Orange County, Kabini

Just back from an exhilarating trip down South India to a beautiful place called Kabini, Karnataka. Kabini is 245 kms away from Bangalore i.e. 5 - 6 hours drive by road.

This is a must visit place if you ever plan a trip to India.

You may wonder - What is so unique about this place? The uniqueness of this place lies in its simplicity!!

This 5 - star resort gives you the feeling of a ‘tribal village’

http://www.orangecounty.in/kabini/home.php

Kabini is a river (originally Kapila) that snakes its way through the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka, and forms an aqueous boundary with the Bandipur National Park. Together, this area constitutes the largest contiguous forest cover in this part of the world and is part of the Nilgiri biosphere, the largest in Asia, and home to the largest concentration of herbivores in Asia. And herbivores don't get larger than the Asiatic elephant, whose favorite playground this is. At Nagarhole, one can witness the largest congregation of Asiatic Elephants in the world, and these majestic mammals rule the roost here.

Finding God in Nautre

Orange County, Kabini is a great place to stay connected with Nature and its abundance. They have these beautiful cottages attached with Pools and Jacuzzi.

One must check out the "Reading Lounge". An apt way to spend your evenings by the riverside with your fave book and a cuppa coffee.

The Reading Lounge
Wherever I go, the only thing that leaves a lasting memory of the place is its Hospitality and Food. Orange County, Kabini did not disappoint me in both of the above. I’ve never experienced such world class hospitality. The staffs are ever - smiling and courteous.

'Honey - Dew' - the restaurant @ Orange County, Kabini
The Food Palate had great offerings to tickle my taste bud. Fine dining restaurant ‘Honey - Comb’ lay out a platter of International and Regional cuisine. Being a pure veggie, I tried and feasted all the cuisines. Being a true southie and having travelled down South India it would have been a gravest sin if I did not have my ‘thair sadam’ aka ‘curd rice’. I thoroughly enjoyed my ‘curd rice’ with pomegranate toppings. But I must say it is a delight for all the ‘flesh lovers’ oops….I meant ‘fish lovers’ - great variety and taste. (Well how do I know???…..expressions on the face of my family members said it all….)

The ‘Boat Safari’ and the ‘Jungle Safari’ across Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur National Park was a wonderful experience. The ‘Boat Safari’ through the backwaters of river Kabini were primarily dominated by the Giant Bamboos. It is said that over three hundred species of birds have been recorded in the park making it one of the richest wildlife areas in India. All these make Nagarhole a must see on any wild lifer's itinerary.

Believe me it was a delight to see the animals in open. Herds of Spotted Deer, ‘Hanuman Monkeys (also known as Langoors in India) are abundant and so is the Sambar that live in smaller groups. Wild dogs roam these forests and were quite visible during our safari drive. We were looking forward to spot a tiger.....but were not lucky enough....

Male spotted deers fighting it out to be with the female deer
This was an interesting picture. Here the male spotted deers are fighting it out with each other to be with the female deer.

Hanuman Monkey aka Langur (striking a pose)
The Hanuman Monkey are usually found in large groups. Being herbivorous, these monkeys thrive on leaves and is mostly found on top of huge trees. Apparently, these Langurs also help the other animals from the predators by sending out 'signal calls. '

My overall safari experience was Awesome!!!!

Things to do in Orange County, Kabini:
1) Relax
2) Enjoy the Jacuzzi
3) Enjoy the Nature sipping a cuppa coffee
4) Ayurvedic Spa ‘Vaidyasala’
5) Check out the Souvenir Shop
6) Boat Safari
7) Jungle Safari
8) Book Lounge (carry your own books….the collection in there is primarily related to Wildlife)
9) Bon Appetite.

I'm so fascinated by the Jungle Safari....that I wanna do a Ranthambore trip.