[nilanjanray]

Exactly one month back. Family had gone to Kolkata, I was stuck in Bangalore to finish some work. Was feeling restless, so I approached my boss and got leave for a couple of days – 24 and 26 Dec. Which meant I had 5 days, if I included 25th Dec and the 27-28 weekend. Where to go?

Jet contrail. Sunrise in Satpura National Park. Shot from a canoe.


I was in the mood for a wildlife trip. No point in going to the Nilgiris. Tadoba safari tickets were not available. Same case for Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench. I knew that if I stood in queue I would have had 75% chance of getting tickets in Kanha or Pench, but I was in no mood to do that during such a hectic trip. When one has to come back to office on Monday, one needs to conserve one's energy.

Early morning commute


Finally I contacted Rishi Sarma (a member here), who is the GM of Forsyth Lodge (http://www.forsythlodge.com/) in Satpura National Park. He reverted quickly, saying that a room was available, and that he could accommodate me with other guests for a couple of safaris. Great! I had visited Forsyth Lodge during my Oct 2013 Tadoba + Satpuras roadtrip, and had really liked the place.

3 little piggies


Destination finalized, JIT - the evening before I was supposed to leave. Well, even if nothing had been finalized, I had planned to start driving North on NH7.

Got a PUC certificate done late in the evening (it was about to expire – good idea to have proper documents when doing interstate drives). Filled up diesel. Kept tyre pressure at 32 psi for all 4 wheels. I was using Pirelli Scorpion ATRs in my Fortuner, and 32psi seemed to be a decent compromise. I have a 2010 MT Fortuner, which is called Bison, because it is black in colour, and the first time I went on a trip in it, I had a very interesting experience in Bandipur, when I was surrounded by about 100 bisons (Gaur is the right word, technically) on a Jungle Lodges safari.

Forest path


Bought some fruits, juices, chocolates, biscuits and water, and kept them inside the car, hoping that ants or rats won’t be attracted to the food. I used to drink Red Bull and dry fruits during drives, but have realized that fruits, water, juices etc. work better for me. Put a camp chair, a 5 degree C sleeping bag, a mattress, a small tent, a tripod and my boots in the boot. Advantage of having a SUV - one can carry all sorts of stuff. Rishi had said that I might not get a room on the first night, so I was prepared to sleep outside in a tent, with temperature falling below 5 degrees C.

Threw some warm clothes in the bag, got the camera bag ready, and I was ready to go. I had planned to go to sleep by 11, but slept late. 5 am starting plan went for a toss. Left the house at 6.20 am. Crossed Bangalore Airport around 7.20am.

Canoe safari, Denwa backwaters


I hadn’t decided where I would spend the night. Driving to Satpuras the same day would have been too hectic in my slightly tired and weakened state (I had a slight flu), but I wanted to spend the night in a forest instead of in a city e.g. Nagpur or Chhindwara.

Bangalore – Hyderabad was a relaxed drive. After crossing Hyderabad and hitting NH7 again, I stopped at an ATM and for diesel. I had skipped lunch, so bought some snacks from a shop. Mistake. The oily food made me feel queasy for the next few hours.

A huge Sambar stag. Early morning.


The Andhra – Maharashtra border was as lousy as before. I had entered the bad stretch around sunset, so had to drive those 80 odd kms somewhat carefully in the dark. There are occasional good stretches within the bad stretch, but the potholes in those good stretches are well camouflaged. Be careful if you are tempted to speed. I was doing 60-80 once in a while, and ended up going over a few deep potholes that made me wince, even in a 4wd and with 265/65 AT tyres.

Meanwhile, I had been trying to call MPTDC, to check if rooms were available in Highway Retreat in Rukhad. I had checked online the night before, all rooms were full. But no harm in trying. The MPTDC lines had some problem, I could hear them but they couldn’t hear me. After 15 calls – made over a couple of hours (After Adilabad, Airtel mobile signal is sporadic till Hinganghat), finally the Rukhad manager called me back. He said that one room was available. I told him I will reach late – around 10.30, and that I want him to keep dinner packed for me when I reach. No problem, he said. So, stay and dinner were sorted out. I could drive with a without worrying about finding a place late in the night ( I would have hated to stay in Nagpur - I savour the nights in the midst of nature).

