[kaushik_s]

Awesome, can I be part of such a trip of your sometime? I really would love to have this experience.

[HappyWheels]

Guess you got your profile ready for Nat.Geo!

Great one ADC! Mind blowing photos! Especially the risky one, appreciate your spirit.

[getsurya]

ADC, Nice report with great pics. You could do away with film direction!!

[jaysmokesleaves]

Amazing stuff adc. And truly motivating.
Hopefully I too shall post a travelogue from the same place and others in and around Orissa.. sometime soon.
Thanks for sharing. I now have some clue of where I will be headed.
cheers:

[biswajit]

Anirban,
If you can post a route map of this trip, it'll be fantastic. It'll be helpful to the people wanted to experiance your experience!!

-Biswajit

[crn12]

Amazing travelogue, with very good narration coupled with great pics, its just making me get off from my work and go out for a real long drive..
Very unfortunate we haven't yet figured out a place like that in KA..or I dont know!!

[ram.west]

ADC!!!!! No words to explain!!!!!! As i've told you earlier , you should be an explorer mate!!!!!! And keep up the good Job!!! Because you will be a living guide for all us to further explore on what Mother Earth has offered us!!!!!!


3 Cheers for ADC!!!!cheers:

[mmmjgm]

Awesome travelogue ADC, truely awesome, words wont' do justice to describe your experience as narrated here.

Great one ! way to go

regards

M M

[saleem_k]

Absolutely wonderful travelogue and awesome pics.cheers: This is a perfectly wild travelogue. Sir, I must say you not only had the passion to do this trip but also the guts to travel in remote places, at night, with your family. The pics that you have uploaded are probably of those places, which many of us have never heard or even seen in pics before. I really loved the wildness that is evident in almost every pic. Hats off to you!

[gowda79]

ADC No words to explain the way you are using your Safari 2.2 VTT - TMT to make your own roads for reclaiming you life.

Keep doing more and more trips to the remote places in India, please do take care of your TMT to keep it in good condition.

Hope the tyres are in good conditions as Safari - 2.2 VTT come with tubeless i think do have a check on your tyres as you have travelled to places where there are no roads and it would have been hurt a lot.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Cheetah? Are you sure? That may be a Leopard, cause afaik Cheetah's no longer exists in India .
But whatever it is, a travelogue and what an experience you are having with your tryst with the jungles.

Slightly off topic but can't help mention that today's Hindustan Times, Calcutta edition has a story on efforts to revive the lost Indian cheetah through genetic engineering and with help from Iran where the Asiatic cheetah is still found (in very small number though).
The story says that if at all it happens the surrogate mother will be a leopard !!

[adc]

Gosh, these are some over the top congratulatory messages - of course just makes the pleasure of sharing infinitely better. Thanks much

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

@adc--can you post the map showing these places and route.

Originally Posted by biswajit

Anirban,
If you can post a route map of this trip, it'll be fantastic. It'll be helpful to the people wanted to experiance your experience!!

-Biswajit

For going to Sunabeda if you come from South, you have to come to Bhawanipatna and then proceed along NH217 to Nuapada.

Will be putting up a detailed road map with phone numbers in a couple of days.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

I now have some clue of where I will be headed.

You have something planned around late March/early April?.

Originally Posted by gowda79

Hope the tyres are in good conditions as Safari - 2.2 VTT come with tubeless i think do have a check on your tyres as you have travelled to places where there are no roads and it would have been hurt a lot.

LX 2.2 first batch vehicles were tubed and I do have collateral damage as I saw after coming, a few hairline cracks on the left front tire and a very superficial gash on the sidewall of the left rear. Also have to have the alignment checked definitely after what it has gone through. Occasional glass rattle when half down on the left front door and occasional squeakin from the spare wheel rear door.

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Slightly off topic but can't help mention that today's Hindustan Times, Calcutta edition has a story on efforts to revive the lost Indian cheetah through genetic engineering and with help from Iran where the Asiatic cheetah is still found (in very small number though).
The story says that if at all it happens the surrogate mother will be a leopard !!

Yes saw this news today, but they have been planning since year 2000 as per this bbc report. This also just may remain as news as has been for the last 8 years.

BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | India to clone cheetah

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by adc

LX 2.2 first batch vehicles were tubed and I do have collateral damage as I saw after coming, a few hairline cracks on the left front tire and a very superficial gash on the sidewall of the left rear. Also have to have the alignment checked definitely after what it has gone through.

