[abhishek_hch]

This is the story of a 2400 KMs journey wherein we sighted 8 tigers, 2 sloth bears, 2 leopards, 1 wild dog & clogged the arteries with the tastiest and most decadent food along the way, ended up gaining 1.5 Kgs in a week and returned deliriously happy!

The Prologue

We had not stepped out of Bangalore throughout 2020. The last I stepped out of Bangalore was in Dec 2019 when I had paid a visit to my parents in Patna and our ancestral village in North Bihar. My wife had her last trip out even earlier. So we were itching to get out for a small trip. We had earlier been to Pench and loved the experience (even though we did not have a good sighting), so the first place that came to the mind was Kabini. I talked to a friend of mine and he agreed to come along. So the plan was for 4 adults & a child to go to Kabini over a weekend in Jan 2021, stay for 2 nights, do safaris & come back. Till I ran into the cost part! Having been to Pench earlier where the cost had come to around Rs. 12,000 per night per person for a group of 6 (3 nights & 5 safaris), I expected something similar and thought that the whole trip would cost around Rs. 40-50,000.

How mistaken I was! Much like the road tax in Karnataka, the safari cost here turned out to be exorbitantly high. I realized that you could do Jeep safaris in Kabini only if you stayed in Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR). JLR doesn’t charge on a per room per night rather per person per night basis. They quoted a figure of approx. Rs. 55,000 per night for two rooms for two couples and a kid. I was startled to say the least.

The nearby resorts also had the same story to tell – around Rs. 15,000 per night per room and Rs. 4,000 per person per Safari. The sad part was that with such monopolistic practice, the Karnataka government had made the Jeep safari a luxury for the elite. The story being completely different in other states.

I felt that taking flights to Nagpur for Pench/Tadoba would turn out to be a tad cheaper! In light of the COVID situation, I thought it would be best to avoid flights & it was then that my mind veered around to the idea of a road trip. Figured out that Tadoba return road trip would be approx. 2,200 KMs & with three drivers (me, my wife & friend) it looked eminently doable. The more research I did the more convinced I was that this could be pulled off. Frankly, I had never been on such a long road trip before, the maximum being 650 KMs both ways & that made the idea more exciting and appealing for us. We thought that it would be something epic & a lot of fun!

When I shared this idea with my friend, he pulled out – we understood the reasons and it was perfectly fine. Asked a couple of more friends & after initial enthusiasm, they also backed out for similar reasons.

This left only two of us – me and my wife. After having invested so much in the idea & being all excited about it, we thought – Heck, we will go ahead with this on our own! And thus began the journey of what was amongst the most, if not the most, special trip of our lives.

This is its story.

[abhishek_hch]

The Men

Ultimately, there were only two people left for the trip – me & my wife. With more than a 100.000 KMs driving under belt between us, we felt we could pull this off.

The Machine

Ford Figo - Diesel - ZXi - 2012.



I had bought the car when still did not have much of driving experience under my belt. Test drove the car & fell in love with its handling – the steering felt very sure & the car was very planted on the road. The build quality was also very sturdy. Another thing I loved was the driving position, instantly liked the way you could lay back and drive unlike the stiff postures in the tall boys like Swift. My primary drive those days was my Uncles’s i10 & that made the steering, the seating comfort & the build look even more special. Booked the car & brought it home on the Dhanteras day in 2012.

The 8 year relationship had been a breeze. The cars dynamics were very sorted still & it had not demanded much except for the routine replacement of batteries. The only extra replacement I had to do was of the link rods two times – once in warranty and once in mid 2020. However, as we shall see later the age was showing. I was not sure of taking it out & asked a cousin to keep his i20 as a back up – he readily & gracefully agreed.

In the meanwhile, after living close to my offices all along, I shifted quite a distance away from it at the end of 2017. The two way drive was now around 25 odd KMs & the Bangalore traffic was driving me crazy. The idea of an automatic started looming over my mind and I would keep taking test drives of various automatic cars off & on.

