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-   -   Fauji's Drivologues - Christmas in Wintry Wilderness and New Year on Sunny sands! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/114304-faujis-drivologues-christmas-wintry-wilderness-new-year-sunny-sands.html)

We went in search of Mowgli and Sher Khan during Christmas in Pench and Bandhavgarh. We were not lucky enough to spot them. Disappointed? Yes and No. But we saw all his friends except Sher Khan (Tiger), Bageera (Leopard) and Baloo (Sloth Bear) . We saw jungle in all its glory. Once we returned, friends had already made plans to go to Goa for New Year!

Some starters....

Sparkling marble rocks of Bedaghat





Pristine forests in Bandhavgarh



Jungle jungle pata chala hai…….in Mowgli's backyard









Wind mills basking in early morning sun near Chitradurga



Vistas of Karavali coast



Karwar – Jewel of Karavali



Yuletide in full swing – where else but in Goa!



Part 1 - Christmas in Wintry Wilderness – Bandhavgarh, Bedaghat and Pench

It was sometime in late November that we started planning for this. Yearend was coming. We were to have a “shut down” in our office. My wife could take only two days off on 26 and 27 being a bank. We started planning as to where to go during the break. Time was short – four days – which meant options of driving was ruled out. So what were the options? We did not want to do south which is driveable in any way. Other option was to go to Kutch. But connectivity was an issue. Delhi was another option but “Fog” was a big risk.

We then looked at wild life parks. We love jungle. Who doesn’t? Again, parks closer home was already done. Then I showed Abheek's stories of Pench and Tadoba to my wife who just jumped with excitement. So it had to be Pench and Tadoba. Fortunately, having a direct flight from Bangalore to Nagpur suited well with the plan.

I call up Abheek and explain the plan to him. He says it is possible but has to decide fast. Being peak holiday season, it will be difficult to get the room and permits. We finalise the dates and send details to Abheek to obtain the permits. We also close in on the place to stay.

We call up Kipling’s Camp in Pench. It is full. We check other options and freeze on “Tiger N Woods” a property run by India Adventures, the same guys who manage excellent “Wild Chalet” in Kanha where we had stayed in March 2011. In Tadoba, we freeze on “Tiger Trails”.

We also book air tickets.

Ten days to go and I get a call from Abheek. He is upset at the tricks the resort guys play in these parks. He says that he has been able to get permits for drive in Pench but hitting a road block in Tadoba. The resort guys have booked all drives giving “Benami” IDs!! :Frustrati He recommends that we stay in Pench all three days and not take chance with Tadoba. I call up “Tiger trail” who is willing to help with permit but cannot guarantee!!

We are in a fix now. Brinda ask me whether we can do Bandhavgarh. we had missed this place during our road trip to Banaras in Sep as the park was closed. I look at map and say “Yes”. We have to hire a cab at Nagpur, drive to Bandhavgarh and come back to Pench later. It will also give us an opportunity to see “Marble rocks @ Bedaghat”. Ok, let us do that, she says.

Now the search for accommodation in Bandhavgarh starts. We are sceptical of getting rooms. We call up some resorts and get negative answer. We come across “Kings Lodge” and “Tree house Hideaway”, two properties run by Pugdandi safaris in Bandhavgarh. We call them up and voila, we are in for a surprise. They say it is available. Kings Lodge is a typical resort while Tree House looks exclusive. The cost difference not being high, we choose Tree house, pay advance to seal it. We also send details for jungle drives.

I book taxi to pick us from Nagpur and take us to Bandhavgarh. I discuss route to Bandhavgarh and back with HV Kumar. He gives thumbs up.

So the final plan is



Before i move on, my heartfelt Thanks to

- Dr Abheek Ghosh and his team members Parag and Tejas for all the help to make this trip memorable.
- H V Kumar – Can I say anything more about this man!!
- Of course, how can I forget Babloo – Abheek’s trusted driver - who was as disappointed as we were on not sighting Sher Khan!

