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.

Tattapani - gentle rolling hills

Last summer I drove to a place called Tattapani in Himachal Pradesh. Tattapani is located on the banks of the river Sutlej in the Indian Himalayas. It is a comfortable day trip from Shimla if you are driving with your family and want to come back to your hotel by sunset.

Tattapani is famous for river rafting and hot sulphur springs but there is a lot more to this place if you are not into that kind of sport. What I liked most about this trip was the scenic beauty as I drove along MDR 13 that connects this place to Shimla. MDR stands for Major District Road and these roads are typically narrower than state and national highways. If you like driving in the hills and own a four wheel drive vehicle, you will find MDRs more exciting than their bigger cousins. Not only is there a heightened sense of adventure, you will also feel closer to nature. In fact I specifically look for MDRs on Google Maps whenever I plan a trip in the mountains. Finding your way to Tattapani and back is very easy if your car has a satellite navigation system. I did not have to ask for directions even once.

This section of the Himalayas is very beautiful during the monsoons because of the fresh greenery covering the gentle rolling hills. The clean mountain air allows you to see clearly far off into the distance. Make sure you carry a wide angle lens with your DSLR if you own one and its a good idea to fix a CPL filter if you want to catch the details of the clouds against the blue background of the sky. Roll down the windows and switch off the AC as you drive along the winding roads. You can smell the fresh mountain air and listen to the many sounds of the forest. Make sure you are not in a hurry and take as many breaks as you want on the way.

I like photography, four wheel driving and trekking and am usually looking for destinations where I can pursue these interests. I would recommend this trip to anyone who shares the same passions and is also looking for a little adventure.