In came Kia Seltos & fell in love with it. Especially liked the Diesel Auto version (it was the cheapest too ). With the engines being BS6, I thought to not to run chances and wait for BS6 fuels to kick in throughout the country before buying one lest some damage be caused. The BS6 regime was kicking in on 1st April 2020 & I booked the car on 15th Feb 2020. The expected delivery was in mid-April 2020. But then we all know what happened. Lockdown struck before the delivery & with offices closed, commutes absent, uncertain environment - I felt it would be best to put off the purchase & did not take the delivery.

The Seltos was not home yet & choice was between this car & my cousin's i20. The familiarity with our own car –its steering & dynamics tilted the scales in its favour.

And so the trip was to be done with our Old Man but his age was showing. We had been putting off getting the tyres replaced as we planned to sell the car. The last servicing also identified leaks in the front suspension. I had a lot of questions in my mind & posted a query on TeamBHP. A lot of BHPians including GTO put in their valuable comments (indebted to each one for taking time out) & we decided to fix the critical issues with the car before taking it out on the trip.

[abhishek_hch]

The Prep

We booked six safaris – two in Core (Khutwanda & Moharli gate), three in buffer (2 from Junona & 1 from Agarzari) & one night safari from Junona gate. We also booked a three night stay at MTDC Tadoba as the reviews were very good. BHPians Torque123 & rk_sans helped a lot in deciding the gates else I would have ended up booking all safaris in core going by conventional wisdom & missed the most awe inspiring sightings that I was to have.

Now started the other preparations. The first was to get the car fixed. We got the front suspension replaced as also the brake pads as a matter of caution. The total cost was around Rs. 10,000. There was a leakage in the steering hose pipe but consultation with two FNG turned to be of the same opinion – there was no need of replacement.

Also got the tyres changed. After researching a lot on TeamBHP, zoomed in on Yoko Earth and decided to upsize to 185/65R14 from the stock 175/65R14. After asking around a lot got the best deal at Tyres Express near D’mart Whitefield. The cost came to Rs. 4,300 per tyre with alignment & balancing free. I was pretty happy with the service provided at the shop. We completed all the preps with the car two weeks before the trip so as to have some time on hand to observe its behaviour.

The Old Man getting a new pair of shoes.


In other prep bought some stuff for emergencies like a puncture kit, new Jopasu dusters, a car safety hammer (hope to never use them), a towing rope, a tyre pressure gauge & also stocked up on a litre each of Steering Oil & Engine Oil.


We stocked up on a lot of other stuff – some edibles for emergencies like Chura (Poha), Sprouts, Sattu, a small pack of Salt etc. Took my favourite coffee and coffee maker along. In addition we stock piled on some disposable Sal Tree leaf plates & katoris, old newspapers, a few garbage bin bags, a knife, a serving spoon, two spoons and other daily use stuffs.

[abhishek_hch]

The Route

We followed the Bangalore-Hyderabad-Karanji-Wani-Chandrapur-Moharli route both ways. The roads are excellent all through. While one meets a lot of speed breakers in Karnataka, AP & Maharashtra, the same is not the case in Telangana. The roads are butter smooth in Telangana and best out of the 4 states.

The roads were 4 lane all through except for a 30 KM stretch between Karanji & Wani after which it was four lane to Chandrapur. Surprisingly, the two lane stretch is preferable to the four lane one as it is very wide & has no speed breakers (pic attached below). The four lane road after Wani to Chandrapur has camel back shaped speed breakers at almost every junction and toll plaza (though private vehicles do not need to pay a toll on this stretch). The average speed decreases a lot due to these speed breakers & they are a huge nuisance. Wonder what prevents other states from learning from the Telangana Model.


For anyone driving to Moharli, I would suggest to stick to the Karanji-Wani-Chandrapur road if driving from Hyderabad side. If driving from North, please take the four lane road up to Chandrapur and then go to Moharli. The interior roads in this area are in pretty bad shape and many stretches are not made properly primarily due to conflict between Forest & other departments. Driving on these stretches is very energy & time consuming. Avoid Google Maps suggestions and stick to this route for an enjoyable drive.

