karnataka
- Officially
- The southern zone of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve
- Area
- About 643 sq km
- Terrain
- Mixed deciduous forest, open grassland, teak, and the reservoir margin
- Known for
- Leopard density — and elephant, gaur, tiger, dhole
- Unusual
- Boat safaris on the backwaters as well as jeep drives
- Season
- Gates and boat safaris confirmed on enquiry
- From Coonoor
- On enquiry
The two nights
How the trip runs
Four safaris across three days, written out of the itinerary rather than summarised from it.
Day 1 · one safari
Arrive at the resort by 12:30 and check in. Lunch, and time to get acquainted. The vehicle collects us from the resort for the afternoon safari; high tea is waiting when we come back. Before dinner we sit down together and go through the forest, whatever we saw, the photography and the animal behaviour behind it. Early night — day 2 starts before light.
Day 2 · two safaris
At the pick-up point early enough to be the first vehicle through the gate. Back to the resort afterwards to rest and clean up, another session on what the morning gave us, then lunch. Out again for the afternoon safari, high tea on return, dinner, and another early night.
Day 3 · one safari, then home
The vehicle collects us for the morning safari and breakfast is served inside the park. Out of the gate, back to the resort, and away.
The price covers
What is included, and what is not
Not included
Stated plainly so there is nothing to discover later.
- Flights and trains
- Bar and bottled water
- Tips
- Anything unlisted
In the itinerary's own words
The exact wording
Included: cab to and from the nearest airport or railway station; all safaris with handpicked drivers and guides; forest entry permits, driver, guide and jeep fees; a resort stay on double occupancy — two people per room; all meals, tea, coffee and snacks.
Not included: flights or trains to and from the nearest airport or railway station; bar purchases and bottled mineral water; tips to resort and safari staff; anything not named in the inclusions.
That is the whole list. Forest entry permits, the jeep, the driver and the guide are all inside the price, which is worth saying because in this part of the country they very often are not.
Practical
Getting to Kabini
- Length
- 2 nights, 4 safaris
- Base
- A resort on the Kabini backwaters
- Nearest station
- Mysuru, about 2 hours by road
- Nearest airport
- Bengaluru (BLR), about 5.5 hours by road
- Transfers
- Included from the station or airport
- Rooms
- Double occupancy
- Price
- USD 900 per person, in a group of eight
- Dates
- On request
- Group size
- Small group
What to bring
The list is short
Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and Odomos. Warm clothes or thermals if the season calls for it — mornings in the Nilgiri foothills are colder than people expect. A refillable water bottle, because bottled water is not included and does not need to be. Binoculars, cameras, cash.
Muted or earth-coloured clothing. And whatever medicines you take, packed before you leave: the chemist is not around the corner from either of these forests.
Kabini questions
Will I see a black panther?
Probably not, and we will not pretend otherwise. Kabini is the best place in India to try, which is a different sentence. Come for the leopards you will see.
Is the boat safari included?
Tell us your dates and we will confirm whether the boat runs in your month and whether it is part of the four safaris or arranged separately.
How is this different from Bandipur?
Same forest block, different character. Kabini is built around the reservoir and is the better bet for cats in the open; Bandipur is drier, larger and is about gaur and elephant. Four nights across both is the trip we would suggest if you have the time.
How many safaris do I get?
Four. One on the afternoon you arrive, two on the full day, and one on the morning you leave — with breakfast served inside the park on that last drive.
What does the trip cost?
We quote for your dates on enquiry — tell us when you would like to come and how many of you there are.
Is this a Safari with Lala trip or a naturalist-led one?
These carry the Safari with Lala mark. Tell us your dates and we will confirm the exact arrangement.
Ask about Kabini
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are.