Keoladeo national park - man made hot spot

Formerly known as Bharatpur National Park this bird sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located near Agra in north India. Interestingly there are three other UNESCO World Heritage Sites within fifty kilometers of this place. For people interested in history, nature, birding and photography all four can be comfortably managed in a weekend getaway from Delhi.

In spite of its global stature this national park has a uniquely Indian character. Instead of a 4x4 vehicle you travel in a cycle rickshaw. There is no engine noise which means you add another dimension to your wildlife experience. Secondly you slow down to an almost walking pace and city dwellers like me will find this very relaxing. The rickshaw drivers are well trained and can engage in informed conversations in an endearingly rustic manner.

While most tourists visit during the period when migratory birds arrive, one can see many resident species at other times of the year. However it is not a good idea to visit during the summer and monsoon seasons. Early mornings and evenings are best as many species find the midday sun too harsh. It is a good idea to carry a good pair of binoculars. While most species are almost oblivious to human presence others are very shy and will take flight at the slightest perception of danger and usually maintain a safe distance. For photographers a long lens with wide aperture is recommended for pictures with good background blur and high shutter speed, especially in low light conditions. A monopod will not only reduce camera shake but will also mean less strain for your neck and forearms.

Keoladeo is a man-made bird sanctuary with a fragile ecosystem anchored around its water management system. But what makes this place special is that it is a hot spot in the annual migratory flight paths of birds that stretch for thousands of miles over the surface of the planet. It may be tempting to think that man is able to master the mysteries of nature. But the more deeply we attempt to understand nature the more we are humbled by its myriad intricacies.

Rajaji national park - unspoiled

If you are planning a last minute jungle safari in one of the national parks in India, I would recommend Rajaji National Park near Haridwar.

I visited the Chilla range last winter. On the first morning we started early and were one of the first vehicles to enter the park. We were hoping to get in before the animals retreated  deeper into the jungle. It was a foggy December morning and visibility was only upto about fifty meters. We were suddenly face to face with an adult elephant who had clearly not seen us coming and was as startled as we were. With one defeaning trumpet it vanished into the mist. This hapenned so fast that although I had my camera ready, I had time to take only one shot.

As the sun rose, the day got warmer and the fog cleared. Since most of the track is on a dried up river bed, visibility was excellent for hundreds of meters, truly a photographer's paradise. One could appreciate the beauty of nature on a gigantic scale as a number of different species went about their daily business.

I asked the driver to stop the vehicle and shut down the engine. The animals started ignoring us after sometime and we began to spot a large number of smaller birds and animals for the first time. Their were tiny fish in the water and I watched a kingfisher dive for fish and a woodpecker tap on a tree trunk.

We spotted another solitary elephant later in the afternoon . We tried to take a good position near a stream where we hoped it would stop for a drink. But it stopped at the edge of the forest when it saw us. We waited for quite some time but it was clearly more patient than we were and soon we had to leave as the park was about to close for the day.

Rajaji is famous for wild elephants while tigers are the main draw for tourists in the other more famous national parks. Consequently, this place is still relatively unspoiled and if you can enjoy a wildlife safari without being obsessed by the tiger, Rajaji is definitely the place for you.

Bandhavgarh national park - paradise on earth

If you want to see a tiger in the wild, one of the best places to go to is Bandhavgarh National Park in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. If you have been watching wildlife channels and think you know what to expect, you will realize how difficult it is to actually see anything at all in the thick Indian jungle. Tigers are particularly difficult to spot because of their secretive nature and low numbers. During an earlier trip to Corbett National Park I was able to get a fleeting glimpse of a tiger after trying for three days.

 Experts say that the chances of spotting the tiger is highest just before the monsoons when visibility through the dry undergrowth is best and the wildlife tend to crowd near the few remaining water holes. I was visiting during winter and was a little apprehensive about my chances. On the first day of safari, I started chatting with the driver and spotter to get a feel of what every day life was like in the nearby villages. A woman had been killed by a female tiger the night before as she was returning home after sunset. The villagers were unable to retrieve her body because the tigress and her two cubs were still guarding their kill. Elephants had been despatched to scare them away and that was why there were no elephant rides available in the park.

 As we drove along the track following pug marks made earlier in the morning, we came across what looked like an abandoned village. I was told that this village has been reclaimed into the park recently and the villagers have been resettled somewhere else. It was nice to know that the wildlife was fighting back and actually winning! We drove to Bandhavgarh hill at the base of which lies the famous 10th century statue of lord Vishnu known as Shesh Chaya and trekked up the hill to the historic fort of Bandhavgarh. If you have a weak heart, this trek up the hill is not recommended, especially because it is right in the middle of tiger territory!

 After two days of safari and still no tiger sighting, I was under some pressure. One part of my mind was telling me to give up while the other part was expecting to see a tiger at each turn of the jungle track. On my last day, as we drove along, I noticed that we had not seen or crossed a single vehicle for quite some time. My driver told me that probably there has been a sighting and all the vehicles have stopped somewhere. We drove as fast as we could for about ten minutes and finally could see a long line of stationary vehicles with all the passengers looking in one direction. And sure enough, there were two tigers mock fighting each other in the distance. You can only get a true sense of their huge size when you see them in the wild. What also stuck me was that unlike any other species, tigers showed no fear of either humans or anything else as they are truly on top of the food chain. We were very lucky because this special show lasted for about twenty minutes and I had finally earned my bragging rights.

 Bandhavgarh is a paradise in the middle of the ocean of humanity that is India. This protected park is a true national treasure where wildlife and ancient history still survive. Make sure you visit this place at least once in your lifetime.