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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

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.

Kabini Part 2 - A Boat Ride

The river Kabini is the heart of the Nagarhole National park, and a boat ride on the river is an integral part of the stay at the Kabini River Lodge. The incessant, unseasonal rainfall had marked our stay so far, and heading to the jetty for our boat ride on our second evening at the lodge, we kept our fingers crossed, hoping for clear skies. 

The Jetty... at the Kabini River Lodge




The weather was clear when we set out. However, within minutes, the skies turned dark, and it began to rain. We thought that was the end of our boat ride, but just as quickly as it had started, the rain stopped, and a rainbow appeared in the sky.

The River, with the overcast sky...

And the Rainbow...



Soon, birds began to appearCormorants

Cormorants


Cormorant


River Terns

River Terns in flight


Snake-birds or Darters

Snake Bird, or Darter


A variety of Kingfishers…..Pied Kingfishers

Pied Kingfisher


Common Kingfishers

Common Kingfisher


And the White Throated Kingfishers too.

Pied Kingfisher (top) and White Throated Kingfisher (bottom)


Lapwings

Lapwing


Grey Herons

Grey Heron with a fish in its beak


Painted Storks

Painted Stork


And White Ibis….

White Ibis


Flocks of herons flew homewards as the light began to fall…



And hidden in a bunch of fallen branches, we spotted a flock of Night Herons, both, adult and juvenile!

Can you spot the Night Heron? 


Night Heron - Juvenile

Night Heron - Adult

Night Herons - Juvenile and Adult

An Osprey swooped over us and perched on a branch…

Osprey in flight

Osprey




And yes, there were crocodiles too, in the water… and out!

Croc! 

Crocodile - so well camouflaged!



A herd of spotted deer were the largest animals we saw!



And we came across people... fishing in coracles




And in the fields.



The sun was setting as we made our way back to the jetty.







As the orb dipped over the horizon, and the night sky glittered, we thanked our stars for a wonderful evening… and wondered what the morning would bring! 

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Comments

  1. The varieties of kingfishers are wonderful to see! I love your sunset pics too. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Natalie! We love seeing all these varieties of Kingfishers. and there are many more, that I have yet to see! as for the sunset, I guess we can never tire of watching them, whether at home, or out!

      Delete
  2. Beautiful tour of National Park with lovely birds.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Enjoyed the boat ride with you,thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ani! Glad you enjoyed it! It was a pleasure to share our experience!

      Delete
  4. beautiful nature.... And Thank You Very Much.........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nature is always beautiful! there is so much to see and enjoy!

      Delete
    2. Yes you're absolutely right

      Delete
  5. I want to thank you for this exceptionally awesome write up along with the pictures. Nature is always mesmerizing. I myself had Kabini experience and must say the view is just awesome...I went for long walks by the river either during dawn or in the evening...Moreover the boat ride is the best ever option for an exclusive "boat jungle safari"..

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