An overdose of travel to several European and American cities in 2007, made us think of going on a different kind of a holiday than the usual. The search for that perfect holiday finally led us to deciding upon going to a Tiger Reserve. We finally selected Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh as the destination – for several reasons: one - the density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is one of the highest known in India, and two – it required the least travel by road and is well connected by the rail network.
Bandhavgarh National Park consists of a core area of 105 sq km and a buffer area of approximately 400 sq km of topography varies between steep ridges, undulating, forest and open meadows. Bandhavgarh National Park is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. Bandhavgarh National Park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers. The terrain is broken, with rocky hill ranges, running roughly east west, interspersed with grassy swamps and forested valleys.
We took the safaris on all the days – both morning and evening (it was strange to get up at 5 am on a holiday – but lot of fun- especially with the packed breakfast and tea that our hotel used to pack for us). We did manage to see the TIGERS and also some other animals - elephants, deers, wild boars, sambars, jackals and several exotic birds. It was a different experience- waiting in the jeeps trying to listen to alarm calls of animals like monkeys and barking deer and then a wild goose chase across the jungle looking for the TIGER!!! The most beautiful sight of all was a four year old baby elephant trying to play with his 80 year old grandmother -ignoring his mother completely. But, his mother was keeping an eye on him and the moment he started playing with us – she made such noises that he ran away (dum daba ke!!!).
A must not miss on the trip to Bandhavgarh is the Bandhavgarh Fort. As this path is frequented by tigers, it is full of very clear tiger pug marks. The view, from the Fort, of the surrounding area of Bandhavgarh National Park is breathtakingly beautiful (and will probably compensate for not being able to see the tiger during the safari). There is an old temple where a pujari still lives and there are the ruins of the royal treasury, a school and the palace of the royal family.
Bandhavgarh National Park consists of a core area of 105 sq km and a buffer area of approximately 400 sq km of topography varies between steep ridges, undulating, forest and open meadows. Bandhavgarh National Park is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. Bandhavgarh National Park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers. The terrain is broken, with rocky hill ranges, running roughly east west, interspersed with grassy swamps and forested valleys.
We took the safaris on all the days – both morning and evening (it was strange to get up at 5 am on a holiday – but lot of fun- especially with the packed breakfast and tea that our hotel used to pack for us). We did manage to see the TIGERS and also some other animals - elephants, deers, wild boars, sambars, jackals and several exotic birds. It was a different experience- waiting in the jeeps trying to listen to alarm calls of animals like monkeys and barking deer and then a wild goose chase across the jungle looking for the TIGER!!! The most beautiful sight of all was a four year old baby elephant trying to play with his 80 year old grandmother -ignoring his mother completely. But, his mother was keeping an eye on him and the moment he started playing with us – she made such noises that he ran away (dum daba ke!!!).
A must not miss on the trip to Bandhavgarh is the Bandhavgarh Fort. As this path is frequented by tigers, it is full of very clear tiger pug marks. The view, from the Fort, of the surrounding area of Bandhavgarh National Park is breathtakingly beautiful (and will probably compensate for not being able to see the tiger during the safari). There is an old temple where a pujari still lives and there are the ruins of the royal treasury, a school and the palace of the royal family.
