[Torque123]

June is the month where in I ensure a trip to Kabini is planned every year. It marks the end of the scorching summer & the beginning of monsoons which in turn would have turned the forest into a green paradise. The backwaters of Kabini & the waterholes too are in their glory by the end of June. However, this year due to a delayed monsoon, the forest was green at its best but the backwaters & waterholes left a lot to be desired. Had a family function to attend in Kozhikode, hence took this opportunity to have an extended vacation.

Was keeping a tab on the availability at Jungle lodges & Resorts (JLR) since the beginning of June as I was flexible to do Kabini before or after the Kozhikode visit. In the 3rd week of June finally decided to do Kabini on the way back from Kozhikode as it would be peak weekdays & the crowd would be lesser. Booked for 3 nights & the wait during the last couple of days prior to the trip was like how impatient I was when I got my Slavia in Jan of this year. Below was the itinerary of the trip. Total distance covered was ~725 kms.

Day 1 : BLR to Kozhikode, overnight stay at Easy Avenue Park hotel
Day 2 : Attend the function & then overnight stay at Easy Avenue Park hotel
Day 3 : Kozhikode to Kabini, overnight stay at JLR
Day 4 : Kabini, stay at JLR
Day 5 : Kabini, stay at JLR
Day 6 : Check out after the morning safari in Kabini & back to BLR

All images are shot with Nikon D850 & Nikkor 400 mm f2.8 VR. The car images are mobile clicks. Kindly click on the images for better clarity & viewing experience

Day 1 & 2

Took the BLR - MYS - Gundulpet - Sultan Bathery - Kalpetta - Kozhikode route for the onward journey. The Blr-Mys expressway construction is now completed & it was a bliss cruising at 100 - 110 kms/hr on this road though it was a Saturday early morning. It surely is way way better than what it was 3 months back (before 100% completion). Had breakfast at Hotel Vaishali. Saw a couple of elephants too on the Bandipur side just before entering Kerala. Reached Kozhikode & checked into the hotel by 2 PM. The usual traffic in Kerala slowed us down considerably during the 2nd half of our journey. The rooms at East Avenue hotel are clean with very good functional AC's (it is a mandatory requirement due to the coastal weather), the staff is courteous & efficient but the food was average. After accomplishing the goal of our visit to Kozhikode, we decided to visit the beach in the evening for a leisurely walk. It rained quite heavily that evening & kind of ruined our plan of visiting the beach. Rested well for the night dreaming about the calmness or peace of the forest with chirping of birds that was going to welcome us the next day.

The Blue Tiger - somewhere on the way to Kozhikode






Day 3

Post breakfast, started our journey from Kozhikode to Kabini by 9 am. It was a distance of about ~135 kms. The roads were good throughout except for the forest main road from Bavali to Udbur gate junction in Kabini (~16 kms or so). Reached JLR Kabini around 1.15 PM. Yes, it took 4 hrs for a 135 kms drive, all thanks to the Kerala buses. Had to pickup my rental camera gear from the Toehold store in Kabini which is on the way to JLR. Finished the checkin formalities, freshened up & then headed straight to the Golghar for the lunch. A quick lunch & we were all set for our 1st safari of the trip.

Somewhere in Mananthavady






Post lunch it drizzled for 10 to 15 mins. I am used to being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest as it has its own advantages. Some safari routing confusion pertaining to a couple guests ensured we were one of the last few jeeps to enter. I take my safaris very seriously & this delay was a downer. Calmed myself down & after finishing the formalities at the forest entry gate entire focus changed on scanning the tree tops for Leopards & safari tracks for pug marks. The last few days had been very bleak sighting wise in Kabini & for me that's a good sign. With a male tiger sighting during the morning safari, I was positive that things had started to fall in place. However, the area where the tiger was seen in the morning is at the other end of the forest & it had moved into the non tourism zone of the forest. It would take 30% of our safari time just to reach there & get back. I did not want to take that chance & asked the driver to focus on the territories of other predators. The jungle was dead silent with an occasional peacock call or chirping of the cicadas. We traversed through the broken paths looking for pug marks & waited at quite a few places including waterholes keeping our eyes & ears wide open. To make our tracking even more challenging it rained for 15 t o 20 mins during the middle of the safari (around 5 PM or so) which is a time for any predator to get out of its slumber & start moving around. To keep it short, we saw the usual spotted deer, sambar, langurs, peacocks etc. But the surprising thing this time around was that we saw a lot of Elephants (especially adolescent Tuskers) which is common during summer but not during monsoon. Reached the resort back by 6.45 PM. Hot tea & pakoras set the tone for some family time. Had a peaceful dinner by 9.30 PM & hit the sack by 10.30 PM hoping for better cat luck the next morning.


