Archived Testimonials: Nature Safari India

Hi Sharad,

Greetings from the New World once again. It seems like yesterday that I was on game drives in Indian game parks. If only those could have gone on forever. I think you know from observing my enthusiasm that the trip far surpassed my highest hopes. Indeed, I felt as though I had seen many of the greatest natural wonders on India. Thanks for making it all possible and attending to both Mariynn’s and my needs throughout our safaris. We are both certain that we could have done no better than to have booked our adventure with you.

Here are my appraisals of the general trip as well as the individual game parks that we visited. Please feel free to post these on your website or otherwise use as they may promote your safari expeditions. You may post my name and use me as a reference (I have 253 photographs that can be sent via a U.S.-based film processing center [Walgreens] that will verify all of the animals I have seen… all I need to do is send an email message to a potential client of yours and they can see these photographs at their convenience).

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1. GENERAL APPRAISAL OF INDIA WILD SAFARI SERVICES/SAFARIS

We have just returned from our 15 day safari to three Indian game parks (i.e., Corbett, Bandhavgarh, and Kanha National Parks) with Nature Safari India. As a veteran of numerous, past African safaris in 9 different countries of that continent, allow me to assert that the best of Indian wildlife is on a par with the best of Africa. Indeed, as an extreme nature enthusiast and professional biologist, I long for finding that remote part of the world where one simply escapes civilization and finds truly wild animals in pristine habitats.

The first park we visited, Corbett, offers just that. There are dramatic vistas as one winds through the Himalayan foothill topography enroute to the Dikhala Lodge. Thick sal tree forests transition into brush-laden valleys that are strewn with jagged boulders. All the while, one hears the cries and alarm calls of barking deer, chitta/spotted deer, peacocks, and the hum of cicadas (pre-monsoon season). And one also sees both these and other mammals, including wild boars, samba deer, and perhaps the hog deer as well.

Of course, there is always the chance that one may spot His or Her majesty, the Royal Bengal Tiger or Tigress. The anticipation that one may have this encounter is always on the mind in Corbett. The forest just looks as though there may be a tiger appearing on the road as the safari jeep/gypsy turns the next bend in the road.

Continuing on towards the Dikhala Lodge, our driver, Sarjeet, stopped to show us a forested area where the tawny fish owl resides. I got good photographs and video here. He also showed us the gharial and mugger crocodiles residing in the Ramganga River. It was fascinating to see the highly enfangered gharials lounging in the clear, flowing waters below. Corbett Park is one of the few remaining places where one can observe this primitive crocodilian, with its truncated snout and eyes set well atop the head.

The Dikhala Lodge, with its comfortable accommodations, overlooks the Ramganga, the river flowing through the immense, flat expanse that is surrounded by mountainous terrain occurs just outside the lodge. Asian elephant herds emerge from the forests to enter the grassy, clear areas surrounding much of the river. There are also herds of spotted deer here as well. Driver/nature guide Sarjeet got us into plenty of excellent elephant herds for the evening game drive. Lots of uniquely elephant socializations, including adults surrounding and protecting young, were observed.

The next day Sarjeet put in extra effort and found a tigress that was cooling itself in the Ramganga River near the Dikhala Lodge. We oberved her for two and a half hours. It was my first wild tiger and, appropriately enough, was seen here in Corbett, the most classic of Indian game parks. For a while, she actually looked up through the openings in the trees and, no doubt, saw us in the tower above. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience! The Royal Bengal Tigress in all her glory.

Our elephant ride on the second evening in Corbett was most pleasurable, with sightings of small elephant herds, ring-necked parakeets, and the black shouldered kite being special highlights. Exiting Corbett the following morning, Sarjeet took time to show us additional elephant herds that we had not observed earlier. It is amazing how very keenly aware the elephants are of human presence. The adults turn and face the jeep if approached too closely. While being very safety-conscious, Sarjeet nonetheless got us close enough for good photography and video of these majestic, social animals.

After a night back in Delhi at a 5 star hotel (The Oberloi), we were off the next morning to Bndhavgarh Park and thus boarded a domestic flight for the nearest airport in Jabalpar. All of this had been pre-arranged via Wild India Safari months in advance. As was the case on all such occasions, we were cordially greeted by our driver at the airport. Everything ran with complete smoothness. Sensing that we were nature enthusiasts, the driver stopped on our way to Bandhavgarh Park so that we could photograph flying foxes residing in a tree, several white throated kingfishers, a peacock, and the Indian roller.

We arrived at the Tiger’s Den resort and were warmly received with both friendly hospitality and a delicious Indian meal. After a good night’s rest in the air conditioned comfort of our room, we were off on our first game drive in Banhavgarh, which means “Brother Fort”. This smaller Park is home to some approximately 50 tigers, including the grandsons of the famous male tiger Charger (who both terrified and thrilled park visitors some one to two decades earlier by making surprise mock charges on jeeps and domestic elephants used for tiger shows).

