Any Adventurous BHPians???

X-Machine · 9th January 2006, 00:19

Hey Fellaz,
Im planning a trip to the Jim Corbett National Park or Kanha National Park during the month of April/May sometime. This will be my first trip to the wildlife in India. Im not taking a tour,and doing the entire trip at my own convenience. Ive heard of the haunting experiences of those who have been there in the past. And trust me,this has added more excitement to the whole trip. Presently im researching on my end as to how to go about it,where to stay etc etc.
Have any of the BHPians been to any wildlife in India??? Hows the experience, what about stay, what precautionary measures to be taken etc etc???
I need inputs from you guys.
Thanks in advance.

tsk1979 · 9th January 2006, 00:33

Ranthambore or Sarsika is supposed to be better for tiger spotting. They say in corbett you are lucky to see a dog

turbo_lover · 9th January 2006, 00:50

i was majorly into wildlife and bird watching (still into the bird watching scene

)..been to corbett twice as a kid ..never seen a carnivore(tiger or a leopard) ..lots of boars and black bucks few different monkeys lot of moquitoes ..oh yes they will get you a tracker who will find you lots of footprints and tiger dumps(so they claimed)..the leopard and tiger roars are haunting i guess... went twice because i thought we'd be lucky..i even have a 3 days and 2 nights free stay for corbett with my corsa never used it...

but ,khana tiger reserve is amazing..been there once..amazing the animal life and the bird life ..great place forwildlife sightings and photography..you wont be disappointed if this is your first wildlife trip..the best time to head to such places are Nov/Dec..thats the time you should be there...
Ranthambore is good too i heard...
i am very much an adventurous /outdoor guy...been out hunting, fishing ,camping ,trekking and been through an IAF survival training too hehe...

you need good binoculars ,take malaria/hepatitis/typhoid shots...
great camera ..you will love the Great indian Gaur ..they are huge!!!

X-Machine · 9th January 2006, 00:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Ranthambore or Sarsika is supposed to be better for tiger spotting. They say in corbett you are lucky to see a dog

Pardon my ignorance,but where are these forests located?? And shed more light to it. pls.

X

SLK · 9th January 2006, 01:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Ranthambore or Sarsika is supposed to be better for tiger spotting. They say in corbett you are lucky to see a dog

Sariska has any tigers left? I doubt.
Been a couple of times to sariska and once to corbett....

Corbett is anyday more exciting than Sariska.
Never went offroad... Maruti Alto/ WagonR aren't the best cars to try that.

But if you decide on Corbett, I suggest you stay at Dhikala.. the guest house is not gr8... but the experience is amazzing.... its even scary at night without electricity!..... and deep 32kms inside the forrest. Mind you the evenings can be dead as u can't drive or go out of the sanctuary.

X-Machine · 9th January 2006, 01:02

Quote:

i was majorly into wildlife and bird watching (still into the bird watching scene

)..been to corbett twice as a kid ..never seen a carnivore(tiger or a leopard) ..lots of boars and black bucks few different monkeys lot of moquitoes ..oh yes they will get you a tracker who will find you lots of footprints and tiger dumps(so they claimed)..the leopard and tiger roars are haunting i guess... went twice because i thought we'd be lucky..i even have a 3 days and 2 nights free stay for corbett with my corsa never used it...

Ive heard the same damn thingy from a couple of sources.They asked me to avoid goin to JC.

Quote:

but ,khana tiger reserve is amazing..been there once..amazing the animal life and the bird life ..great place forwildlife sightings and photography..you wont be disappointed if this is your first wildlife trip..the best time to head to such places are Nov/Dec..thats the time you should be there...

Ive been getting the same input. But i was told May is the best time to go to the forest as its summer,and animals are out in open searching for food and mainly water.

Quote:

Ranthambore is good too i heard...

Where is this now??

Quote:

i am very much an adventurous /outdoor guy...been out hunting, fishing ,camping ,trekking and been through an IAF survival training too hehe...

Whoo,thats a whole dame list. Ive too done a lotta adventure,but experiencing wildlife is what i wanna do for now.

X

SLK · 9th January 2006, 01:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Machine

Pardon my ignorance,but where are these forests located?? And shed more light to it. pls.

X

Both in Rajasthan... I guess.

turbo_lover · 9th January 2006, 02:01

Quote:

But i was told May is the best time to go to the forest as its summer,and animals are out in open searching for food and mainly water.

no man i beg to differ, their main attraction is tigers ..tigers and leopard take cover in the shade all day during warm summer months, you these are nocturnal animals mostly hunt at night.. you'll end up going out for night safari's they are fun but its hard to spot them..(but you know they are stalking you when you hear them snarl

)..so cooler the better always.. because they come out to bask in the sun ..plus migratery birds always flock in during winters...and dude ! your in a forest open top vehicles you cant stay out for that long with the sun beating down on you,its very tiring..u be sweat ,dehydrating come on Khana is madhya pradesh..plus the travel to the national park is also pretty tedious

Quote:

Where is this now??

