[columbus]

Hi! guys

Need Help on Tadoba and Bandhavgarh. I might visit any of these in Feb second week with family.

For Tadoba

1. Where to stay Moharli or Kolara ?

2. Stay options. Budget 2-3k. Or is MTDC best bet in this range ?

3. How to book Safari ? Does the resort owner books it for you or it is to be done by self ? Is the case same with MTDC ? What are the charges ?


For Bandhavgarh

The Qs are same as above. Any stay option apart from MP tourism. And safari booking process ? Can we choose our zone of Safari ?

Thanks

[trek]

Hi Columbus,

I might be able to help you with the above. About 8 of us had visited the Tadoba reserve early this year and stayed at the Chava Kolara resort near the Kolara gate. Below is their website:
http://chavakolara.com/article.php?articleid=1

I will suggest you do the same as most of the crowd starts from Mohali and only about 6 to 8 gypsys are allowed from the Kolara gate. So it is relatively easy and you spend less time early morning at the gate while doing the daily registration formalities while getting inside the jungle.

Also, the Chava Kolara resort is a nice budget accomodation. The food served is basic vegetarian and the rooms and premises are clean. The owner is a young chap by the name of Alok Pande (09021128158 / 0986001538 / 09372605885), he is friendly fellow and will assist you well. The resort will book the safari tours (about INR3600 including the gypsy & mandatory forest guide) for 6 people. They also arranged for pick up and drop from the Nagpur railway station.

All in all we had an amazing trip and loved the Tadoba jungle. We were lucky to spot a variety of wildlife and saw the famed tigers 4 times! I will also add in that apart from the the urge to spot a tiger as soon as possible, also try to soak in the tranquility of the wilderness and many aspects of the flora and fauna there.

I can't wait to get back to Tadoba now!! Let me know if you need any further details. Hope you have a great trip to the jungle!

[columbus]

Originally Posted by trek

Hi Columbus,

I might be able to help you with the above. About 8 of us had visited the Tadoba reserve early this year and stayed at the Chava Kolara resort near the Kolara gate. Below is their website:
http://chavakolara.com/article.php?articleid=1

Thanks trek. Do we need to book well in advance or a short notice of a week is enough. Also how far is Kolara from Moharli ? I was thinking of 4 safaris. 2 from Kolara and 2 from Moharli side. Is this possible ?

[trek]

I'll suggest you book well in advance as safaris do tend to get full over weekends and the holiday season.

The distance between Kolara and Moharli is about 100kms+ from the public roads outside the reserve. But frankly speaking I see no point in entering from separate gates as the gypsys entering from either gate cover the same roads and there are few hotspots like couple of lakes where all the vehicles from both the gates visit on the way. The advantage of entering from Kolara gate as I mentioned above was less waiting time during the entry formalities.

If you do wish to enter from separate gates, you will have to book another hotel near the Moharli gate and I think the logistics will have to be discussed with the hotel guys on how you can transfer your luggage after the safari to the next hotel.

Also I will like to highlight one very important tip - People tend to zip around various sighting hotspots in a frantic attempt to spot the tiger. This however leads to spending more time traveling from one spot to another and it can get tiring. Our guide advised that it's better to have some patience and wait at couple of spots near the lake for a better chance to view the animals. However most tourists themselves pressurize the guides to keep traveling as they feel they have to cover the entire jungle to get full bang for their buck and the guide has to oblige unwillingly. We did that mistake couple of times and later we stayed put near few lakes for a longer time and we in fact enjoyed those moments much better.

[stormerider]

Till date I have visited 4 sanctuaries namely -

1. Ranthambore Tiger Reserve - have visited sanctuary many time and go there every month for the temple visit. Have sighted tigers on several occasions which include having a meal and resting on the roadside while not in safari! So any questions about route and road conditions are always welcome.
2. Corbett National Park - Jan'2011 was a no show. Had stayed in dhikala and one more zone.
3. Gir National Park - Dec'2011, saw 2 lionesses and 2 cubs. Best to stay in villages nearby Sasan, as you can hear lions roar and can see them also.
4. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve- Dec'2012 - Great place for sightings. Saw a tiger twice resting and walking. And a tigress with two cubs.

Originally Posted by columbus

Hi! guys

Need Help on Tadoba and Bandhavgarh. I might visit any of these in Feb second week with family.

