The Bison Wildlife Resort Kabini

We had a very pleasant experience at The Bison. The property itself is situated nearby to the forest surrounded by a sprawling lake. It’s extremely calm, peaceful, filled with birds chirping and many other nature sounds. We stayed in the Little Bison luxury tent stay. The tent itself is well planned, comfortable, private, and has an historic aesthetic to it. The property also has many animals: dogs, cats, horses, and camels, which are part of their rehabilitation center. Cows gracing the property. It felt great to be around these friendly beings. The food is delicious. Every meal feels comforting and home-cooked. The activities offered along with the package ensure to keep you occupied and let you enjoy the whole property and its surrounding areas. The staff of Bison are extremely polite, hospitable, friendly, and helpful. Overall, we had a very memorable experience here and cannot wait to go back!

Lovely lodge-type property situated on a lake and minutes from the forest. Excellent, friendly staff who were always there to help. The meals were freshly cooked and plentiful. Our "Treehouse Room" was very spacious and comfortable. Two special call-outs to Vivian and Kemparaj. Vivian was so helpful when we checked in. Our jeep safaris were canceled due to an aggressive tiger in the area but Vivian made our stay great just the same. Kemparai took us on a 5 Km bird-watching walk at 7:30AM and was able to show us about 20 different species plus a cow that had been killed by a tiger. Very interesting and exciting. All in all, we would not hesitate to recommend this property.

We came at a time when the parks were closed for safaris - very unfortunate! But our stay was so relaxing: the birdsong, the sunsets, the incredibly warm and welcoming staff, the delicious food, the comfort, all made it an amazing stay. Special shout out to Kemp Raj, who leads the twice daily nature walks. He knows all there is to know about the local wildlife, especially the birds. We didn't see any tigers, but we made up for it with the birds.

It marked a check mark on one of our bucket lists. The people around, the stay, the food everything was amazing sans safari though due to govt restrictions. We stayed at the little bison and the outdoor jacuzzi with seperate bonfire was a bonus add on compared to other rooms. This had a seperate lounge as well. So many books to read from. Lounge as such was so nice full of wildlife pictures. It was definitely one stay which we will remember for a long long time. Kudos to entire team, Dipjal, Gangadhar, Abhishek ...all of whom were exceptional and warm

Great location by the Kabini backwaters with an earthy, nature-inspired stay. We chose Saya’s Den, which was spacious and beautifully designed with an open bathroom and bathtub. The room had a rustic charm, and the stone-floored bathroom added to the natural vibe. There’s ample open space in front of the room, offering complete privacy. We loved the resort’s open layout. The restaurant area overlooks the Kabini backwaters and features rustic wooden flooring and decor. Unlike commercial resorts with numerous rooms and amenities, this place offers limited rooms, fewer guests, and a much more peaceful experience. There’s no TV in the room — instead, you can enjoy the collection of books available all around the property. Coming to the food, the menu is simple and authentic to the local cuisine of Karnataka. The meals are home-style — nothing fancy, but delicious and comforting, making it easy to feed kids as well. The resort also arranges safaris with convenient pick-up and drop-off facilities. We enjoyed a short boat ride on the backwaters, which was included in the booking, and a nature walk where we spotted many birds that are rarely seen in the city. It’s an experience not to miss, especially for kids — don’t forget to bring your binoculars! Special thanks to Kempraj, who was wonderful in explaining the different bird species. Areas for improvement: The swimming pool could be better maintained and cleaned. The restaurant seating area had noticeable dust; cleanliness can be improved there. Overall: An amazing stay for those who enjoy cozy, peaceful getaways — perfect for spending quality time with family, relaxing by the river, and watching beautiful sunsets.

4 of us had booked safaris with Shaaz Ali Jung who is a professional photographer & cinematographer. Shaaz also is the owner of The Bison. The price included 6 private jeep safaris with Shaaz & a couple of his team members. All with big cameras. It also included 3 nights stay at the hotel with all meals & more! 2 of our members had the Saya suite - which has a king sized bed, comfortable sofa, chairs, centre table, writing tables, suitcase rack. The suite also has a nice sit out that faces the Kabini River. The other 2 members had a large tented accommodation with a king size bed. The washroom is large & honeymoon style. Their sit out also faced the Kabini River. In both types of accommodation the beds were super comfortable with luxurious white cotton linen. Dining area is separate where buffet meals are served. Food is delicious and a variety is served at each meal. Early morning tea/coffee/hot water is laid out with biscuits well before departure for the morning safaris! After return from evening safaris tea/coffee and tasty snacks are waiting to be had. To avoid fire hazards, there are no kettles in the room for self service of tea/coffee or hot water. The staff are all courteous and helpful. They make your stay silently enjoyable. I loved that the rooms were cleaned and beds made by the time we returned from our safaris. Many thanks for such service. The Bison is situated near the river & fields, so expect insects n small frogs. Keep mesh doors closed at all times. It is also very close to the Nagarhole Forest entry gates, an advantage to sleep a little longer!

