Magical Kanha - entering into the wild !
For the past 2 years, we have all been suffering through the pandemic and my yearly ritual of visiting at least one Tiger reserve in India had gone for a toss since 2019 due to the restrictions. But this time I was determined and fortunately, covid cases were also decreasing and we got a perfect opportunity to plan our trip for the month of April. This time the destination we chose was none other than the Kanha National Park - The biggest national park in central India. All of us were really much excited as we were badly missing those Jungle days for the last couple of years. Because some of us visited Kanha in the past, we knew the best people and resorts in the area. Once the date was finalized, Rahul Yadav and Noorul were just a call away and they did all the stay, food, and safari arrangements at our own Pugmark Resort which is very near to Khatia gate. Everything was perfectly planned and it was time for some Jungle therapy and we were counting on the days.
On 13th May 2022 morning, our group of six wildlife enthusiasts took a flight from Pune to reach Nagpur and from there, we started our road journey to Kanha national park which was around 5 hours drive. The route passes through the Pench national park and its corridors spread across both Maharashtra and MP. It was an extremely pleasant drive through the dense jungle on both sides of the highway. The Forest department here put incredible efforts into having proper fencing on roadsides and creating combinations of road crossings and flyovers to save animals from road accidents.
For the last few kilometers before the resort, as we were passing through the dense jungle of the buffer area, we started feeling the jungle vibes, and that feeling of being back in the wild wiped away all our tiredness and rejuvenated our memories of our last Kanha trip 5 years back. As we reached the resort, Rahul and Noorul were there to greet us happily and it was really a pleasure meeting them again. The resort was very well maintained with very humble staff and It had that feeling of being at home away from home. We got freshened up, had a simple but tasty lunch, and took some rest for a couple of hours. As we had some leisure time in the evening, we decided to experience a thrill of a night safari in the buffer zone. Fortunately, we got on the spot booking as well and we jumped into the safari vehicle looking forward to the adventurous ride.
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| The Pugmark Resort, Khatia gate |
The Night Safari
It was the first, night safari experience for all of us and we all were thrilled as we entered the jungle in the pitch dark night. Though there is very less chance of sighting wild animals during night safari, the experience of being in the open gypsy at night in the middle of dense forest and listening to those horrifying jungle calls was a bit scary but it was a lifetime experience. We were moving slowly as we could only see the things which were in the focus of the gypsy's headlight. As we were passing along a small water stream, there was a strong odor coming from behind the bushes. It was probably a recent sambar kill by the tiger. We waited there for some time hoping that the tiger would come near the kill or near the stream but we missed the tiger by a margin of a few minutes. Some of the other gypsies were able to see a glimpse of the tiger at the same spot later. We spent around 3 hours in the jungle but were only able to spot a few deers and a few nocturnal birds during the safari still, it was a wonderful experience and it was perfect acclimatization for our core zone safaris starting the next day.
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| The adventurous Night Safari |
Day 01, Morning Safari
The next day early morning we got ready for our first safari which was in the Kanha zone. It is the prime zone in the park and is famous for its diverse terrains like thick Sal forest, grasslands, meadows, and hilly regions. As we reached the gate, a lot of gypsies were already queued up waiting for the gate to open and we realized that we were a little late. Still, our gypsy managed to be in the first 5 vehicles entering the park. (It's always better to be first or second to enter the park for a morning safari to increase your chances of sighting a big cat).
It was a pleasant and a bit windy morning and it did not feel like summer at all. As we crossed the first checkpoint, we were welcomed by a family of golden jackals, at the small open ground near the forest resthouse. Adults were getting ready to go in search of some food while the little ones were busy playing with each other. Surprisingly, during our last visit 5 years back, we spotted a few golden jackals at the same place. This might be their home for generations. We did not wait there for long as we wanted to chase maximum big cats for the first half of the safari. As we reached a nearby T junction point, we saw a couple of gypsies waiting silently looking behind the big sal trees. As we approached them, we were told that they saw a glimpse of the tiger (Junior Bajarang) walking into the dense forest when they reached here some time back. That's why they were patiently waiting to see if he comes out on the road again.
