One of the more underrated aspects of Kabini for those that seek adventure are the scorchingly beautiful roads. All routes to Kabini make for the perfect weekend getaway from Bangalore, but more so if you’re on two wheels! With the perfect stretch of highway coupled with rural landscapes, there’s every opportunity to enjoy the ride leading up to our resort in Kabini. And if you were to visit our sister retreat in Wayanad, just 83km from our resort in Kabini, then the journey by bike becomes an entirely different experience that must be ridden, not merely discussed!
Biking Route To Kabini From Bangalore:
Bangalore is located approximately 205km from our resort in Kabini. There are several beautiful routes one can take to truly experience the joys of biking. The typical route starts from Bangalore and goes via Ramanagara, an important silk district in the times of the Mysore kings, and continues to be an essential exporter of silk. From here, your journey will take you to Channapatna, another small town that is renowned for its artisans who mainly make wooden toys. The journey then takes you to Mandya, an important farmer’s belt where sugarcane is the most commonly grown cash crop. Mandya also has a large number of sugar processing units for the same reason!
If you’d like to take a detour here, you can ride through the village of Kokkre Bellur during the winters to witness the marvelous sights of hundreds of Spot-Billed Pelicans making their way to this village to breed before flying back home with their new offspring.
It won’t be long before the beautiful rural roads eventually take you through the city of Mysore, one of the largest heritage centers of South India. Mysore is where the Wodeyar kings used to rule from, and Kabini was a favorite hunting ground of the Mysore Maharajas, being so close to them. If you have never been to Mysore, stop here for a taste of the quintessential South Indian experience. Feast on some masala dosa in the many darshinis, admire the paintings of Raja Ravi Verma in the art galleries, or visit the Mysore Palace where you will get to witness many hunting trophies that the Mysore maharajas captured from the forests of Nagarhole and Bandipur.
The road beckons again and you leave Mysore to hit State Highway 33 leading all the way to HD Kote, the home of our resort in Kabini. HD Kote was an important administrative district and to this day is an important agricultural center for many people thanks to its many lakes and canals along with its proximity to the Kabini dam.
Finally, with one final turn, you take the dusty path leading right up to our resort in Kabini, and you are home for the next few days. Our innumerable experiences at Red Earth Kabini, both inside and outside the resort, ensure you don’t have a moment’s boredom. For the explorer in you, you may also choose to visit the adjourning town of Gurupura that takes you through roads lined with trees and verdant paddy and sugarcane fields before you reach one of the bastions of Tibetan Buddhism in the south.
The Ultimate Weekend Getaway From Bangalore: Kabini And Wayanad!
If a quick getaway is all you had in mind, the above guide to our resort in Kabini will do just fine. But for those with plenty of time and the inclination to explore, why not take it one step further?
From our resort in Kabini, continue to take State Highway 33 that snakes through the forests of Nagarhole. The next hour or so leads you through the lush landscape where spotting wildlife is not uncommon at all. With luck, you will spot herds of spotted deer grazing lazily by the roadside, or a shy sambar darting across the main road. Giant Squirrels will be chattering loudly as you make your way across the border, and you may even spot a mighty herd of elephants slowly ambling alongside. Be cautious in this case; elephants do not take kindly to loud traffic or rude commuters!
And so your journey progresses as you switch from SH33 or SH59 and enter God’s Own Country, Kerala. This marks the beginning of Wayanad district and the roads turn into exciting twisties and hairpin bends to give you that perfect adrenaline rush. Of course, being a single lane road, one must also take precaution while riding.
Before long, you will enter Kalpetta, the administrative capital of Wayanad, and from there on, our glamorous sister retreat in Wayanad is only a short distance away!