23 Dec 2011 :- Bangalore to the heart of India - Nagpur

After having done the road trips many a time, we somehow dread travelling by plane. Especially so in winter when delays are common. We pack the stuff and bring it along with us as the plan is to leave straight from the office. Meru cab is booked and we leave – our offices are diagonally opposite on ORR – for airport at 4 PM. As we sit in the car, we get a message from Spice jet that the flight is delayed by half hour. Is this a start of something we have been dreading? We look at each other, but we don’t have much choice.

There is not much of traffic on Outer Ring Road and we comfortably reach airport by 5 PM. As we remove the luggage from the car, we get another message from the airline saying that the new ETD of departure would be 8 PM. So what do we do for next three hours. We notice that ours is not the only flight delayed and the waiting area is chock-a- block with passengers. We go to Crossword, pick up some books/magazines, search for place and settle down with a coffee from Barista expecting that the flight will not be delayed further.

Thankfully, there is no delay and the flight takes off at 8.20 PM and we reach Nagpur at 10.45 PM. The car from the hotel pick us up and we reach the hotel which is in the heart of city quickly.

To be continued - Marvellous marble rocks of Bedaghat!!

@Fauji - That is quite a contrast of locales for Christmas and New Year. Great start sir.


Would be waiting for updates.

Beautiful start. Nice narration too. We too saw the last pic you posted on colva road. Very beautifully done.

Keep it coming.

You went to my hometown Jabalpur. Going to NGP and taking a taxi is the best option to get to JBP and the surrounding areas. How was the NGP-JBP highway this time.

My year end drive i skipped Jabalpur this time as our house is rented out, but most probably next year the plan is to get to JBP and the jungles. It must have been quiet cold there. We were in RPR and it was quiet cold.

Loved the picture of Bhedaghat, and Narmada. Do continue to post more pictures.

The marble rocks of Bheraghat. Been in my planning phase since long. Want to see more pics from you saar.

And Did you try the boating in the night as well? Or was it only day time? Pretty neat trip. Am now beginning to think whether you are a compulsive travellor or did you win a lottery!

Again great photos and a good start.

I stayed in Treehouse in June. Felt that it would have been a lovely place in Winter - especially the balcony. Different matter that we were sweltering when it was 45 degrees.

How do you manage leave for so many trips? :-)

Looking forward to the rest of the travelogue.

Wow @Fauji sir ! 'Good morning India' is what comes to mind immediately. You've now covered the gamut of what our country has to offer - from monsoons, hillstations, mountains, historical places and now wildlife and the beaches - plus mesmerising and captivating pictures, thanks for sharing ! clap:

One more great trip, and a wonderful TL coming up!

Where was the photo of the bay taken from - the NH17 itself as you approach Karwar?

Fauji sir,

I have always heard good views about karwar and the beaches. Now i see a glimpse of the same for your pics. Do add more of those pics and we are also planning for a drive to Goa from chennai and we can see if it is possible to accomodate karwar during our drive.

Apart from this, waiting to hear from you the jungle tales. please do not make us wait.

Stunning photos Fauji sir, awaiting the full-blown TL. The last pic left me a bit confused. You did Goa too??

Look forward for the remainder, Fauji

I'm not sure I understood the "permit" bit.

1. Is the permit so that you can take your private vehicle inside ? If so, is there a govt/forest personnel that comes along ?

2. Do you have to pre-notify resorts where you are staying regarding what day/time you are doing safaris ? Why do they need to worry about permits if they operate safaris on a daily basis ? Perhaps I don't understnad this as the only safaris I've done were by the Govt run JLRs.

3. What are the arrangements/instructions taht you have to give

4. Taking the examples of Sariska/Pench/Bandhavgarh/Ranthambore/Andhari-Tadoba - do these places have their own very different polices in terms of safaris ?

Thanks Amit. You bet. Whereas Pench - Bandhavgarh was planned, Goa was last minute decision. I can also term this Animal watching V/s Human watching!!

