时间：2022-06-03 08:43:23
It’s two in the afternoon and I am rushing to the nizamuddin railway station， weaving past the Delhi traffic chaos， to catch Gondwana Express， which will take me to Katni. I had never heard of Katni before yet I was excited. Not for Katni， of course， but a wild destination two hours from there， which seemed to have made a permanent home on my list of things to do before I die. The destination has earned the reputation of the park with the most tiger sightings， more than any other tiger reserve in the world. Yes， I am， finally， heading for Bandhavgarh national Park.
Earlier the hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Rewa， this is where Maharaja Raman singh himself shot a stupendous figure of 111 tigers by 1914. Spread across the Vindhya hills， the topography of the park is appealing. Predominantly covered with sal trees and vast stretches of grasslands， the centre of the Park has the Bandhavgarh hill， surrounded by lush sloping valleys.
After 15 hours on the train and two hours on the road from Katni， I finally reach Kings Lodge. I am greeted by Erwin & Marieke from Holland who manage the property owned by Pugdundee safaries. Spread on a 12-acre estate， the lodge is just ten minutes from the tala gate in Bandhavgarh national Park. It has ten cottages， eight ‘stilt cottages’， ayurvedic massage centre and a nature library， which is well stocked with wildlife books. The cottages offer views of the expansive wild grasslands with forested hills forming the backdrop. The lodge’s architecture style is harmonious with the local mud houses.
After repeated failure of sighting a tiger at Corbett， I am optimistic that Bandhavgarh would not let me down. After a brief rest I am prepared for the drive into the forest. A resident naturalist and a forest guide accompany me， as we enter in a 4x4 open jeep from tala and already spot herds of spotted dears， sambars， wild boars and langurs. Parakeets， white browed fantails， white bellied drangos were busy going about their daily routine. There is no trace of the tiger yet， only some old pugmarks along the road. Sighting a tiger is a big thing for me， it’s like mission
Accomplished. But by looking at fellow travellers’ faces I could guess they are still unsuccessful. It began to dishearten me but soon I see a signboard flashing a picture of the tiger that read， “don’t worry if you have not seen me， I have seen you”. Most of the visitors at the park come to see the tiger but， in this obsession， miss the rest of the wild beauty waiting for attention.
Back at the lodge with some feeling of disappointment and a drink （non-alcoholic） in hand， I sit by the fireplace with other guests from all parts of the world， chatting about a wide range of subjects. Some of them spotted the tiger from the other entry gate. A Nagpur couple share their experiences of jungle expeditions and the benefits of the early morning safari. The couple is so enthusiastic about wildlife that they frequent the park， pulled by the magic of Bandhavgarh.
Taking a tip from them， next day I wake up for an early morning safari， to have another stint with wildlife， with the hope to sight the most sought after beast of the jungle. Some minutes into the safari we hear a loud echo-alarm and the driver speeds up to follow the sound. The naturalist informs me that the alarm call could be a signal of tiger movement. The road turns and the majestic fearless striped creature becomes visible few meters ahead of us， walking on the roadside， not bothered of our presence. Just strolling slowly， marking its terrain， it soon disappears in the bushes. We are silent， absolutely still， stunned by witnessing the creature. A wild boar senses the threat and runs for its life. The naturalist tells me that the tigress is not hungry， otherwise the wild boar would have seen its end.
My next stop is Kanha Earth Lodge， 240 km from Bandhavgarh. Adjoining the Kanha National Park buffer zone， the lodge is spread in a forested area of 16 acres in a small tribal hamlet， close enough for easy access to the park yet away from the touristy hustle and bustle. The Gond tribal villages on the outskirts of Kanha have their imprints on the lodge’s architecture. The lodge has 12 bungalows spread out over the area， the open verandahs overlooking wide grasslands. A pool set between mahua trees has its edges merging with the forest…
Karan， naturalist and animal lover， who manages the lodge， advocates educating local villagers in the significance of the surrounding wildlife and the ways it can benefit their livelihood through tourism. Poaching can only stop with locals help， he tells me. Programmes like Save the Tiger are helping in bringing awareness among locals and tourists alike， but there is still much to be done.
At the dinner table， I am inevitably part of a discussion about challenges of living in India. Three Gujarati NRI couples join me on a long debate on everything—politics， corruption， the cricket world cup. Food is wholesome， all the dishes served， dal， jeera-aalu， baingan， are delicious and fresh. Even the regular khichri is great.
Next day I am up before sunrise， prepared for yet another expedition into the jungle. Kanha National Park’s spectacular sal and bamboo forest， rolling grasslands and vast streams make the landscape picturesque. Besides the tiger， the park is also home to the rare barasingha， leopard， sloth bear， and over 200 bird species. We soon approach a point where over 40 jeeps are lined up， and visitors are standing on seats， crazily staring at one side of the jungle. We merge with this collection of jeeps and become part of the search. Suddenly， someone shouts “Look！ Look！” and all the heads turned to the direction he was pointing.
A mahout on elephant’s back is tracking two tigers， desperately trying to stay close to them but failing miserably. It seems the tiger wants to mate， but the tigress is uninterested and runs away， followed by tiger， and then the mahout. Pilot elephants do tiger tracking every morning to prepare for a ‘tiger show’， where visitors can leave the jeep and get on the elephants to see the tiger from up close. I feel， though， that this show should be stopped or reduced， as it interferes with the natural movements of the tiger.
Still， with a feeling of fulfilment we drive on， while many jeeps returned to the exit gates， after a successful sighting. Herds of barasinghas come into sight， strolling in open grasslands in their natural habitat. There is much more to wildlife than the tiger. A visit to Bandhavgarh and Kanha has taught me this， and much more.
At A Glance
Getting There
Nearest airport is Jabalpur， well connected with major cities. From here bandhavgarh is 190 km， and Kanha is 170 km.
When To Go
November to april； the parks remain closed from beginning July to end October.
Must Do
Stay
Bandhavgarh： Kings Lodge， www.kingslodge.in
Kanha： Kanha Earth Lodge， For bookings at both： call 098102 53436； Cost： 10，000 per night including all meals.
Affordable： bandhavgarh： White Tiger Forest Lodge； tel： （07627） 265 366； Cost： 3，990 per night.
Kanha： baghira Log huts， Kisli； tel： （07649） 277 227； Cost： 4，890 per night.
Good To Know
Morning safari： 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.； evening： 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.； entry is only after sunrise and exit before sunset， so timing changes with the season. Your hotel will arrange a safari.