India Safaris
India
Tiger Photography Special
First class tours use 5 star hotels and air-conditioned transport,
Tourist class tours use 2 star hotels and non air-conditioned transport
otherwise services are the same.
Day 01
Arrive Delhi
Check into Hotel. You are free till 1 P.M. next day, to enable you to sample
some of Delhi's avian and historical sights, or to just relax and recover
after your flight.
Day 02
We leave Delhi
for Jabalpur by Super Fast train in 2nd AC carriage.
Day 03
After arrival
in Jabalpur transfer by road to Kanha and check in to the Krishna Jungle
Resort & get ready for the evening game drive. World renowned for its
population of tigers, Kanha National Park provides excellent opportunities
for observing these magnificent animals in the wild on jeep drives and
elephant back, while this lushly forested country is immediately familiar to
readers of Rudyard Kipling, it has also recently been the site of extensive
research on the ecology of tiger, deer, languor, Barasingha deer, guar and
wild dogs. (Over night at the Resort)
Days 04- 06
Morning and
evening game drive in Kanha game reserve. Spend the day viewing game and
spotting TIGERS inside the Jungle, located in the Mandla district of Madhya
Pradesh, the Kanha National Park is a Tiger Reserve that extends over 1945
sq. km. of undulating country. Elevations range from 450 to 900 meters. A
horseshoe shaped valley bounded by the spurs of the Mekal ridge gives Kanha
an interesting topography. The Surpan River meanders through Kanha's central
maidans – grasslands. It was here at Kanha that the eminent zoologist George
Schaller undertook the first ever-scientific study of the tiger. The animals
at Kanha are best observed from elephant back and the open country makes the
chance of sightings reasonably good. Deer are seen along the maidans and
gaur at Bamhindadr or in the Bishanpura Sondhar - Ghorella area of the Mukki
range. This area is also ideal for spotting the dhole or wild dog. Langurs,
wild boar, water fowl and birds are also commonly seen. (Over night at the
resort)
Day 07
We must leave
Kanha behind and make an early morning start for Jabalpur en route visit
Nerbudda Club to see the Original Snooker Tables. (The game of snooker was
originated from Jabalpur Nerbudda Club) have Lunch at Hotel Krishna
Jabalpur. Board Super Fast train at 3 P.M.
Day 08
Reach Delhi by
11 a.m. Go straight to a good restaurant for lunch, after lunch drive to
International Airport to catch a flight back to your destination.
Jungle Plan includes
-
Two park rides daily
-
Accommodation
-
Full day meals
-
All park entrance fees
-
Guide charges
-
Lecture on wildlife,
-
Service of resident
naturalist,
-
Elephant ride (on Tiger
sighting),
-
Daily bonfire.
Weather
Cool - from middle of
October to end of February.
Hot - from middle of March
to middle of June.
Wet - from middle of June to
middle of October.
The temperature ranges from
a maximum of 42 ° C in May and June, to around 4° C in winter
Clothing
Neutral
khakis, greys and green clothes are recommended.
Ensure you have plenty of
warm clothing for the early morning and late evening game drives.
Accessories:
Camera, binoculars,
sunglasses, and hats.
Excluded in price: Camera
and Video camera fees. Present charges (Nov 2003) per day are RS. 200
For a Video Camera and RS.25 for a still Camera.
Hint:
Very nice Indian meals are available on the train or you can bring some food
with you. Tea and coffee are also available on the train but only the Indian
variety, with milk and very sweet. If you want any alcoholic drinks for your
train journey bring them with you as they are not available on the train.
Bottled drinking water is available on the platforms.
Kanha
Tiger Reserve
Welcome to
Kipling Country, the setting for the famous Jungle Book. The Kanha National
Park in the Mandla District of Madhya Pradesh, spreads over 1,945 sq. km of
dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps
of wild bamboo. This is where you can spot the tiger in all his magnificence
or feast your eyes on the rare Barasingha Deer amidst extensive grasslands.
The park
forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974, under Project
Tiger. It is one of the most well-maintained National Parks in Asia, and a
major attraction for avid wildlife buffs all over the world. Two major
rivers, Halon anfd Banjar, flow through the park.
Kanha National
Park in the Mandla District spreads over 1,945 sq. km of dense sal forests,
interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo.
This area known as Kipling Country is where the jungle book of Rudyard
Kipling was conceived.
-
Area : 1,945 sq. kms.
-
Altitude : 450-872 metres.
-
Temperature (deg C): Summer- Max 40.6,
Min 23.9. Winter- Max 23.9, Min 1.1.
-
Rainfall : 152 cms.
-
Best Season : April to June and November
to January
Using
your senses to find a Tiger
The key to successful tiger
spotting lies in the jungle's reactions to the animal's movement. When the
king of the forest is on the move, his kingdom is as responsive as the
court of any of the great Mughal Emperors . Peacocks blare, Sambar bell,
Spotted Deer call, Langurs explode in cough-like alarm, Jungle Fowl screech,
Bison whistle shrilly and barking deer emit the impossibly raucous bark for
which they are named. The continuous repetition of such calls as well as
their combination from two or more species in the same small area of the
forest is a very good sign that a Tiger is moving nearby.
Using your ears to listen to
what other animals are saying is a good method of locating a Tiger.
Responsible Tourism
There
seems to be lot of hype and commotion in regards with features of wildlife
tourism & conservation. Words such as tribal welfare, local upliftment usage
of recycle products eco friendly dresses colours etc. all flashed by glamour
struck organisations especially in recent times.
We started with a small team
of Nature lovers who are dedicated, who were not necessary qualified but
were definitely born conservationist at heart and a born nature lover. These
were the people instrumental in educating for the first time in the history
of Kanha National park the locals in the field of catering, house keeping
steward ship, the guides etc all of whom were fifth standard drop outs or
not been to school at all. We taught the people cane weaving, earthen
products such as ash trays & potteries all of which we used annually in our
lodge. Thus increasing the uplifting the local economy.
The health scenario was
deplorable at that time when there were no proper medical facilities, we
gave talks, and we supplied medicines & told them about diseases such as
malaria & so on. At this point of time the ousted tribal villages from
within the core area nurtured great animosity against the Kanha Tiger
reserve officials, they would not see eye to eye because the locals felt
that more importance was being given to the wild animals then to them, so we
intervened and created a healthy buffer based on which things improved to
such an extent that the Park authorities held an unprecedented meeting with
the lodge owners/managers and local villages regarding solving all problems
amicably which to this day continues.
This feature or this event is
a unique example & achievement for Kanha National Park as this has never
happened in any other game reserve in India resulting in perhaps being the
least poached national Park in India. We are highly concerned in educating
every guest regarding the code of conduct at the lodge and as well as within
the park.
One of the greatest & unique
features of our buildings in our lodge is that we have not used any modern
chemicals based colours for the exterior or interior white washing. The
material used for exterior painting is made from the local yellow mud mixed
with lime stone, which gives an ethnic look of the old India.
Again the only lodge where
the entire open floor area is being smeared with cow dung paste mixed with
husk which works as a binding material.
