Into the Wild- Chitwan National Park.

With excitement levels sky high we left to the much hyped and anticipated Royal Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, one of the many in Nepal and the first in our bucket list. The morning welcomed us with thick fog, mist and dew settling on our numb fingers. The roads were amazing to ride on with thick jungle on either side, the climate was very pleasant making the ride even more charming.

For the entire stretch of 200 km we were in awe with Nature's beauty. There were green pastures, beautiful paddy fields, rivers cutting through mountains, snow clad mountain peaks & forests all along the way.

Chitwan is the place to be if you want to experience the life of Tarzan. The massive park is blessed with grasslands, a perfect habitat for the One horned Rhino & Royal Bengal Tiger, wetlands - that attracts plenty of local and migratory birds plus the lurking and silent killer - the crocodile. The park is also home for massive sal trees. This park guarantees a perfect jungle experience & the safaris are not just limited to jeep but also offer the popular elephant safari, canoe ride & the adventurous jungle trek. It was our very first experience to take an elephant safari in a national park and it was brilliant. The best part about an elephant safari is that it lets you venture deep into the forest and gives you a glimpse of the wildlife in their natural habitat.

Unlike the national parks in India, Chitwan UNESCO  World heritage site, lets you experience dense jungle. The scrubs are really thick & green virtually making it impossible to see any barren land. There are plenty of massive trees in the park towering several meters high making it difficult for sun rays to penetrate through. The pride of the park is the One Horned Rhino which is endangered.

Chitwan offers a very unique and thrilling experience - 'jungle trek.' We ventured into the jungle by foot in search of wildlife. As thrilling, exciting and adventurous as it may seem and sound, this is a very dangerous trek. The trek lasts for 2 to 3 hours and during this time we spotted wild boars, deer, birds and toward the fag end of the trek, our guide spotted a massive Rhino grazing. We tip toed and inched closer towards the rhino. What an experience that was, we had an adrenal rush and felt a chill in our spine as we were mere meters away from this massive creature. We stood there admiring this wonderful creature and our hearts felt heavy at the though that this animal species is being mercilessly hunted down for their horn which is falsely believed to cure terminal illness and boost fertility.

Be warned before signing up for this trek as it is very common for Rhinos and bears to charge at unsuspected tourists. You can neither outrun nor outfight these creatures. Also, Rhinos and bears killing humans inside the National park is not unheard of. If all of this is not scary enough, during our trek we saw fresh pug marks of a fully grown tigress. We were told by our guide that we were in her territory.

Canoeing in Narayani river - If you are an avid bird watcher this ride is something that you will absolutely love. The manual powered canoe floats effortlessly in the river and is ideal for bird watching. Commonly seen birds are kingfisher, egrets, ibis, stork, hornbill, pond heron, lapwing etc. No matter how tempted you might be, do not put your hand in water. Do so only if are willing to lose it to one of the many crocodiles in the river.

Elephant Breeding

Right after the canoe ride, we visited the Elephant Breeding center. This was initiated as the population of elephants in Nepal is decreasing rapidly. It is said to be one of the only 2 Breeding centers in the world. You get a chance to watch Elephant calves ranging from a few days to a couple of years.

We checked into Chitwan adventure resort, there are several nice thing to say about this place. Being foodies we enjoyed their food and they never compromised on the lavish spread and quality. The resort is beautifully done with great aesthetics. If you are hopelessly romantic, this resort is the one for you as it offers a chance to gaze at the stars from the sit out. The rooms are spacious and clean. There is plenty of greenery around the resort. They have expert guides and it was with their expertise that we were able to spot a rhino during jungle trek. The service is outstanding and they were kind enough to provide our friends free pick up from Sauraha chowk. They take extremely good care of their guests.

Next Stop Kathmandu. 

Panna National Park

Day 18 Amarkantak to Panna Via Rewa 

Distance: 392 km

Road Condition: Good roads with occasional potholes. A stretch of 20 km in between has no roads. However, work is in progress to lay roads. On this stretch oncoming heavy vehicle creates a cloud of dust completely blinding the driver.

Panna, a hidden treasure far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, way off the tourist radar due to it's slim tiger population. Compared to other national parks, this park is very calm minus the tiger centric crowd. This makes the jungle safari a pleasant and serene experience.

