My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
“Will we
see a tiger?” was the first question Samhith asked, when I told him we were
going to the Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh. “No”, I replied. “We
might not see a tiger, and in fact, we aren’t looking for one. We are going to
see the forest, and experience what this particular one is like.” It was quite
a lecture, and I don’t think he really got it, but he did come along, I am
sure, hoping secretly that we would indeed see one! Well, to cut a long story
short, the tiger stayed well hidden, but the forest left us with enough
memories to last a while… Let me share with you, some special moments…
Colour changing lake
On our
first jaunt into the forest early in the morning, we came to this lake, covered
with algae, the rising sun turning the surface a rusty shade, which made for
some wonderful photos…
We came
across the same lake on our evening safari. And, what a change there was! the
rust was now a bright green, glinting in the setting sun!
There is
apparently a very scientific reason for this – the algae in the water, which,
during the day, absorb the sun’s rays to form chlorophyll, which turns them
green. During the night, as the cholorophyll is used up, they turn red, which
is how we had seen them, the first thing in the morning, before they had their
morning dose of the sun! However, science apart, it was a fascinating sight,
yet another proof that nature does things so much more beautifully than man
ever can!
Hordes of gaur
We have
seen Gaur (Indian Wild Buffalo) before, but never in numbers as we saw here. At
various times, and at various places during our safari, we saw groups of easily
a dozen and more Gaur in groups. They seemed least bothered about us, and
continued munching away peacefully even as we happily clicked away. The pic I have
chosen to show you has just one Gaur in it, but his brethren were busy eating, and
this one seemed to pose so well with the sun and the path in the background! This
is one of my favourite pics from the entire trip!
Giant Wood Spiders
Anyone who
reads my blog regularly knows that we are big fans of spiders. When we see
giant ones which weave webs across trees from one side of the path to another,
we go nuts trying to capture them on camera! The forest here seemed to be full
of these spiders, considering we saw them everywhere we went! After trying
unsuccessfully to capture them while on the jeep safari, we finally managed
some decent shots when we went on a walking safari!
Owl in the daytime
Neither of
us had seen an owl before, which is why spotting this huge one (It is either an
Indian Eagle Owl or an Eurasian Eagle Owl; I am not sure which) was such an
excitement! Kudos to our guide for spotting it, sitting peacefully (and
probably sleeping before our arrival) on a rock! It took us a while to actually
spot it, so well was it camouflaged! Getting a photo was just a bonus!
Birdwatching on the river, a hot cup of tea in hand!
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| Photo Courtesy : Anuradha Goyal |
We have
gone birdwatching in boats before, but have never had chai while doing so! Height
of luxury, it was, and not something we are ever likely to forget!! And yes, we
spotted loads of water birds – ducks, stilts, herons, and terns, but more about
them in another post. The tea on the boat was the highlight here!
Bears and birds in the night!
When we
headed out for a night safari, I left my camera behind. We hadn’t seen wild
animals during the day, and we weren’t likely to see any at night. It turned
out to be one of those occasions when I was proved wrong, and acutally happy
with it, because we ended up seeing a pair of bears, and a number of nightjars!
The bears were sheer luck! We were following the sounds of an owl, and two
pairs of gleaming eyes from behind the bushes alerted us to the presence of the
bears. One then obliged by crossing the road, and giving us a better look! As for
the Nighjars, we first saw one, sitting on a perch atop a short tree. Then, we
saw another one, on the road, then, another flew past, and then, yet another
one! Oh, and we even saw a stork sitting in a nest atop a tree! Never have I regretted
not carrying my camera more! Even though I doubt I would have got any decent
shots with mine!
Two months
have passed since, and yet the memories remain fresh, even for my tiger
enthusiast son! But, with moments like these, it isn’t surprising, is it?
I was
invited to Denwa Backwater Escape by Pugdundee Safaris in November 2014 to
explore the Satpura National Park. We went on two safaris inside the national
park, followed by a boat safari, a walk into the forest area, and a night
safari in the buffer zone. Note.
Children below 10 aren’t allowed inside the national park on foot.
Information:
- The Satpura National park is located in Madhya Pradesh, and the backwaters of the Denwa river from the Tawa dam marks one of its boundaries.
How to Reach:
- By Air: The nearest airport is at Bhopal (176 Km)
- By Rail: The nearest major railway station is Itarsi (70 Km), which is well connected to all parts of India. Other accessible railway stations are Pipariya (50 Km), Sohagpur (19 Km) and Hoshangabad (50 Km).
- By Road : There are a few local buses to Sohagpur, but there is hardly any regular public transport to the sanctuary itself. It is best to hire a car from Itarsi or Pipariya.
Where to Stay: There are plenty of hotels in the vicinity of the sanctuary to suit all budgets. We stayed at the Denwa Backwater Escape, which is certainly one of the best options in the area. The forest department also has accommodation near the entry gate of the sanctuary.
Satpura looks wonderful. Nice post, Anuradha.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is beautiful, Niranjan. you must plan a trip sometime.
DeleteThe lake looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYes, Arun, it certainly was!
DeleteWow.All photos are superb.Especially I like the colour changing lake.Definitely a must visit place.
ReplyDeletePlease look at our website in your free time.
Krithiga S
www.srikri.com
Thank you Kritiga!
DeleteDear Anu.
ReplyDeleteDon’t know how you do it but you hit the bull’s eye of my travelling fantasy! No matter the six lane highways or the unconquered path among the clouds nothing compares to the joy and thrill that clutches the aorta while wheeling down those two parted trails taking us into the wilderness. The lake must have been the day’s favorite I guess. Keep travelling and don’t forget to write and amuse me. Cheers!
Thanks a lot, Revathi. Good to see you here, and hope to see you more often!
DeleteAnuradha This is an excellent stuff, i love your post too much
ReplyDelete