Back from Pench yesterday. Did 4 safaris in all, 2 at touria and 2 at khursapar. Since there were frequent sightings in khursapar from last few months so did a morning and evening safari for the same day there anticipating for at least 1 great great show, but since last couple of weeks forest department at khursapar have closed the route on which frequent tiger sighting of female and her cubs are seen. So no tiger luck in khursapar. But then touria didn't disappoint us. First day evening safari (saturday evening), we spotted sub adult of collar wali, at close range, taking rest. Last day morning safari (monday morning), luck was in our favour as we spotted a leopard (ours was the only gypsy around) and a jackal as well and few birds at close range.
All in all i felt it was a success. Cherry on the top was oriental honey buzzard full frame shot that we got at kohka lake on the last day while returning back to nagpur. Will be posting the shots in few days for you guys to enjoy.
Stayed at Banyan tree camp. Superb hospitality and great food.
AND
a budget stay as well.
Tips shared by people who've been there
Not a tip but a query. I'm planning to travel to Velavadar NP later this month. Is it possible to hire a vehicle for safari at the park itself? And how much would it cost?
I'm traveling solo, so want to keep costs at a minimum. (Have posted a travel plan here but since no one's joining so far, might probably end up going alone only)
Aditya Vaidya I think you should take your own car or make arrangements in advance. If you stay in the luxury lodge then they have their vehicles otherwise I have only gone with one of us having our own car
I've stayed at the Eco-Tourism Complex in Hinauta. It has 6 tents and 4 cottages (tents are Rs 1000 a night and cottages Rs 2000 a night). Overall, was a comfortable enough stay and the best part is that safari permits are assured for anyone staying there. Panna is a beautiful park and sightings have been quite good too. I plan to go there more often in future. If anyone knows of any other stay options, especially near the Madla gate, please do add below.
Harshil D Aditya, there's the FRH close to the Madla Gate. The charge was Rs. 1000 per night.
Tanmay Keshav Hey, there's Camp Panna, it's close to Madla Gate (~6 km), next to Ken River and a nice place to stay. It's run by Abhinav Pandey and Shrey Goel, both of whom take a keen interest in wildlife
Vinay Patil You can also look up MPSTDC's Jungle Camp that's right outside the Madla Gate. Mr. Mehmood is your go-to person if you need help with anything there
Ravindra Harite There is place known as K RAJ TIGER RESORTs near Madla gate of PTR.
Varad Bansod Hey, as Tanmay mentioned Camp Panna is a great place to stay, it is a bit far from the gate but its worth the distance. Also there is homestay near madla gate "Aryan riverside homestay" run by a guide at madla gate.
Ravindra Harite Dear Varad Banso Ji, Will grateful if You can share the contact no. of the person who has home stay near Madla Gate of PTR. Thanks & Regards.
Avijit Ganguly Aryan Camp - A Riverside Homestay at Panna Tiger Reserve near Khajuraho. For booking Pl Contact Ajay on +919752138821, Pradeep on +919752369656, +917011985834
Shabnam Siddiqui People - of all the places recommended above, which is the best option. I plan to go October 26-28. And what is the best option to travel from Delhi?
Ravindra Harite Board UP Sampark Kranti Exp 12448 leaving Nizamuddin at 2010. Part of this train is detached at Mahoba and arrives Khajuraho at 0630. The train runs on all days of the week. From Khajuraho Rly Stn You can choose Auto charging Rs 400-500 for Madla Gate
Ravindra Harite Or You can tie up the Pick up from Rly stn with the Resort where you are planning to stay. who can arrange a Four wheeler for pick up from Khajuraho Rly Stn for around Rs 1 -1.2 K
Shabnam Siddiqui Great. Thanks. Amd place to stay?
Roshan Suresh Camp Panna, itโs with V Resorts now I think.
Avijit Ganguly CAmp panna of Abhinav pandey great place
7 Tiger Reserves one should visit in India each year
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1. Sundarbans
a. Once in between July 15 - August 15. For 2 nights and 3 days.
b. Twice/thrice in between Late October to Mid March for at least 4 nights and 5 days, depending upon the Tiger sighting.
