Images from Kanha Tour

These are the images taken by the group (earlier blog) on tiger safari at Kanha Tiger Reserve. The works though amateur portrays Kanha's wilderness in an excellent manner.  

Barking Deer

Bengal tiger
Bison Fawn
Bison female
Male Bison Kanha
Hidden tiger
Indian wild dogs
Dhole at Kanha
Sambar deer female
Gaur female

Tiger at Bison Kill

Bison mating

More images to be blogged soon....

Kanha Picture Gallery 

A trip to remember

It is said that a tiger brings heart and soul together. Sometimes a trip for tiger safari gels simply because  interest matches. Driven by enthusiasm me and my friends from Gujarat drove into Kanha National Park and enjoyed wild safaris like never before.

At Krishna Jungle Resort 

At Bamni Dadar Kanha National Park


It was a fun trip in serious pursuit of tigers, other wildlife and birds. In one way or another it was a learning experience. Safaris are the beginning of the end to convert people into nature conservation. What could be better than a tiger safari in heart of Kanha. We went on night safaris on the Mukki road without breaking the law  and yes no search lights. The uninitiated express wonder and surprise at the work of nature ...and there creeps in an instant urge to save this valuable heritage of ours. 

By no means uninitiated the group has been to many National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries.  It is a deep seated interest that creates awareness and  certainly in time to come some more voices to be raised in favor of our beleaguered wilderness.

We enjoyed a holistic tiger safari at Kanha and left with a stronger bonding for all things bright and beautiful - tigers, leopards, deer, birds, other wild animals and beautiful tress herbs and shrubs.     

Bandavgarh Tiger Safari

Gopal - Bapu

Gopal is a cousin, friend and fellow wild lifer. He is much more - a businessman, nature photographer and birding enthusiast. Since years of our association, he has matured into an interesting person especially when it comes to wildlife and nature.

He relishes good life and leaves no stone unturned whence it comes to enjoying nature. 

Apart from his interest in nature he is an excellent photographer ....amateur if you call him since he is not full time into it. Here are some images he and his friends captured on tiger tour to Bandhavgarh. It was difficult to sort out from the lot since all images carry heart and soul.

The images have been captured by Ila Ben S Dalal (nee Ambani), Shrujal and Gopal Desai.

Patdi Durbar

Apart from interest in tigers, he is knowledgeable about flora, fauna and bird life of the Little Rann of Kutch. He is regular visitor to Patdi Estate near Ahmedabad in Gujarat where they own a beautiful palace as erstwhile rulers of the Desert Kingdom. Patdi Durbar as the family is known are enthusiastic nature lovers and Gopal tops the list.

His experience and adventures of desert life....of things and places, fills one with envy. Besides the luxury tents, camp fire and sumptuous food he has many an experiences and wild tales to narrate. He is  a generous host and can give you the wildest adventure of the Desert Kingdom. True to his Royal Blood, he lives life King Size!  

He is a regular visitor to Kanha Tiger Reserve and Bandhavgarh and other tiger reserves in Madhya  Pradesh and elsewhere where he photographs wildlife. He has been visiting Gir National Park and other sanctuaries in Gujarat often. He has an interesting collection of photographs of wild animals and birds from the tiger reserves and National Parks.

I will blog more images with time to come..... 

Basking Crocodiles

The first sight of Ramganga River forced me to call halt! The jeep driver was bit surprised at sudden intrusion into the smooth drive to rest house in Corbett tiger reserve. This was my first visit to Corbett in Uttaranchal a few years back.

With the large stretch of clear blue transparent waters and white stone on the banks - Ramganga river is an enchanting site to behold. I had never seen such beautiful river in my life earlier.

We were on the way to Sarapduli rest house in the core area of the Corbett National park famous for tigers and wild elephants. Sarapduli in my opinion is the best place to stay on a wildlife safari although certainly not star class. The rest house is surrounded on three sides by dense forests and a steep slope in the front which leads to the river bank.

Though silent at day time Sarapduli comes alive to the roars of the tigers and alarm cries of deer in the night time. For a wildlife lover what more? In wee hour of the morning in bitter cold and dense fog a number of Indian birds of come to perch on the surrounding trees and shrubs.