Rahul who was accompanying us on this safari and our guide were quite confident that Bajrang would come out again on the main road from the other side and walk towards the waterhole on the road, so we immediately moved to the other side of the road. Few other gypsies also followed us and we all waited there for a long time trying to see if there are any alarm calls or any other signs of his movement without any luck and then decided to move further in search of other tigers in the area. Even though it was the peak of summer, the jungle was lush green with huge Sal trees on both sides of safari tracks creating beautiful canopies and morning light entering through the branches of trees making it look like a way to heaven. That's the beauty of Kanha, which makes it different from other jungles of central India like Tadoba or Pench. While passing along this serene forest, we could see many groups of Langoors, Spotted deers busy having their breakfast and are not bothered by the gypsies passing by. Our journey was accompanied by beautiful harmony songs from a lot of different bird species making the jungle more alive. Rahul was very proactive in sharing a lot of information about the forest ecosystem and the behaviors of all these animals and birds which made our journey more interesting. After spending a couple of hours in search of different tigers in the area we decided to halt at breakfast point which is creatively made and well maintained right in the middle of the jungle. Having a delicious packed breakfast here was a nice feeling. After exchanging information about the tiger movements in different parts of the zone with other gypsy drivers and guides, Rahul and our guide decided on the further path. As we left the breakfast point and reached Bison road, we saw a few spotted deer females along with their fawns grazing near the road and we waited to take a few photos. As we all were busy clicking these deers, Rahul suddenly spotted something at a far distance and he rushed towards it. Before we could realize what was happening, a huge male tiger crossed the road in front of us. As our gypsy got closer, he just started running towards the tall grass on the other side of the road and within a few seconds, he disappeared behind the grass. While jumping into the grass, he turned back and stared at our gypsy for a while. Fortunately, I was able to capture that moment. It was my first photograph of a tiger since I started wildlife photography with my DSLR. That was the moment I was eagerly waiting for the last 2 years and it finally happened and it was a great relief. When we looked closely, there was a small water body behind the grass and it was a perfect place for him to spend the rest of the afternoon without getting disturbed by the vehicles.
In the meantime few more gypsies gathered at the spot, we all waited for some more time hoping that the tiger will come out but he didn't. When Rahul and our guide saw the photo I took closely, they confirmed that it was Bhoindabra Male who is a very shy tiger in this area and his sighting is very rare. We were really lucky to see this full-grown male tiger crossing the road and jumping into the grass exclusively in front of us and it was that Wow moment of the safari and we all were buzzing. Some of us were seeing the tiger for the first time in the wild and they were just stunned by the beauty of this majestic animal.
In the meantime few more gypsies gathered at the spot, we all waited for some more time hoping that the tiger will come out but he didn't. When Rahul and our guide saw the photo I took closely, they confirmed that it was Bhoindabra Male who is a very shy tiger in this area and his sighting is very rare. We were really lucky to see this full-grown male tiger crossing the road and jumping into the grass exclusively in front of us and it was that Wow moment of the safari and we all were buzzing. Some of us were seeing the tiger for the first time in the wild and they were just stunned by the beauty of this majestic animal.
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| The magistic Bhoindabra Male |
After being pleased with this first tiger sighting of the trip, we moved further towards the famous Kanha Meadows in search of another exclusive species from Kanha, The Barasingha. Just before entering the meadows area, there were few open grounds surrounded by tall and huge trees making it a perfect habitat for a huge and elusive bird, The Indian Vulture. It is one of the best scavengers in the world and plays a vital role in keeping the jungle clean and maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. These tall trees and open grasslands are a perfect place for them to keep watch on the wider area for remains of kills or any other scavenges. As we were passing through the area, we could see a huge Red-necked vulture basking on the top of the tree with its wings fully spread. We were amazed to see the size of this bird and the way it was sitting there like a mighty king was just amazing. We could also see other subspecies like King vulture and White-rumped vultures as well hovering over the grasslands.
As we were left with very less time, we decided to target Barasinghas on our next safari and we left the meadows by just saying hello to a few of them grazing around. As we returned to the resort, we got a warm welcome from the resort staff followed by a delicious lunch. At the resort, we got to know that we were the only people who got a photo of a tiger in the Kanha zone. All thanks to Rahul and our guide for making this a memorable safari. That was a perfect start for our trip and that set our hopes very high for upcoming safaris.
