DAY 10 -The Serai, Kabini Backwaters

It is relatively short trip to the Kabini river, an area renown for it’s wildlife, but the trip takes a long time due to the deteriorating roads. We stop for a short reprieve from the bumpy roads to get money from the bank at a market town en route…..the fruit, veg and flowers are impressive, the whole area is very fertile – we have passed through fields full of greenhouses. The village houses are colorful and kids wave at us we pass.

Arriving at The Serai, Kabini we are amazed to find we have the whole place to ourselves… However a welcome letter in our room announces that ‘as per the Supreme Court ruIing Safari Activity in Tiger Reserves all over India have been put on hold until further instructions…’ This will undoubtably have a negative impact on tourism….We immediately notice there are no sounds apart from the birds, as the brochure says ‘ we are away from the din, hustle and uproar of city life….’
We are all given binoculars and tip toe out into the park in search of wildlife… Mowgli as a young boy used to trap and kill the birds, and chase the dogs, one day he was told that ‘you cannot survive in the world without birds’, and he started to learn to read by studying the birds…now he is the resident naturalist with a passion for the 280 different types of birds to be found in the region.

However today at dust things are quiet, we see lots of birds, one frog and the cotton plants! Welcome to the calm!

Little Wandering Wren

Location:Mysore – Kabini