Afew minutes into our boat safari, a tiny blob breaks the stillness of the Kabini River, “That’s a smooth-coated otter,” whispers Chamaraj, a naturalist at The Serai Kabini. “It is rare to spot one alone. They are usually seen in a group,” he adds, peering through his binoculars. We strain our eyes towards the shore, but the otter vanishes almost as quickly as it appeared. “We may see them again,” he reassures, as the boat glides deeper in the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.
Spread across 848 sqkm, Nagarhole is among India’s few tiger reserves with water safaris. Winding along the southern fringes of the reserve, Kabini and its famous backwaters create a dramatic natural boundary that separates Nagarahole Tiger Reserve to the north from the adjacent Bandipur Tiger Reserve to the south.
As the boat enters deeper forest and the air grows quieter—all that remains is the hush of the water and birdsong.
You see, Jackals racing along the bank, followed by wild boars and herds of spotted deer. A mugger crocodile lies motionless among the marshy grass before suddenly sliding into the water. Kingfishers flash past, cormorants and darters perch on weathered tree stumps, and painted storks patrol the shallows. Higher up, if luck is on your side, you might spot ospreys, grey-headed fish eagles and changeable hawk-eagles. In summers, its banks become a gathering place for hundreds of Asian elephants, drawn from Bandipur, Wayanad and Mudumalai, for the fresh grass along its backwaters.
When the boat reaches Karnataka’s water border, Chamaraj turns the boat around. And when you think the wildlife show is over, a group of otters is out again, tumbling and frolicking at the water’s edge. One has caught a large fish. They tussle in the shallow water, some rising upright on their hind legs, before scrambling ashore to squabble over their prize. Moments later, they slip back into the river and disappear. The river is quiet again. Perhaps that is the magic of this safari: not knowing what you will see.