Tiger Prowl In Madhya Pradesh
Published: 25 January 2010
Monica Sarkar, a WEXAS India holiday specialist, reports on her tiger safari in Madhya Pradesh, where she stayed at &Beyond lodges near Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks.
Waking up at 2am to catch a 5am flight to Raipur from Kolkata, followed by a six-hour rickety road journey, doesn’t sound like the start of a glamorous trip. But in all honesty, my trip to the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh in search of the majestic tiger was the experience of a lifetime, all arranged through Creative Travel.
My first stop was the &Beyond Banjaar Tola lodge next to the Kanha National Park, where I spent two nights. I then transferred to the Bandhavgarh National Park, where I stayed an additional two nights at the &Beyond Mahua Kothi lodge.
The six-hour drive was tedious and across bumpy terrain for the latter half of the journey. But, as my driver took us up to the entrance of the lodge, the members of staff waved enthusiastically as my vehicle approached and welcomed me with warm smiles, a refreshing welcome drink and a face towel. I immediately felt as though I was in the company of old friends.
Amit, the manager, showed me around the stunning surroundings. The lodge was exquisitely designed with a simple yet authentic Eastern ambience. Although incredibly luxurious with every comfort borne in mind, the lodge complemented the natural jungle surroundings perfectly, without appearing obtrusive or superior.
The room was breathtaking and it was hard to believe it was a tented structure. There was ample space, beautiful attention to detail and the highlight had to be the private, wide-open terrace that overlooked the Banjaar River (from which the resort derived its name). Across from the river was dense forest and some guests had apparently even sighted wild dogs quenching their thirst at the riverbank.
As I had arrived in the afternoon, I was treated to lunch served on my own terrace. There is nothing quite as serene and soothing as listening to the distant calls of birds and monkeys and the rustling of trees while eating delicious Indian food. I had my own butler to serve me and the chef - Yatin - personalised his dishes according to my likes and dislikes. He even confidently proclaimed that he could tell how spicy guests like their food by the firmness of their handshake. So he concluded my food should be extra mild!
I only had about forty minutes to eat and freshen up before heading out to the forest. Luckily for me, I was the only guest staying at one of their eight tents, as the rest of their visitors were expected the following day. So I had a jeep all to myself, two very knowledgeable naturalists and a park guide, who was assigned on entrance to the park.
There is something about being in such natural surroundings that makes skyscrapers and traffic recline themselves to the distant crevices of the mind. The surroundings do appear vast, with towering trees and distant horizons, but they’re comforting and deeply peaceful at the same time. And believe me when I say, naturalists know absolutely everything there is to know about the forest. They were able to spot the tiniest birds sitting in the furthest of trees and butterflies in places I would have completely overlooked. And to my benefit, they were also able to warn me to duck in good time, as they noticed palm-sized spiders clinging to their webs overhead!
The naturalists and guides also kept an ear close to the ground to listen out for alarm calls, usually sounded by deer, birds or monkeys, used to alert other creatures that a tiger is present. The guides also communicated to one another in passing, sharing knowledge of any possible tiger sightings or tracks found. At this particular park, it was also possible to take a brief elephant ride to get closer to the tiger, if it was deemed appropriate. Unfortunately, this didn’t occur on my trip.
I was taken into the Kanha National Park a total of three times, which included two afternoon safaris and one morning safari. The morning safari began promptly at 6am and was the highlight of my trip to this park.
Even though the days were warm in my October visit, the mornings and nights were extremely cold. In the morning safari, blankets and hot water bottles were welcome provisions. Despite the cold, the mornings were breathtaking. The morning mist skimmed and hovered over the waters and the sun was clearly visible, slowly but gallantly appearing from behind the trees. As we were cruising through the jungle, one guide from another jeep told my guide that a tiger had been sighted. We sped off to the location in question to find a line of no less than ten jeeps, full of people, pointing their lenses at a dense shrubbery. Unfortunately, we were at the end of the line, but managed to see a resting tiger through our binoculars. Although we were far out, it was amazing to see this beautiful creature relaxing in its natural surroundings.
After a while and another exchange of information from a guide, we drove off to another part of the forest where a leopard was high up in a tree. We were informed that the leopard had made a kill, but then the sudden presence of a tiger sent the leopard up into the tree. Some visitors were lucky enough to see both cats, but late arrivers like us just marvelled at the leopard. Being such an elusive animal and very difficult to spot, I felt I had struck gold. Again, our sighting was from a distance, but still exhilarating.
As an added comfort to the drive, morning safaris are accompanied by a well-prepared brunch in the middle of the forest, in a tented area along with other visitors of the park.
Apart from the big cats, I saw the huge gaur (Indian bison), langur monkeys, sambar deer (the largest species of deer), mongoose (which move at lightning speed) and various species of birds, including owls and hawks. In fact, Kanha National Park is a paradise for birdwatchers. The park is also interspersed with impressive fauna and tall, aged sal trees are a unique and prevalent feature.
My visit to Kanha was a wonderful and tranquil experience and I learnt a great deal about the forest itself. The manager told me that apart from tiger conservation projects, local school children were taken on free educational trips into the forest by the resort, in order to expand local knowledge about their precious environment. Clearly, the resort cared a great deal about the knowledge they shared with their locals and guests.