A special mention for Nehru Ring Road in Hyderabad. An absolute beauty of a road where I was able to cover 65 KMs in 35 odd minutes.

The whole trip cost us Rs. 2,700 in tolls.

Tip 1 : While searching for route from Chandrapur to Moharli on Google Maps, please input Chandrapur-Durgapur-Moharli as the route else Google Maps will send you on a wild goose chase as it did to us. With the sun having set, it sent us on a path where half the road was under construction, dumpers were passing in a line in the other half & not a soul was to be seen around. It was only later that we realised that the conventional route through Durgapur was much better & Google had never shown us that!

Tip 2 : In Tadoba, the conventional wisdom of core having more sightings and buffer being just like that does not apply. Currently, the buffer zone is doing better in terms of sightings. Also, do note that you roam in the same zone whether you enter from Moharli/Khutwanda gate or Junona/Devada gate. Agarzari is a separate zone. You can book Safaris accordingly. Gypsies come to resort to pick up for free from Moharli & Junona gate while they charge Rs. 500 for Agarzari/Devada gate & Rs. 1500 for Khutwanda gate which is a bit far. If you have your own car, you can drive down to the gates, park your vehicle and take the Gypsy from there.

Tip 3 : We observed that on Toll Gates sticking to the lanes with mostly trucks and big commercial vehicles helps as almost all of them have Fastags and pass through seamlessly. A lot of cars do not have Fastags and there is a lot of haggling, so better stick to lanes with more big CVs for a faster exit. We lost a lot of time on our way to Moharli because invariably a car driver ahead would not have a Fastag and would take a lot of time.

[abhishek_hch]

The Pitstops
While starting from Bangalore, we had taken some mutton curry and Parathas with us. We stopped by the highway and had it for breakfast. That was our first pit stop.


The bonnet served as the dining table.


The next pit stop was Food Pyramid. Here we had the Andhra Thali & Tea. The food was okay but the tea was very good (unlike the Sugar Syrup with Milk & Tea leaves that is served as tea at most of the places on Indian Highways). This plus a few cold drink bottles set us back by around Rs. 400.

On the way from Hyderabad to Moharli, I accidentally spotted a dhaba with a lot of trucks parked & spotted a Sardar Jee cooking inside. We decided to stop for lunch there. The decision was good one. Though there were a lot of truck drivers, they did not bother us at all. We had Dal Fry, Mix Veg & Omelette with Tandoori Rotis & washed it down with a plate of Dahi and Thums Up. The food was fresh off the oven and standard Dhaba fare. It was tasty & economical (cost us Rs. 460). The only complaint being that the Rotis were a bit high on Maida. In a stretch devoid of eating places, this Dhaba is a good stop by. I later discovered that they have a lot of ratings on Google and a good rating of 4.0.





On the way back from Tadoba, we stopped at the Mahaveer Rajasthan Family Dhaba at Neradigonda in Adilabad. We had Dal Fry, Anda Bhurji & Palak Paneer with Tandoori Rotis here. We again washed it down with a plate of Dahi & Thums Up. The Rotis here were very good, however the food was an amalgamation of North & South Indian tastes with the taste of Curry Leaves being very strong. Interestingly, the place also served as a bar with people having their bacchus behind the wall but it did not bother us & we saw other families also stop by. All of this set us back by 500 bucks.





Must point put that the service at both these places was very fast & friendly.

We also stopped by after the Medchal Toll Plaza for some very fresh Bhuttas and Sugarcane Juice. A recommended stop if you are passing by.


On way back from Hyderabad to Bangalore, for lunch we had Biryani that we had packed from Hyderabad. However, we spotted a cart selling Falooda after the Kasepalli Toll Plaza and stopped by. The guy served some really cool & cold Rabri and a very good Falooda. All of this set us back by Rs. 90 and is a recommended stop especially in the summer months.