In rajastan ,few miles off Sawai Madhopur ... my parents were there at the resort i think they said it was nice ..but i think they were talking more about he hospitality than the tedious safari's..

then there is Kaziranga national Park(Assam)..i always wanted to visit that..

lamborghini · 9th January 2006, 04:53

Hey bro,
we had gone in December a few years ago to Kanha National Park.
IMHO that's the best time to go because of the weather. It's freezing.
Anyways, we stayed 5 minutes away from the Park and the place where we stayed, they took us 3 times a day in Maruti Gypsys to the Park.
If you like Tigers and all, you won't be dissapointed.
I however don't remember te name of the place where we stayed.

Another place to go is Coorg. We stayed at the Orange County and they havesome awesome activities there (atleast when i went).
It's like a 4 hour drive from Banglore and some of these rent a car drivers are pretty neat drivers.

paharino1 · 9th January 2006, 11:46

I havent heard of many people spotting tigers in JC National Park..The day before we reached there..the elephants had attacked lots of houses in Dhikala...
We had spotted deers & elephants galore in the interiors of the park..courtesy a acquaintance who was working there as a forest guard..

Early dawn is the best time to spot tigers if you are lucky

paharino1 · 9th January 2006, 11:48

the only time when I & couple of my friend spotted leopards...was when I was studying in NITIE, Mumbai

Vihar Lake surroundings used to get quit a lot of tiger/leopard visits...from Borivilli National Park !!!!!

Tarun · 9th January 2006, 12:16

Hey X-Machine,

If you wish to spot some tigress , Ranthambore (Rajasthan) it has to be. The nearest railway station is sawai madhopur, which is barely 10-11 kms from the park. The roads that connect it from Delhi are via jaipur, tonk, sawai madhopur or via mathura, bharatpur bird sanctuary. The former is long but good roads, approx. 430 kms from delhi, the latter however is shorter approx. 350 kms, but horrible roads.

I have been there twice, spotted a tigress approaching & hunting a sambhar another drinking water after a monkey kill., a leopard sitting on a tree eating a deer, beautiful migratory birds, robust crocodiles enjoying the sun. Dreaming !, no its for real.
The safari is at 05.30 to 10.30 in morning and 14.00 to 17.30 in the evening. There are 7 different routes in the jungle which are picked at random, 1,4 & 7
are pretty good.

Others :
Jim Corbett : As rightly mentioned by tsk, it is hard to spot animals in Jim corbett. My friends have been there, atmost they could spot was a wild boar and a neel gaiyn (cow).
Bhandhavgarh : I have heard that it is good, but have not been there.
Sariska : No tigers left.
Gir : If you wish to spot lions.

Essentials :
Good binoculars : A must.
A camera or handy cam : Try to have the night vision one. The flash is not allowed as at times it irritates the animal and he/she may charge. For handy cam, you will be charged 250bucks extra.
Cap, leather jacket : I suggest leather as its quite dusty out there so easier to clean.
Lots of Patience and searching eyes.

Make sure that you book your accommodation in advance as its pretty occupied.

Let me know if you require any other information.

Tarun.

tsk1979 · 9th January 2006, 15:25

while we are at it, anybody got details about the Tiger moon or Tiger den resorts at ranthambore? I heard these are good ones. Any reviews, contact numbers, schemes going on etc.,

bigman · 9th January 2006, 17:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Ranthambore or Sarsika is supposed to be better for tiger spotting. They say in corbett you are lucky to see a dog

Funny that I thought there was uproar a while back as no one could find any tigers at Sarsika.

Surprise · 9th January 2006, 18:10

Any wild animals locations in South like BANDIPUR FOREST.

I had visited this place and enjoyed stay though no sign of tigers or anyother wild animals. The place is very calm and great climate

