Trip to Kabini

The Jagannathans

2012
For Parent Circle summer vacation contest. I hereby authorize parent circle to use this material for publication. Some photos have been taken from the Orange County, Kabini website A photo essay for the trip to Kabini. I can be reached at 9840139501 for clarifications.

A 3 DAY PHOTO ESSAY ABOUT KABINI DAY 1 PHOTO ESSAY DAY 2 PHOTO ESSAY DAY 3 PHOTO ESSAY DAY 4 LAST DAY GOOD TO KNOW! HOW TO REACH

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A 3 Day Photo Essay

A picture speaks brighter than words. So I thought why not a short photo essay of our journey to Kabini. This trip I guarantee will tire you and at the same time rejuvenate you (paradoxically).

About Kabini
Nagarhole National Park of Karnataka serves as home to some of the most endangered wildlife species. The term Nagarhole is a combination of two Kannada terms, Nagara meaning Cobra and Hole meaning River It is very rich in flora and fauna and is one of the most popular wildlife destinations of Karnataka.

Day 1 Photo Essay 1. Check in + Elephant spray

As our check in was in progress the elephant was having a bath and my kids rushed to the river side. To my knowledge I dont remember having checked in at all Kids and I went back soaking wet to the room. What a befitting welcome!

2. Jacuzzi

A quick check of the room and a jump into the Jacuzzi (more wet clothes). I was ooh so thankful for the hot sun near the Jacuzzi which I converted to a make shift clothes drying area

3. Animal Safari

Ensure the kids are well educated on what to expect. You may not see any animals Kids must be educated to respect the forest and maintain silence I took my own binoculars as they provide only one per family. This ensured that the kids were occupied trying to spot something and the noisy fights over the binoculars was averted It is dusty and you need to have a long bath to get rid of the dirt. But the kids and I would not trade the experience for anything in the world Set aside half a day for this Note: The people who take you on the tour are naturalists and not tour guides. You may not spot much but ensure that you respect the animals right to live there. They are not there to put up a show for us, if you want that experience stick to the zoos. 2 middle aged couples who were quite vocal about not spotting anything etc earned the ire of our naturalist multifold. While he gave chocolates to my 3 year old for being on her best behaviour

Day 2 Photo Essay 1. Kids zone

There is a great family pool They do provide games, books that we can borrow to take to the room. There were no planned activities as such where parents could leave their kids and go on their own. I did provide this as feedback and I think now they have started supervised kids activities where the parents presence is not required

2. Boat Safari

The naturalists convinced us that we had to take the Boat safari today as the company was right. He said he wanted people who appreciated the need for the animals to live in peace to band together for tours. So we had no time for a nap and headed out to the boat safari The kids predictably slept soundly all through the boat safari (they were tired after going berserk in the pool earlier) It is very tough for kids to spot some of the birds by binoculars. I enjoyed the beautiful boat ride and the birds that we spotted. It was a lucky day and we spotted quite a lot of them

3. Dinner in room + Night life

We had a simple room dinner. My husband relaxed with a drink. Kids and I set out to watch a documentary on wildlife being shown. We picked up deserts while watching the documentary A fitting end to a wonderful day

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Day 3 Photo Essay

1. Elephant Ride
The elephant ride is a lot of fun. We usually went looking for the in house elephant Meenakshi post break fast each day

2. Bullock Cart Ride

As we were walking about post lunch, we decided that we did not want to get back. So we set out on the most memorable bullock cart ride. My son was very thirsty and kept urging us to go back. It was hot so the bullocks Mahesh and Mahindra were also thirsty. When we reached the river side, the bullocks rushed to the river not heeding the advice of even its master. We were suddenly dipped into the river. Luckily another half a feet and we might have drowned. The oxen stopped once they had cooled off in the water and drank thirstily. So did my son. We saw many birds, especially many weaver birds and their nests. It was really thrilling. Just then the bullock cart owner started to sing songs to the oxen in Kannada. He even helped us collect vegetables from the farms nearby. We liked this since it was not advertised widely and it was a surprise. Most other attractions we had seen on the website and knew what to expect. But sadly now I think they have put this bullock cart attraction on their website.

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3. Reading Lounge
The kids took a longer nap with my husband. I happily escaped to the reading lounge and with a coffee in hand. It has an awesome view . There are lot of coffee table books which would be perfect for a lover of books

4. Tribal Dance + Fine dining The tribal dance was fun But the fine dining was a fiasco with the kids. How I wished that they had child minders even if it was for a few hours alone

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Day 4 Last Day Activity Morning Nature walk Coracle ride Infinity pool SPA anyone! + Gift shop + Check out What they entail..!!! You can do this if you are a really an early morning riser. You would be in time for breakfast! We were just too lazy to bother

We never tried either. The infinity pool is must try. Try to alternate amongst yourselves and do have dip in this pool. But since we were there with kids we never got a chance to go there. Kids are not allowed into this pool. How I wished again that they had professional child minders Dont look at your bank statement if you want to indulge in these! I did try both

Good to know!
Something for the entire family together or alone We returned back and realized we had the most fun time 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Safaris Tribal dance Good food Leisure Bullock cart ride Kids zone Pools Reading lounge

It had action for everyone within the family, I must say. My husband had the relaxed time he hoped for I enjoyed the reading lounge and boat safari The kids loved the elephant, Jacuzzi and bullock rides and not to mention the animal safari.

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How to reach 1. Take a train to Mysore and go by road ( 90 kms) 2. Drive down from Bangalore (250 kms) Stay options Budget starting from 4000/- INR per night Kabini Resort Lodge it is where the safaris begin from Mid range from 6000 INR per night Luxury from 15,000 INR per night Orange county, Serai We stayed at the Orange County, Kabini on a package of 3N/4D. It is an expensive package but considering that it was all inclusive, it prevented any surprises What worked The staff The plethora of activities within the resort We never got time to try the coracle ride till the end The food and the all inclusive options available. The big rooms and constant replenishing of snacks and eatables in room The scenery, scenery, scenery. Nothing can beat the location of the resort amidst hills and the lake. Easily accessible from Mysore What did not work Limited options for TV. So please carry your own entertainment if you wish. My husband carried our hard disk as he is a big fan of TV shows. Kids and I were too busy to sit in front of the idiot box. We were mostly wandering about outside and flitting about from one place to another!!!! There could have been child minders/baby sitting facilities for a few hours. We never got to go to the infinity pool as there was no one to mind the kids Supervised activities for kids with timings could have been there so that the parents can have a breather and enjoy the adult only stuff too like the romantic dinner setting or a spa. Useful hints Because of the scenery and location, this is not a place to be enjoyed in a hurry!!! If you are travelling with young kids and want to explore all options, please go for a 3N/4D package. This will ensure you are able to enjoy half a day of activity and still have time for naps and lazing around. Despite going for 3 days we were still unable to do the Nature walk or the night walk. Probably we were just too lazy to stay late or wake up early during a vacation

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 Carry lot of clothing that dry easily. Many activities involve water. Dont forget the swimming trunks and sturdy shoes. The afternoons are very hot and the morning quite chilly. So plan to layer up /down clothing, based on weather Ensure you educate the kids on what to expect during safaris and nature walks well ahead (some kids may never have the patience to sit through them but I was really surprised what a bit of expectation setting did for both of mine). Try to keep their enthusiasm level up using pep talks regarding nature etc. Make a scrap book of leaves, flowers collected. Try to take separate binoculars if you are going with more than one kid.

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