Crested or Changeable Hawk Eagle





Day 4

We were ready by 5.30 AM & got into the jeep by 5.50 AM. Again were delayed because one of the guests decided to join by 6.10 AM when the jeeps are supposed to leave by 6 AM. I might sound to be over reacting but trust me being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest & these 5 - 10 mins of delay do cost us sighting wise. This why I find the safari concept followed in north & central India to be the best. You can book the entire gypsy for yourself & also book in advance whichever tourism zone you want do in that particular forest. I hope wildlife tourism in south follows the same in future. There were no bigcat sightings at all the previous evening & it had also rained on & off during the night. So we enter the forest & again stop at certain junctions/spots/waterholes to hear for alarm calls & also keep an eye on the tracks for fresh pug marks. At one of such spots we found fresh pug marks of a Leopard which had walked the track for quite a bit. So we follow the pug marks which disappeared after a certain distance as the leopard had entered the forest undergrowth & then we scanned the surrounding areas & trees hoping to find it. However there were no alarm calls indicating that its still on the move. Its almost 8 AM & we decided to stick with the Black Panther's territory as he was seen thrice in the last 15 days & this was after a long hiatus of 4 months or so because he was spending most of the time in the non tourism zone of the park. We spend the next 1 Hr 15 Mins waiting & doing short rounds on just 1 safari track which is around 1.5 to 2 kms long. We hear a single spotted deer alarm call once or twice every 5 mins or so. This area also has 2 male tigers (as it is their overlapping territory), a sub adult tigress, a female leopard & of course the black panther. Usually these kind of intermittent single spotted deer alarm calls are not reliable. But we decide to wait it out. Its now 9.15 AM & time to exit as we need to be at the gate by 9.30 AM. Ended the 2nd safari & headed straight to Golghar for a much needed breakfast.


Serpent Eagle





Spotted deer fawn suckling its mother




Due to delayed monsoon the Kabini backwaters do not have enough water for boat safari as of now. Hence the morning normal boat/coracal rides were not available. Spent sometime chit chatting with the naturalists & drivers up until lunch time. With 2 dry safaris I was hoping for some action in our 3rd safari as there were no bigcat sightings for the last 6 safaris except for the male tiger that was seen on the morning we reached Kabini. We set out for the afternoon drive at sharp 3 PM, this time our jeep being the first to enter the forest. I wanted to first check the black panther's territory as there were intermittent calls in the morning & then head to the area where the male tiger was seen. We wait at the same spot where we had heard the spotted deer's alarm call for sometime but did not find any pug marks which would have indicated what predator it was & if it had moved post our morning safari. So we knew whatever it was, most probably it was still put in the same place as predators do not prefer to move around in the afternoon. It was now around 4.45 PM & we had done short rounds in this area scanning almost each & every tree possible. There were no calls nor any sign of any predator. So as decided we headed towards the area where the male tiger was seen. It takes around 15 mins to reach that area & it has 2 other tigresses as well. 1 with 4 sub adult cubs & 1 with 2 smaller cubs.


Peacock






Juvenile Serpent Eagle





As we were half way through, we saw 3 to 4 jeeps returning from that area. A couple of them stopped & enquired about the movement in the black panther's territory. With a negative response received, they too did not have positive opinion about the movement in the area we were heading to. Based on the info received, our driver asked what I wanted to do. My gut feeling told me to proceed to that area & I asked him to continue. All the way along there was nothing that was encouraging. It also became quite cloudy & it seemed like it might rain anytime. We ambled along a safari track where the tigress with her 4 sub adult cubs crosses over from the non tourism zone to the tourism zone. Result was zilch. No pug marks or alarm calls. We then waited at a waterhole which is frequented by the tigress with 2 cubs. Again the same result. Then we were on our way to another waterhole which is frequented by both these tigresses. There was 1 safari bus & another jeep already at the waterhole & as we were approaching them from a distance we could see people in both the vehicles standing & peeking out. This meant 1 thing. TIGER. As we reached the waterhole, we saw the tigress (the one with 4 sub adult cubs & we call her Temple or Russell Line Female) crouching & sitting right next to the safari track to our right fiddling around with something. The moment I got a full view of her, I knew she had made a kill & was gorging on it. The driver of the other jeep confirmed that she had killed a Langur just before they & the bus reached the waterhole. As I could hear the drivers whispering about this I was already firing away with my camera.

