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Originally Posted by avingodb Nice pics there! I did not know that self driven safaris were allowed.
Please share more details on the cost and quality of the accommodations and the routes.
thanks! |
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Originally Posted by couswheels Excellent pics and your bison looks amazing in that picture. Request you to share the route details and other details on stay, Safari etc., |
Route:
Bangalore - Hyderabad - Nagpur bypass - Pench- Seoni - Chhindwara - Pipariya - Sohagpur - Madhai. And back.
I did travel through some interior routes, on the Southern boundaries of Satpura National Park (i.e. West from Parasia). Do not go on those roads unless you are driving a SUV, and are ready to put up with hours of camel ride. But then whenever I see a potential shortcut, I end up exploring that route, though 70% of the time I would have been better off with the regular route.
I usually don't keep track of exact number of kms or exact fuel efficiency. Neither do I maintain a detailed log book.
This was the itinerary:
Day 1: Bangalore - Rukhad/Pench, 1200 km
Day 2: Rukhad - SNP FRH
Day 3: FRH inside the park
Day 4: Madhai (Forsyth)
Day 5, 6, 7: Madhai
Day 8: Madhai - Pench
Day 9: Pench - Bangalore
I booked the forest rest house through MP forest department. Very basic stay, no electricity except a few hours of solar power generated lights/fan. Basic loo, no hot water. 40km inside the park, in the middle of nowhere. Food is very basic. But then again one goes to such a FRH to experience the atmosphere. You have to take special permission from the forest department to drive inside. Need to pay all sorts of charges too.
Forsyth Lodge link is here:
http://www.forsythlodge.com/satpura.html
Rishi, the GM, is a member here. Highly recommended place.
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Originally Posted by mpksuhas Great set of pics!! Especially the first B&W one, the pic is surprisingly sharp for a high ISO, low light handheld shot.
With the number of sightings you have, big cat census can be done using your travelogue pic I guess. |
Thanks.
Persistence pays. As does research. I was following various Facebook groups related to wildlife, got to know about good leopard sightings in SNP, so headed there. In 2012, when I had gone to Tadoba and seen 14 tigers, I had taken an impulsive decision to do a roadtrip after reading about tiger sightings that season.
But yes, I finally got good photos of leopards after waiting for 5 years.
I was shooting with a D7100 + 80-400mm AF-S.
I started early on a Saturday. Picked up my friend from Hyderabad airport, and then stayed the night at Rukhad, beyond Pench. ~1200 km drive. Then reached SNP the next day, going over some horrendous roads because I was tempted to take a shortcut.
Had to battle a stiff neck throughout the trip. Hot water bag and Volini helped a lot.