Panna National Park

Ken river, the lifeline of Panna National Park is a rich source of uncontaminated water flowing through the dense forest, an ideal living condition for the marsh crocodiles. Apart from jeep safari the park also offers boat safari to witness crocodiles basking in the sun. If you are lucky enough you could even spot an elusive leopard quenching it's thirst. Minimum charges for the boat ride is Rs. 200 for 4 people.

Massive Ken River

Due to rampant poaching, in 2009 the entire tiger population was wiped out. 2 female tigers and a male tiger were then relocated from Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench respectively. Rigorous conservation efforts by the forest department and locals has led to an increase in the tiger population. Currently, the number stands at 27. There are designated teams tracking the movement of tigers keeping them safe from poachers.

The forest department might block some safari routes if there has been a kill. While we were there, one route was off-limits as there was a fresh kill by a tigress with 3 cubs. On another occasion, we saw the carcass of a leopard being carried away by the forest officials, word is a duel broke-out between the tigress and the leopard.

Safari expenses: Jeep charges Rs. 1500, guide 300, camera charges 250, park entry fee 1000. Do checkout the museum at the ticket booking counter.

We took 3 safaris and spotted vultures. Panna is one of the last few natural habitats for these endangered species. A rocky terrain leads to great view of deep gorge, also known as Vulture point. It would be a spectacular sight to see water fall into the gorge during monsoon.

Crested Serpent Eagle

Thanks to the sheer brilliance of our guide, Suresh, we spotted a highly camouflaged nightjar. It took us a while to differentiate the bird from the twigs around.

Camouflaged Nightjar

Up Close

Other wildlife sighting included tigers cooling off by the river, crocodiles basking in the sun, grey hornbill, stork billed kingfisher, eagles, paradise flycatcher, rufous tree pie, oriental magpie, mongoose.

Stork Billed Kingfisher

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Other tourist attraction in Panna- Pandava falls. A few things to note - guide service is mandatory, charges at Rs 60 and the falls is 600 mt away from the gate. Legend is, Pandavas spent a couple of years during their exile at this place. A flight of 100 steps leads to the caves. The falls is alluring and would be quite a sight during monsoon. The caves are in pretty bad shape, the govt has closed the caves all you get to see is 2 mt of the caves. The guide says if one is extremely lucky they could spot bear, leopard or tiger here. We are not sure how lucky you would be if you have a face-off with any of these.

Pandava Caves

We checked into MPTDC Jungle Camp, Madla zone, the property shares it's boundary with the park. They provide AC tented accommodation which are very cozy, rooms are spacious and clean with TV, small fridge and comfortable sit out.  The best part is safari booking office is hardly a kilometer away.

However, the service standards of the hotel are horrendous. During our 2 days stay in the month of April, there were frequent and lengthy power cuts. Despite having backup generators the management refused to switch them on even after repeated requests. The bizarre reason given was 'The guy who switches on the gen set was not available.'

In addition, they overcharged us Rs 500 for every jeep safari we took. This being a Government owned and run hotel, these charges were unacceptable. The jeep drivers employed by the hotel try to save fuel and refuse to drive on rugged terrain. The point of taking a jungle safari is defeated.

Also, food is bad. Management is not reachable at any given time. We highly recommend you to stay away from this property.

Do check out Ken River Lodge for stay options.

With great expectations we head to Khajuraho.

Bandhavgarh National Park, Jewel Of India.

Day 11 Bhedaghat To Bandhavgarh

Distance: 200 km

Road Condition: First 35 km tends to be chaotic so it is better to cover this stretch early in the morning. Pretty bad roads clubbed with zero road sense makes the drive horrifying. However, the moment you hit the state highway curvaceous road with excellent tarmac welcomes you. There is hardly any traffic and no pot holes until you reach Bandhavgarh. It is blissful to drive through ghat sections with beautiful trees adoring colorful leaves on either side of the highway. Once you reach Bandhavgarh, the 15 km stretch towards Tala is terrible. The roads are non-existent but the good news is work is underway to lay cement roads.

En Route Bandhavgarh

After a brief stay in Jabalpur, we head back to our home away from home, the jungles of India- this time Bandhavgarh. This national park lives up to it's expectation and hype as a tiger territory, it is believed that one has to be extremely unlucky to not sight a tiger here. 

So Comforting

Bandhavgarh national park is compact and beaming with wildlife, making it famous among tourists. There are 3 entry zones and Tala zone is the most sought after. However, one has to cough up more money to enter this zone. The booking counter for spot booking operates at a snail's speed and there is no gypsy booking booth near the counter. One has to call on a number provided on their notice board to book a gypsy for safari. On weekdays, you may get to enter the park via Magadhi or Kitauli zone and it is pretty much impossible to get a spot booking on weekends.

