[C300]

A visit to the National Parks of central India was long overdue. We had visited Tadoba during the summer of 2016 and this year we decided to visit Bandhavgarh - The heart of Tiger Country.

A quick search on Tripadvisor and the Tiger's Den resort was finalized (www.tigerdenbandhavgarh.com). The resort was neat and the hospitality was great. This place is highly recommended. All the safaris were booked through the resort 4 months in advance. Tala being the popular gate was our choice but it all boils down to timing and luck. We managed to get two Safaris from Tala and other from Khitauli Gate. Sharing few photos from our visit to Bandhavgarh this summer. Hope you guys like it.

Day 1 - Morning Safari - Khitauli Gate

The first sighting. A Sub-adult Male in the thicket





Jaws of death



Sub-adult female in action







Look at my Ears











Day 1 - Afternoon Safari - Khitauli Gate

Another round with the same tiger family. Most of the Safari jeeps were stationed at the same location for 3 hrs. The cubs were in their usual playful mood.















Finally..a glimpse of Bheem. The biggest tiger of Bandhavgarh. He was resting in the water all along while the cubs were playing around him

[C300]

Day 2 - Morning Safari - Tala Gate

Both the safaris were planned from Tala Gate on 2nd day. Its the most popular zone of Bandhavgarh National Park. Spotty is the dominant female of the area and her fully grown female cubs are also very active.
Sharing few photos from the second day. We were lucky to spot the big cat during all the Safaris

Locked Horns



Here comes the tigress..One of the female cubs of Spotty. Unfortunately Spotty was nowhere to be seen.

















True camouflage.



Here she comes









Elephants are trained to track the Tigers



Day 2 - Afternoon Safari - Tala Gate

Another round thrugh the Tala zone and we were greeted by some beautiful birds.

A rare sighting of Blue-bearded Bee-eater



Lesser Adjutant Stork. A common sight in Bandhavgarh.





A familiar sight. Spotty's cub in her bath tub.















Another fully grown female cub crossing the path in front of the Jeep



Sambar Deers





Indian Vulture. The population of our vultures has significantly declined over the years and its now listed as Critically Endangered.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[2himanshu]

Bandhavgarh is one of my favourite np, great shots and sightings in all the safaris, wow!

[low_rider]

I think that the sub-adult female (in the 5th and 6th pics from top) looks malnourished. Or is it the normal physique for them ?

[alphadog]

Those were some amazing photographs of the big cat.
Lucky you to have got the chance to see the Tigers in the wild. I have been to a couple of wild life reserves in south India but have not yet had the chance to spot the elusive one.
Did you have to book the entry far in advance and is online booking possible?. Also do share details of your photography equipments.
Keep traveling and keep sharing.
Cheerio!

[am1m]

Originally Posted by alphadog

Lucky you to have got the chance to see the Tigers in the wild. I have been to a couple of wild life reserves in south India but have not yet had the chance to spot the elusive one.

Luck has little to do with a tiger sighting in Bandhavgarh. It's a bit like a large zoo. It's a a small reserve with a high tiger density. I believe they've also started fencing parts of the reserve - to keep the poachers out or to keep the tigers in?

Early in the morning, the forest staff go out on elephants with walkie-talkies. Once one of them spots a tiger, that information is relayed all over and most of the safari drivers know exactly where to go. The tigers there have gotten so used to vehicles full of humans, that they seldom move away for a long time. All this pretty much assures you of a sighting and awesome photographs with the tiger posing helpfully for a telephoto lens, if you spend even a couple of days on a couple of safaris.

In contrast, a tiger sighting in the wild can be a really electric experience, unexpected, thrilling, and for tigers that are really not used to humans, lasting barely for a few seconds. There was a time we were returning to the forest lodge at Corbett for the night. Rain, darkness and suddenly out of nowhere, a flash of stripes across the headlights and the animal was gone across the road with not even a ripple in the long grass to show where it had gone. I stopped going to Bandhavgarh after that, watching tigers loll around while a hundred cameras clicked didn't seem worth it anymore. The vultures there are probably a rarer sight.

[ARAY]

First of all Congratulations to some great sightings. This is the season when the reign of succession takes a swing. The core area owner sometimes gets pushed to buffer zone and the one in buffer zone gets pushed further deep into the forest range. Territorial fight is about to begin in that belt is what I hear from a friend during this season. Thanks a lot for sharing the pictures.

Originally Posted by am1m

Early in the morning, the forest staff go out on elephants with walkie-talkies. Once one of them spots a tiger, that information is relayed all over and most of the safari drivers know exactly where to go. The tigers there have gotten so used to vehicles full of humans, that they seldom move away for a long time. All this pretty much assures you of a sighting and awesome photographs with the tiger posing helpfully for a telephoto lens, if you spend even a couple of days on a couple of safaris.