Time to change the tyres & tube i guess and not to take a chance on the kind of roads you drive with these tyres and tubes.

Try to go for the tubeless if you are planning to change it.

Originally Posted by adc

Occasional glass rattle when half down on the left front door and occasional squeakin from the spare wheel rear door.

These are common niggles which can be sorted but will crop back within few days.

Suggestion - If you are travelling with less people, then why don't you take the spare wheel out and put it in the boot, by this the rattling will not be there and while making roads (almost you travel where there is no roads)you can concentrate more on the terrain instead of the squeaking sound of the rear door.

[adc]

Originally Posted by gowda79

Time to change the tyres & tube i guess and not to take a chance on the kind of roads you drive with these tyres and tubes.

Try to go for the tubeless if you are planning to change it.

Yes tubeless is what coming next but that at 25k km it would still be early change, looking to change before the Ladakh trip. Also, very low on extra cash after all the travel and EMIs.

Suggestion - If you are travelling with less people, then why don't you take the spare wheel out and put it in the boot, by this the rattling will not be there and while making roads (almost you travel where there is no roads)you can concentrate more on the terrain instead of the squeaking sound of the rear door.

The rattling of the left front window came up once after the N Bengal trip around a year back and was rectified in the first service and now it has come up again, but only if the glass is half down.

With a small child on travel, the number luggage and all increases a lot and as such the rear is always full whether it be a 5 day or 15 day travel, and the rear seat is also fully occupied as for him it becomes the bed during the night journeys. The rear door squeaking is very occasonal.

Both of these should be very easily be fixed on the next workshop visit for the alignment.

The other thing that happened for the second time is that the fuel cover is opening by itself on bad roads, looks like a solenoid change or will tell them to change the whole assembly.

[adc]

For Debrigarh: Debrigarh Sanctuary is pretty easy. Burla is the closest town, it is a educational town, and Sambalpur is what you can base yourself at. Burla is off the NH6 just after Sambalpur if coming
from Kolkata side or if from the NH42 side. Sambalpur traffic while coming from NH42 can be bypassed while going by the ring road.

If you want to stay inside Debrigarh Forest, then there are the Barakhandia cottages around 4.5 km from Dhodrokusum the entry gate of Debrigarh. Sedans and cars are okay at Debrigarh.

For booking those cottages call:
Hirakud Wildlife Division
At: Motiharan
Po/Dist :Sambalpur Pin 768001, ////////Phone/Fax: 0663-2548743

For Sunabeda Forests:
Sunabeda, Nuapada, D.F.O. (WL), Phone/Fax: (06678) 223372

Before entering the forests one needs to collect entry papers from the Forest office at Nuapada, it just opposite the Stadium and a board is there indicating the way from the main road.

Do have a chat with Mr Rehman, ACF, at Nuapada Forest office. He was most welcoming and showed us the different works that are being taken up at Sunabeda to make it more accessible. A wonderful person who makes the journey so much refreshing.

Sunabeda is the remote one, roads are just being made inside the forest, though the villages inside are connected through forest roads, but this is complete SUV/Jeep territory, you have to climb hills and go through dusty rocky roads to go to the Sunabeda forest village rest houses for 1-1.5 hours from Nuapada town and then to go to the different areas from the base you need ground clearence and lots of it.

Going to Nuapada, if coming from South of India, come to Bhawanipatna and then get on to the single carraige NH217. Those coming from Raipur side, Nh6, can take the NH217 and come to Nuapada. As mentioned those coming from the East, Sambalpur/Calcutta side, take the left turn from Sohela [near Orissa/chattisgarh border] on NH6, and go straight down the Orissa SH3 to Nuapada via Padampur and Paikmal.

After collecting the papers from the Forest Office, before entering go to Maraguda water tank as it best that way. While going ask for these village name, Kanabhaira[off NH217]-Kormili-Maraguda.

After seeing Maraguda, get up on the SH3 and entry to the first gate at Cherichuan can be done both at Tarbod or Jaramunda [both off NH217]. Just follow the single village road or if in doubt ask any village about Cherichuan and you will be guided most suitably.

For fuel, I filled up twice from the fuel pump on NH217, just outskirts of Nuapada town, towards Sunabeda, while coming out from the Nuapada Forest Office. No problem with fuel, normal diesel out here.

PS: NH217 is wrongly named as NH201 on mapmyindia website, otherwise it does show the village Thongo's name and Tarbod is named as Tarabod. Also Sunabeda is very much confused with Sunabeda of Koraput district.