Our final stop was Nandi Upachar in Devanhalli where the tea was good and the bathrooms were huge & clean.

[abhishek_hch]

The Stays

Sheraton, Gachibowli, Hyderabad
The property was very good, the rooms were very well maintained, carefully laid out & the place was very conveniently located. They also provided us a free upgrade. Got to know from the staff that from days of full occupancy they had gone down to almost none and had currently come back to around 60% occupancy levels. The room cost us Rs. 3,200 for the night & we would recommend this place.


ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad
While coming back, we were discussing that one thing that we had missed till that time in the trip was the lavish breakfast spread of hotels. ITC Kakatiya was amongst the few options that was showing breakfast in its base rate and we decided to book it. This is a good though aged property and the age shows - it lacks the modernity of say the Sheraton quoted above. However, there were no complaints. The room was large and very comfortable. It was also very thoughtfully laid out.



Next morning, as planned, we went bonkers at the breakfast table! Tried everything from croissants to omelettes to dosa to pav-bhaji to anda bhurji et al – you name it we had it. Gulped it down with Dahi and Watermelon Juice. Two things that deserve a special mention here are the Croissant and the Coffee. The Croissant was rich and flaky and reminiscent of Europe and Coffee also was outstanding.


The stay cost us Rs. 4,000 for the night & this place is also recommended.

MTDC Tadoba, Moharli Gate

This is a good resort overlooking a lake. The rooms were very large but functional.


As was the bathroom.


The verandah in deluxe rooms overlooks a lake & offers splendid views.


There are dormitory and more economical room options available as well as suites with two rooms. The only advantage of the deluxe rooms & the suites is the lake view (where you can potentially spot a Tiger too as they come to its shore to drink up). However, with safaris in the morning and the eve, one doesn’t really get a chance to enjoy the views, so any room which you get should suffice.

One thing that deserves special mention here is the food which is very good. I had some local delicacies here plus the standard stuff of dal-chawal-sabzi etc & all were very good. The staff here is very hard working and friendly and they also pack breakfast for the morning safaris if told the night before.

The local delicacies.



One outstanding thing here was the fish, if you are a fish lover then this is veritable heaven. There are many lakes surrounding the place and on the last day when I did not have an evening safari, the staff took me along to buy fish. In the 20 mins that I spent there, I saw more than 50 Kgs of fresh catch arrive there. You can buy the freshest stuff here all for Rs. 100 per Kg. The staff at the resort will cook the same for you. Do not miss out on it. This is as fresh (& economical) as it gets.


The men and their catch!

[abhishek_hch]

The Safaris
Day 1 – Morning Safari, Junona Gate
This was a bumper Safari where we saw an epic battle of two tigers from up close and spent around an hour and a half in immediate vicinity of a Tiger.

We started the Safari on time & a wild boar was our first sighting. We then went to a spot where the Guide told us that a Tigress had kept a kill. The kill was behind the bushes but visible if closely observed. We then proceeded to an area where alarm calls were being heard. Our guide that day was very sharp – a guy called Swapnil. He asked the driver to go to another area. Immediately into that area, we had our first sighting – sub adult daughter of Tigress Chhoti Madhu.

The first sight.


She walked in front of us for a while & we followed along, all excited.




She then gave one quick glance at us as if saying – you want a photo, take it – before disappearing into the tall grasses.

We went a bit further in the hope that she will come out but she did not. There were only two Gypsies there & ultimately we went off to another area. After a while we came back to that area again. The second Gyspsy was still there and they said that the mother Tigress – Chhoti Madhu – had crossed the road and walked into the grasslands in front of us. The guide asked the Gypsy to be taken back as he believed that the Tigress will emerge on that side. The guy was right, she soon appeared in our sight.


From up close.


We then kept driving alongside her, she in the bushes and we on the road a few feet away.


She also was marking her territory vehemently.