No less than 10 minutes into the park we were into our first tigers, a tigress with two 10-month-old cubs. While the tigress was lying on her back, I obtained video footage of her caressing one of the cubs as the youngster casually ambled by her immense body. But when a wild pig started to walk near the tigers, the mother turned from tenderness to the passions of a born hunter, her ears and eyes acutely alert as she made rapid, silent strides towards the pig. Luckily for the herbivore, it noticed one of the cubs and beat a life-saving retreat before the tigress could charge it.

While our driver, Sanjay, took us about Bandhavgarh throughout the remainder of the morning so that we could get good photographs of male peacocks displaying to peahens (it was mating season during our late May/early June visit), shots of the common kingfisher, and good senes of jackals and barking deer, it was on the evening drive that his skills as a Bandhavgarh guide especially came to the fore. Indeed, Sanjay placed us (along with numerous other jeeps) in just the right location so that we could observe Kahlua, a great grandson of Charger. Kahlua emerged from a mountain valley and lumbered in his uniquely feline, confident swagger along the dry grass and forest paralleling the road. All the while Sanjay kept me about 20 to feet in front of Kahlua, his orange- and black-striped, muscled beauty flowing along to the rhythm of his evening stroll. This made for once-in-a-lifetime photo and video opportunities and I took full advantage for at least 5
minutes, Sanjay always maintaining the jeep just ahead of the this Royal Bengal Tiger.

After celebrating our evening of tiger successes and getting anbother good night’s sleep at the Tiger’s Den, we were off with Sanjay for even more tigers the next morning. We saw the same tigress and two cubs again. But we also saw another great grandson of Charger. This was Kahlua, and we was the father of the two cubs. We watched and photographed him as he glided along the grass so that he could take a drink from the clear, nearby stream. How amazing it is to see these predators still living wild in a world that has otherwise gone completely digital!

Always giving us much more than we had dared hope for, Sanjay also found Charger’s grandson, B1. This father of Kahlua and Nulau (spelling on Nilau?) emerged from a rocky grotto one morning and made his way up over the mountain. I obtained excellent video footage of this fabled Charger relative.

Other animals seen during our visit at Bandhavgarh included sloth bears (made for great photo and video shoots), serpent eagle, changeable hawk eagle, malabar pied hornbill, chittal/spotted deer, sambar deer, mongoose, three-striped squirrel, mating Egyptian vultures, jungle fowl, jackals, and bats (seen in the caves). A visit to Bandhavgarh is greatly enriched by having one’s guide take them to the water pool and 80 foot long statue of a reclined Vishnu, all carved out from a single piece of sandstone. This is located half-way up the mountainside that leads to the 1,000 year old palace/fort atop the plateau. Water from a spring flows into this sacred area and fills the pool. Black-faced monkeys in the overhanging trees are very active and add to the serene ambience. Though we did not see any that day, it is reported that tigers, and sometimes even leopards, visit the pool to get a drink from the cool, clear waters. That must be a fantastic scene to witness!

Upon leaving Bandhavgarh after 7 very fulfilling game drives, we were driven to Kanha Park, home to some 90 tigers. This park is about as large as Corbett. Besides tigers, it also contains the last population of swamp deer. It is also home to the gaur, incorrectly called the Indian bison. These latter animals are tremendous, bovine beasts that may reach in excess of one ton in weight. As was the case in Corbett and and Bandhavgarh, I felt as though Sharad Vats had set us up with the best guides one could hope to find. My Kanha guide, also called Sanjay (this was also the name of our Bandhavgarh guide), knew very well how to track tigers, leopards, and all animals of the sal forest. Besides getting us into four tremendous tiger sightings during our stay, Sanjay of Kanha also found four leopards one evening. One of these was solitary and had just exited a tree when we saw it. The other was a mother, father, and a cub. How Sanjay spotted those
leopards in the darkening, evening forest I will never know. But we watched this family proceed through the forest, the parents keeping a watchful eye on ‘Junior’ all the while.

We also saw the Indian rock python and had a great tiger show from atop an elephant while in Kanha. In addition, Sanjay got us good sightings of the jungle owlet and a scops owl species. The photo opportunity with the ruddy mongoose was greatly appreciated as well. Certainly, the wildlife to be seen here is nothing short of incredible.

I must mention that the Chitvan Jungle Lodge, where Sharad Vats lodges his guests who are visiting Kanha, is easily a five star accommodation. The rooms one stays in include a giant living room equipped with comfortable, solidly built furniture, large air-conditioned bedroom (with refrigerator), and a very large indoor bathroom as well as an optional outdoor shower. Morning tea and bisquits/cookies are delivered early to one’s room (it arrives a half hour before the game drive). Meals are served to one’s tastes by a chef who always visits you to see if you are satisfied with your meal. The presentation of the meals is excellent, with dinner being served at tables set out on the grass and thus under the stars. The reception room is large and spacious. It has a nice library of local wildlife books as well as inspired writings by such authors as Gandhi, Lincoln, and various other authors writing on theological topics.

I would recommend, without any reservations at all, Sharad Vats and his Wild Safari India services to anyone considering experiencing the wildlife of India. I cannot imagine a more organized adn congenial service anywhere that simply delivers on the wildlife one has come to see. The fact that the accommodations are superb just makes my recommendation all the stronger.

Cheers,

John