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| Captures from the first safari |
Day 01, Evening Safari
After the successful morning safari, we were all set for the evening safari from the Kisli Zone. This is a comparatively smaller zone in the park but because it is on the border of both Mukki and Kanha zones, it has a chance of sighting tigers from both zones. Also because of its hilly and rocky terrain, this is the perfect place for leopards sighting and that's what attracted us to select this zone. As none of us has seen a leopard before, our excitement was at its peak. We entered the safari gate at 4 PM and because the sun was still out, there was no chance of early tiger movement, we decided to concentrate on other wildlife and explore the beauty of this part of the jungle. Because of this hilly region, and steep roads, there are comparatively fewer wild animals and the only chance of spotting the animals was near the water bodies. As we were waiting at one such water body, we could see a barking deer approaching the water. It's a very shy species and mostly prefers to live inside the dense forest. As we try to go a bit closer to him to get the photo, it turned back and quickly disappeared into the bushes. We waited there for some time but it did not come out. Meanwhile, we could see some groups of Indian Gaurs, Spotted deers and Sambar deers visiting the waterhole turn by turn and quenching their thirst. Suddenly we heard some frantic alarm call from a spotted deer and we rushed in that direction. As we were moving along the road, we heard a few more alarm calls from Barking deer, and this time they were much stronger than the earlier ones so we waited there silently to trace any movement of the big cat. This series of alarm calls from both sides of the road continued for a long time and we could see some languors getting alert and climbing to the top of the trees scanning the nearby area. There was definitely a tiger or a leopard around us but we were not lucky enough to spot it this time. Slowly the alarm calls started moving in a direction of the non-tourist area where we were not allowed to go. Unfortunately, the cat has decided to take a non-tourism route to avoid the buzz of the gypsies and we have to move further with a little disappointment. We were constantly and carefully looking at the big tree branches and the big rocks along the road because they are favorite spots for leopards. It's very difficult to spot a leopard sitting quietly at such places in the evening time so our guide was also a little more cautious. But it seemed we were out of luck and we had to wait for some more time for our first leopard sighting. We also checked a few more waterholes in the area and patiently waited there for some time but there were no signs of any movements so we moved on. The sun was setting quickly and as the light began to fade, we decided to return back to the gate. On our way back, we could see a group of 3-4 elephants enjoying the dust bath near the forest rest house. This was an interesting behavior from this giant creature and it was really fun watching it as it was not a very common sight one could see. Finally, as we reached the gate it was quite dark and we were at the end of not so fruitful (In terms of tiger sighting) but eventful safari. In this safari we realized that jungle safari is not always about tiger sightings, Seeing a tiger or leopard in a safari is purely a game of chance but one should appreciate the other small moments and wonders which jungle has to offer. On this thoughtful note, we went back to the resort, had our dinner, and went back to sleep early to get some good rest and be ready for the next adventure.
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| Few highlights from the safari |
Day 02, Morning Safari
On the second day morning, we were going to explore the Mukki Zone which was my personal favorite because of a memorable sighting we had in this zone last time when we visited the park. With all these things on our minds, we all were really pumped, and we reached the safari gate a little early as there was quite a long distance to cover from the Kisli zone to reach the Mukki zone. As our's was the first vehicle going to the Mukki zone, it was an excellent opportunity for a good tiger sighting.
It was another beautiful morning in Kanha, the beautiful golden light just started reaching the top of the trees, and a lot of bird activity already started. We were able to see a lot of birds like the Indian Roller, White-rumped shama, Racket-tailed drongo, and a few more, busy foraging on fruits and small insects while basking in the morning light. As the light was perfect, I managed to capture some of these beautiful birds and their activities as well. Noorul was accompanying us for this safari and was helping us to identify these species and their unique calls. He was the Best naturalist when it comes to wildlife and birding and it was a treat for wildlife lovers like us to go on safari with him. After passing through some regions of the Kisli zone, now we were officially into the Mukki zone and the Terrian has drastically changed from a hilly region to dense forests and small grasslands. We started our tiger search from the famous Handpump area which is a favorite place of a bold and beautiful tigress DJ (Dhawajhandi). Many times, early in the morning, people spotted her near the man-made waterhole in this area. We also waited patiently near this waterhole but there were no pugmarks seen around and there were no alarm calls as well for quite some time so we decided to move further as we were yet to cover a lot of area in this zone. While moving further, Noorul got information from a full-day safari vehicle driver about the tiger sighting early in the morning at the water body in the Babathenga area. We were not very far from that area and hence we could rush to the place quickly but still, there were already a lot of vehicles gathered around the water body. Guests from one of the vehicles saw the tiger going towards the water body and sitting below the big mango tree on the bank. Everyone was trying hard to see the tiger but as he was laying down and not moving much, it was not possible to see him clearly. All gypsies were going one by one to the spot to get a glimpse of a tiger and move further. We also got a chance to go there eventually and got to see a glimpse of him with the binoculars. He was a new subadult male tiger in this area called DB-2 (Deewan Behra). He was laying down so lazily and there were no signs of him making any movement soon, we decided to go ahead in search of a few more in the area. For the next couple of hours, we kept roaming around and checking almost all possible areas and water bodies in the zone. There were a few alarm calls in between which raise our hopes for a moment but the tiger remained elusive till the end. Noorul and our guide tried their level best and gave more than 200% effort (Hats off to their efforts) to get some clue about the tiger but all of their efforts were in vain. We also asked many other gypsy drivers and guides but no one had any conclusive information. Today was not our day, all the tigers here decided to take a day OFF from their routine and were just relaxing somewhere deep in the forest. While we were waiting at one of the waterholes, we could spot one of the rarest birds in Kanha called Sirkeer Malkoha foraging on the fruits and a Scoops Owl peeping out from the tree hollow nearby which gave us something to cheer on this safari. After checking all the corners in the zone without any luck it was time to head back.
