Bandipur Tiger Reserve

We left the tea highlands and the state of Tamil Nadu and headed north to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnatika state. As we drove into the reserve I caught the photo of the young mahoot talking on his cell phone while driving.

We stayed at a very nice lodge with amazing food. Lunch was a collection of indigenous items including three dishes made with millet. Anthony Bourdain said of Indian food that it is the only menu in the world that could make him not miss eating meat. This was certainly the case. I counted 22 different dishes.

We boarded a safari vehicle and took a bumpy three hour ride into the reserve. We didn't see any big cats, but did see two types of deer and a few mongoose. As we drove back to lodge we saw a wild baby tusker in the brush. See photos.

The next morning Augie and I woke early and went birdwatching with a local naturalist. I caught a few nice photos from distance. The photo below is of a Bramany Starling. The Bramany comes into play in the name when the rust chest appears.

Nancy is still up coughing at night and generally feeling low.Read more