A tiger hunt, a river safari and a wild ride through Nagarhole
I went looking for tigers and found much more: otters, crocodiles, jackals, birds and a lush monsoon forest. Because in the jungle, nothing ever goes quite to plan
A safari through Nagarhole Tiger Reserve was an uninvited visit to someone's home, where the outcome was uncertain. The author embarked on this adventure five hours from Bengaluru on a monsoon morning, excitedly boarding a jeep to reach the Jungle Lodges and Resorts. Accompanied by a naturalist and driver, the group navigated winding roads towards the reserve entrance, eagerly anticipating potential tiger sightings.
Throughout the chilly morning, excitement mounted as sightings of peacocks, spotted deer, owlets, a serpent eagle, and monkeys graced their view. Chamaraj, the naturalist, informed them that the reserve housed 149 tigers, while the duo continued searching for the elusive big cats, exchanging calls and messages to track their movements.
The safari turned into a series of ups and downs, with drivers and naturalists racing through the jungle, following pug marks and elephant dung. A short tea break followed by more searching led them to a waterbody where pugmarks were found, but no tiger was spotted. Undeterred, they moved on to a boat safari on the Kabini River, where they encountered kingfishers, spotted deer, langurs, ospreys, otters, jackals, crocodiles, and several bird species, including peacocks.
Although no tigers were spotted during the visit, the unique experience, warm hospitality, and thrilling jungle rides made the journey worthwhile. The writer left Kabini with many memories, following the advice of front office manager Abdul Saleem.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
