Bandipur National Park is about three hours drive south of Bangalore and was recommended to me by some colleagues as being a good two-day break from the hustle and bustle of the city. I arrived around lunchtime and was shown to my cabin which was (as expected) fairly basic, but beautifully decorated. After lunch I had two hours to chill out before starting our safari, and although there were no activities at the resort, it was a quiet and peaceful spot to read, or just take a lazy afternoon nap—perhaps not on the “private terrace” though!
At 4:30pm we set off in a jeep for our pre-dusk safari, seeing lush unspoilt landscapes, spotted deer, huge Gaur, and the principal attraction, elephants.
The next morning was an early 6:30am start for a “trek” into the park. The itinerary had been rather sketchy about what this trek entailed, and it turned out to be quite a length hike up a medium-sized hill—not too difficult but rather more than my breakfast-less body wanted to deal with. The views from the top were almost worth the effort, but our guide then spotted a leopard sunning itself on a rock on the other side of the valley—initially no more than a yellow and black blur even through binoculars, but as we descended the hill, it became quite visible, to the point where when he eventually stood up and sauntered off, his movements were visible to the naked eye. Quite an experience and definitely worth missing breakfast for… Browse all photos.