Of River and Ravines

Chambal River Safari

I work as a group leader and naturalist with Indian package tour operator "India Footprints". The company provides tailor-made package tours in India.

The company operates package tours to several destinations in India. My involvement is in wildlife & birding tours as a group leader and birder.

My recent visit to Chambal River Sanctuary was in one such package which included destinations like Sattal, Pangot, Bharatpur, and Corbett National Park. The focus was on bird watching as it was a birding tour. The tour members were from Germany and keen birders.

Chambal river sanctuary stretches 400 miles and is a unique destination not so popular yet. It is an amazing river, pure and unscathed by the pollutants of modern civilization. The river flows amidst ravines once famous for deadly dacoits - now dwindling. The dacoits are still there and so are the tourists who come to no harm from these insidious creatures.

The ravines impart exquisite charm to the river which offers the finest boating experience ever. As one cruise along the river, the hosts are none other than crocodiles and gharials with a pair of river dolphins occasionally popping up - it is an ethereal sight.

The boating excursions are organized by the Chambal Safari Lodge owned by Mr. R.P.Singh a wonderful host and charming person. The boat excursion covers a long stretch of the river with basking crocodiles and gharials - the fish-eating cousin. Alongside loom large the sun burnt ravines and steep mountains. Amidst occasional splashes of cool waters, boating transcends into an incredible safari for the visitors. The river safari offers good birding, sightseeing, and river exploration to tourists.

This rugged land and the river retain the pristine glory and charm of old India - glorified as a personification of incredible beauty and wonder.

The Chambal lodge compliments the surroundings and the hospitality is warm and the service is par excellence. The accommodation retains the old-world charm of landlords and their luxurious lifestyle. It is worth being here believe me!

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.