[mazda4life]

First off, @Robi ; amazing photos and many thanks for sharing the pics of the real treasures that our country posseses...secondly, this question is for all the big cat experts, arent tigers nocturnal animals by nature? , do they have a regular route like an elephant ?

[fazalaliadil]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

First off, @Robi ; amazing photos and many thanks for sharing the pics of the real treasures that our country posseses...secondly, this question is for all the big cat experts, arent tigers nocturnal animals by nature? , do they have a regular route like an elephant ?

Mazda4life,

All big cats are inherently nocturnal, under the cover of darkness their nocturnal behavior enhances their hunting stealth and at the same time keeps them protected from other dangers like bigger cats, humans etc.

Tigers are solitary cats/ hunters and rely on the ambush rather than long chases or group hunts like the Cheetahs or lions and also lack the very cunning and craftiness which are the hall mark traits of a leopard.

Tigers being heavily built and extremely intelligent have adapted to their natural habitat. Like in Ranthambore, in broad day light the tiger waits for the antelope to get into the lake for water and charge from a premeditated spot, shocking the prey and by the time the prey recovers, the tiger is nearly upon them. This strategy was first started by a tiger called Genghis and followed through the years by others.

Dawn and dusk are the times they hunt mostly.

Tigers have territories, not routes. Every place in their territory is their rightful route.
Regards,

[mazda4life]

@ Fazal Ali Adil, Thanks Sir for the reply , it will make it easier for me to answer some of the questions that my son has on the big cats...its a tribute to the nature's ingenuity that nocturnal animals are able to adapt to the situation and hunt even in broad daylight. Nature never really ceases to amaze.
@ Robi, apologies for taking the offtopic from your narrative , waiting for more pics

[robimahanta]

Unable to update regularly as I am traveling to Pune. Thanks a lot to everyone for the comments and appreciation. I will update the thread soon with more images soon.

A few random shots/abstracts from Kanha

Venous network


Web of life


Zoom Blur


Tree top twirl

[mallumowgli]

The tiny bird pics are amazing - prinia, stonechat and shrike. Should have hell lot of patience to get such framing for such active birds

[Shutterbugger]

I am going to Kanha in Dec 3rd week and looking to spend a couple of days at places around Kanha.

One of the places being considered was Amarkantak and I had a few questions on it:
* How long would it take to get there from Kanha? Googlemaps says 188kms/4hrs but is that realistic?
* How is the drive - beautiful? lots of ghats?
* What is there to see over there? Is it worth going? Is the exact place of origin of the Narmada accessible to public?
* Can someone please post some pictures here of Amarkantak?

Thanks a lot!! - SB

[Shutterbugger]

What is the best zone for safaris in Kanha with a higher presence of tigers? - Kanha or Kisli or Sarahi or Mukki

Thx - SB

[gd1418]

Kisli Gate is the most popular of the lot. Till 2011, Mukki housed the biggest & the strongest Tiger of Kanha - Nakkata. Haven't heard of him for long.

Originally Posted by Shutterbugger

What is the best zone for safaris in Kanha with a higher presence of tigers? - Kanha or Kisli or Sarahi or Mukki

Thx - SB

[Shutterbugger]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Kisli Gate is the most popular of the lot. Till 2011, Mukki housed the biggest & the strongest Tiger of Kanha - Nakkata. Haven't heard of him for long.

Thanks a lot!! For now, we have only received permits for Sarhi zone so we'll try our luck there

[gd1418]

If you park yourself at the Kisli gate counter at 4 in the morning, then you stand a good chance of getting a permit in the current booking.

Originally Posted by Shutterbugger

Thanks a lot!! For now, we have only received permits for Sarhi zone so we'll try our luck there

[narayankumar]

Just came across your travelogue, robi. All the kudos are well deserved. The bird pictures in the beginning are really stunning. Lovely!

[himadrimondal]

Amazing frames, specially the Roller and the Tiger shots. Kanha NP is one of the finest wild life park in whole of Asia and your shots does justice. You did almost everything, from wildlife to macro to abstracts.

[gurha]

Hi Robin,
Really great pictures, thanks for sharing such a beautiful travelogue, I would definitely like to go to Kanha one day. Also, many thanks for sharing the link to book safari's online.

Originally Posted by Shutterbugger

I am going to Kanha in Dec 3rd week and looking to spend a couple of days at places around Kanha.

One of the places being considered was Amarkantak and I had a few questions on it:
* How long would it take to get there from Kanha? Googlemaps says 188kms/4hrs but is that realistic?
* How is the drive - beautiful? lots of ghats?
* What is there to see over there? Is it worth going? Is the exact place of origin of the Narmada accessible to public?
* Can someone please post some pictures here of Amarkantak?

Thanks a lot!! - SB

Hi Shutterbugger, Hope I'm not late. I recently traveled from Bilaspur to Seoni via Kota - Amarkantak - Dindori - Mandla in last week of October, and crossed the entry for Kanha, didn't actually go till Kanha though.
The roads from Bilaspur to Amarkantak are OK roads, there was some patch work done for the potholes.Once you enter the Achanak Mark jungles, the road is little narrow with small patches of bad sections, but moreover its on a better site, You can always drive at a health speed of 40-50kmph, though you are ideally not allowed to go above 20 kmph
The road from Amarkantak - Mandla, some 180 Km is an awesome road with some good scenery around, you just need to be careful near the bridges which are many on this route, near some bridges the roads has some potholes but only for some, overall its an awesome drive

***How is the drive - beautiful? lots of ghats?***
Mandla - Amarkantak, no Ghats for the majority of the section, only when you get near amarkantak and roads are awesome

***What is there to see over there? Is it worth going? Is the exact place of origin of the Narmada accessible to public?***
Well, its a personal choice, if you believe in Narmada devi, you should go there once, The exact place was open for public last time when i went, though it was quite some time ago

Hope this helps.

[Shutterbugger]

Originally Posted by gd1418

If you park yourself at the Kisli gate counter at 4 in the morning, then you stand a good chance of getting a permit in the current booking.

Thanks a lot gd1418!! We are planning to do that. Good to know from you that chances are good to get a morning safari permit in the current quota. **Fingers Crossed**

[sukhoi30]

Awesome photographs man!!! I have been to Pench and Kanha and took tons of photos but just can't seem to get it right. Most of them still look ordinary. What lens are you using? I am guessing you must have one of those L series one of Canon. I have a canon 600d with 75 - 300 tamron lens.