The Bison Kabini Wildlife Resort – Nagarhole

The first thing you notice about The Bison is its fantastic location and sheer tranquillity; all its tents and main facilities overlook the Kabini River and verdant farmland. You can’t help yourself just sitting down, grabbing a sundowner and letting your shoulders drop. It is quite common to have the odd wild elephant stroll past showing just how undisturbed the location actually is.

Let’s begin with the camp itself before talking about the wildlife experience in the park. The tents are all connected by a long boardwalk behind the tents, meaning they all look out to uninterrupted views of the lake and farmland from your private veranda. There are seven luxury tents, one Suite Cottage which has two rooms and two Machan Suites which are raised up on stilts. The inspiration for the design has come from African safari tents, and expect large shower areas, a desk and luggage racks.

There is a main restaurant and living area, slightly raised off the ground on stilts. Guests generally meet before dinner around the camp fire or by the pool to regale stories of their wildlife adventures over a refreshing G&T. Meals are all included in the room rate and they serve this as a buffet service, offering Indian and continental food. There is a delightful swimming pool, a TV Room and library.

Nagarhole National Park is possibly the best park to visit in South India and comprises 643 square kilometres of semi-evergreen and deciduous forests. It is one of the best places to see the wild Asian elephant. There are a high density of big cats in Nagarhole, and there are usually weekly sightings of tiger and leopard as well as a diverse selection of other widlife such as Gaur, deer, boar, monkey, bear, wild dig, hyena, jackal and jungle cat. There is superb range of bird life on offer. Game drives are either conducted by boat (directly from The Bison) or by jeep.