Strictly avoid holidays during August, Durga Puja , Diwali , 26th January and weekends during December to January for better wildlife viewing. Strictly avoid Christmas and New year days.
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2. Kaziranga
a. Twice in between February 15 and April 7.
Plan for at least 6 safaris in different zones.
Avoid elephant safari, if possible.
Strictly avoid holidays during Diwali , 26th January, weekends on December to January and avoid festival time (Rongali and Hugali Bihu) for better wildlife viewing. Strictly avoid Christmas and New year days.
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3. Corbett
a. once in the months of December or January. Plan for 3 nights 4 day trip at a particular zone.
b. Once/twice in between March 15 - May 15. Plan for at least 3 nights and 4 days in different zones.
Avoid elephant safari, if possible.
Avoid Weekends ( throughout the park opening time ) , Diwali and Holi festivals while visiting. Strictly avoid Christmas and New year days for better wildlife viewing.
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4. Kanha
a. Once in between the months of December - January. Plan for at least 7 safaris in different zones.
b. Once in the month of March - plan for at least 6 safaris in different zones.
c. Once in between April 15 to June 7. Plan for at least 6 safaris.
Avoid Diwali , Holi festival time and weekends during the month of December to January and March. Strictly avoid Christmas and New year days for better wildlife viewing.
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5. Manas
a. Once in between December 15 to January 15.
b. Twice in between February 15 and April 7.
Plan for at least 3 full day safaris , in each case.
Avoid elephant safari, if possible.
Strictly avoid holidays during Diwali , 26th January, weekends on December to January and avoid festival time (Rongali and Hugali Bihu) for better wildlife viewing. Strictly avoid Christmas and New year days.
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6. Dudhwa
a. once in the months of December or January. Plan for 3 nights 4 day trip at a particular zone.
b. Once/twice in between March 15 - May 15. Plan for at least 3 nights and 4 days in different zones.
Avoid elephant safari, if possible.
Avoid Weekends ( throughout the park opening time ) , Diwali and Holi festivals while visiting. Strictly avoid Christmas and New year days for better wildlife viewing.
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7. Nagarhole
a. once in between Aprli 15 to May 30.
b. once during During Monsoons.
Avoid Boat safari , if allowed.
N.B. -
Views are personal and liable to change with person to person according to their experience. These are not rules or advise, written on the basis of travel experience of mine in past years. Feel free to criticise constructively.
Other Tiger reserves are also vibrant and rich in colours , also unique in its own way. Omitted from the list because of personal travel choice only, The choice of travel varies from traveller to traveller solely.
Shabnam Siddiqui Such lovely information. Thanks for sharing Upamanyu.
James Fernandes Thank you for the information.
Upamanyu Roy Actually these are not information. I shared my view on travelling to these places since last 5 years. The view may change with traveller to traveller.
Shabnam Siddiqui I correct myself. Thank you for sharing your wisdom ๐
Ravindra Harite Wonderful & very useful info. Can you pl enlighten for safaris to Kishnapur WLS of Dudhwa Tiger reserve.
Planning a trip to Dudhwa National Park in December with 6 safaris. Could not find any online booking for safaris and there seem to be lots of websites which claim to book. Any information or tips regarding safaris, stay and local contacts will be most helpful.
Tanmay Keshav Haven't been to Dudhwa but I've heard that the FRH is quite good. You can also check out Dudhwa Tigerhino resort which is a basic property closest to the gate and managed quite well.
Raghav Verma Had been there in early 2017. Safari rates are about Rs 2400 per safari.. 1300 for jeep, 450 for guide and 100 per person for entry fee. Best to speak to a local guide and fix up on bookings
Shabnam Siddiqui Anurag Kumar is a good resource there. Some Safarists have done a trip with him.
Lokesh Dodla Vineet - December is good time to visit the park however Tiger sighting would be quite difficult. Also if you haven't booked your tickets yet i would advise you to visit the park during Summers.
Lokesh Dodla Dudhwa FRH can be booked via sending a DD. https://www.upecotourism.in/DudhwaTariff.html
Vineet Kurien Thank you very much Lokesh, Shabnam, Raghav & Tanmay for your info. @Lokesh, will Dec be good for birding though?