Show off

Safari expenses: Jeep charges Rs. 2000, entry Rs.1000, Guide fee Rs 300. No charges for camera. Entry for Tala zone is Rs 1000 more expensive.

Tala zone is right behind the booking office so there is no time spent in reaching the gate. For the other 2 zones, one would have to travel a few km to reach the entry gate. We had permit for Magadhi zone for our first safari and were greeted with lush green Sal trees, huge bamboo shoots, meadows and natural water holes. The terrain is hilly and the park is not as cold as other parks in MP. The fort, dam and lord Vishnu murti are within the park's boundaries.

Lush Green Park

We were right in time to witness breakfast being prepared for the mighty elephant, hot rotis were being prepared and each weighed around 3 kg.

Breakfast For The Giant

During the safari we spotted sambar, jackal, eagle, barking deer, chinkara, painted stork, peacocks, and caught a glimpse of elusive tiger crossing the road behind thick shrubs. This scene unfolded a few meters away yet only a few were lucky enough to witness it. As the safari came to an end, our guide drew our attention towards a jungle fowl in a hollow tree trunk incubation her eggs.

Mom At Work

Chinkara

We got permit to enter Khitauli zone for the evening safari. We had a great start- spotted a crested serpent eagle mere meters away which was not camera shy. After clicking a few pics we moved along to see a peacock trying to impress a peahen by a watering hole, pretty sure it does not take more than this for the hen to fall head over heels in love.

Serpent Eagle

Jackal

While admiring the beauty of the peacock dance, we saw a very conscious and alert wild boar walk to a watering hole to quench his thirst and cool off. After spending considerable time we headed in search of more action. Mere meters away from our gypsy we spotted a vine snake take shelter in a bamboo shoot. It was quite a sight and our first time to see a snake in the wild. It was beautifully camouflaged making one aware of the lurking danger around.

Cooling Off

Green Vine Snake

Our 3rd and final safari was to the Tala zone, and with this we covered all three zones of the park. Binod Kumar, our guide with 19 years of experience knew the forest inside out. We followed warning calls of langurs, sambars and spotted deer in search of a predator and ended up in Kankatti's territory who got her name from a feud years ago in which her ear was cut, hence, the name. The calls led to thick shrubs and in the background we saw glowing orange with black stripes, she was engrossed feeding on her kill - a spotted deer.

Lunch Time

Spent time admiring her and proceeded towards the 10th century Vishnu murti, this 35 foot sculpture has been carved out of a single sandstone rock. Steep slopes take you to a hill where you see Vishnu resting on a serpent with Bramha and Shiv on either sides for company. We were in awe with the architecture, and amazed by the history and beauty of India. The park is home for a natural fort and many sandstone caves that are out of bound for tourists. Specialty of Tala zone is one gets to see all these monuments.  If the words of the guide are to be believed, these caves are now used as home for tiger cubs.

Resting Vishnu

We checked into Tiger Den Resort, a pretty posh property. We were promptly checked into our room, the staff is very friendly, courteous and helpful. The resort offers great aesthetics and spacious rooms, has a swimming pool, spa, souvenir shop and a well stocked library. The food served there is awesome. Personal food requests are entertained, desserts are out of the world, sinful and heavenly. Their Phirni and mud cake with chocolate sauce is to die for. Tala zone is only half a kilometer away from the premises, the other 2 zones are 3 and 6 km away.
Downside: The bathrooms are huge but the shower cubicle is too small for comfort.

Excited to say hi to our next destination Amarkantak.

Kanha National Park

Day 6 Pench to Kanha 

Distance: 200 kms. 
Road Condition: Very good roads and we clocked 1000 kms of our MP journey.

Today, we drive to Kanha celebrating our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. It would have been ideal to pamper yourself with apparel from a high end store, expensive jewelry, and a candle light dinner at a star hotel. However, there are few things money can't buy like having breakfast in middle of nowhere with birds chirping around, langurs jumping on trees, a lake nearby and the love of your life beside you making this perfect day priceless.

Blissful Breakfast

The best part about road trips are the challenges and surprises thrown at you and how one improvises to find solutions.  After driving a few kilometers enjoying the pristine beauty of the jungle on either side, we were taken aback to see a huge tree fallen on the road due to a heavy storm the previous night. Reminding us, mere mortals that we are at the mercy of Mother Nature. We took a detour via some fields to reach the other side of the road.