Temple Female devouring the Langur









She had already devoured 40% of the Langur in 15 mins. Tigers successfully hunting Langurs is very rare as the latter are seldom seen on the ground & are very vigilant & agile. Sometimes even the most vigilant also are vulnerable in the wild. She then moved in our direction & sat in place with the kill which was too close to my 400 mm lens. I could not fit in the tiger in the frame & ended up taking some video. We could neither backup as by now few more safari vehicles had arrived & were lined up behind us. Once she was done eating 90% of the kill with only the Langur's head remaining, she picked it up & moved a little bit away from us thus creating exact space needed between us where in I could frame her fully at 400 mm. She then abandoned the head/skull of the Langur & went on to scent mark a tree before entering the forest undergrowth. Tigers are slow eaters & a Langur can only be a snack for a Tiger. She polished off the Langur in less than an hour. During this entire time, she did not call her cubs even once & neither did she make an effort to carry the kill in the undergrowth because a Langur is too small a kill for a Tiger family of 5 out of which the 4 sub adult cubs are almost now as big as the mother Tiger. This points out that the cubs were in the vicinity & the family is on the verge of separation & she did not want to share the snack with them. Else, a tigresses's instinct is to carry the kill to the cubs or hide it & go fetch the cubs back to the kill. With another sighting of a lifetime & some incredible memories we reached the resort. Had an early dinner & called it a day.

Temple Female finishing off the last remaining scraps










Temple Female scent marking






Day 5

We were ready for our 4th safari by 5.30 AM as usual & entered the forest at 6.15 AM sharp. By the time we had reached the forest gate I had already told the driver about the area I want to take & focus during the first 1 hour of the safari. I had given a long thought & then decided to take a chance at the black panther AKA Blackie. I knew all the jeeps would flock to the area where the tigress with kill was seen the previous evening. Everyone was expecting she might be seen along with the cubs. But as she had not called the cubs while having her snack or did not carry the kill to the cubs, 90% chance was that she was alone on a territory marking spree & there was only a 10% chance that the cubs might be near to the area where she had made the kill but not very close. So I decided to go against the tide & as discussed with the driver took the route to the black panther's territory where we had heard the calls the previous morning. As we reached the stream area we heard strong multiple spotted deer alarm calls almost from the same place (from the other side of the stream) where we had heard the previous morning. It was again a waiting game including scanning of trees. Covered the 1.5 to 2 km track to check for pug marks once the alarm calls died down but did not find any. So circled back to the spot where we heard the alarm calls & decided to stay put. 15 minutes passed & there were again a couple of alarm calls. This 1.5 to 2km stretch is a winding track & one cannot get to see what happens just after 50 meters ahead. There was always a chance of the predator crossing the stream & walking on or crossing the safari track 50 meters ahead without us even getting to know. So we decided to small rounds every 10 mins or so from where we were waiting. By now it was 8.10 AM & by 8.45 AM or so we knew all the jeeps from that area will abandon their search for that tigress & head towards the black panther's area.


Tusker








While doing the one of the short round of this 2 km stretch & returning towards the spot where the initial spotted deer calls were heard, there is an old dilapidated small check dam to our right which was built long ago on this stream. We usually stop at this place for a few mins as the Blackie & a male tiger are known to walk on the stream bed when the water levels are very low & there have been a couple of instances where they have even been seen resting on the wall of the dilapidated check dam too. As we approached the check dam spot, our driver softly said "BLACKIE". Ours was the only jeep as the rest of them were trying to chase the tigress down. He then slowly pointed towards the check dam wall & I could see the black panther slowly climbing the wall. By the time I could place the bean bag & start shooting it had already climbed the wall & had sat on it too. My instinct of focusing on the Blackie paid off while the entire junta was behind the tigress. This was how he made himself comfortable when I took the first image.