V&V, thanks So much. Yes, it was on the Colva road. The festive spirit in Goa was amazing. Isn't it?

Thanks Mayank. Bedaghat was overdue for us. It was just stunning. Wait was more pics coming. We went via Chindwara and the road was fantastic.


MX6, Thanks so much. Bedaghat is beautiful. Unfortunately did not have time to do night ride. The best time to enjoy is to take a boat ride on full moon day. If you are planning to go, plan it in such way you are there on full moon day.

lol: No loterry-shotterry sir....We try and see if we can go out atleast once in two months somewhere closeby. We normally take friday off and make it a long weekend. Being in Bangalore, we are fortunate as most of the places are within 6-8 hours drive.

Nilanjan, i saw your TL and showed it to my wife before deciding on Tree house. Isn't it an amazing place? When you went it was 45 degrees and when we were there it was two degrees at night!! But afternoons were every nice and we made full use of the sitout to the maximum.

Thanks Narayan. But still a lot to cover. Look at what HVK and team have done it with their Leh - Lahaul trip. There are so many places to see in this amazing country.

Thank you sir. This is Ankola bay taken from NH17. We used to have beautiful view of Karwar and Ankola from NH 17 earlier. The compound wall of Navy has spoilt the beauty of this stretch. This was just before the tart of Navy's compound wall

Aravind, Karwar is a gem and there is no doubt about it. You should plan and stay in Devbagh beach resort to enjoy the beauty of it. If you are planning a drive from Chennai to Goa plan to include Dandeli as well which is a shaort distance from Karwar.

Thanks Rahul. Yes, we did Goa too for new year.

Thanks Arun. My replies are in bold. If you need more info, you can alsways send PM to our Tiger Man in Central India - Dr Abheek Ghosh.

Fauji sir, excellent pictures. About to take a trip myself to Bandhavgarh, Bhedaghat and Khajuraho at the end of next month so trying not to be impatient and start asking questions out of turn, but rather let your amazing travelogue unfold naturally :D

Once it is fully done you will find me pestering you for silly details stupid:

A great start to the thread sir. I was eagerly waiting for you to start this one. It was great meeting you in Nagpur and I am very sorry that I was unable to join you for any of your drives.

Regards,
Dr. A Ghosh
Abheek Ghosh | Facebook

Total Distance - 500 KMs
Departure time -7.15 AM (Nagpur)
Arrival time - 8.30 PM Bandhavgarh – Tala gate)
Road condition - Excellent except Jabalpur – Siroha stretch on NH 7 after Bedaghat which was a misery. We did not go ahead and touch Katni as the road was very bad and took detour and hit Umaria. The road inside the forest after Umaria was bad specailly if driving at night. [/COLOR]
Breaks – For Breakfast at Chindwara and at Bedaghat
Max speed - 100 KMPH
Best stretches – Nagpur - Jabalpur



We had asked Laxman our driver to come at 7 AM so that we can start early. Tuli international where we stayed was a disaster. A run down hotel, it was not a value for money at all. I do not recommend this hotel to anyone. You can look at my review in Trip advisor here.

Run down hotel - No Value for Money - Review of Hotel Tuli International, Nagpur, India - TripAdvisor

Laxman calls at 6.55 AM to say that he is ready in front of the hotel in Verito – the new avatar of Logan. We check out quickly and hit the road. To our surprise we don’t feel cold in Nagpur – in fact when we arrived on the previous night at 10.30, the temperature was 22 degrees! Quick withdrawals of cash from the ATM on the way and we are on the way to Bandhavgarh via Bedaghat.

