A Safari through Kabini

A bright Sunday morning and I was eagerly waiting for the safari at the Kabini National Park. It was a pleasant day after the night's drizzle and the climate was perfect as we boarded the jeep with the other visitors. The leaves of the trees were covered with dewdrops. The path was filled with slush and the jeep jumped through the puddles all the way to the safari camp.

The safari vehicles were ready and all of us boarded it. The guide welcomed us, introduced himself, provided the visitors with a pair of binoculars and briefed us with the rules and tips. We were glad to know that the others accompanying us on the safari included a wildlife photographer, a travelogue writer, wildlife enthusiasts and a couple of them from the National Geographic team.

All the safari vehicles started together but a little later each took a different path inside the forest. Our vehicle was moving through the thick forest and we were looking eagerly in every direction to sight the wild animals, birds in their natural habitat. All the guides of the safari vehicles communicated whenever they sighted the large animals.

In the serenity of the forest, we could hear the peacock, the cuckoo and the insects. Suddenly, a brown animal crossed our path. It was a mongoose, the first animal we sighted in the safari. We continued moving ahead and spotted peacocks, other birds and many small animals. It was a pleasure to sight animals in the forest. We clicked photographs of the animals. The forest was filled with the melodious chirping of the birds but all this was disturbed with a loud cry. 

We looked through our binoculars and spotted a watering hole on the other side of the bushes. A baby elephant was stuck in the muddy watering hole and was crying for help. The elephant herd was not seen nearby. Our guide immediately informed the forest authorities and the team arrived swiftly. We also joined to lend a helping hand and got to witness the rescue of the calf. The baby elephant squealed with joy. We all patted this cute baby elephant and it went in search of its herd. We returned back to our vehicle and the safari continued.

The sky was getting darker as the sun made way for the clouds and then there was a sudden downpour. The driver turned the vehicle towards the next spot. The path was filled with puddles and the ride was more like a roller-coaster causing all of us to grab the seats, sometimes falling over the left or to the right and at times even jumping off the seat. We were enjoying the rain and the joy ride, when our guide got a quick tip off that a leopard has been sighted. The vehicle turned in that direction and sped to reach the spot. We were curious as we got closer to the spot.

When we reached the spot, our guide informed us that the mother leopard has just gone chasing its prey, but the baby leopard has climbed the tree and is resting on its branch taking shelter from rain. We reached out for our binoculars and cameras. Spotting the leopard in its natural habitat, it was a sight to behold. Cameras clicked this precious moment. We waited to check if the mother leopard would be back anytime soon. Our guide got to know it was not sighted anywhere in the vicinity, so the safari started off for the camp.

The rain stopped and near a lake, we spotted a pack of wild dogs feasting on their prey. Our guide also helped us sight a herd of elephants amidst the huge forest trees. We could hear the sounds of the elephants and felt as if they were thanking us for rescuing their calf.

Our vehicle was now racing ahead to reach the camp before it gets dark. We returned to our resort having completed a memorable, fun-filled and adventurous forest safari.