Kanha The Enchanting Tiger Haven
Planned 3 months in advance, booked Club Mahindra (Kanha) along with 6 safaris from the Khatia gate. Everything was set as per plan and we reached Kanha on 2nd of November 2015 from Nagpur, with Juhili and both the kids super excited as is always the case. Kanha has 4 zones ( Kanha, Kisli, Sarhi and Mukki ). We had booked 3 rides in Kanha, 2 in Sarhi and 1 in Kisli. We decided to take the 7th one on the spot for Kanha as a last ride since we had time on our hand.
Our first ride was planned in the picturesque Kanha Zone, the zone is blessed with scenic meadows that usually attract scores of herbivores and watching a Royal Bengal Tiger in this picturesque setting is truly an experience of a lifetime! In the very first ride itself we realized why the Kanha meadows are a prized territory when we got a glimpse of Neelam the female tigress who rules over the vast Kanha meadows. We got an opportunity to see her again after a while when she was possibly looking for her cubs, though from quite a long distance. Though we had lady luck on our side, we were not really satisfied. Over the years I have realized that no matter how many times you might have seen the Tiger, you are never satisfied to the hilt! Such is the magic of these majestic beasts that you are bewitched forever! Kanha is a beautiful forest consisting of towering Sal trees, dense Bamboos, and vast Meadows. Considering the parks expanse, I have to say it is one of the finest managed parks in India. With a dense foliage and loads of waterbodies it is the perfect habitat for the Royal Bengal Tigers. Kaha has a lot to offer for birding enthusiasts as well, one can get to see and photograph a wide variety of avifauna in the park.
In the afternoon safari on the 3rd of November 2015, our second safari at Kanha, we ventured into the Sarhi zone. Sarhi is comparatively less frequented by tourists, at least that is what I was told. I had booked our safari at the Sarhi Zone out of ignorance but later it turned out to be the best decision! I must say our gypsy driver was more enthusiastic than our guide in showing us different trees and explaining everything about the enchanting forests of Kanha. Almost an hour into the ride he suddenly stopped at one turn and said he heard a Sambhar alarm call. If I remember correctly, we were on Karaighati road. I saw another Gypsy standing on next turn around 300 meters ahead of us. Couple more gypsies came from behind and placed themselves at appropriate distance and were looking around for any sign of movement that could signal us about the carnivore’s presence. I always enjoy this moment of tracking the Tiger in the wild, every anxious minute spent feels like an hour gone by.
Suddenly the gypsy that stood ahead right on the next turn bolted forward in a rush, and our driver followed suggesting that they might have got a glimpse of the feline. As I looked in the direction the people in the next Gypsy were actually pointing and looking at their right. Those with the cameras were pointing their lenses towards the right which confirmed the presence of the Tiger. As we moved ahead and reached the spot, we saw a huge tiger walking in the dense forest around 50 feet inside the lush forest undergrowth. Our guide announced that it was a male Tiger considering its enormous size. Since the forest was dense, we could hardly photograph the Tiger and the big cat started moving deep inside until it disappeared. All of us were excited to see the Tiger in the best of his natural habitats. But our resolute driver had not given up, he had a hunch that the Tiger will come out as he is marking the territory and insisted on waiting some distance behind. We were pleased with the guy's string will... strong will and decided to stay and a few moments later we again heard a sambhar alarm call. On the very next moment we again saw the big cat walking inside the dense forest. We stay put and the huge Tiger gradually started moving towards the road, waiting for vehicles to clear his path. The Tiger came out of the forest some 25 feet behind us. He started sniffing the tree and was showing the Flehmen Response (trying to determine presence of another tiger in his territory). He waited near the tree for good 5 mins, gave us a cold gaze and started walking on the road in the opposite direction from where our vehicle stood. There was only one gypsy between us and the Tiger. We kept reversing our gypsy behind the Tiger for almost half a kilometre, maintaining a safe distance of about 50 feet. The Tiger kept spray marking the trees on his path of approach before disappearing again inside the dense forest near a small stream of water. This is when the driver announced that what we were considering for the whole time as a male was actually a female! It was understandable that the driver got confused due to the felines sheer huge size.
The driver turned the gypsy and went a little ahead and insisted again that the tiger will come out again, I was truly impressed by his dedication, knowledge, and intuition! He positioned the gypsy perfectly and out came the Tiger from very close quarters! Nothing stood between us and the Tiger now and the big cat started walking behind us at a distance of 15 feet. This was a dream come true moment for all of us. We kept on photographing and filming. Two gypsies stood ahead of us and 2 gypsies behind the Tiger. It kept sniffing, marking, walking at good pace sometimes coming very close to our gypsy which was a tad bit scary. The kids were super excited, and we were absolutely speechless! Believe me the Tiger kept walking on the road exactly behind our gypsy for almost 45 minutes. Truly magical! She decided to go inside the forest finally, after we had enough of the sighting. It felt as if it was a special walk destined for us. We kept thanking the driver till the end of safari, without his efforts such a sighting would have not been possible. Later Min Ha, who is considered as an expert on Kanha tigers confirmed that she was Budbudi female. Apart from the Tiger we sighted Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Sambhar, a herd of Gaurs, Jackals, Wild Dogs and lots of different birds. All the sighting we experienced were from close quarters. Kanha was truly a special trip and a one that I will cherish for long! This was from the early part of my wildlife sojourns and still remains to be quite special!