Laxman recommends that we go via Chindwara as the ghat road near Kawasa is very bad. An increase of 20 KMs in distance and he wants our approval. I ask him to go ahead and we hit NH 69. The road condition is fantastic and we wind through the forests of Chindwara. The Nagpur – Jabalpur narrow gauge line give us company all the way. We also see the train and stop at the level crossing to allow it to pass. This is one of the few NG lines still operational in the country and is a fascinating experience to travel by this as it cuts across Vindhyas and Satpuras. I happened to see this nice blog post on this NG train journey

A traveller's tale: The God of Small Things

We reach Chindwara around 9 AM and it is breakfast time. Chindwara is a small place and in the tribal belt of MP. Laxman stops the car near a “Halwai” shop. We check with the man behind the counter for breakfast. We can see him setting up shop and he says that Kachori will be ready in fifteen minutes. We can’t wait for fifteen minutes and ask him if Poha-Jalebi is available anywhere. He points to “Hotel Shankar Bhau” and we head there for our favourite breakfast.

Hotel Shankar Bhau:thumbs up



The Poha is fresh/tangy and hot; and jalebis are hot, crispy and juicy!! We order two plates of Poha for and 100 grams of jalebis for each!! I notice that Shankar is also famous for “Dahi vada” that it is not a typical dahi vada but “Masala Vada immersed in Dahi”!! But by now, we are full and say bye to Shankar without tasting the Masala Dahi Vada!

We hit SH 19 again and it is smooth sailing except for bad patches near Lakhandown due to bye pass construction. As we reach Bedaghat at 2 PM marble rocks become visible. Crossing the small bridge on the river, we notice Duadhar waterfalls at a distance and a cable car which takes you over the falls for a panoramic view.

It is Saturday and Christmas weekend and there is heavy rush for the cable car. Skipping the cable car experience, I ask Laxman to take us to the place where boating is done. Asking Laxman to have lunch and be ready we walk past stall selling marble statues – real good ones – and reach the jetty for boating. A nice video on Jabalpur and Bedaghat i found on web.

Jabalpur-Bhedaghat - An Awesome Spectacle of Nature - YouTube

The boating activity in Bedaghat is well organised unlike whet we see in places like Hogannekal falls. Each boat accommodates 15-20 persons (per head cost Rs 50) and if you want to take the boat for yourself then, you have to pay Rs 600!! The guys are not willing to negotiate – they know that we are in a week position – and we finally agree to pay Rs 600 and ask the boat man to take us to the farthest point on the river.

I always feel that our rivers and waterfalls are most underrated tourist destinations. This is true in case of Bedaghat as well. What a beautiful place it turned out to be!! clap:The gorges created by Narmada as it flows through the marble rocks are stunningly beautiful. Being afternoon, we can see the sunlight playing hide seek on the rocks. The best time to enjoy the place would be to go on a boat ride on Moon lit night on a full moon day when the place looks like a milky way.

The row boat has three boys. The boys ask us whether we want to hear stories about the place and I say why not. They start off in a well rehearsed lyrical way explaining which rock looks like what, where were the different – SRK’s “Ashoka”, Raj Kapoor’s “Jis Desh me Ganga behti hai”, Sunil Dutt’s “Pran Jaye Par Vachan na Jaye” - movies were shot etc. It is good fun to listen to these boys to tell in the local lingo and talk rhymingly about the place.

Let me now take you through the boat ride without much ado…..

First view of the rocks as we start our ride



We are sailing closer



The rocks are visible from close quarters



Brighter



Afternoon sun illuminating the rocks



A rock formation in the middle of the river



Happy man - fishing in calm waters!!



The gorge opens up. Notice the height at which buildings are located in the foreground



Colours of rocks



The boys say that this rock resembles Nandi or Holy Bull



Marble rocking!!



Reflections of rocky columns in water. There were too many boats on the river and we could not capture reflections



Different colours of marble!



This is the best part of the ride as we enter the gorge flanked by high marble walls




The Marble walls!!





We are now in the middle of the gorge


We are amidst the beautiful landscape




Look at the height of the marble walls!!



Moving towards the farthest point


Beautiful rock formation


To be continued - Three faces and other pictures of Bedaghat!!