On the way back, we decided to check a few manmade waterholes with almost no hopes of any sighting because it was already 10 'o'clock and it was too hot for animals to come out. We all were disappointed and frustrated including Noorul and were just sitting quietly waiting to reach the gate and suddenly we saw a gypsy waiting on the side of the road silently looking into the bushes close by. As we got closer, we heard a couple of strong alarm calls from a spotted deer from inside the bushes. On the opposite side of the road, a few Langurs also got alert and started looking into the bushes from the tree top. There was definitely a tiger hiding behind the bushes and it was so camouflaged that we could not exactly spot him. Guests from other gypsy have spotted the tiger and they were all set with their cameras pointing towards the bushes just waiting for him to get up and move. Langurs were giving strong calls continuously from the tree as they were also able to see the movement of the tiger. Finally, he got up and started walking towards the road to go to the waterhole on the other side of the road. We could see the tiger clearly now, It was another young and sturdy master from this area, DB-3 (Brother of DB -2). As he was about to cross the road, another gypsy who was rushing to the gate suddenly saw him at the edge of the road and abruptly stopped making a harsh sound of brakes and the wheels. The tiger got a bit disturbed and decided not to cross the road. He just turned back and started walking back into the bushes again. We could see him walking back and we captured a few snaps as well but those were not very clear because of the bushes in front of him. He slowly disappeared into the thick forest and settled somewhere in the middle waiting for all the gypsies to pass. In the meantime, a few more gypsies also gathered there and we all waited there for some more time but he didn't turn up. It was a dream-sighting opportunity (a male tiger crossing the road just in front of our vehicle) missed by a margin of a few seconds. We were disappointed and cursing the gypsy driver who stopped the gypsy abruptly but soon realized that it was also not his fault as he was not aware that the tiger is so close to the road. Nevertheless, at least we could see the tiger clearly and experience the thrill of such a close encounter when there were no hopes at all. That's the fun of jungle safaris and that's why it's said that "The best sightings happen when you least expect them". This safari gave us some magical moments towards the end to keep the Mukki zone in our memories forever. After coming back to the gate, we did some shopping at the local souvenir shop as we wanted to click a picture with all of us wearing the same T-shirts of Kanha national park for our last safari as a memory of this trip. After reaching the resort we had lunch and a quick nap and again got ready for our final Safari.
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| The Bird's Paradise |
Day 02, Evening Safari
For our fourth and final safari, we have purposely chosen the Kanha zone again because we heard a lot about the sunset in this zone and we wanted to experience it from the Kanha meadows which happen to be the specialty of this zone. At the safari gate, we got the information about the sighting of tigress Mohini to the morning safari vehicles, and that helped Noorul and our guide to decide the route which we wanted to take. After entering the safari gate and not very far into the jungle, we saw a few gypsies lined up on the main road. Looking at the excited faces in the gypsies, we knew that it was going to be our first tiger sighting of the safari. As we moved further we saw the same male tiger DB-3 sitting and relaxing quietly in the bamboo thickets. Earlier in the day when all the vehicles came out from morning safari, he might have gone to the same waterhole, quenched his thirst, and then settled in these bamboo thickets to rest for the whole afternoon. One by one all the gypsies were getting to the spot from where he could be clearly seen and photographed and then moving ahead. In spite of all these gypsies coming so close to him, and people getting overexcited and making noises, he remained aloof. He was just sitting there looking at the vehicles passing by. As he was not in the mood of making any movement, we decided to leave him alone and move further in search of Mohini. The sun was shining brightly and it was too hot for the tiger to make a movement, so we decided to explore the meadows area and try to find and photograph the Barasingha.
