| Pench Jungle Safari
Entry to Pench jungle safari started from 1st Oct 2008. 2nd Oct being holiday, I thought of going there for the evening safari, started by 12 noon from Nagpur, it took almost 45 minutes to cross the Nagpur city limits, which is getting extended day by day, now Kampti and Kanhan both looks like part of Nagpur, few year back the distance between Nagpur, Kampti was 12km, but now it's not, it looks like once you cross the octroi post you are in kampti. Anyway being holiday the city traffic was tough to negotiate, once on highway the speed picked up and was comfortably cruising in range of 100-110, crossed Mansar, which is 42kms from Nagpur and after 10 kms from here you have Pench National park entrance in Maharashtra, this is one part of Jungle, which is mostly famous for Totladoa Dam, they do allow you to roam in jungle, but this is not the entrance of main Jungle, the Pench Jungle is divided in part because of Pench river and this side of Pench Jungle lies in Maharashtra, though the Jungle is quite good, but it mostly a buffer zone rather than core Jungle, stopped there to find out the timing and the guard there said 3.30PM, the time was 1.30PM, I decided to venture to main Jungle from MP side, the Maharashtra entrance is at 52 kms, this entrance is on National Highway.
The MP jungle detour is at 72 KM from Nagpur, it almost on the border, once you cross the border check post, you see the entrance sign board, the actual entrance is 14 kms from here, reached the Jungle gate by 2.15PM got the formalities done, paid Rs 680 for entrance and decided to take my own vehicle rather than choosing the open Gypsy[ the open Gypsy rent are Rs800, and it will go up as the season picks, this was the second day and 4th entry of the season]. I believe the best way to enjoy the Jungle is in open Gypsy, not in own vehicle, our vehicle has very less visibility than open vehicle and if you are driving the vehicle all your focus in on drive rather than on jungle. Next time would choose these Gypsy rather than own vehicle.
Jungle entry starts at 2.30 and you have to return back by 5.30, these timing changes based on the day lighting. I was the first one to enter the jungle, there is Taj Resort in Pench and they use Tata 4x4 sitting arrangement are custom made for Jungle, there was a group of foreigner in that vehicle, which I let them to pass me. Each and every one need to take the government appointed guides, and no one is allowed to get down from vehicle at any point in jungle.
We spent next 3 hours in jungle roaming around to see tiger and leopard but were not able to spot/sight any, the only time we came close was at one location there was a "sighting call" from animals mostly langurs, the guide told me,its must be a leopard within 10 meter from the vehicle, but we were not able to see, we spent good 15 minute there, but then decided to move on from there. It here you realize you need an open vehicle to freely move and allow the guide to really sight the thing early and get you in position. The only sighting for us was Sāmbhar, spotted dear, monkeys and Peacocks.
The only adventure for me was to drive Scorpio on jungle road, with some good some really tough terrains and some off road rock climbing, and the vehicle did performed well.
I plan to go back to this jungle soon for at least 2 entries to see tiger. Was back home by 8PM in Nagpur.
Enjoy few of the Jungle pictures below.
image 1,2,3: road toward jungle entrance
image 4: small water stream
image 5: Jungle road
image 6: The taj group open vehicle
image 7: Monkeys in Jungle
image 8: Jungle
image 9: spotted dear[you need to enlarge the image to see then ;-(]
image 10,11: jungle
image 12: lake and you can see lots of animal here
image 13: Grass on both side even higher than scorpio!
image 14: Off road with in jungle | 
3rd October 2008, 14:36
