Part Two: The Bison Resort

If you already didn't know of our penchant for anything remote, closer to nature, wilderness that promises luxury and coziness....welcome to our world. Ever since we visited The Serai and heard stellar firsthand reviews of the Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary, it was high up on our bucket list for our subsequent India trips and what better time to venture out than when staying in Bangalore in Karnataka, India for a month! So here it is, the second part of a three part series, our weekend getaway with our immediate family, who were visiting us during our trip to Bangalore. Here is the first part.

The difficult part of planning the trip was deciding where to stay.. Orange County(way over budget), Serai Resorts(we wanted to step out of our comfort zone having seen their property in Chikmagalur), Jungle Lodges(Government operated with very good service, attesting from our experience at Bandipur and also River Tern Lodge, Badhra Reserve Forest) and finally The Bison Resort ranking high up on the list. All these resorts were a stone's throw away from Kabini river and promised spectacular views and daily safaris into the jungle.

Lobby

What particularly enticed us to Bison resort was its one of a kind fusion of rustic African wildlife tented camp and old hunting lodges of the Raj. It is situated on the border of Bandipur and Nagarhole National Parks right on the banks of the Kabini river. As we got closer to the resort, it felt like we were lost in a corn maze with no signs of a possibility for a resort to exist in the vicinity and lo and behold we were parked at the entrance! The lobby was definitely welcoming which fit the bill of the description on their website "an adventurous decadence of a bygone era" kind of ambiance, an intimate feeling with a lounging area, bookshelves filled with books relating to wildlife, photography and more, wildlife portraits and animal heads on the wall, rustic knick knacks that made me feel like I was sitting in some Raja's durbar showcasing his recent hunting trips. As we passed the lobby and into the property we could see the Kabini river and the Nagarhole National Forest on the other side of the river from the viewing deck of the resort.  

View from the deck

Rows of thatched roofed tents overlooking the river and the forest

Rustic Luxury Machan

My in-laws stayed in the tree house which was aptly called Rustic Luxury Machan, machan means a raised platform used in tiger hunting, making the view from the top that much more spectacular. Kiran's brother's family and us stayed in two adjacent lower tents, closer to the river with the only thing separating the wilderness from us, a fence, a recent addition after a big cat sighting on the property.

Interiors

We were staying in a Deluxe Luxury Tent which came with a canvas tent draped under thatched roof, king sized four-posted mosquito netted bed, wooden floor, colonial style furniture, en suite bathroom that had the right balance between rustic with modern amenities such as a sunken rain shower supplemented with an aluminum bucket and a copper mug, adorned with earthen pots and a very functional earthen sink , lanterns with electrical lighting,  and yet had western style toilets equipped with both toilet tissue rolls and a hose catering to your preference, canvas windows and doors that could be rolled up or down depending on your need for privacy ;)

Can you see the Kabini river in the far background?!

The canvas walls also added another element to the night in the tent as we could hear crickets and animals howling in the not so distant forest making the whole experience eerie and adventurously soothing at the same time.  

Every tent also came with a veranda attached with a couple of chairs and a bed so you could sit and admire the beautiful view while reading a book or take a nap in the gentle river breeze or just sit back and unwind with family like we did.

Activities: 

The Sunset Boat Ride

After checking into the resort late in the afternoon, we freshened up to head towards the dinning area and perched ourselves on the viewing deck enjoying the scenery of water in the foreground and lush greenery in the background with a cup of tea in hand savored with biscuits. Meanwhile they readied the boat we would get into for the safari. We glided through the quite backwaters of the River Kabini gazing through the wilderness, squinting and scrutinizing for a spotting of wildlife. 

While the big cats were taking a restoring nap deep within the forest, what we did see were cattle grazing in the nearby fields, flocks of birds flying back home, a solo exotic looking crane-like bird wandering close to the river for a quick catch of fish. It was fun for the kids nevertheless, with binoculars in tow they were animated about every moving thing they could look through it. What made the trip more interesting was a sighting of an elephant in the far off land by the forest. It was too tiny and blurred to even photograph but it piqued our interest just enough for the early morning jeep safari we would take into the forest the next day.

Theme Bush Dinner

We got off the boat and dreamily walked towards the thatched roofs glowing in the twilight and the dim lighting of the lanterns adding just enough brightness to find our way into the resort.  It is a tradition at the resort, to have dim lighting in the dusk, so as to not disrupt forest life.

 

We rested in the lounge, to build an appetite while sifting through the books and being fascinated by the cabinets and cases filled with curiosities and ancient artifacts on display. We could hear the jeep's engine roar in the background and were escorted in it to the camping area in the wide open prairie by the river. 

The only other light apart from the warmth of camp fire, was the moonlight filling the atmosphere with luminescence and radiance. The air was filled with the whiffs of the delicacies being set up for our diner. We had a creamy corn soup, tandoori chicken, fresh caught fish fry among a wide array of food spread out for us.

It was the month of July, the weather was perfect and with school in session, it was calm without any crowds at the resort. The only other family who were also visiting from the US at the same time, was a small family of a father and his two teenage sons while their mother took a beach vacation with her friends!! The guy got his sons as an escape from all kinds of electronic devices and the internet. They stayed there for a week taking safari trips into the forest twice a day and spotting a cheetah among many other wildlife and rested in the afternoons reading books. I haven't stopped running through all the beach destination getaways ever since ;)

Jungle Safari

Up and ready at 5:00am the next morning we were raring to get into the forest that was teasing us all along our stay and so we got into the jeep and headed out on a bumpy ride. The nature guide who accompanied us was very quick and sharp at spotting birds and other, obscure to our eyes, animals.   

Eagle

Owl

The highlight of our entire trip had to be when we spotted a herd of elephants which included two very young elephants and a huge tusker male elephant, who according to our guide usually lives in isolation but during breeding season joins the herd and protects the young ones from danger. We could see that the elephants were unusually angsty and protective, ready to charge if they saw a need.

Herd of Elephants

The most adorable baby elephant!

After the safari we went back to the resort for a sumptuous spread of breakfast with idlies, vadas, sambar, chutney and more and got ready to pack and check-out. The staff was super friendly and welcoming and we would love to visit again. Thus, our trip came to an end with a vivid memory of the river and the cosy feeling of our resort. Next we headed to Melkote, a holy and scenic destination. While we were there, we also got to see the landmark where the iconic movie star Rajnikanth has a tradition of shooting a scene there, in every movie he works in!

The third and last part of our Bangalore Diaries series is due soon....here is the first part for your reading pleasure. To stay connected for latest posts please LIKE my Facebook page My Pursuit of Balance.