Blackie AKA The Dark Lord





It was now 9 AM & 1 more jeep & a canter rolled in. They were only other wise ones to try their luck at the black panther. One could view the black panther from only 3 spots. First is the spot where we saw him first (image above), second is the spot we moved to after a couple of mins of seeing him initially (2 images below) & the 3rd spot was ideal from an angle perspective but was very far (maybe will be ideal for an 800mm lens). We had parked our jeep at the 2nd spot mentioned above. There was nothing much to do as he yawned a few times & was just basking in the sun. In a few images, I could see his whiskers stained with blood which only indicated that he had a kill in the spot where there were spotted deer calls earlier & was probably having his meal when the deers were calling. He now had come for a drink & relax in the warm morning light for sometime. Fired the camera away to my hearts content & spent the last 10 mins of the safari just looking at him. It was now 9.15 & we had to exit the park. When you follow your gut & achieve something, the satisfaction it gives you is immense. This was one such instance where in me & my family were smiling away to glory till we reached the resort. We knew we had hit the blockbuster - The Black Gold of Kabini.

The Black Gold standard of Kabini








With 2 back to back blockbuster sightings, I knew wanting anything more than this would be called a greed. So decided to sit back, relax, enjoy the forest & allow the driver to decide what routes to take & which territories to focus on. Took a much needed quick nap post breakfast & spent an hour or so deleting the unwanted images from the camera's memory card. We were again ready for the 5th safari by 2.45 PM. Though I wanted to take it easy, the wildlifer in me takes over as soon as the safari starts. To avoid this I sat behind the driver's seat & not in the passenger seat which usually is the one I prefer. But the driver knows me so well that I would have preferred him going back to Blackie's territory first & then to other areas & return back to Blackie's territory before exiting the forest, which is what he did. However the jungle had again become calm after some action in the last 18 Hrs or so. Ended the safari after sighting some elephants, sambars, mongoose etc.

Indian Roller or Bluejay




Day 6

It was 6th & final safari (morning). Wanted to end the trip with a bang. Tried hard for Blackie & the 2 female tigresses but did not yield any positive outcome. Saw some wild dogs at the end of the safari just before exiting the jungle. Had a quick breakfast, settled the camera fees at the reception, freshened up & were ready for our return journey by 11 AM.

Turtles




Wild Dog




Took the Kabini - HD Kote - Mysore - Bangalore route (via MYS - BLR expressway). As it was a weekday, the traffic was sparse. Reached home by 2.30 PM with a 15 mins coffee break included. Will be doing another trip to the jungle shortly. Until then, ADIOS!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Uthappa]

Stunning images of Black Gold! So glad to hear he's back and doing well.

[XDriver]

Superb images. You were very lucky to see a Langoor kill and Blackie. Incredible sightings. Great write up too. TFS.

[pradheepsr]

Lucky you!

Awesome clicks especially the Blackie and temple female. Iam still waiting for that Blackie moment, 10 years on.

Kabini rocks as always.

[pradheepsr]

Some of my recent clicks during my last visit to Kabini, may 2023.

Enjoy.

[vaibhavyagnik]

Stunning! I am lost for words! May I ask what gear was used to shoot these beautiful images?

[amit1agrawal]

After a long time, I had the pleasure of reading a beautifully written travelogue while peacefully enjoying a cup of coffee at home. It reminded me of the days when I could embark on safaris, leaving me yearning for more wildlife adventures. In my next life, I aspire to be a true "wildlifer" and immerse myself in the wonders of the wilderness. 😎

[Stryker]

Good to see Blackie back in the tourism zone after a long absence! I can imagine the thrill you'd have felt when the driver whispered "Blackie". Who was he BTW? Lucky you to have spotted the tigress with the langur kill. A very rare event in itself.

I visited Kabini in the second week of June and had no big cat sightings apart from a quick glimpse of a leopard before it decided to jump down off the tree even before I could raise my camera. We saw a lot of tuskers and female elephants, with many young ones and babies.

[Gannu_1]

Lovely snaps dude. The Bhageera is truly in its kingdom. Thanks for sharing!

[Torque123]

Originally Posted by Uthappa

Stunning images of Black Gold! So glad to hear he's back and doing well.

Glad you liked the images of the Black Gold. He is back but he isn't doing well. He has gotten into a territory fight probably in the core zone where he was spending more time & has the tip of his tail cut off with some wounds on his left flank too. Looks like he has fled from that area. Survival is becoming a challenge for him as everyday passes as age is not his side anymore.

Originally Posted by XDriver

Superb images. You were very lucky to see a Langoor kill and Blackie. Incredible sightings. Great write up too. TFS.

Thanks for liking the travelogue & images. Good to hear that you got see Magge female & her cubs during your May visit.

