Bangalore to Kabini Road Trip Experience | Bison Kabini Resort Review
Written in 2021, updated by Nilabh in October 2026. Prices and timings still change; check before you go.
When to go Kabini through the year
Easiest: Nov to Feb. Hardest: Jul. Tap + for the month-by-month weather and where these numbers come from.
- January: Easy. Daytime about 30°, night about 16°. Rain: dry, about 17 mm.
- February: Easy. Daytime about 34°, night about 18°. Rain: dry, about 5 mm.
- March: Mixed. Daytime about 36°, night about 20°. Rain: dry, about 20 mm.
- April: Mixed. Daytime about 36°, night about 22°. Rain: some, about 51 mm.
- May: Mixed. Daytime about 31°, night about 22°. Rain: wet, about 166 mm.
- June: Mixed. Daytime about 28°, night about 21°. Rain: wet, about 201 mm.
- July: Hard. Daytime about 26°, night about 20°. Rain: very wet, about 260 mm.
- August: Mixed. Daytime about 27°, night about 20°. Rain: wet, about 226 mm.
- September: Mixed. Daytime about 27°, night about 20°. Rain: wet, about 155 mm.
- October: Mixed. Daytime about 28°, night about 20°. Rain: wet, about 159 mm.
- November: Easy. Daytime about 28°, night about 19°. Rain: some, about 91 mm.
- December: Easy. Daytime about 28°, night about 18°. Rain: some, about 45 mm.
Nilabh: Works from November to February: dry, 28 to 34° by day, nights 16 to 19°. March and April are hot, up to about 36°, and June to September is wet, with July the wettest. Check the safari timings for the month you choose.
Ten-year averages (2015 to 2024) from NASA POWER satellite data. Conditions change; check before you go.
Where do these numbers come from, and how far can you trust them?
The figures come from NASA POWER, a free NASA project that publishes weather estimates for every point on Earth, put together from satellites and weather models. We took every day from 2015 to 2024 for this place, and averaged each month: the usual daytime high, the usual night low, and the rain.
We compared it with official weather-station figures for a few places. Over flat land it matched closely; in the hills and on islands it can be a few degrees out, and then the strip says so.
Easy, Mixed and Hard are our rule of thumb, not a forecast. Hard means days above about 37°, rain of about 250 mm a month or more, or nights close to freezing. Mixed means days above about 32°, rain over about 100 mm a month, or cold nights (below about 8°). Easy is everything else.
An average is not the weather on your dates, and it knows nothing about festivals, crowds, road closures or this year's monsoon. Check a forecast a week before you go.
The quick answer
| You are asking | The answer |
|---|---|
| How far is Kabini from Bangalore? | About 205 to 225 km by road, depending on where you start in Bangalore and which resort you stay at. Shikha's family drove about 225 km. |
| How long is the drive? | About 4.5 to 5 hours with a breakfast stop, now that the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway is open. In 2019, before it, the drive took about 7 hours. |
| Which road? | The Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway to Mysuru (about 118 km), the ring road to the HD Kote road, then HD Kote and Handpost, and the last 18 to 25 km to the river and the resorts. From Mysuru it is 60 to 80 km. The map below shows Shikha's drive; open the route in Google Maps for directions and today's traffic. |
| Any toll? | The Expressway: ₹355 one way for a car since 1 April 2026. It goes up each April. |
| Can I go on safari? | Yes, again since June 2026 (see below). Jeep, bus and boat safaris run in the early morning and late afternoon, about 3 hours each. Book through your resort or the forest department's counter; the numbers are now limited. |
| When should I go? | November to February is the most comfortable. March to May is hot, but the forest is drier and animals come to the river to drink. June to September is the monsoon: green and quiet, as Shikha's family found, but sightings are harder. The "When to go" box above has each month. |
| How long should I stay? | One or two nights, as Shikha says: enough for a morning and an evening safari. |
Before you go (2026)
- The safaris were closed for seven months. Karnataka suspended the jungle safaris in the Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves on 7 November 2025, after protests over tiger attacks in which three farmers died. They reopened in phases from February 2026, and fully on 26 June 2026, within a carrying capacity set by a committee of experts. Fewer vehicles may run than before, so book early, and check before you go: the rules can change again.
- The road is faster. The Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway, open since March 2023, takes about an hour off the drive. Beyond Mysuru the roads are the same state highways, with few places to eat; carry water and snacks.
Bangalore to Kabini Road trip– Weekend trips are many but only a few get connected to your soul. That was how we felt about our road trip from Bangalore & our stay in the Bison Resort, Karnataka.
Read out our story and experience on Bangalore to Kabini road trip. Do not forget to add your comment or question you have below.
Kabini- Not Just a Place
Kabini is a tributary of River Cauvery which originates in Kerala, flows through Karnataka.
The place is well known for its location as it divides the two National Parks, Nagarhole, and Bandipur and is also easily accessible from Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, etc. Kabini has a dam as well.
Bangalore to Kabini- How & When
Planning for Kabini
It is an ideal destination for 1 or 2 nights. One can visit Kabini all around the year.