For Tadoba

1. Where to stay Moharli or Kolara ?

2. Stay options. Budget 2-3k. Or is MTDC best bet in this range ?

3. How to book Safari ? Does the resort owner books it for you or it is to be done by self ? Is the case same with MTDC ? What are the charges ?


For Bandhavgarh

The Qs are same as above. Any stay option apart from MP tourism. And safari booking process ? Can we choose our zone of Safari ?

Thanks

I can Help you with Bandhavgarh. Umaria is a small town and has hotels for every budget. My advice is that you reach there and negotiate to get the best deal in 2-3K budget as February might not have too much rush. Safaris can be booked through hotel owners but they take there commission on the booking and gypsy. Best is to contact a gypsy driver directly and get your tickets through the booking office in Umaria. Our driver's name was Harish and his cell no used to be +918871207230. Don't know if it still exists. By this way you can reduce your safari expense by almost half!
Winters are very chilly and morning safaris could be spine chilling, so carry good clothes. Plus the safaris are dusty as the forest deptt. has poured sand on the tracks which comes in handy in tracking tiger movement also.
Hope that helps.

[coolbareilly]

Friends,

I am planning for a short weekend visit to Corbett National Park in mid of February 2014. Anyone who has recently been there, can confirm the road condition from Moradabad to Kashipur/Ramnagar.

Thanks in advance

[earthian]

Originally Posted by sach.sri

I am a wildlife enthusiast with an inclination to head out to the jungles at the smallest excuse.
But, often struggle to find basic information about the different national parks where we can visit and this plays spoil sport in planning the trips and also sometimes dissapointment when we reach there.

There is no authentic source of information or reviews. No source which tells us the details of the park - Tips, etc

Towards this i would like to start a thread which compiles this kind of information at one place so that it is available to the public.

I think we should capture the following information:

1. Location - including how to get there from *your* place of origin.
2. Hotels and tourism information
- What are the accomodation choices?
- Good hotels? or the hotel where you have visited
3. Things to do/Places to see nearby
4. Safaris - information on how to get the tickets? Book safari vehicles, rates, any specific information

Basically a be all thread for the national parks in India. Ofcourse photographs to enrich the description are also welcome.

Comments, feedback, critism are welcome.

I am starting with a description of Sariska Tiger Reserve

Good idea to compile a data base based on personal experiences. I shall add my two cents worth. Have started writing a TR on my visit to the National Parks on the western ghats.

[earthian]

I have a TR on some of the National parks on the western ghats which can be read here:http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ern-ghats.html

[sach.sri]

Originally Posted by earthian

I have a TR on some of the National parks on the western ghats which can be read here:http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ern-ghats.html

Thanks Earthian. What a wonderful TL. Was great reading it. Would be awesome if you include some info about the bookings, stay options, safari costs, how to get the safari vehicles, etc to help us guys

[Krishroy]

I can help you with Kanha National Park, which we did during end of march 2014.

1. Drive from Hyderabad - Drive from Hyderabad was quite decent, except 60 KM stretch between Adilabad and Nagpur, where there was almost no road. However, I came to know that this road is fixed now. After Nagpur, the road is manageable with some pot holes. We started 11 pm at night and reached next day around 12 noon with 3/4 stops
2. Stay - We stayed at Mogli Resort based on reviews from Tripadvisors, which is 10 mins drive from forest main gate. The approach road to the resort was bad, which was a mud road and our car got stuck into that road. Hotel guys told that area is under development and road work will happen soon. Not sure if it is done yet. Food quality was good in the hotel. Toilet was clean. But don't use the swimming pool; it was not well maintained.
3. Safari - There are 4 routes within the forest which you can choose for your safari. Timing wise, there are two options - morning & afternoon. Personal car is not allowed within the forest. You have to rent Gypsy with driver/guide. At the main gate, there is a ticket counter, where you can book your safari. You might have to come little early or engage a broker to book your safari, as maximum 20 gypsies can go inside at a time.

There is no guarantee that you can see tiger; probability is 60%

Good luck!

[sach.sri]

I am thinking of going to Dudhwa national park - but cant find a lot of information about it. Need some help and pointers -

1. What are the stay options in Dudhwa? I have seen some FRHs - are they any good? How to book them? any resorts nearby?
2. How is the wildlife sighting - I have heard that we can see Rhinos also in Dudhwa - anyone has had first hand experience?
3. Roads to Dudhwa - I am planning to goto Dudhwa from LKO. Any pointers about the roads, etc.
4. Is May a good time to visit?

Looking forward to all the information and suggestions. Please pour in.

Thanks.