Originally Posted by pradheepsr

Awesome clicks especially the Blackie and temple female. Iam still waiting for that Blackie moment, 10 years on.

Thank you. You might have to do a few quick trips to Kabini if you want to see him. As mentioned above, time seems not to be on his side.

Originally Posted by vaibhavyagnik

Stunning! I am lost for words! May I ask what gear was used to shoot these beautiful images?

Thanks. Gear used was Nikon D850 & Nikkor 400 mm f2.8 VR

Originally Posted by amit1agrawal

After a long time, I had the pleasure of reading a beautifully written travelogue while peacefully enjoying a cup of coffee at home. It reminded me of the days when I could embark on safaris, leaving me yearning for more wildlife adventures. In my next life, I aspire to be a true "wildlifer" and immerse myself in the wonders of the wilderness. ��

Glad you enjoyed reading this travelogue.

Originally Posted by Stryker

Good to see Blackie back in the tourism zone after a long absence! I can imagine the thrill you'd have felt when the driver whispered "Blackie". Lucky you to have spotted the tigress with the langur kill. A very rare event in itself.

Yup, The thrill just multiplied 10000x when I heard the word "Blackie".

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Lovely snaps dude. The Bhageera is truly in its kingdom. Thanks for sharing!

Glad that you liked the images.

[airguitar]

Wonderful travelogue, swell sightings and impeccable shots with your 400mm. Always pleasure seeing pictures of the big ones.

Originally Posted by Torque123

I am used to being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest as it has its own advantages.

How can you be "used" to this? They allocate jeeps according to their wish? Do you insist that you be on the first jeep that enters the forest? My experience with JLR Safaris has been very bad - there is always preferential treatment of "repeat" customers and those that bring in hordes of other people in the guise of "photography tours" or "photography workshops". Simply put, they seem to know which side of their bread is buttered and it's not the side that has the one-time visitors. The best jeeps, the best guides, the best drivers, the best routes, heck even the best seats ( the co-driver seat ) seems to be reserved for these entitled brats that seem to know everyone at each JLR. And when there are sightings, these "first" jeeps block out all other jeeps until the animal has moved out - they get to hold ground even for 10 mins even as people in other jeeps wait frustratingly. At one of the JLRs recently, my 9 year old wanted the co-driver seat and the driver of the jeep asked her to sit in the middle row. I thought it was more to do with safety of a child etc, but my unasked questions were answered in minutes when an entitled fellow came and took that seat. He was just another boarder like us, but he got that seat. For the next 4 safaris that we did on that property, the same guy got that co-driver seat. I didn't want to spoil it for myself and for the others by picking a fight.

Lastly, at Kabini JLR, I also noticed that we were given 1 jeep safari and 1 boat safari, while some other guests were given 2 jeep safaris. Are there different packages here or is it one of the 'entitlement' games at play? Thankfully, I did sight the tiger on the 1 jeep safari I did.


Sorry for the rants, but I had to discuss to find out what I can do to make my JLR visits on par with what some others seem to be having ( not sightings, but the treatment ).

[Torque123]

Originally Posted by airguitar

Wonderful travelogue, swell sightings and impeccable shots with your 400mm. Always pleasure seeing pictures of the big ones.



How can you be "used" to this? They allocate jeeps according to their wish? Do you insist that you be on the first jeep that enters the forest? My experience with JLR Safaris has been very bad - there is always preferential treatment of "repeat" customers and those that bring in hordes of other people in the guise of "photography tours" or "photography workshops". Simply put, they seem to know which side of their bread is buttered and it's not the side that has the one-time visitors. The best jeeps, the best guides, the best drivers, the best routes, heck even the best seats ( the co-driver seat ) seems to be reserved for these entitled brats that seem to know everyone at each JLR. And when there are sightings, these "first" jeeps block out all other jeeps until the animal has moved out - they get to hold ground even for 10 mins even as people in other jeeps wait frustratingly. At one of the JLRs recently, my 9 year old wanted the co-driver seat and the driver of the jeep asked her to sit in the middle row. I thought it was more to do with safety of a child etc, but my unasked questions were answered in minutes when an entitled fellow came and took that seat. He was just another boarder like us, but he got that seat. For the next 4 safaris that we did on that property, the same guy got that co-driver seat. I didn't want to spoil it for myself and for the others by picking a fight.