Challenge Accepted! 

Arriving at Kanha, we made this our home for the next 3 days and took 3 Safaris. The beautiful and huge Sal trees paint the jungle green. In the morning the park is cold in it's unique way and one has to experience it. National Parks across Madhya Pradesh are closed for evening safaris on Wednesdays. Nearest petrol pump is 25 km away. There is an ATM right opposite Khatia gate.

Colors Of Jungle

Go here not for the tigers but to catch a glimpse of the rare Barasingha. These endangered species can be found only in Kanha. Thanks to the conservation efforts their numbers have now reached to 450 from a mere 66.

Endangered Barasingha

Do not be hooked on to just spotting a tiger, the park is full of surprises, try and be appreciative of nature around you. You never know what the jungle has in store for you. We heard strong warning calls from Sambhar and spotted deer, which means only 1 thing- the predator is around the corner. The wait for the tiger was fruitful and we did catch a glimpse of the tiger walking down a hill and a tigress lazing around in the bushes to beat the scorching heat. As all jeeps were lined up awaiting the arrival of the tiger, from nowhere a spotted deer sprang up and sprinted towards the meadows.

Surprise Element

We were lucky enough to spot a confused peacock dancing and trying to impress a spotted deer. Other wildlife sightings included bison, vulture, endangered barasinghas, painted stork, racket tailed drongo.

Bewildered Peacock

Racket Tailed Drongo

Indian Bison

Unexpected showers during our second safari was a very unique experience. The air was clear, the park way too calm and silent without any alarm calls. As the safari was coming to our end, there was buzz around a waterhole - Alas! the royal bengal tiger relaxing in the waterhole. The shutterbugs went click, click, click.

King Of Kanha

As we headed towards the exit gate, we saw a deer raise an alarm call sensing danger from a harmless macaque. Since the deer is only used to seeing langurs, it wasn't sure if the macaque  was a friend or foe and hence raised the distress call.

Safari Expenses- Entry charges Rs.2000, Jeep Charges Rs.2000, Guide fee Rs.300. No charges for the camera. Note- Entry to zones other than Kanha are Rs.600 less expensive.

Checked into Wild Chalet Resort, spread across 9.5 acres. It is a Bird watcher's paradise. Top class hospitality service. The staff is enthusiastic and love to take care of their guests. They surprised us with a cake during dinner as it was our anniversary. Resort offers great food and their masala chai is a must try. The property overlooks a river and you can watch elephants taking a bath in the river. Add-on the lake attracts a lot of birds. One more great property from India Adventures. We chose a Non-AC, Air cooler room during summer and we did not regret it one bit.

Our Den

Other attractions- Nature walk across the river bed, where we saw a crow hunt a bee- eater and simultaneously the bee-eater hunt for an insect, both failed attempts. It was an amazing sight to see the bee-eater hunt when it's own life was at stake.

Egret hunting for food

You can also watch the sun set by the river. The view in the evening is amazing with three different shades in the sky- pink, orange and blue. Clouds partially covering the sun with thunder and lightening.

Sunset

Resort Staff, Ghanshyam took us to the nearby weekly market to experience the flavors of the village. He was kind enough to buy us desi daaru, Mahua Liquor that is made from the mahua flower available in abundance.

Villager Collecting Mahua Flowers

Taking fond memories we packed our bags and left for Bhedaghat. 

Pench National Park

Day 2 Tadoba to Pench via Warora 

Distance: 250 kms
Road condition: Very good

Pench National Park derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the jungle. This park inspired Rudyard Kipling to pen the cult book 'The Jungle Book.' Many of the places described in the book are actual locations in Seoni district.

Calm Beast

The park is massive with three natural watering holes. We took 4 safaris and saw jackals scavenging, mottled wood owl, woodpecker, changeable hawk eagle, deers locking horn and fighting for territory/female, jungle owlet- playing hide and seek with us.

Mottled Wood Owl

Changeable Hawk Eagle

However, the start attraction tiger continued to elude us. We were lucky to grab a spot booking for Sunday morning and shared our safari with Taj guests. Taj offers jumbo safari jeeps that are super comfortable and have a slight edge over other jeeps in terms of wildlife experience. We met a naturalist, Sangita, who had quit her marketing job and now works for the Taj.