Wild boars. Morning mist, soft golden light


I reached the Nagpur bypass around 8.30 pm or so, if I remember. Slowed down once I entered Pench. I would have loved to listen to the sounds of the forest, but it was too cold to drive with the windows down, especially since I didn’t want to aggravate my cold. Reached MPTDC Highway Retreat Rukhad after 10.30pm. A little less than 1200 km done in the day - not bad after a late start. They had kept dinner packed for me on a table. No guests were around. It was nice, quiet and cold. While a guy was setting up the plates, I walked over to a fire that had almost died. Collected a few dry leaves and twigs and built the fire again. It felt good to relax and sit there for a few minutes before dinner.

Hot food – egg curry, dal and rice – was delicious. My cottage was a little it away, but it was nice to walk after a long drive.

The room was basic but sufficient. The geyser was working, that is what mattered. It was cold inside the forest. The bottles of water I had got from the dining hall, were cold. Same temperature as the surroundings, but cold enough to aggravate my throat. So I had to warm up a bottle in a bucket filled with hot water from the geyser (no electric kettles in such a place).
I had to charge my laptop, my two cameras and my mobile. There were 2 plug points, so had to work out the schedule for the night, based on what needed how much charge.

Morning flight


Next morning, I woke up late – around 7:30 am. Had needed the rest. Started driving around 8.15. I had worked out the route the night before (Rukhad – Seoni – Chhindwara – Pipariya – Sohagpur – Madhai). The Seoni – Chhindwara bypass was fantastic. Chhindwara to Madhai was also good, but there are a few narrow stretches in the forest, and the road is curvy. So don’t drive too fast on that stretch even if you are tempted to.

Rishi had called me while I was driving, and told me that he had managed to get a room for me (so no tent), but I needed to reach around 12. Well, that was impossible, but I managed to reach around 12.30. Went straight for brunch because I was hungry. Brunch had been served outdoors, below some trees, and beside the grassland inside the property. Got introduced to the other guests. Went to the room after that, and got ready for the safari. For the camera ready. Planned what to wear in layers (it would get pretty cold later in the evening, in an open Gypsy), and figured out the best way to protect my throat. Decided not to bother with gloves, though a few guests had advised that it would be better to carry them.

First glance. Tigers are sighted in SNP about 2-3 times a month, so lucky encounter

The resort Gypsy took us to the jetty, from where we would catch a boat to cross the Denwa backwaters and reach the park. Familiar place. I had stayed in the forest rest house across the water during my previous trip. That reminds me - that travelogue - the Satpuras stretch - is yet to be completed. Nights in forest rest houses, gorging on desi chicken, offroading in Satpura National Park - that was a lovely trip. The WIP version is here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-fortuner.html

A few days back guests had seen two leopard cubs, and I was hoping that I would meet and greet them, but no such luck. The safari was uneventful, apart from one incident. There is an elephant camp in the forest, and we had stopped in the camp outskirts, just after crossing a small stream, to look at Stork-billed kingfishers. The driver, guide, me and other guests were busy looking at the birds. Then a forest guard from the elephant camp comes running. “Did you see the tiger?” !!! What tiger! Apparently while all of us were staring in one direction, a male tiger crossed the steam behind us and went into the undergrowth. We would have seen it if we had been looking that side. Those stupid KFs! Oh well. I was busy taking photos of the birds, so there was no way I would have been aware if a silent cat had crossed on the other side. Decided to forgive myself for missing the opportunity. We spent the next 20 minutes driving around, hoping to catch a sight of the tiger, but it had vanished. No pugmarks. But it wouldn't escape us so easily the next day...

It got cold after that. By the time we got down from the Gypsy and crossed the water, my hands were numb. It felt good to reach the resort, wipe the dust using a hot wet cloth, and drink something hot.

Young leopard. Evening, ISO 5000 shot, cropped.


Rishi had gone out for a buffer zone safari with a few guests, and they came back 30 mins later. They had seen a big male leopard near a kill. The leopard had left, but very likely the fellow was still around. Would we like to go and see it?

Would I? I knew a gala Christmas dinner was waiting – tables had been set up with white linen, lamps had been put in the trees, the ambiance was lovely. But I would anyday prefer a Christmas date with a leopard. I was ready to go, so were a few other guests. We headed out in 2 Gypsies.

