After a lackluster stay at Tadoba, my friends joined me at Pench National Park. This was their first trip to Central India, and their first lag was a disappointment. Their aim was to sight the big cats, and surprisingly Tadoba was disappointed.
Most tourists to tiger reserves arrive with only one goal in mind, and that is the
sighting of a big cat. This has almost become a prestigious issue a thrilling memory
to take back home. But working for a number of years as a naturalist I have come
to realize that all safaris are not the same and all visits are not the
same. The disappointment is greater whence the visitors are from foreign lands
and may never return. Overseas visits are costly and generally, travelers keep
them to one visit per country. The best way to enjoy the excursions is to
take interest in everything the jungles have to offer the bird and the bees for
sure. Birds, reptiles, insects or butterflies, and mammals should be your goal
to make your wild holiday fulfilling. Not only tigers!
About two hundred kilometers down the highway there lies a small township called Khawasa,
this is the end of Madhya Pradesh, and across the barrier lies the State of
Maharashtra. Pench forests stretch through Maharashtra as well although the tiger
reserve in that part is managed by Maharashtra Forest Department.
Pench tiger
reserve lies in the forests now notified as Seoni and Chhindwara Districts of
Madhya Pradesh. It is a region well known for its Sal and Teak forests. Both
are top-quality hardwoods and much in demand. Sal forests abound in moist
regions while Teak prefers drier regions. Tigers love to make these forests their
preferred habitats. Other animals that can be seen in Pench are antelopes like
Nilgai, four-horned antelope, and Indian gazelle. Deer abound and you can see
the spotted and barking deer frolicking in the meadows. Besides
the deer which include the Sambar, wild boars, langur monkeys, and peacock
pheasants are a common sight. A leopard or a sloth bear sighting could provide the utmost
thrill. Like the wolf, both animals are sighted rarely. Another good sight is
that of the massive bison or guar which weighs anywhere from 700 kilograms to
over 1000 kilograms. The males are the heaviest and a sight to behold. Reptiles are a rare sight being nocturnal but
you can often see the monitor lizard hanging down the branches or slithering on
the ground. Birds are everywhere and if you are a serious birder this is the place
to be.
Our safaris
were slated in MP or Central India and we were not disappointed. I was looking forward to the trip since we
were to stay at Jungle Home a resort as good as they exist in the remote woods.
We reached early enough for lunch by the time our friends arrived.
From Khawasa visitors
from Jabalpur have to turn left as we did and drive for ten km to reach Turia
where our resort Jungle Home is situated. This drive is through jungles and
full of wilderness, and it offers the best chance to see Indian wolves. They are sighted often in this area which is
outside the National Park.
We had a wonderful bird-watching session that evening and check listed a large number of
species with help of a senior lodge naturalist. A quick dip in the pool and then
a long evening spent on the balcony watching the electric moon surface in the company of twinkling stars. After a long exciting Gupshup full of jungle
lore, we moved in for dinner in the large spacious dining.
We spent one
full day searching for big cats and we could not find them. Two safaris no
tiger see. But at this reserve, birding is exciting and the lodge naturalist did not
disappoint us. Eventually, on the second day, we worked out a plan. Noticing the
rising heat, I suggested that we should score for big cats across the River
Pench which intersects that park. And we did visit the zone on a wild tiger safari to see our first cat at Pench. I have been here earlier when tourism had
not begun and it was an exciting discovery but I returned without sighting any
tiger. That was not the aim of the visit since it was an exploratory trip but
this time, I did not want to disappoint my friends.
We could hear
the alarm cries from bushes very close to us, but we could see not any stripes.
Across the bush, we could see the river beach and the jungle. The alarm
cries continued for a long time and we waited patiently in our jeep. Nothing
happened.
Eventually, the cries dried down and the reduced decibel was disappointing. What could be the reason I began to conjecture. I had not realized that the tiger in the bush had moved away towards the beach perhaps disturbed by us. But nevertheless, our eyes were well set on the beach. It was not futile for soon we could see the stripes moving towards the sandy beach heading straight for the jungle. That was a long walk and we wished it was longer well enough so my friends could get some nice pictures for stored memories to carry back home.
You can reach
from Nagpur Airport a distance being only ninety kilometers or drive two
hundred km from Jabalpur Airport as per your travel plan. From here you can drive to Kanha National Park
another Kipling Country. It is just five hour drive.
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Uday works as a freelance naturalist and loves to write on related issues. He also provides SEO and content writing services. He runs classes on digital marketing in summers in his home town Jabalpur.
He can be contacted :
pateluday90@hotmailcom
9755089323
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