Soon there was a clearing in the Forest Area besides the road and the driver turned the Gyspsy and parked it right in the path of Chhoti Madhu. She came walking royally right in front of us and we got a very good frontal view.


She looked elegant.


She was very close but passed us non-chalantly.




The guide predicted that she was walking towards the road and would appear there. We went to the road and sure enough, the Queen appeared there very soon. One look at the oncoming traffic and everyone froze & stopped.


Then she crossed the road with a swag.


The Guide then predicted that she would go to the kill. We went there and waited and soon enough, she appeared there. But instead of going to the kill, she started sniffing around the bushes vehemently.


She was barely 10 feet away and the Wifey was a bit scared. But Chhoti Madhu could not care less and went about her business, marking territory. The guide said that she suspects that there is an intruder around & is searching for it. In some time, Chhoti Madhu walked into the forests on the other side crossing the road. After 5-10 mins, we heard a commotion behind us. We turned back to see Two Tigresses fighting each other standing on their hind legs. Soon Chhoti Madhu had overpowered the intruder in her territory and pinned her to the ground. This was when I finally reacted with the camera, being too overawed till then.


Look at the close up.


They rested for sometime sizing each other up.


Soon they were fighting again.


In a matter of seconds, Chhoti Madhu had pinned the intruder to the ground again.


This time it was bloody.


Chhoti Madhu circled the intruder Tigress a few times as if to reinforce her victory.


She then walked into the forest and appeared on the road again. She gave the opponent a victorious look while she scampered.


After that she went into the bushes to eat the kill (forgive the lack of focus, was having a tough time with the camera).


While the other Tigress sat afar looking in this direction.


This continued for around 30 mins that we were there before we drove away from that place. This was an epic sighting which even most of the guides had not seen & said was very rare. The Safaris had begun on a rocking note.

Day 1 – Afternoon Safari, Khutwanda Gate
This was an uneventful Safari except for hearing a few alarm calls & sighting a Guar.

[abhishek_hch]

Day 2 – Morning Safari, Agarzari Gate

Agarzari gate these days was low on sightings, so we did not sight much.

Day 2 – Afternoon Safari, Junona Gate

We were roaming around searching for a Tiger. While doing this, we noticed some commotion behind a bush and voila! a sloth bear was there!


He soon came out.


He was busy looking for food.


Posed for us cutely.


Don't let this cuteness fool you, these guys are dangerous.


And then he walked into the bushes again.

We sighted one more Sloth Bear on this Safari but it ran away at the speed of light as someone in the Gypsy made a loud noise. Sloth bears being very rare sightings & we were extremely chuffed to sight not one but two in a single safari.

Safari 4 – Night Safari , Junona Gate

We sighted a Leopard (L1) sitting at the edge of a field. Not much was visible except the eyes. Soon another Leopard appeared from behind out Gypsy from very close. Forgive the grainy picture.


This Leopard (L2) went running to the one that was sitting in the field. L1 soon ran away on arrival of L2. L2 went to a tree and parked itself below it. Soon we realised that L1 had climbed to the top of that tree while L2 waited below. As we were seeing all of this, L1 ran from the tree to the ground below and then leaped into the forest. Perhaps all of this was a mating ritual. I was not liking throwing so much torch light on the animals and causing them continuous trouble, so I asked to be driven away. L2 was still sitting there.

Interestingly, a few villagers were sitting a few meters from the edge of the field barely bothered by all the commotion around the leopards and their presence.

I could not take photos as the battery of the camera ran out at that moment but considering that Leopards are a rare sight & we had sighted 2, we were again super chuffed.

[abhishek_hch]

Day 3 – Morning Safari, Moharli Gate

We were trying to spot tigers but without success. After an hour or so, we reached an spot inside the forest where all vehicles stop and make entries plus there are washrooms and drinking water arrangement. Soon a Gentleman their started shouting “Let’s go. Let’s go”. We asked our guide what the commotion was about, he told us that a Wild Dog had come near that camp a while ago. We went onto it's trail.