The service I received by the resort was second to none. They even threw in an Indian head message on the privacy of my terrace, which sent me to sleep, only to awaken to the sounds of life and survival in the forest.
The reception I received was also extremely personalised. Being a woman of Indian origin, the staff were curious to know why I was travelling alone. Similar to certain jungle species, I was a rare sight in India! After telling them that I wanted to have the experience of such an amazing trip on my own, they were extremely impressed and made sure I was well taken care of. They would even join me for pre-dinner drinks and accompany me for dinner. They truly exemplified the warmth of Indian hospitality and kindness.
After taking in a quick but filling breakfast in the early morning of my last day, I was packed off in my jeep transfer to be taken to the second lodge, Mahua Kothi, near Jabalpur. The chef even prepared for me a packed lunch for the journey, which included a delicious chicken burger, fruit and yoghurt. This was to be another six-hour shaky drive. But yet again, it was well worth the strain once I arrived.
Similar to the welcome at the Banjaar Tola, I was greeted with genuine enthusiasm and refreshing drinks. I was promptly taken to my room, which was absolutely stunning. It was designed in the theme of a traditional mud hut. There was a comfortable seating area on the terrace and traditional decor inside, with warm brown and terracotta tones. I had never seen such luxury with such a seemingly modest exterior. A unique feature was the shower, found in a spacious cave-like enclosure with a rainforest showerhead. Being a sole traveller, I felt a little more alone and ’out in the wild’ at this lodge. I was closed in by trees and shrubbery, with just the occasional visitors of birds, squirrels and the resort cat wandering outside.
The resort appeared a lot busier than the Banjaar Tola, which meant that the service was a lot less personal and I did feel as though I was in a queue system to have my requests met. Nonetheless, the staff were very friendly and attentive. I had quick, early breakfasts in my room; private lunches on my peaceful terrace and joined the other guests for dinner - a feast fit for a king (and queen).
I was taken on two safari trips, one in the early morning and the other in the afternoon. The Bandhavgarh National Park has a very different appearance to Kanha. It is smaller than Kanha, although this is not apparent, and the landscape is a lot more hilly and mountainous with some rough terrain. There is also an ancient fort at the top of the mountains.
Bird species are not as bountiful here as in Kanha, but I still came across species of deer, monkeys and owls. And to cut to the chase, tigers are more easily spotted here, which is the predominant reason why people visit the park. Tigers are more familiar with the presence of jeeps than the newly introduced and more elusive cats of Kanha. This is one of the reasons why this park is a great deal busier than Kanha. Therefore, they have introduced a route system, whereby each track through the jungle is assigned a letter and visiting jeeps are assigned just two letters, the routes of which they must follow throughout their visit. Although there were a few complaints, especially for those who missed a crucial tiger sighting on a route other than their own, this was essential to make sure the big cats are not intimidated or cornered in by the imposing vehicles.
The first safari was very early morning at 5.30am in the dark and cold. But as with the Banjaar Tola, ample blankets were available. The naturalist at this park was very quick off the mark whenever he came across the hint of a tiger’s presence. We sped off in the direction advised by a park guide from another jeep, to find a tiger camouflaged in a bamboo bush. The other guests and I could only capture flashes of amber and black amid the mosaic of leaves, but then witnessed the tiger leaving the bush and walking away with the sunlight falling on its back. Although we saw the tiger from behind, its graceful yet proud stroll along the road was breathtaking. This was the highlight of the morning safari, but the poignant moment of my trip was to come in the afternoon.
After a sumptuous lunch on my private terrace, I freshened up and headed out to meet the other guests and the naturalist for the afternoon game drive. Within moments, the naturalist spotted a tiny white owl sitting like a statue on a branch. As we grabbed our cameras and clicked away, another jeep ahead of us signalled to our experts that a tiger was present. The other jeep was parked right next to a bamboo bush, so we bid farewell to the owl and drove up adjacent to the jeep. I looked to the left and the right of the bush, expecting the tiger to be hidden away, only to find that the tiger (actually a tigress) was metres away from our jeeps, staring straight at us. I was absolutely captivated by her presence. The other jeep had stopped for a while so they drove off minutes after we arrived, which gave us the opportunity to take their place closer to the bush. Unlike their docile domestic cat relatives, tigers maintain a steadfast stare through their pale-green ocean eyes. We watched in awe as she cleaned herself and submissively chewed on bamboo leaves, in between her unfaltering gazes at us. Apparently, tigers are unaware of the presence of human beings in a vehicle and only see and smell the jeep. But being an accidental stumble away from a glaring tigress, this wasn’t such a convincing theory!
After a while, she got up, which frightened me, as I wasn’t sure where she was heading. But to my relief, she walked out from behind the bush and stopped to watch us from behind a shrub. The naturalist advised that she was determining our next move. She then gracefully strolled past the back of our jeep, literally metres away from us, staring and gently snarling as she went. After a few minutes, she had strolled across the grass and disappeared over the hills. I was absolutely shaking like the bamboo leaves of the forest in a storm after this sighting - I had never been the bystander in the presence of such a beautiful being in my whole life. And luckily for me, this was experienced in the last safari of the whole trip.
After another long four-hour drive to Jabalpur airport to return to Kolkata, I left with a lifetime’s worth of memories and exciting stories to tell, all experienced in the comfort and luxury of the Taj properties and under the guidance of Creative Travel.
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