Safari expenses - entry Rs.1400, guide charges Rs.300, jeep charges Rs. 1800. There are no camera charges unless it is a professional video camera. Please note there are only 5 jeeps available for spot booking on any given day.

There are plenty of stay options to suit every budget. The Riverwood Forest Retreat is the first resort, one would encounter en-route. It has a great view of the forest/river from the room. It is a huge property with great aesthetics, priced at Rs.4500/day all inclusive. However, it is 12 kms away from the forest entry gate making it difficult for those who do not have online safari booking.

We checked into Tiger N Woods Resort.  It is way better than Kipling and Pench jungle camp in terms of view, proximity to Turia gate, amenities and service. They take hospitality service to new heights. Dheeraj, the manager, is very friendly and helpful. The wake up calls by the resort are of military standard. The resort shares its boundary with the national park. One evening after the safari we were lazing in the sit out area and were elated to hear strong warning calls proving that tigers are not restricted by boundaries and it is not necessary to spot a tiger only during a safari. The last day in Pench happened to be our wedding anniversary and the resort guys gifted us a handmade bouquet, they had also packed an early breakfast as we hit the road to our next destination.

Tiger N Woods

Handmade Bouquet 

Local attraction- Pachdhar pottery village is a must visit. The locals are very shy yet welcoming and friendly. One can also experience the local business of brick making, you are welcome to try your hand at making one.

Pottery Village

Earthen pots of various shapes and sizes displayed outside each home hone the beauty of the place. The clouds thundering, the raindrops falling all over your face, your feet sunken in the mud and the splash of water all over the mud emanating the beautiful earthen fragrance and the sun setting in the sky made a perfect end to a beautiful day in Pench.

Nearest ATM is approx. 30 kms away so stock up enough cash as most resorts do not accept cards and safari booking is by cash only. For ATM, head towards Kawasa, cross MP check post and watch out for 2 ATMs on your left at Kurai village. Nearest fuel station is 25 kms away in the same direction.
After spending 5 days in Pench, we headed to our next destination - Kanha.

Tadoba Tiger Reserve

Day 1 - Hyderabad to Tadoba National Park. 

Distance: 480 km via AH43/NH7
Road Condition: First 350 km absolute carpet like road. Bad stretch of 100 & 30 km very bad stretch. 

The best part about any road trip is the food one could enjoy, and NH7 offers plenty of desi dhabas for the foodies.

Tadoba is the largest national park in Maharashtra covering 625 sq kilometers. Spot booking for jungle safari can be done at any of the entry gates for Rs.3250 per jeep. Jeep charges Rs.2000, camera lens over 250mm are charged at Rs 200, guide charges Rs.300 & entry fee is Rs.750. Entry fee is Rs.250 more on weekends. One can also take their car into the park which would cost around Rs.2250. Safari bookings are payable only by cash. Do plan your trip keeping in mind the weekly holiday of the park that falls on every Tuesday.

Basking In The Sun

The park has abundant teak that adds more charm, and the primary source of water is a huge lake that is beaming with water even during summer. This is one of the few parks where entry is not restricted just to the buffer zone. They have multiple entry gates for buffer and core zone. However, the best zone for wildlife sighting is Morhali.

Wild Dog

We were left intrigued by the stone pillars at the entrance of Morhali zone and we were informed by our guide that these used to be antique lamps posts during the Gond period.

Malabar Pied Hornbill

Star attractions of the park are Tigers, Leopards, sloth bear, wild boar, nilgai, barking deer and more. We stayed for 2 days and had great safaris. Spotted highly camouflaged Savanna Nightjar with chick, sloth bear, wild dog, bison with calf, beautiful Indian roller, malabar pied hornbill, jackal, woodpecker. It is a great experience to see wildlife in their natural habitat. The silence inside the jungle is golden and soothes your ears that are constantly exposed to high levels of noise pollution. The birds chirping, warning calls from potential prey, mating call... they all seem to be music. Once inside the park, one would not have the heart to leave.

Savanna Nightjar With Chick

There is never a dull moment inside the jungle and every experience is unique. One would never know what surprise nature has in store.

True That

We checked into Royal tiger resort which is only 500 mt away from the entry gate. Rooms were reasonably priced and food was exceptionally good, the service was also good. They have car park and lawn. Downside being - they don't offer complimentary breakfast. Cleanliness standards of rooms could be better.

After our sojourn in Tadoba, we headed to Pench National Park.