It's an epic place to stay, speak at the reception to tailor your safari's. The location is close to the fringes of nagarhole tiger reserve. Rooms were elegantly designed for the safari vibe. Food was not too bad either. All in all this place got game! 🎯

We went there in Jan 2025, as a family of 3 including our 1.5 year old. We both are nature lovers and wild life enthusiasts. We trekked around the world and been on many safaris in and outside India. ||Kabini was on our list since long which finally materialised. We chose The Bison in a hurry just seeing “Website” and few reviews. |And it was a super downer for us. I think majorly due to significant mismatch of what they boast and what actual reality is. ||1. Hospitality— 1 out of 5 star|We reached around 2.30 pm and we were welcomed hurriedly for taking us to lunch as their lunch closes at 3 pm and they don’t do room service, which we accepted and felt obliged as it is understandable when u plan a trip around wild life and within the jungle. But we were shocked that already many were having lunch and few arrived when we completed. A few minutes to freshen up before long car journey would have helped.||We were hurriedly explained about jeep safari and boat safari and few other activities they offer. As we cannot take our baby on jeep safari, we both booked individual safaris on 2 different days. I booked as soon as I completed my lunch, as I know this things require prior intimation. I told the person probably manager or receptionist-Mr Raju, that we want to have coracle ride with our baby. He said that you can do it anytime as written on paper of activity he gave me. So we went to room and freshen up, then I called him just to make sure that I wud like to go at 5.30pm on coracle ride. He informed me that all slots are full and we can not do it except at 4 pm which was in 5 minutes. I had to make him understand the meaning of anytime. After lots of head banging with him, he arranged it. ||We neither felt warmth nor welcome throughout the stay. It was thoroughly snobbish or hippyish vibe that they have going on there. May be it is their trademark as seen in many reviews. ||Reception is just for the name. If you find a person there, you will be very lucky. |They didn’t bother to share personal number so we can contact them.||On day of checking out, no feedback form, no one bothered of asking how was our stay nor whether they can do something better. May be because they don’t want to.||2. Safaris and Feeling of being cheated—|(1 out of 5 star) ||On their website they boast -|“At The Bison we offer you a unique Safari experience where you will explore the forest with our fabulous team of naturalists;  Shaaz Jung & Shashank Reddy.” And then brag on about his achievements and closing with that “The team is without a doubt Kabini’s finest.”||The jeep safaris we booked were actually govt safaris which is similar for all around the region. No naturalist on jeep. Only driver. ||When asked to Mr Vivian, who was probably manager, he told that, “we do some special safaris but it would be too costly for you.” I was shocked on such kind of answer. Such snobbishness. Still keeping calm, I asked him what will be the cost, please tell me. He said it will be in range of 23-25K Rs. we would have opted for it but the behaviour made us decide otherwise.||Wild cat sights are of luck that we know. But on safari, you can explore all the types of flora and fauna, history about the place, about local stories. But here no one was there to guide us.||3. Tents, property and food-|We opted for their best tent- Saya’s Den. It was good and spacious and had a good view of backwater infront. But cleanliness issues were significant. Veranda we had was not cleaned, floor was dusty, plugs were faulty/broken. |Property overall is not well maintained. They are supremely understaffed for it. Pool is a mess. |These things u can overlook but with their price tag, they should do better.||One big problem was cleanliness of utensils they use for serving food. Almost all were worn out and not clean looking. Insects were to be found on them routinely. You expect insect around being a jungle setup, but that lead us to question sanctity of kitchen. ||Food overall was okey. Limited menu but with decent taste. You can accept that in a jungle safari lodge. But again for a property boasting of luxury escape, it was not upto the mark.||One star is for the cook who cooked food for our baby on asking, which is quite normal, but felt like a luxury here.||So overall, the stay of 2 days left us regretting our decision of choosing The Bison. I went through many negative reviews later, finding similar problems. I hope people dont get cheated or they improve. ||I would close with “yes, the bison is not for everyone.” Everyone in a decent mind, would choose otherwise.