Lastly, at Kabini JLR, I also noticed that we were given 1 jeep safari and 1 boat safari, while some other guests were given 2 jeep safaris. Are there different packages here or is it one of the 'entitlement' games at play? Thankfully, I did sight the tiger on the 1 jeep safari I did.


Sorry for the rants, but I had to discuss to find out what I can do to make my JLR visits on par with what some others seem to be having ( not sightings, but the treatment ).

Thank you for liking the travelogue & images. Let me answer all your queries/points one by one.

1. I am used to being in one of the first jeeps to enter the forest because I usually go in a group of 6-8 & on weekdays. Hence the entire jeep is allocated to us. Try avoiding visiting on weekends. It's too crowded. Once the jeep has all the allocated guests on board, it can depart from JLR to the forest gate where entry needs to be made. This is where the actual queue/order of vehicle entry starts & not at JLR. After the entries at the forest gate is done they can enter the forest as per the queue at the official entry time. If there are multiple groups allocated in one jeep, that's when there can be a delay as some of them do not board the vehicle on time or don't value the time of other guests. A friendly chat for 2 mins with them during the dinner or snack time will ensure they board the vehicle on time. That's what the tea/coffee pre/post safaris is for according to me

2. Not every time the jeeps that enter the forest get the sighting first. Whoever gets the sighting first will occupy the most desirable position to get the best view. It might be the vehicle which has entered first or it can even be the vehicle that entered last. All drivers & naturalists are good. Just that you need to let them know what you are keen about. Roaming aimlessly in the forest will 90 percent turn into a dry safari. 90 percent of guests don't have the patience to wait nor are bothered about why the driver has stopped the vehicle at certain spots. They just want to keep roaming around. That's not how wildlife sighting works. That's where knowing the routes, territories of tigers & leopards, sightings in the last couple of safaris will help. One can't blame the repeat customers. They have visited the jungle multiple times & are well versed with the above mentioned points. This is applicable to all forests & not specific to Kabini.

3. If one stays in the tented accomodation then they are eligible for 1 bus/canter safari & 1 boat safari. If one stays in the rooms (North bunglow or East bungalow) then they are eligible for 1 jeep & 1 bus/canter safari. If one stays in the cottages then they are eligible for 2 jeep safaris. This is applicable for Kabini. If the occupancy is less than 70-75 percent in all the resorts in Kabini (not only JLR) then one can expect both the safaris in a jeep. Again this is rare & subject to lot of other factors & may happen only during weekdays & monsoons.

4. I have been taking my daughter to jungles & safaris since she was 2 years old. She is now 13. Even though she has more than enough safari experiences to backup (easily 100+ safaris), I still do not make her sit in the co-driver seat. Kids can sometimes doze off during the safari or may panic if there is an elephant mock charge or may become cranky when there is no action happening or may be over enthusiastic after seeing some animals. Heck, even I doze off sometimes when there is no action . Making them sit next to their parents/guardians is the best. This is again just my opinion & something that I have personally followed.

Hope I have clarified your queries.

[Kkumar]

A well written travelogue and great shots. Since you have been to safaris quite often what’s is your advice as to the best time to go for a safari. Also you had mentioned above renting camera, can you please elaborate the same. Is it possible to rent just the lens.

[Torque123]

Originally Posted by Kkumar

A well written travelogue and great shots. Since you have been to safaris quite often what’s is your advice as to the best time to go for a safari. Also you had mentioned above renting camera, can you please elaborate the same. Is it possible to rent just the lens.

Glad that you liked the travelogue & images. I rented the Nikon D850 & Nikkor 400 mm f2.8 VR for this trip. One can even rent only the camera body or only the lens or only the equipment like extenders etc that they want to rent. Cost wise, one will get a better rate once they become a repeat customer or rent the equipment for more days. It depends on the store you are renting the equipment from. The rates differ for the kind of equipment one wants to rent. In Bangalore there are quite a few stores. Hence due to competition one can negotiate better on the cost.

The best time to do safaris depends on one's liking or preferences. If you want decent sightings of predators with green & colorful backgrounds then Oct - mid of Jan is a good time in central India. In Summers tiger sightings are kind of a given but photography wise it will be bland as the forest is too dry. June is the best month for safaris as the forest is green due to the onset of monsoon & predator sightings are decent. The same conditions mentioned above apply for the jungles here in down south. However the parks are open throughout the year. From Jul-Sep, sightings are bleak due to heavy rains but if one encounters a predator it will be the best sighting photography wise. I usually do all my safaris between June to Feb. Again this is just my preference.