On my first day I photographed basking crocs on river bank. It was one of the best photo shoot I have had of the reptiles. I missed a tiger by a whisker, whence returning from the photo shoot. The pug marks were clearly visible on the damp soil of the trickle from the marshy grasslands. I could see sweat on brows of the accompanying forest guard as he ushered me out of there back to the rest house.

In summers the rest house is crowded by wild elephants and the whole camp is alive in the night. It is feverish with activity in effort to ward off the elephants and there cubs from the premises of the rest house. Elephant watchers visit the park February onwards to see wild elephants that are every where especially in the extensive grasslands.

Kanha Kisli

The name brings nostalgic memories of Kanha of old. I remember when I first visited Kanha in early seventies. That time the National Park was popularly known as Kanha Kisli.

The reason for the park being called Kanha Kisli was due to villages in what is now the core area of the park. When you enter the park from Khatia gate you first reach Kisli, here the village has been shifted out of the park and only the British period rest houses remain. Besides the two rest houses and canteen an MPTDC hotel and a dormitory has come up and a day center for the forest staff. The petrol pump is also functioning at Kisli.

Outside the park in the periphery of the buffer zone the lodges at Kanha have far overtaken the rest house which now caters to VIPs and Government officers of top ranking. At that time the rest houses where in near dilapidated condition and you had to cook your own food. At the time of my visit the village at Kisli was still there but shifted soon after.

Tigers prowled the vicinity of the rest house we stayed in, and one could hear the roars at night time. Thankfully tigers still prowl there and roars can be heard even now. Villages at Kanha where shifted earlier and the rest house is now a museum. At hill top at Kanha the Field Director’s residence is enveloped by forest canopy and is one of most enviable object for a tiger lover like me.

Kanha museum is worth visiting informative and entertaining as it is. For those on tiger safari Kanha is a resting stop where one is allowed to consume eatables prohibited elsewhere in the park. If you are not carrying food then visit the canteen for some hot tea and spicy samosas.

On that trip I spotted a tigress and large herds of Bison or gaur as they are called in Hindi. The gaur population was depleted in 1976 due to rinderpest attack. The swamp deer or hard ground barasingha where struggling to survive and were penned in a large enclosure. This assured of an increasing population in times to come and conservation of this rare animal is history.

The road to Kanha was lined with pristine forests and small but quaint tribal villages. Now a whole community of retailers, small business men, hoteliers and what not has added to the population. The urbanization forces you to find succor within the National Park.

Elephant Trekkers – The Mahouts

The most exciting experience of tiger safari in Central Indian tiger reserves are of course the elephant rides which take you into the deep recess of the jungles. Albeit long rides on elephant back is a thing of the past with only Bandhavgarh offering it? This long ride is subject to availability and to current policies of the reserve. And exorbitantly costly affordable only by those who are cash rich.

Nevertheless tiger safari on elephant back can still be enjoyed for a short distance during the tiger shows. During tiger show you are taken on an elephant back from your vehicle to the spot where the tiger has been cordoned by a group of park elephants. One can enjoy elephant safari at Bandhavgarh tiger reserve, Kanha and Pench National Park in Central Indian tiger reserves.

Elephants bear the gruel of the rough terrain and a difficult routine so do their riders or mahouts. The routine starts at perhaps four in the morning in winters it is freezing cold. The elephants are fed by the mahouts and then saddled if you may call it that.

In the National Parks wild tiger trekking on elephant begins immediately at predawn in the darkness of the night. As expert trekkers that elephant drivers are they succeed often. With a clue here and there a pug mark fresh, alarm calls of distressed deer or a tiger roar whatever. Picking these clues the mahouts ride deep into the inaccessible forest and trek down the tiger.

The communication between the elephant and his driver is a matter of marvel. The team work that whole lot of driven elephants and their drivers is a marvel again. By the time the tiger is located and shown to you much of trekking has been done. Keeping the located tiger at one place is again demonstration of the mahouts skill and the resilience of their animal.

It is not easy to keep the tiger at one place yet they succeed amazingly. If the tiger gets restive they manage to hold him for a long time till beyond a certain point he is wisely let go off.

Elephant ride in through the dense canopy of dagger like and equally menacing bamboo clumps, steep rocky inclines and twisting water beds is an experience never to be avoided. Though petrifying at times you will relish the thrill of this elephant ride. Trust Me!