I am Sahil, an eco-tour operator and a taxi service provider in central India. This time we chose Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve for exploring. This is my hometown where I was born and brought up, that’s why I am very close to nature and wildlife. Tala Zone is the most beautiful zone of Bandhavgarh. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out there for 7 Oct 2023. so I decided to go to the Khitauli zone Because there are good sightings of tigers there too. As most of you don’t know, in Bandhavgarh there are 6 zones, 3 core zones – tala, magadhi, and Khitauli, and 3 buffer zones – dhamokhar, johila, and panpatha.
7 Oct 2023 – Our journey starts at 4 AM, I and my 3 friends leave for Bandhavgarh, with the hope and expectation that Today we got a wonderful sight of the tiger. By the way, the journey from Umaria to Bandhavgarh is only 32 km, but the forest starts from Dhamokhar. In which the speed limit of the vehicle is 30 to 40 km/hr. We kept gazing outside from the side of the car, hoping that with any luck we would see a tiger on the way. We reached Tala village by around 5 am. But there was still some time left for the ticket counter to open, so we had some chit-chat in a tea shop. We last checked our gadgets to see if they were running properly. 5:30 AM We reached the ticket counter, our safari was in the canter, for which we had to wait for a while. And let me tell you one thing you will have to pay the amount of gypsy and guide in cash. Gypsy Union does not accept UPI/net banking. You all try to be the first to enter the gate. Because if your gypsy goes first then chances of seeing a tiger will be more. Safari starts at 6 am, but its timing varies according to the session.
Our safari was in the Khitauli zone, which is also called zone number 3. After verification at the gate, it is time to start Safari. Near the gate is the Bhadarshila area, which is the territory of a Raa female Tigress, with whom her two cubs also live. Now you might be thinking what kind of name is this? First of all, I tell you the rules of naming tiger. The name of the tiger is given according to the place where they were born, according to the print they had on their forehead, or according to their behavior. So Devanagari script Raa is written on the forehead of the tigress.
Our canter guide thought of checking the alarm call for about 5 minutes. When my eyes fell on a marabou stork it seemed that it was searching for its food. and capture a good photograph. No alarm call came, so we thought of going forward. As we walked further for some 10-15 minutes, we saw many fresh pugmarks of female tigress. But they went ahead and went into the bushes. The forests of Bandhavgarh are 70% filled with sal and bamboo trees. The forests of Bandhavgarh are 70% filled with sal and bamboo trees. That’s why when the tiger goes inside the forest, they cannot see well. Then we started examining the entire jungle carefully. Around we were in pure jungle and did not even get any alarm call. But in these hours I saw giant wood spider, Indian roller, marabou stork, jackal, deers, sambhar,……
Our guide and driver then thought of stopping in the area of the Chota Bheem Tiger. Chota Bheem is a bold tiger who rules the Khitauli zone. Most of the time he saw near a cave, so why did we go there? What did we check, or what was not even enough? For 15 minutes we listened to the alarm call and tried everything but got no results. As the sun was rising, people’s faces were turning pale. Then a phone call came to the driver. He just said, “Naale Mei Baghwa dikh rha hai “. The driver drove the gypsy at full speed. We started seeing many gypsies from a distance. We all were thrilled. And then there was a huge female tigress sitting on the ground, looking at the people. She was the Tara tigress, who is the pride of Bandhavgarh. Everyone took out their cameras and started taking photos. You must have heard this saying that the fruits of patience are always sweet. Whatever happened to us? Then two sub-adults come out of the bushes and start having fun with Tara. This moment cannot be described in words. We watched the tigers for about 30 minutes. Sometimes he would go to the drain while playing with wood. Then after some time, he went into the bushes.
Everyone’s happiness was unbearable. Then we went directly to the center point to have breakfast. Took pictures with some friends and ate Maggi, drank hot chai. Most people go to tiger reserves only to see the tiger, only the sight of the tiger remains in their mind. By doing this one cannot see the beautiful forest and other animals. I also saw the same thing in my canter. what did you mean by bird or what other species did you mean? After exploring the forest and jungle for a bit, we headed towards the exit gate. There were about 100 meters left to go when we saw some gypsies there. And where there are gypsies, there are tigers. Raa female two sub-adult cubs, sitting in dense green bushes. The heads of those cubs were visible. This safari is one of the most memorable safaris for me.
Because this jungle safari is unexpected. No matter how much you try to chase the tiger, you still fail, and sometimes it is found without any trace. May the luck factor come. There is a saying “In any other park, you are lucky if you see a tiger. In Bandhavgarh, you are unlucky if you don’t see at least one.”
After doing this recreational or romantic safari, I took my friend to MPT White Tiger Forest Lodge. Where Raju bhaiya or Yadav uncle served us well. We enjoyed ourselves in the swimming pool. At lunchtime, had a delicious lunch in the buffet. Around 4 pm, we left for Umaria. This was my first safari of the new session, in which I saw 5 tigers. And some other birds and animals too. If you also want to travel like this, then Sahil Tours and Travels welcomes you wholeheartedly.
