Bangalore to Nagarhole National Park: Wilderness Retreat

I had an amazing jungle safari adventure in India! A driver picked me up from my hotel in Bangalore and drove me to the Kabini River Lodge. I had a two night stay in a nice riverside bungalow (MP1). My room was clean and even had an ac unit that worked well. There was a mini fridge but it didn't seem to be working. I was provided with jugs of water but they were from the tap so I did not drink them. The shower pressure was good but no hot water! I went on 4 jeep safari's during my stay. On my first safari I got lucky and spotted a tiger! It was so incredible, I cried! I saw many elephants, monkeys, deer and all sorts of bird and animal wildlife. Sadly only saw a tiger 1 time, but it was amazing! My driver was Raju and he was very kind and informative of the name of each animal or bird that we came across. He also kept trying his best to find me another tiger on each of my other safari's. There is a little bar in one of the buildings at the lodge. I don't drink alcohol, but was happy they were selling bottled water and a few kinds of soda. Cold! :) The buffet food was fine. My favorite meal was the chicken bbq the first night. All the food is in a nice open air building. None of the food was amazing, but about what I expected. Kabini River Lodge also has a little spa with a few massage options for an extremely good price ($30-38 for 1 1/2 hrs) One of the afternoons I opted to do a full body massage. It was an experience. Lets just say that full body massage means something different in India than it does in America! Shortly after I booked my tour, I was contacted by Shashi Gupta from Agora Voyages through the WhatsApp. Mr. Gupta was very helpful and answered lots of my questions and helped to put my mind at ease before traveling. He also messaged me while I was at the jungle lodge to make sure everything was going well. On the way back to Bangalore from my safari adventure, my driver stopped at Mysore Palace. I had pre arranged with Mr. Gupta that I wished to make this stop. My driver walked me to the ticket booth (cash only about $10) and showed me where to go and where he would be waiting for me. I only had an hour but was thankful for the opportunity to see the palace. If I didn't have a time constraint, I would have preferred at least 2 hours to see the palace and the temples on the grounds. Definitely recommend stopping to see it if you are coming back from the safari. The route goes through Mysore, so not out of the way at all! I highly recommend booking this tour! I had an amazing experience from start to finish.

We had a very luxurious lodge in wonderful surroundings. The park is beautiful with Lots of wildlife. The personel at the park-entrance is not all too friendly

Communication was easy via WhatsApp. All driver appointments, safari bookings and the Evolve Back Kabini resort were exactly as advertised, with the beautiful resort and safaris a true highlight. I stayed two nights and went on one boat and three land safaris in Nagarhole. This is the perfect amount if you want to maximize your chances to see i.e. tigers and get to drive in different areas of the park. I was also able upon asking to change from a canter to a jeep safari and do a stop at Mysore to see the palace on the way back to Bangalore (paid extra) which was no problem. I only had the one weekend as part of my business trip available to explore, and Agora made it hassle free, with everyone speaking English as well.

We chose the 5-star resort experience and were booked at Evolve Back which is a truly exceptional resort. The agents at Agoda Voyages were knowledgeable and would communicate instantly at any time of day or night when asked for assistance. This 3-day itinerary includes 2 land safaris and 1 boat safari with meals included at the resort. In my opinion, this was the right amount of activities with just enough downtime to enjoy the fantastic resort. Shashi from Agoda Voyages even threw in a last minute Mysore tour with a guide at our request. A couple of things that are good to know: 1) The safaris at Nagarhole are run by the Government and this is a part that the private resorts cannot control 2) You will be charged an extra camera fee per safari which is based on the focal length of your lens. It isn't exorbitant but the concept is bizarre.

It's a very nice experience. The journey between Bengalore and Nagarhole is a bit long but our driver, Mr Chittibabu was very dynamic, very warm and beyond our expectations. The hotel was very nice, very clean and comfortable. The proposed safaris brought us what we wanted to discover at the level of the lovers and especially the chance to see tigers.