We crossed a couple of villages, and went inside the buffer zone forest. The kill was beside a forest track. I was standing in the vehicle in spite of the intense cold. As the vehicle turned a corner, we saw a big male leopard jog across the road and go into the undergrowth. The leopard had killed a village cow, about 40% was eaten. The leopard sat for a couple of minutes beside a bush, maybe 60-70m away from us. I took a few photos, but it was too dark for a proper photo, and we didn’t want to shine the light directly towards the cat. I was shooting at ISO 6400+, single point AF-C mode, to get focus through the intervening undergrowth. Had to use manual focus a few times.



The leopard then went away inside a thicket. We decided to switch off the engine and headlights, and wait. It was freezing cold. No sound except the hooting call of an owl. The stars shining brightly above. A forest track. The kill a hundred metre away (to leave some distance between us and the probable approach path). It would have been nice even without the leopard, but the anticipation added some extra spice. Those 15-20 minutes were LOVELY - I would have loved to camp there the whole night. I could experience the forest with all my senses. Well, all except smell due to the blocked nose.

But the guy had had his fill (his belly was full and when we saw him), and decided not to come back, at least till the pesky humans left. And yes, before someone comments about the pros and cons of such a night drive, this drive is done with the full permission of forest department - a forest guide accompanies the guests. And precautions are taken to minimize disturbance of the animals.

I see you


We were a couple of hours late for dinner, but I was feeling happy. This was what I had come here for. A hot drink helped alleviate my throat somewhat. Food was delicious. Open air dinner in the light of the lamps, a fire burning beside the tables, leopard encounter, good ambiance, the cold breeze (I loved it even as I hated it) – what more does one need?

I charged the camera battery after I went back to my room, kept things ready for the morning safari, and crashed.

P.S. the photos appear over-sharpened here on the forum.

[Aditya]

Nice travelogue Nilanjan. Fantastic pictures of the wildlife. You got to spot a tiger - lucky indeed. Leopards remain my favourites though.

[Divya Sharan]

Lovely captures and narration.
Next time, carry a couple of 3 pin plugs/extension cords/spike busters for charging electronic devices. Helps a lot when the place of stay has limited charging points.

[justwheels]

Awesome pics Nilanjan and a beautiful photologue. Those pics of the early morning mist are just eye catching. The description of the night trail was very captivating. A tiger spotting is always lucky.
Great going and happy mile crunching on your "BISON".

[ariesonu]

Very invigorating narration and random pictures thrown in makes for a beautiful read. Tiger shot is worth a framework. I wish, I just wish, heck I dream of one such travelogue in my life.
Carry power banks, if you can have few, much better.
I had once carried the computer UPS as power bank but it's a very old story.

Raab rakha.

[Vasuki]

Really Envy you.

It seems tiger is there waiting for you in your all past drives.

Beautifully written, yes of course with less pics compared to your other travelogues.

[Wanderers]

Hi Nilanjan

Great Man on work.
Loved the photographs and trying to learn out of it as I am trying my hands on SLR.

The little piggies are nuthead and sometime try to chase behind a vehicle as it happened duirng my trip to Sariska. However they do not mean to be wild or harm except that they are called wild pigs or so.

[sandip]

Hey Nilanjan,

I sincerely hope that what we got till now, is the teaser.

Your photography and lucid style of writing have made me look forward to reading more about your trip.

[Mafioso]

Lovely pics! Envy your tiger spotting pics. It is been a long pending dream to go on a safari. Looks like this Tiger reserve seems to be more prone to spotting a tiger than any of them! What would be the best times to visit these places?

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Nice travelogue Nilanjan. Fantastic pictures of the wildlife. You got to spot a tiger - lucky indeed. Leopards remain my favourites though.

Thanks. I used to think the same way - I have had way more tiger sightings than leopard sightings. But nothing stirs the pulses like a close encounter with a tiger.

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

Lovely captures and narration.
Next time, carry a couple of 3 pin plugs/extension cords/spike busters for charging electronic devices. Helps a lot when the place of stay has limited charging points.

Thanks. Yes, when I do my Nilgiri trips I carry an extension cord - if just to sit outside in the balcony with my laptop and work from there. But forgot this time.

Originally Posted by justwheels

Awesome pics Nilanjan and a beautiful photologue. Those pics of the early morning mist are just eye catching. The description of the night trail was very captivating. A tiger spotting is always lucky.
Great going and happy mile crunching on your "BISON".

Thanks. Being in the middle of a forest on a cold night is an amazing experience. And the call of an owl - when it is pitch dark - is haunting.