_ This rule applies to almost all forest reserve and tourist ventured spots for few years now. Not sure if its a good or a bad thing for coming generations. Some reserves are not even bothering to close down during the breeding season.

[C300]

Originally Posted by 2himanshu

Bandhavgarh is one of my favourite np, great shots and sightings in all the safaris, wow!

Thanks Himanshu. I think I have seen your photos from Tipeshwar. Great capture.

Originally Posted by low_rider

I think that the sub-adult female (in the 5th and 6th pics from top) looks malnourished. Or is it the normal physique for them ?

Its probably the camera angle and the posture. They looked normal to me. Tigers in the wild are leaner and fitter. Prey base is good and their father is the King of that zone

Originally Posted by alphadog

Those were some amazing photographs of the big cat.

Did you have to book the entry far in advance and is online booking possible?. Also do share details of your photography equipments.
Keep traveling and keep sharing.
Cheerio!

Thanks. Yes, we booked Safari permit 4 month in advance. Online booking is possible but better to go through a local resort. They do this regularly. Photos captured using my good old Pentax K-5 + 300mm f4 combo.

Originally Posted by am1m

Luck has little to do with a tiger sighting in Bandhavgarh. It's a bit like a large zoo.

Early in the morning, the forest staff go out on elephants with walkie-talkies. Once one of them spots a tiger, that information is relayed all over and most of the safari drivers know exactly where to go.

I agree. Unfortunately similar situation in most of our national parks. Overall, I liked the flora and fauna of Bandhavgarh. The forest was alive with multiple water streams in peak summer.

Originally Posted by ARAY

First of all Congratulations to some great sightings. This is the season when the reign of succession takes a swing. The core area owner sometimes gets pushed to buffer zone and the one in buffer zone gets pushed further deep into the forest range. Territorial fight is about to begin in that belt is what I hear from a friend during this season. Thanks a lot for sharing the pictures.

Thanks ARAY. Yes, next few month will see some fierce territorial fights in that zone.

[2himanshu]

Originally Posted by C300

Thanks Himanshu. I think I have seen your photos from Tipeshwar. Great capture.

Thanks pal, here are a couple from Bandhavgarh (Kankati):

[Torque123]

A crisp & wonderful travelogue with nice images . I happy for you that you got to see the sub adult cubs of the Mahaman female . It is a very good sighting as this family is very elusive. I was lucky to see Mahaman's previous litter sub adult cubs in March 2017.

This season has been pretty dull at Bandhavgarh. Bheem though is the biggest tiger in Bandhavgarh has been in constant territorial fights with a new male named Pannalal (he too is a formidable tiger who migrated from Panna to Bandhavgarh). The death of Jr Kankati & subsequent capture of her cubs for survival has left a big void in Magadhi zone & separation of the Rajbehra cubs has put a lot of pressure on Spotty & family sighting wise. The unfortunate death of the Rajbehra female in the last week of June is only going to add to the misery. One of Spotty's female cub was recently trans located to Satkosia Reserve in Orissa. Hope things get better for the coming season as this has been one of my favorite parks.

[C300]

Originally Posted by Torque123

A crisp & wonderful travelogue with nice images . I happy for you that you got to see the sub adult cubs of the Mahaman female . It is a very good sighting as this family is very elusive. I was lucky to see Mahaman's previous litter sub adult cubs in March 2017.

This season has been pretty dull at Bandhavgarh. Bheem though is the biggest tiger in Bandhavgarh has been in constant territorial fights with a new male named Pannalal (he too is a formidable tiger who migrated from Panna to Bandhavgarh). The death of Jr Kankati & subsequent capture of her cubs for survival has left a big void in Magadhi zone & separation of the Rajbehra cubs has put a lot of pressure on Spotty & family sighting wise. The unfortunate death of the Rajbehra female in the last week of June is only going to add to the misery. One of Spotty's female cub was recently trans located to Satkosia Reserve in Orissa. Hope things get better for the coming season as this has been one of my favorite parks.

Thanks Mate. That's fascinating info. When we visited, Magadhi zone was closed due to forest fires. All the safari vehicles were shifted from Magadhi to Tala zone. It was a bit crowded there, especially at Damnaar waterhole where the road is narrow and viewing angle is tight.
I read the story of Tiger's movement to Satkosia. Looks like its a sub adult male from Bandhavgarh. Are you sure its Spotty's cub?

[Torque123]

Originally Posted by C300

I read the story of Tiger's movement to Satkosia. Looks like its a sub adult male from Bandhavgarh. Are you sure its Spotty's cub?

Yes, 100% sure. The one relocated from Bandhavgarh to Satkosia is the Female sub adult from Spotty's current litter. 2 more tigers will be relocated to that reserve (1 from Kanha & 1 from Panna).