Friends, Many of you seem to be interested in a jungle safari, after seeing my Bandhavgarh pictures. I am giving brief information about such tours.
Jungle Safaris in India are usually organised in the forests, which are under 'Project Tiger', as most of the tourists are interested in Tiger siting. The most frequented jungle are 'Kanha', 'Bandhavgarh' in Madhya Pradesh, 'Corbett National Park' in Uttaranchal, 'Ranthamore' in Rajasthan, 'Sasan Gir in Gujarat and 'Tadoba-Andahari' in Maharashtra. Most of these jungles are open for 9 months of the year and closed during rainy season, except Tadoba, which is open even during monson.
Most of these forests have very good accommodation facilities around the buffer zone. You need to at least have 4-5 trips in the jungle, twice a day to cover reasonable area. These jungles have katchha roads and you can travel in open Gypsies specially converted for such tours. Every forest has a Gate manned by Forest Officers. Every vehicle that goes inside is registered and a local guide is assigned to accompany you. You are not allowed to get down from your vehicle a any point.
These guides are well versed about the animals and birds that are found in that particular forest. They are well informed about the tiger movement in the jungle. It is advisable to talk very softly during these trips, as it is very important for these guides to listen to the calls of animals to ascertain the tiger movement. Usually people are only interested in seeing the Tiger and whenever the guide tries to shows them any other animal or bird, he is not paid required attention. Tiger siting is a sheer luck. Tiger movement is so fast that if you are late even by a minute, you will miss him. So first thing that you should keep in mind is don’t get disappointed if you don’t get to see the tiger. Experiencing the jungle is much more than that. There are more endangered species of birds than tiger, and so many animals, which are very rare to spot. If you get to see Leopard or a Jungle Cat, it is regarded as a rare siting than that of a tiger. So whenever you go for such safaris, talk less and keep you eyes are ears alert.
Usually you can take round in all these forests twice in a day. Park opens at 6am. So you should be ready in you Gypsy at the gate of the park at 6am. You have to finish your morning round by 10am. So you get almost 4 hours in the jungle. This is the time when the tiger movement is most expected. The park closes in the afternoon and reopens by 2-3pm for the evening safari. The park closes at 6pm, as after sunset the jungle gets too dark. No one is allowed to stay in the jungle at night, other that the forest officials.
Other than these rules, every park has its own set of rules, which needs to be followed strictly. Keep in mind, to leave the forest in the same condition as you have entered. No littering please.
The organisers Mr. Abay Joshi and Mr. Madhav Athavle with whom I went to Bhandhavgarh are going to organise similar jungle safaris to Tadoba, Gir, Kanha and Bandhavgarh in coming months. Please contact any of them if you are interested in participating.
Abhay Joshi : 9930561667 Madhav Athavle : 9819774814
So are you ready to fill your lungs with some fresh air?