9th January 2006, 00:19	#1
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Any Adventurous BHPians??? Hey Fellaz, Im planning a trip to the Jim Corbett National Park or Kanha National Park during the month of April/May sometime. This will be my first trip to the wildlife in India. Im not taking a tour,and doing the entire trip at my own convenience. Ive heard of the haunting experiences of those who have been there in the past. And trust me,this has added more excitement to the whole trip. Presently im researching on my end as to how to go about it,where to stay etc etc. Have any of the BHPians been to any wildlife in India??? Hows the experience, what about stay, what precautionary measures to be taken etc etc??? I need inputs from you guys. Thanks in advance.
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 00:33	#2
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,825 Times View My Garage	Ranthambore or Sarsika is supposed to be better for tiger spotting. They say in corbett you are lucky to see a dog Last edited by tsk1979 : 9th January 2006 at 00:34.
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 00:50	#3
turbo_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,377 Thanked: 9 Times	i was majorly into wildlife and bird watching (still into the bird watching scene )..been to corbett twice as a kid ..never seen a carnivore(tiger or a leopard) ..lots of boars and black bucks few different monkeys lot of moquitoes ..oh yes they will get you a tracker who will find you lots of footprints and tiger dumps(so they claimed)..the leopard and tiger roars are haunting i guess... went twice because i thought we'd be lucky..i even have a 3 days and 2 nights free stay for corbett with my corsa never used it... but ,khana tiger reserve is amazing..been there once..amazing the animal life and the bird life ..great place forwildlife sightings and photography..you wont be disappointed if this is your first wildlife trip..the best time to head to such places are Nov/Dec..thats the time you should be there... Ranthambore is good too i heard... i am very much an adventurous /outdoor guy...been out hunting, fishing ,camping ,trekking and been through an IAF survival training too hehe... you need good binoculars ,take malaria/hepatitis/typhoid shots... great camera ..you will love the Great indian Gaur ..they are huge!!!
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 04:53	#9
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,114 Thanked: 5,763 Times View My Garage	Hey bro, we had gone in December a few years ago to Kanha National Park. IMHO that's the best time to go because of the weather. It's freezing. Anyways, we stayed 5 minutes away from the Park and the place where we stayed, they took us 3 times a day in Maruti Gypsys to the Park. If you like Tigers and all, you won't be dissapointed. I however don't remember te name of the place where we stayed. Another place to go is Coorg. We stayed at the Orange County and they havesome awesome activities there (atleast when i went). It's like a 4 hour drive from Banglore and some of these rent a car drivers are pretty neat drivers.
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 11:46	#10
paharino1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 299 Thanked: 29 Times	I havent heard of many people spotting tigers in JC National Park..The day before we reached there..the elephants had attacked lots of houses in Dhikala... We had spotted deers & elephants galore in the interiors of the park..courtesy a acquaintance who was working there as a forest guard.. Early dawn is the best time to spot tigers if you are lucky
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 11:48	#11
paharino1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 299 Thanked: 29 Times	the only time when I & couple of my friend spotted leopards...was when I was studying in NITIE, Mumbai Vihar Lake surroundings used to get quit a lot of tiger/leopard visits...from Borivilli National Park !!!!!
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 12:16	#12
Tarun BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New Delhi Posts: 159 Thanked: 17 Times	Hey X-Machine, If you wish to spot some tigress , Ranthambore (Rajasthan) it has to be. The nearest railway station is sawai madhopur, which is barely 10-11 kms from the park. The roads that connect it from Delhi are via jaipur, tonk, sawai madhopur or via mathura, bharatpur bird sanctuary. The former is long but good roads, approx. 430 kms from delhi, the latter however is shorter approx. 350 kms, but horrible roads. I have been there twice, spotted a tigress approaching & hunting a sambhar another drinking water after a monkey kill., a leopard sitting on a tree eating a deer, beautiful migratory birds, robust crocodiles enjoying the sun. Dreaming !, no its for real. The safari is at 05.30 to 10.30 in morning and 14.00 to 17.30 in the evening. There are 7 different routes in the jungle which are picked at random, 1,4 & 7 are pretty good. Others : Jim Corbett : As rightly mentioned by tsk, it is hard to spot animals in Jim corbett. My friends have been there, atmost they could spot was a wild boar and a neel gaiyn (cow). Bhandhavgarh : I have heard that it is good, but have not been there. Sariska : No tigers left. Gir : If you wish to spot lions. Essentials : Good binoculars : A must. A camera or handy cam : Try to have the night vision one. The flash is not allowed as at times it irritates the animal and he/she may charge. For handy cam, you will be charged 250bucks extra. Cap, leather jacket : I suggest leather as its quite dusty out there so easier to clean. Lots of Patience and searching eyes. Make sure that you book your accommodation in advance as its pretty occupied. Let me know if you require any other information. Tarun.
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 15:25	#13
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,825 Times View My Garage	while we are at it, anybody got details about the Tiger moon or Tiger den resorts at ranthambore? I heard these are good ones. Any reviews, contact numbers, schemes going on etc.,
	() Thanks

9th January 2006, 18:10	#15
Surprise Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,523 Thanked: 454 Times	Any wild animals locations in South like BANDIPUR FOREST. I had visited this place and enjoyed stay though no sign of tigers or anyother wild animals. The place is very calm and great climate
	() Thanks