- Summer – Sighting of animals is better, the water level in the river is less
- Monsoons – Animal sighting not so good, the water level in the river is high
- Winters- Chances of animal sighting better, water level too is moderate
Our latest trip was Bangalore to Kabini in July 2019. We planned for Kabini during monsoons because our purpose was to relax and lay back.
Why the Bison Resort:-
When you think of Kabini, you can find very limited but good and luxurious resorts. We chose The Bison because we find it closer to nature, simple yet luxurious, and not too big/huge which gives the visitors a more personal touch. They have tried to use all the natural material wherever possible, thus minimizing the concrete.
The Bison, Kabini is situated on the banks of the river Kabini and providing you a spectacular view of both Nagarhole and Bandipur National Park.
Our excitement had no boundaries when we just entered the resort. The resort as I mentioned earlier is beautifully designed with as much natural material as possible. Its entry is from the state highway is from a village and farmlands.
As we enter we have a large reception, further inside there is a library, a seating area, and a dining area as well.
Bison Kabini Review
The swimming pool welcomes you with a view where you can soak yourself and enjoy the river in front of you. Apart from this, there is also a large covered deck where you can laze around. They also have indoor games for kids and a pool table for adults to enjoy. Bison also offers 4 to 5 types of room accommodations to choose from.
They also organize a coracle rides, a sundowner( evening tea and snacks near to the riverside), and an early guided morning village walk where you can visit the nearby villages and get to know more about them.
They also have a small sanctuary for the abandoned horses and ponies. (2026: the Bison's website now lists jeep safaris, boat rides on the backwaters and bush dinners; it does not mention the coracle, the village walk or the horses, so ask if they matter to you.) As far as the safaris are concerned we have 2 types of safaris
- Boat Safari – where the boat takes you for a ride in the river and you can see the animals which come to the river banks to drink water.
- Jeep Safari- takes you inside the national park from where you can have a closer look at the animals.
Both the safaris take place in the morning as well as in the evening. The duration is around 3 hrs and the price around Rs 1800/- pp. (2026: fares have gone up since 2019 and differ between the resort, Jungle Lodges and the forest department; ask when you book.)
Bangalore to Kabini Route
We started at 6.15 AM in the morning as Kabini is approximately 225 Kms from Bangalore. We took the Bangalore-Mandya-Mysore-Kabini route.
Lots of widening work are going on in the Highway. (2026: that work became the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway, open since March 2023; see the quick answer.) You also get lots of options for breakfast en route as it’s a very busy highway. We also stopped for the mouthwatering south Indian breakfast.
We reached Mandya at around 9.45 and soon bypassed Mysore. As soon as we took the state highway to Kabini, everything around us becomes scenic. Because of monsoons, the sky above was grey and farmlands below were green so it was very beautiful.
Reaching Bison Kabini
After enjoying the drive we reached the resort at around 1 PM. As we settled ourselves in our rooms, we were given a brief introduction about the property and the National Park around. After having our lunch and kids headed straight to the pool.
We could not do a coracle ride because it was very windy. The evening was best enjoyed with a bonfire. Next morning we went for a nature walk to the nearby village.
Later in the morning we took our car closer to the riverside and enjoyed the scenic view from there. We started late in the afternoon and reach Bangalore around 9 PM. I recommend you to explore Nagarhole National Park, and experience the forest safari
Contact Details:-
The Bison Resort, Kabini. For further details, you can visit thebisonresort.com. (2026: we have taken out the manager's phone number from 2019; use the contact details on the resort's website.)
Kabini has very limited stays options and hence I recommend you to book much in advance.
Conclusion
A must and an ideal gateway to enjoy wildlife, photography, scenic beauty, and relaxation.
Some do’s and don’t to be remember
- Wear casual clothes with shoes as you are in a wildlife area.
- Take care of kids or elderly people while on a safari.
- Be very attentive because you never know when and where you will encounter animals.
- Do carry mosquito repellants, torches, and other few essentials with you.
- Coracle/boat ride is subjective to weather conditions.
- Eating joints and public conveniences are not available on State Highway leading to Kabini.
Key points before you go
- Kabini is about 205 to 225 km from Bangalore, 4.5 to 5 hours by the Expressway, Mysuru and HD Kote.
- Safaris are running again since June 2026, with limits: book your stay and safaris together, early.
- November to February is the most comfortable; summer is best for sightings; the monsoon is for resting.
- Read next: our Nagarhole National Park guide for the safaris, the Bangalore to Wayanad road trip just beyond, and Weekends from Bangalore for more trips like this one.
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Before you go, I hope the blog post answered some of the questions about Kabini, Karnataka. If you still have a question? Feel free to comment or rate us by clicking the 5 stars.
7comments
5 conversations.
Have a great review, about Bison Kabini Resort, water in the pool look amazing, i hope it is the unforgettable moment..
Thanks Joyce
Wow! A great article. Loved the read, will definitely share with my friends.
Thanks Ram
All spot are best for vist
Nicely written. Thank you
This is a really useful guide for planning a road trip from Bangalore to Kabini! I liked how you covered the journey and the experience along the way. Kabini looks like a great place for a peaceful weekend escape, especially for nature and wildlife lovers. Thanks for sharing these helpful travel tips!
Regards,
Mythili V
https://www.yanseva.com/