Tigers Tours in india

Tiger is the symbol of strength, royalty and beauty. It is the national animal of India. Tigers are the world’s famous iconic creatures, well known for their might and majesty. The main question which comes in our mind while contemplating the Tiger Tours is:

Would there be any sightings for me? The answer is yes, there would be if you are going for the right location where sightings would be several. Majority of the Tigers are available In India’s best reserves.

Tigers are very rare on a global scale, but in India, they have a good population. If you always follow the news of preservation efforts, then surely you would have the knowledge about where to go to see the tigers. One of the best destinations for tiger sightings is Madhya Pradesh

Introducing Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is also called “Heart of India” due to its central location. It is beautiful state which is fully rich in splendour and natural resources. It also contains plentiful green space with 95,000 square kilometres covered by green forest. The state has 12% of India’s forests which cover 30% of the state’s area. These have different type of forest which includes Subtropical Hill Forest and Tropical Moist Tropical Dry, with various types of plant species and tree including bamboo and teak. Madhya Pradesh is a perfect place of immense beauty and variety. This place is home to nine national parks and several reserves which include Pench and Kancha, are the two most renowned wildlife watching locations.

Pench National Park

Pench is famous in history and literature, and considered to be the best place for tiger lovers to explore the beauty of tigers. It is situated on the southern border of the state and contains the river pench and covers 758 square kilometres. You can find wildlife, which can be sighted here including Tigers, Wild Boars, Langurs and Leopards.

Kanha National Park

Kanha is also home to tigers and contains lakes and pools and offers fascinating species such as Jackals, Swamp Deer and wild cats. It is one of the famous Madhya Pradesh Treasures which you must consider while coming for the tiger tours here.

Interested in a wildlife Safari around the Indian subcontinent? Asian Adventures covers all locations worth visiting all around India, Nepal Bhutan and Sri lanka.

Pench Tiger Reserve: The real Jungle Book

Being an avid wildlife photographer and a childhood fan of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, I always raved about capturing the legendary Sher Khan in my lens. I distinctly remember the summer of 2015 when my friends and I set out on a thrilling journey to unfold the Pench National Park.
Nestled in the vast expanse of Satpura range, the dry deciduous forest of Pench National Park has given us abundant opportunities to photograph the unique wildlife thriving in the region.

Sher Khan of Pench

Jungle Cat

Porcupine

Sloth Bear

Leopard

Painted Francolin

Striped hyena

Greater Coucal

Pench National Park: The Tiger Trail

Pench National Park, the setting of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, spreads into Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. The park encompasses an area of 758 sq km, out of which 299 sq km is the core area. It gets its name from the Pench River that divides the park into two nearly equal eastern and western halves. The much sought after Royal Bengal Tiger makes its dwelling here which gives this park a distinguished status.

Picture Courtesy Siddharth Gogoi 

The park was declared a Tiger reserve in 1992 and the population of Tigers is growing ever since. As per the latest census, there are 40 tigers in the park, owing to the birth of six cubs last year. This has reportedly increased the number of Tiger sightings within the park. 

 

Picture Courtesy Siddharth Gogoi 

That still doesn’t mean that Tiger sightings are a common occurrence. Tigers are very reclusive animals and roam about in fairly large territories, which is why they are very difficult to track. However, if your guide knows his job well, your chances of spotting a Tiger can be greatly increased. Besides Tigers, Pench National Park also houses many other rare and interesting animal species such as the Indian Leopard, Sloth Bear, Indian Wolf, Wild Dog, Porcupine, Monkey, Jungle Cat, Fox, Striped Hyena, Gaur, Four-horned Antelope and Barking Deer. The park is also a dwelling ground for more than 280 species of resident and migratory birds which makes it an important birding hotspot.

Picture Courtesy Vannraj Resort Pench

Located on the boundary of Pench National Park is the Vannraj Resorts. It is a luxury safari lodge set within a dense dry deciduous forest. Equipped with all the necessary amenities, the lodge reflects regional culture, comfort, and cuisine. The luxury offered in the middle of wilderness leaves one spellbound. There are three sorts of room in the lodge to serve three different needs.

Those who want to experience the traditional architecture, culture, and lifestyle can stay at Vannraj’s Traditional Cottages. Those who want to enjoy wildlife in world-class luxury can opt for the Vannraj Villa, and those who want to experience nature first hand can stay at the specially designed Machaan Rooms.

Vannraj Resorts also has a swimming pool and an in-built library for bookworms.

Pure, untainted food is guaranteed at Vannraj since all the produce comes from the kitchen garden. Also, the menus are customizable and you can craft a meal suited to your taste be it regional delicacies or western cuisine.

Picture Courtesy Vannraj Resort Pench 

Besides food and luxury, you can also enjoy a plethora of activities at the park such as Wildlife Safaris, Photography, Jungle Walks, Stargazing, Village visits and Culinary workshops to name a few. Of all the places in central India, Pench National Park is a must visit a location, and if you’re looking to make your trip even more memorable you wouldn’t find a better place than Vannraj Resorts.

My Holiday Experience at Pench Tiger Reserve

I had only imagined staying in Jungles whenever I watched some movie related to wildlife or jungle experience. But when I did it in real at Pench Tiger Reserve, believe me, the experience was far more thrilling than I imagined. I am not someone who is very much attracted to animals and wants to experience the wildlife very closely, but tigers and leopards are the two big cats which I wanted to see in their full glory ever since I could remember. This was my desire that brought me here at Pench Tiger reserve and I was fortunate to spot a tiger here.

The Travel- We were six friends in total, two guys, and four girls and we took a flight from Delhi and reached the Madhya Pradesh airport in two and a half hour.

Our Stay- We had done a prior booking of the Vannraaj resort which had lovely rooms, a dining hall, a kitchen, and washrooms attached to each of the bedrooms. It had a lawn as well. I cannot tell the exact location of this resort but I can definitely say it was really close to the jungle. Each room had big windows which offered us the spectacular views. We did a lot of photography from the lawns of our very resort. The cleanliness of the resort transcended our expectation and same was the case with the food. We expected a good food and clean rooms but the authorities there offered us the best.

Visiting Wildlife- We booked four safaris as we have been advised to book as many safaris as we could because it increases the chance to spot the royal cat. On the same day, we reached the resort and after freshening up we went on our first safari but were unable to spot the royal cat. But we did other activities which kept us entertained. We spotted elephants, deer and did a little bit of bird watching.

 It was the second day that we were able to see the glimpse of the leopard but that experience did not quench our thirst. By the third day, we were experienced and practiced of keeping our mouth close and stay quiet. This was the advice of our guide and we remained as silent as we could whenever we heard any movement in the bushes. But sadly, our third day at the safari went blank.

We were curious and were impatient to see the tiger on the fourth day but the tranquility of the jungle seemed in the opposite mode. But as it was destined, luck fell upon us and we did manage to see the two hefty tigers with four cubs. We even took the pictures as they crossed our paths. It felt like some of our ‘mission’ has been accomplished and we went to our city being ecstatic.

Even if you are not a fan of jungle safari, try it. You will automatically develop interest. This is my personal experience.

 Picture Courtesy- Siddharta Gogoi