After that camp, the road bifurcates into two – one goes straight and the other right. We went straight. After not sighting the Dog for a KM or so, we decided to return and go onto the other road. As soon as we turned into it, voila! he was right there before us. The Ruffian of the Jungle was right in front of us. I had been wanting to sight it for long and the trip was now truly complete.




After sometime, he ran away.


We were now very happy & content but there was more in store for us. We noticed that not many Gypsys were roaming around and deduced that there must have been a sighting somewhere. We went to a lake and there were a lot of Gyspsys parked there. There was a sighting happening there we were sure. And there was.

Maya, the queen of Tadoba, was there with her four cubs on the other bank of the lake. You can see a cub below, with the mother keeping a watch from behind the bushes.


Soon the cub went inside the bushes and the mother walked out.


She went up to the lake and drank some water.


She then walked away.


The kids followed, one after the other.



The kids appeared in bushes in a clearing a hundred meters down the road.


Soon the mother also came & she lay herself there. She occasionally got up to have a motherly look at the kids.


With this our safaris had ended and we took a day of rest at the resort & relished on fish before departing the next day morning. Till the enchanting roads of the forest call us again.

[abhishek_hch]

Hyderabad Diaries

We had decided to try as many Biryanis as possible in Hyderabad. In all we tried three while in Hyderabad (Shah Ghouse, Bawarchi & Meridian), while packed and carried 2 back to Bangalore (Shadab & Bahar). All of them were Mutton Biryanis.

The first Biryani we had was of Shah Ghouse. We had just reached Hyderabad and were famished, so we ordered from a Shah Ghouse outlet. The Biryani was good, the rice was fragrant; however, it was woefully low on Meat pieces and left me wanting more. I hate small portion sizes so deducted many points for that. The Missus however loved it!


The next Biryani we tried was from Bawarchis. I had Biryani from here on a visit as a student 15 years ago and was simply blown away. However, the one this day felt bland and a bit tasteless. I would prefer to keep the taste of the earlier one I had here in my memories.


The third Biryani was from Meridian and this was very good. The spice mix was just right, the rice was fragrant, the meat was lean & could be tasted in the rice – it was perfect.


The fourth one we had was one from Shadabs that we had as lunch on our way from Hyderabad to Bangalore. This was also a tad disappointing. The amalgamation of the tastes of meat and rice not being perfect & this also felt a bit bland.


The final Biryani that we had was from Café Bahar. This also was very good – aromatic rice, perfectly cooked meat & a great package.

In my books the ranking was this – Bahar, Meridian, Shah Ghouse, Shadab & Bawarchi.

On the way during our night halt in Hyderabad, I woke up very early & could not go back to sleep. I finally woke up the Missus and we went to Charminar. On the way, we sighted Hotel Naayab. I had read about it in my research on Hyderabad and we stopped by. There was Paya being cooked at the door and it smelled heavenly.


The interiors though were a bit crowded and grimy, so we did not step inside.


Also there was no good way of getting the Paya Nihari packed, so we got the Malai Paya and two Tandoori Rotis packed. We later parked by the roadside and had it. The gravy tasted divine, the meat may not be to everyone’s test. The gravy was thick, creamy, decadent & a must try.


We then went to Charminar. The first sight below.


The Charminar in its full glory.


It was 7 am in the morning but bangle shops were open & Missus was one happy girl.


We spotted Café Nimrah nearby and went to have tea there. Boy! The hyderabdis love their tea and the place was crowded as hell.


I was not willing to go into the crowd. However, a waiter soon appeared and got me Tea & Osmani Biscuits. Both were quite good.


On the way back from Tadoba to Bangalore, we stepped into Chutneys for dinner as suggested by a lot of friends. We had the Babai Hotel Idli - Idlis were dipped in butter & worth dying for.


We also had the MLA Paserratu and liked it a lot, so much so that we order it in Bangalore for breakfast these days.


