Into the Jungle: Part 4 [Jeep Safari]

In part 3 we saw the monkeys taking over the climbing nets.

Soon it would be time for the reason we came: a Jeep Safari. An all-too-familiar overcast sky was encroaching as we neared in on the scheduled time for the expedition. As the Jeeps began to pull up into the parking lot, droplets of water were making us all nervous. We pressed the crew to leave a bit early. They refused and we left a typical 15 minutes late.

DSCF3533 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

The ride out of the resort to the park was longer than I expected. Our crew stopped at the midway point to let someone off and read the park rules. While there, we smartly pulled down the plastic window on the front of the Jeep to avoid getting any more wet.

We saw over a ton of animals, which wasn't all that difficult considering the weight of an Indian elephant.

• Deer
• Wild Boar
• Monkeys
• Woodpeckers
• Kingfisher
• Serpent Eagle
• Elephants
• Leopard
• Tiger*

Three deer were near the entrance of the forest. Our excitement couldn't be contained, evident by the dozens of pictures we all have. After two hours passed, the deer were much less impressive -- we saw at least a few hundred during the day.

DSCF3515 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

The boar proved very fast and difficult to capture. The monkeys seemed exceptionally agile, even for monkeys, and were hanging out near this man-made salt pit.

Elephants were plentiful in Kabini. We saw both the wild and domesticated varieties.

IMG_1614 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

IMG_1603 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

There is a chart when entering the resort that keeps track of the animals spotted. On virtually every day there was a leopard. This day didn't break the chain. (video)

DSCF3456 copy by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

Our tour guide was extremely excited to have spotted a leopard in the wild. He shook all of our hands just after the above video was shot. This ended our two hour safari for the day. The most exciting bit of the next day's safari was easily spotting India's national animal: the tiger. (video)

DSCF3531 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

A special thanks must go out to Sumeet for capturing so many stunning photos and our tour guide, whose excitement and enthusiasm made the experience better for us all.



DSCF3466 by sumeet.moghe, on Flickr

Note With great luck, and the weather patterns typical of this region, the rain stopped by the time we began the actual safari.

Note strictly speaking, it was everyone but me who saw the Tiger due to a legendary bout with asthma.

Into the Jungle: Part 3 [Monkeys]

We last left off as the crew headed out to explore the other areas of the Jungle Lodges & Resort. It was at this time that the monkeys came out to play.

DSCF3268 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

If the monkeys weren't enjoying a Coke^® by the water, they were hanging out on the net.

DSCF3278 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

Sumeet's place was the center of most monkey business, as a group engaged in some rough-housing. [Update: added video]

Maybe what is most amazing about all of this is how regular it seems to everyone. Certainly this day was my first time seeing monkeys in any setting but a zoo. It was already my second time seeing monkeys out of captivity, however. We stopped for breakfast at Mysore and found some rather hungry and bold monkeys -- one even stole a sugar cane!

DSCF3200 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

The last bit I have to share comes in the form of advice derived from stories we've heard since being here: don't feed the monkeys. It's well-known that monkeys are smart. Once they get food, they start to expect food. It's not long before they become ornery with visitors who aren't feeding. With all of this in mind, I've never seen a better-placed sign.

Into the Jungle: Part 2

After getting acquainted with our new setting and breathing the kind of fresh air that makes one glad national parks exist, we headed to lunch.

Before coming here I thought the popularity of the buffet was dwindling. If this experience has taught me anything about buffet-style eating, it's that it's alive and well in Southern India. The vast majority of meals are served buffet-style, and I still forget the fork four out of five times.

Net Riders

From the lunch area you could spot two potential things to have fun with:

1. Nets
2. Tree Houses

Lucky for us, we spotted one area with both.

Some of us stayed grounded for photos at first, but couldn't resist the temptation to climb for long. Derek and Rahul sprinted to the top, looking like rope-climbing pros.

Rahul was the only one bold enough to go above the net and swing down.

IMG_1564 by sumeet.moghe on Flickr

Soon our curiosity about the other areas of the place began to grow. We left the net behind just in time, as monkeys waited to take over.