India Travel Experience with TAJ SAFARIS
The Taj company invites you to explore the amazing, full of mysteries and beauty of the jungle world of India. Ancient giant trees, the singing of forest birds, herds of peacefully grazing axis (a type of deer) convey the atmosphere of an untouched jungle and a travel experience unlike anything else. Here you can meet bashfully hiding forest deer – sambara, learn to distinguish more than 10 species of unique star birds (Star Bird), see the natural habits of other inhabitants of the jungle and, if you’re lucky, you can meet the most famous predator of the jungle – the Bengal tiger. Comfortable safari lodges located in national parks are at the service of travelers:
Baghvan Lodge – located in Pench National Park
Banjaar Tola – in the national park Kanha (Khanha National Park)
Pashan Garh – in Panna National Park. (Panna National Park)
Mahua Kothi – in Bandagvarh National Park
Kanha National Park
Kanha is a national park of India and is located in the districts of Balaghad and Mandla in the southeastern part of the state of Maharashtra. By area (940 square kilometers) it is the largest national park in the world. The park was founded on June 1, 1955 on the site of two reserves – Banjar and Hallon. It has the status of a tiger reserve.
This place is unique in that here you can not only see, but also take pictures of tigers in their natural habitat, several species of deer, the number of which does not exceed a thousand.
Also in Kanha you can see such predators of India as the Indian wolf. Among the birds in the National Park, there are over a hundred of their species, among which the shrike, the crested eagle stand out and the park is recognized as one of the best national parks, both in Asia and around the world.
In 1974, a project to protect the Bengal tiger began work in India and the first Indian tiger reserve was created in Kanha. Thanks to this, in the period 1976-2003. managed to achieve an increase in the number of tigers from 48 to 128 individuals. Today, Kanha is the best place in India to watch the tiger in its promised (wildlife) places. Tourists, having overcome the necessary path on elephants, can witness a unique spectacle with the participation of tigers at a distance of only ten meters.
This is the only habitat in the world for a very rare species of swamp deer (barasinga). Other types of deer are also common here: spotted deer – chily, muntzhak and the largest sambar deer. On the territory of the park there was a place for other species of animals – langur monkeys; wild bulls (buffaloes) – gaurs, whose males weigh from a ton of kilograms; wild boars and Asian jackals. If you really try, you can also see a leopard and a panther, the number of which in the park is about 96 individuals, red wolf (400 individuals), nilgai antelope, sloth bear, four-horned and markhorned antelope, spotted hyena, pangolin and porcupine.
Today, the number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh is about 700 individuals, although earlier there were thousands of them in the state.
The fauna of the Kanhi National Park is interconnected. Thus, the spotted deer is the main prey of tigers, red wolves, leopards and other predatory animals. This serves as natural selection, since this species of deer is quite prolific and, in the absence of hunting by predators, could cause irreparable damage to Indian nature.
You can visit the park in the period November – June, since it is at this time that the climate is most favorable.
Sariska National Park (Rajasthan)
Located just 200 km from Delhi. Most of the Sariska park is occupied by forest spaces and open plains. In the forest thickets of the park you can meet such amazing animals as sambar (the largest of Indian deer), chital (spotted deer), nilgai (Indian antelope), black deer, leopard, tiger. Sariska Park is very popular among tourists and for the reason that within its limits it is offered to everyone who wants to take an Indian safari.
Sariska National Park is a former hunting ground of the Maharaja, which was declared a refuge in 1955, and later, thanks to the inclusion of this area in the Indian Tiger Project, was converted into a conservation area (this happened in 1979). The territory of Sariska received the status of a national park in 1982. Sariska Park contains within its borders a lot of forest land, among which, occasionally, but still there are ancient ruins. The latest in the park include a Hanuman temple, an old fort, a 17th-century castle, and the Maharajas’ Palace (in Alwar, now converted into a hotel).
A large concentration of tourists in the park is observed in the area of its reservoirs, in particular, numerous lakes, in which many mammals live. In general, life in Sariska Park is not easy, because it is located in an area with rather unstable weather conditions. From April to June, within the Sariska Park, the temperature rises to high levels – about 38°C. And between October and March, the temperature drops to about 15 ° C. There is no heavy rain in the park, even during the so-called Monsoon Rainy Season.