On a lighter side, I thought I had seen all kinds of number plates in our parts with political party flags, PA to PA of Minister etc etc being seen on the roads, till I ran into these two beauties in ITC Kakatiya's parking. These guys were miles ahead of the rest!




We left the next day after the hotel breakfast & the Hyderabad sojourn was over. The city with its jazzy expressways & flyovers impressed me much & I hope that there is a longer association in the offing down the road.

[abhishek_hch]

The Not so good

Each drive on Indian highways leaves one with mixed feelings - the callousness and disregard for safety leaves one concerned. Something similar we observed on numerous instances during the trip - kids being driven around in laps in the front seat of cars going in speeds of 100 kmph & above, rampant wrong side driving, at two places saw sleeping infants being driven around on oil tanks of bikes. Hopefully, it will become better in the future.

I too committed a mistake. After some 100 KMs from Bangalore, I spotted a Creta who I felt was driving very well. Thought will follow it. In my quest to follow it, I forgot to pay the toll at Bagepalli Toll Plaza and simply drove through (repeated this mistake again once, guess when one used to bring out cash etc one used to be more ready).I stopped just in nick of time but had semi banged the barrier. I was a bit rattled by the incident and after a distance spotted guy who had stopped suddenly for a speed breaker a bit late. Almost stood on the brake and escaped hitting him by barely a few inches. Also, ran into a few stupid drivers too who took sudden turns, appeared in front when everyone else was waiting but I guess a lot of this is a part and parcel of driving on Indian Highways.

Fuel & Cost

The car gave a fuel efficiency of 19.8 kmpl over the trip. The total fuel cost was Rs. 10,500 approx.

These were the major cost heads-
Fuel - Rs. 10,500
Tolls - Rs. 2,700
Hyderabad Stays - Rs. 7,200
Tadoba Stay - Rs. 12,400
Safaris - Rs. 24,000
Food - Rs. 9,000
Miscellaneous - Rs. 2,000

[abhishek_hch]

The Finale

We were back home after 7 days, having clocked 2366 KMs on the Odo.



We were tired, drained but also deliriously happy. The 7 days and 2366 KMs had given us memories for a lifetime which we will always treasure.

[FlashMustang]

Nice travelogue with nice pictures and a great write-up!
You seem to have got some amazing tiger sightings!
Thank you for sharing your experience!

Between Pench and Tadoba, any recommendations for a first time safari visit, based on your experience?
Also, in terms of road conditions and driving experience, would like to hear your thoughts on the ease of driving and general road conditions to the two destinations.

Take care and have a wonderful day!

[abhishek_hch]

Originally Posted by FlashMustang

Between Pench and Tadoba, any recommendations for a first time safari visit, based on your experience?
Also, in terms of road conditions and driving experience, would like to hear your thoughts on the ease of driving and general road conditions to the two destinations.

Thanks FlashMustang. Personally, I reckon that both Tadoba and Pench are on equal footing, I was just lucky with sightings in Tadoba and not so lucky in Pench. But then Pench has the highest number of Tigers in the country, so it was just my luck I guess. Tadoba would be a wee bit economical both in terms of Safari & stay costs but not hugely, just marginally. If you want to stay in a luxurious resort then Pench is preferable, resorts around Moharli Gate were more functional I thought.

For Hyd-Pench, I have not seen the Karanji-Nagpur stretch, so can't comment on that. But the rest of the stretch is very good except for a patch near Mah-MP border which was in a bad shape with a diversion when I went there two years back. It may have improved now.

Hyd-Tadoba would be a very easy drive on the route I took with the cautions I have highlighted above. The road condition is excellent. Just try & finish the drive during day time - the last 10 KMs is a single lane road and oncoming traffic lights make it difficult to drive after sunset.

[FlashMustang]

Thank you so much for sharing your insights!
This was very helpful! Appreciate your thoughts and inputs!
A safari has been on our list of to-do trips for a few months now.
Hope to plan and execute such a trip hopefully sometime this year.
Take care and keep up your wonderful trips and travelogues!