Happy Thursday lovely people!
Well it’s that time when we’re winding down the week and our minds are off daydreaming – well at least mine is. Today I found myself looking through our pictures from our vacation to Kabini River last year and I thought “this is actually a perfect honeymoon spot, why haven’t I told anyone about it?” So here I am to share the love.
My husband and I got married last December with plans to have a bigger ceremony in the States at a later date. With that in mind we wanted to do something special as a mini honeymoon but we also didn’t want to break the bank in doing so. This is when my very very clever husband came up with the idea to spend a few days in Kabini River, just a few hours drive south of Bangalore where we live. You guys – it was perfect. We stayed a lovely lodge-style resort called Waterwoods with a gorgeous view over the river and we felt like we had discovered a hidden gem.
I’ll admit that we live in India so this is a little easier to get to for us but if you’re looking for somewhere that’s easy to travel from the UAE and not tooooooo expensive then I couldn’t recommend this enough. We stayed at Waterwoods which was budget-friendly (but absolutely beautiful!) – there is also a variety of resorts around the area including The Serai and Orange County which are in the higher price range. Plus if you’re look for another reason you can come and say hi to me and see where I live 🙂
So what is there to do?
The main attraction at Kabini River is the safaris through Nagarhole National Park and you can either choose to go by land or by boat which was my personal favourite. The safaris take place at sunrise and sunset – we chose sunset because we didn’t want to to get up early on holiday, I know lazy! – and you can expect to see beautiful birds, spotted deer, elephants, leopards and we even saw a female tiger! That being said, the thing with safari is that they can’t always guarantee the animals will come out to play so you might have to be a little patient. I would recommend doing both a land and boat safari so you are not hanging all your hopes on one trip. They are not expensive (around 150dhs) and it’s a beautiful experience.
Apart from that you can expect to do whole lot of relaxing! Where we stayed the rooms were gorgeous and there really isn’t a whole lot else to do so you don’t feel guilty about just chilling, spending hours by the pool or snuggling up in a hammock. They also did a bonfire and a BBQ for us one night under the stars. It is the true definition of a secluded and romantic nature escape.
What you need to know:
- Flights from the UAE are around 2500AED (return) on Emirates / Etihad Airways
- You will need a tourist visa for India and I would recommend giving yourself 2-3 weeks ahead of time just in case.
- The best time to go is January-May which is the drier part of the year so you can expect to see more animals. Monsoon season is June – October.
- I would recommend booking a driver to pick you up from Bangalore airport vs. getting a taxi. That way you can ensure a comfortable and safe ride and it is totally worth paying a little bit more as it is a beautiful drive
- While the lodges will have everything you need, there is not a whole lot going on in the area around the river so if you need anything specific try to pack it beforehand or pick it up in Bangalore when you arrive
- I would recommend 3-4 days or a long weekend. Once you have done the safaris, there is not a whole lot to do (well, except relax) so a few days is enough
Ahhhh take me back! Where did you go on your honeymoon? Any recommendations you want to share with us? Remember if you have any questions we are always happy to share our thoughts here at MLW 🙂
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