As we were in the grasslands near the meadows, we saw a golden jackal moving quickly through the grass desperately looking for prey to feed his family. We followed him for some distance hoping to see some action but we both were not lucky enough and he disappeared deep into the grasslands. When we reached the meadows area, there were a few herds of Barasinghas and spotted deers grazing near the roadside and we could get some good photos as well but unfortunately, the male barasingha with full-grown antlers was not in the reach of my camera lens. I managed to get some good photos of females in the herd though. Our guide told us that because barasinghas are endangered species and they are present only in Kanha, the forest department is monitoring them very closely and a lot of efforts are being put to grow their numbers. There is a dedicated team allowed for daily census of this species and their count till yesterday was recorded to be 1700. We were pleasantly surprised to hear about such great efforts from the forest department to conserve this species. There is a very less population of blackbucks also present in this area and we could also spot a couple of them.
As we were in the second half of the safari, and we were moving towards the golden hour, we decided to check the waterholes in the area of two beautiful tigresses Mohini and Neelam hoping that they would come out for the water. As Mohini was spotted in the same area for morning safari vehicles, many of the gypsies were already waiting near the waterhole we also joined them patiently waiting and looking for any signs of her movement. This time also we were not lucky, after waiting there for about 20-25 mins with no signs of any movement, we decided to check a few other spots in the area and come back but we could not spot anything other than a group of Indian Gaurs and wild boars. Some gypsies told us that there were pugmarks of a female tigress on the road going to the other side of the waterhole which means that she crossed the waterhole and moved to the other area which is closed for tourism. With our last hopes of tiger sighting also lost, we went back to the meadows and waited at one place for the sunset to happen. Seeing the sunset from the middle of the meadows was a magical experience together as the whole jungle was lightened with the golden light and there were evergreen sal trees making beautiful jungle canopies on one side and long spread meadows on the other side and a beautiful safari track passing through this creating a picturesque landscape. After experiencing this beautiful and unique shade of this jungle, we realized why Rahul was insisting to have at least one evening safari in the Kanha zone, It was totally worth it. After having all the fun it was time to say goodbye to this magical jungle hoping to come back soon.
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| Beautiful evening at Kanha meadows |
We went back to the resort after the final safari, got freshened up, and spent the whole evening just sitting and relaxing in the beautiful sit-out place at the resort. What a peaceful feeling it was amidst nature with no distractions at all. There is no better place to forget your problems and enjoy some true calmness. After some time, Rahul and Noorul joined us as well and it hearing about their exciting and thrilling wildlife experiences over all these years was a cherry on the top. These talks went on for a long time followed by a delicious dinner and a sweet dish to end another beautiful day in Kanha.
The next day morning, we sincerely thanked Rahul and his team for all the arrangements they made for us and for being wonderful hosts. It was really a pleasure being at Pugmark Resort and will definitely recommend this to anyone who is planning to visit Kanha National Park. It was really a wonderful experience spending 4 days in this magical jungle and with heavy hearts, we left the place and came back to Nagpur. When the driver dropped us at the airport and started back, I felt jealous that he is going to be there again in nature's lap in some time and we, unfortunately, have to go back to the Concrete jungle and start our routine again. But that's part of life and we continued our journey back to Pune hoping to be back into the wild very soon because that's the place where I belong.
Happy Sighting!
Brief Summary
Stay duration: 03 Nights and 04 Days
Stayed at: the Pugmark Resort, Kanha (http://www.pugmarkresort.com/)
Safaris opted: 1 Night Safari, 2 Morning safaris, 2 Evening safaris (Kanha, Kisli, and Mukki zones)
Animal Species spotted:
Bird Species spotted:
Red-headed vulture, King vulture, White-rumped vulture, Sirkeer malkoha, Grey-headed fish eagle, Serpent eagle, Indian roller, Racket-tailed drongo, White-rumped shama, Indian peafowl, Black-hooded oriole, Eurasian thikani, Common hawk cuckoo, Scoops owl, Rufus tripie, etc.
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