Lokesh Dodla Dudhwa is very dense and hence lot of fog and mist will be present. Bird watching is fine however not very friendly conditions for photography.
Shabnam Siddiqui Thanks Vineet. We are 3 people, trying to do 3 safaris in Pilbhit and 2 in Dudhwa.
Nikhil Rawal Contact Amitosh Jaiswal of Dudhwa TigerRhino Resort...check on the net for his no. Will try and send it if I get it.
Ashley @Nikhil Rawal I have taken your referral and spoken to Amitosh for our trip(with shabnam). wanted to let you know. Thank you :)
Ashley @vineet I told him about your group as well. Since we are going first lets see what works out the best and then recommend accordingly :)
Nikhil Rawal @Ashley....am happy that you could connect with Amitosh. He has a good resort with large rooms (at least the room I stayed in was large) and is very helpful too. Have a good trip !!
Vineet Kurien Thanks a lot Ashley & Nikhil. Wish you guys a sighting-full trip
Aditya Vaidya Vineet, try taking out time for Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. If you are going to Dudhwa, you must!
Shabnam Siddiqui We have Katerniaghat in our itinerary too.
Aditya Vaidya Awesome.. good luck
Just visited Yala National Park - and it definitely is a MUST VISIT place! It's beautiful, it's convenient and its cost effective. A full day safari for 12 hours for one person cost me only INR 9000!
The leopards are like tigers there - confident, in their own territory, rulers of the place. And they are all around!
I recommend Mevan very highly for the trip. Especially if you are keen wildlifers and prefer to be the first in and last out of the Park.
Any specific queries do ask directly. General info:
It is not raining in Yala.
June-July are good leopard months.
A spotted dear call is perfect in Yala.
Female leopards hunt down big Sambhar deers
Even in a non birding month the park was full of action moments with multiple species.
Try to avoid going on weekends if you can.
If you have time and resources Yala is best combined with Wilapattu and Sinharaja forest.
Mohit Srinivasan Excellent information, I used to think Yala is a premium park. Can you please share contact details?
D P Paul Good initiative for sharing information.
D P Paul Contact person at Yala
Shabnam Siddiqui The best person to connect with is Mevan Piyasena (Mobile: +94779951116) for stay and safari bookings. And connect with Koshala (+94772330405) for Colombo - Yala - Colombo tran
Shabnam Siddiqui The best person to connect with is Mevan Piyasena (Mobile: +94779951116) for stay and safari bookings. And connect with Koshala (+94772330405) for Colombo - Yala - Colombo transfer. He has better rates. When you book with Mevan ask for separate rates for stay, for safari, etc. depending on number of people in the trip.
Shabnam Siddiqui When i mentioned full day safari for one person I meant having the full vehicle to myself! Always helps :)
Need information for birding areas in high altitude areas of North sikkim, also need contact of any guide....
Roshan Suresh Zuluk..have a look at the suggestions for birding on this link https://thesafarist.com/photos/zuluk
Saikat Biswas @Roshan Suresh......Zuluk is in East Sikkim
Roshan Suresh Oh sorry I just read Sikkim
Gaurav Sinha Superb, thanks for the report. Looking forward to some pictures
Shubham Palit I am going in May to pench and staying in the same place. So nice to have a early report which is good. However, 3 out of my planned 6 safaris are in Khursapar. Do you know if the restriction is going to stay for long or is it going to be removed? I will then plan differently
Varun Rawat Great..waiting for pictures from your trip
Abdullah Girach @Shubham, I am not sure if the restrictions will be removed, but most probably what i heard from the guides over there is that is would continue till october, i.e. after the park open post monsoon. I would still suggest have couple of safaris in khursapar, just in case.
Manish Verma Thanks for sharing your experience Abdullah. I hope we all do this more often. Not only it helps to stay connected information wise, but it is great to read such accounts.
Shubham Palit I called up the forest ranger last night. He said, most probably it would be opened by april end. Just in case it doesn't open, I will cancel 1 safari in Khursapar and do 4 in Touria
Rajeev Raghavan Thanks for sharing this. Look forward to pics
Rohit Basavaraju Abdullah Girach or anyone ....please give me some info on forest stay i am planning to travel in first week of Jan, very short time to plan.