The Serai Kabini, Karnataka

This is a beautiful wildlife resort which has accommodation in just sixteen rooms and cottages each set directly on the edge of the Kabini River ensuring your private veranda and hammock is a wonderful place to relax and watch the multitude of animal and birdlife. The hotel is located in a protected forest area which is part of the fascinating Nilgiri biosphere – and is the largest in South India comprising the wildlife parks of Bandipur, Nagarhole, Wyanad and Mudumalai. The forests themselves are lush with long grass and trees - teak, mathi, dindla, sandalwood, rosewood, and bamboo. There are almost 300 species of birds and sufficient and varied wildlife to keep you absorbed in the forest for days. Gaur, the Indian bison, spotted deer, sambar, the biggest deer around, are all fodder for the predators which inhabit the forests of India, elusive leopards, the fierce wild dogs (dhole) and the mysterious, mystical, majestic tigers. In addition, there is a healthy population of Asiatic elephants. The Serai Kabini is as secluded, as private and as peaceful a getaway as you could ever dream of. Of over 70 acres only 10 acres are built upon, leaving 60 acres to the freedom of the wild and birds. If the exertion of the day's game drives is not enough, there is a well-equipped gym, a fantastic pool, spa, and a well-stocked bookshop where you can read up on the rarer animals and birds that you have seen that day.