Originally Posted by ariesonu

Very invigorating narration and random pictures thrown in makes for a beautiful read. Tiger shot is worth a framework. I wish, I just wish, heck I dream of one such travelogue in my life.
Carry power banks, if you can have few, much better.
I had once carried the computer UPS as power bank but it's a very old story.

Raab rakha.

Thanks. Why not head put and just start driving?

I had written the initial travelogue post in a hurry, when I read it later I found many typos, grammatical errors, and abrupt sentences. Oh well. I hope that the essence has come out nevertheless.

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Really Envy you.

It seems tiger is there waiting for you in your all past drives.

Beautifully written, yes of course with less pics compared to your other travelogues.

The tiger sighting was lucky. I had expected to see leopards in SNP, not a tiger.

Many photos to process. Haven't had a chance.

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Hi Nilanjan

Great Man on work.
Loved the photographs and trying to learn out of it as I am trying my hands on SLR.

The little piggies are nuthead and sometime try to chase behind a vehicle as it happened during my trip to Sariska. However they do not mean to be wild or harm except that they are called wild pigs or so.

Thanks. I don't agree with your statement regarding wild boars being harmless. Elephants, bears and boars - 3 creatures to be wary of, at least in the Southern forests. If a big male boar gets provoked, he can be a terror. There are numerous hunting accounts from the colonial times, that mention how a boar managed to tear a horse or dogs or a human to pieces. The Brits used to hunt boars on horseback (using a lance to kill the boar - 'pigsticking' was the phrase used) or using a pack of dogs.

Originally Posted by sandip

Hey Nilanjan,

I sincerely hope that what we got till now, is the teaser.

Your photography and lucid style of writing have made me look forward to reading more about your trip.

Thanks. Yes, I plan to come up with a couple of more posts, and many more photos. Day 2 safaris, Day 3 morning and the return journey yet to be covered.

Originally Posted by Mafioso

Lovely pics! Envy your tiger spotting pics. It is been a long pending dream to go on a safari. Looks like this Tiger reserve seems to be more prone to spotting a tiger than any of them! What would be the best times to visit these places?

Thanks. But this park is not good for tiger sightings. You should visit Tadoba or Ranthambore or Bandhavgarh instead, if you want to maximize your chances of seeing the Bengal Tiger. Late spring or summer are the best times.

[anirbanz]

Awesome narration through words and pictures once again. I guess it would be also very helpful for readers, if you can give a snapshot of the overall itinerary you do. Great work and keep it up.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by anirbanz

Awesome narration through words and pictures once again. I guess it would be also very helpful for readers, if you can give a snapshot of the overall itinerary you do. Great work and keep it up.

Thanks. This is the top level itinerary:

Day 1: Bangalore - Rukhad (Pench National Park)
Day 2: Rukhad - Madhai (Satpura National Park)
Day 3: Madhai
Day 4 afternoon: Madhai - Buti Bori (near Nagpur)
Day 5: Buti Bori -Bangalore

Hectic trip.

[vinayrathore]

As ususal, crisp narration and even better photographs. Feels as if we are going with you.

Rated 5 stars!

Waiting for more.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by vinayrathore

As ususal, crisp narration and even better photographs. Feels as if we are going with you.

Rated 5 stars!

Waiting for more.

Thanks Vinay :-)

A few more photos, all from Day 1 except the Sambar stag.

My room after coming back that night. I switched off all lights, lit a candle, and relaxed for a while. This is a shot of an old wooden table, a chair, a mat, a vase and a glass. And before mods jump on me, that is warm water :-)

I somehow like old furniture. And candlelit rooms, especially if it is in the midst of nature, and if it is cold. Reminds me of some of the FRHs I have stayed in. Nothing like an old, desolate forest bungalow with 100 year old furniture, candle light, close to zero temperature and animals roaming around. Maybe a beautiful ghost for added colour. But sometimes these bungalows can be scary.


Huge Sambar stag. Early morning.


The leopard kill. Squeamish folks, don't look.


Can someone identify the bird? I took the shot because of light and the branch.


Early morning sun filters through trees and grass


A bird that was on the trail near the kill


A local push cart in the fields within the property. I liked the colour contrast between the grass and the cart.


Sambars


An obligatory tiger photo. But not from this trip - I never had a chance to get a clear close shot of Panthera tigris tigris. This was shot in June 2014 in Kanha.

[iVento]

Well written travelogue Nilanjan. Thank you!
Those beautiful pictures add more punch to the narration.
Sadly, this one is a short TL compared to your previous ones.