But still, the main attraction of the park is deservedly considered its striped inhabitants – tigers, it is reliably known that there are 35 individuals of these animals within the park. Otherwise, the fauna of the Sariska National Park is represented by: sambars, wild boars, deer, mongooses, monkeys, jackals, hyenas, antelopes, porcupines, hares and others. The bird world of Sariska Park is represented by the following species: vultures, gray partridges, golden woodpeckers, parrots, owls, peacocks, quails and others.
It is not difficult to get to the Sariska National Park, as a lot of roads pass through it. There are very frequent bus routes between Delhi and Jaipur, which just pass through Alwar and Sariska. The nearest airport is at Sariska Jaipur, the nearest railway junction is at Alwar.
Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Shahdol district in the northeast of Madhya Pradesh. It owes its name to the highest hill in this area – Bandhavgarh. It is located in the very center of the Park, rising 811 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by smaller hills; among them there are gentle and steep, and hills with classically regular shapes and with bizarrely funny outlines. The lowest point of the park is Tala. Its height reaches 440 meters above sea level.
The park will be of interest not only to lovers of the beauties of wild nature, but also to those who are interested in seeing the relics of ancient times, to feel the trace left on everything passing by time. There are 39 caves in the Park, mostly concentrated in the vicinity of the ruins of the fort. In several caves, you can see inscriptions in the original language of Brahma, dating back to the 1st century BC, and in Sanskrit. Some caves have a relief form – in the form of a tiger, an elephant or a rider. The largest cave – Badi Gufa – has a wide entrance; 9 small rooms and several pillars. This cave dates back to the 10th century and holds many secrets. Statues and carvings found in the caves of the Buddhist period were found in it. The purpose of this cave for modern scientists has remained a mystery.
The park spread its domain among the Vindhya hills. The hills are separated by gentle valleys and swamps overgrown with reeds. Here, in general, the beauty of Nature and the mystery of History are surprisingly intertwined. There are many caves around the ruins of the Bandhavgarh fort, in which small tiger cubs find refuge in the first years of their lives, when they are especially vulnerable and defenseless. Largely due to this fact, such a high population density of tigers (one tiger for every 4.77 km2 according to 2001 data) in the National Park is explained. Bandhavgarh is also called the “Land of the White Tiger” and the “Land of Kipling”. If in other Parks there are legends about meetings with a tiger, then here it is a completely common case. And if during your stay in the Park you never see a tiger, others will consider you a complete loser!
37 species of mammals, more than 250 species of birds, approximately 70 species of butterflies and many reptiles such as cobra, viper, python, tortoise, kraits and many species of lizards, including monitor lizards, have been recorded here.
In addition to the striped predators that have glorified the Park, you can meet many more amazing animals here: gaur – Indian bison, the largest deer in the Indian subcontinent – sambar deer, small barking deer, langur, rhesus monkey, spotted deer, Indian gazelle – chinkara, blue cow – nilgai. The forest also hides sloth bears, jungle cats, porcupines, muntjacs and sambars, while wild boars, hyenas, foxes and jackals sometimes appear in open spaces. And if you’re very lucky, you might even see the wary, usually elusive leopards. Of the birds, there are – iridescently decorated kingfisher, majestic egret, Indian crane – Sarus, proud steppe eagle and several species of vultures. Common birds also include a variety of drongos, flycatchers, bee-eaters, rollers, parakeets, hawk, as well as two species of hornbills. During the winter months, many migratory birds visit this paradise.
A relatively new way of birdwatching is elephant trekking during the foggy dawn hours. Making your way through dense thickets of bushes, low-leaning tree branches and an insect trap woven by insidious spiders, which, however, you can also fall into – a web, you can watch your favorite birds from the back of a majestic multi-ton animal. Elephants have served the people of India for generations and have been an integral part of the life of Bandhavgarh. And now they are still needed in the daily search for tigers at dawn. The wild owners of the jungle are not afraid of the smell of a man, as he is interrupted by the smell of an elephant that is familiar to them and does not cause any fear.
The park is closed to visitors during the rainy season, from July to October. The best time to come here is from November to June. The most convenient way is to fly to Khajuraho by plane and from there get to Bandhavgarh by car. The trip will take you 5 hours, but it’s worth it. You will be able to track tigers and deer, and since all the hotels are located near the gates of the Park, from their windows, without even entering the Park, you can observe a wide variety of birds.
