14.11.24 CCU (18 20 hrs) >Raipur (20 00 hours) > Train by Gondia BJU Express to Umaria
15.11.24 Raipur (00 15 hours) > Umaria (Train by Gondia BJU Express) > Auto (@Rs 700) > Greetoe Celebration Van Vilas Bandhavgarh (08 30 hrs)
15.11.24 Greetoe Celebration Van Vilas Bandhavgarh
Evening Safari at Tala
16.11.24 Greetoe Celebration Van Vilas Bandhavgarh
Morning Safari at Khitauli
Evening Safari at Tala
17.11.24 Morning Safari at Tala
Evening Safari at Khitauli
17.11.24-18.1124 Greetoe (19 15 hrs)>Raipur (04 40 hrs)
18.11.24 Raipur ( 08 40 hrs)>CCU (1010 hrs) >Office
14.11.2024
Sovon, Arun, Mohua, and I took a flight from CCU at 1820 hours. Unfortunately, Sudipta Da could not get a plane ticket and instead travelled on the Vande Bharat Express train. We arrived at Raipur around 2000 hours and took an Uber to Raipur Junction, paying approximately ₹570. By the time we reached Raipur, the station was already quite empty. We had dinner at one of the numerous restaurants near the station. Sovon and Arun enjoyed a Rajasthani Thali, while Mohua and I opted for Domino’s Pizza, supplemented by fried rice that we had brought from home.
We were scheduled to take the Gondia BJU Express at 1235 hours to reach Umaria at 0638 hours.
However, Sudipta Da would have surely missed the connecting train (expected to reach Raipur at 0130 hours) if not for the advice of a helpful local person. He explained that since the Vande Bharat Express follows the Kolkata > Bilaspur > Raipur route, and our train was heading towards Umaria via the Raipur > Uslapur (near Bilaspur) > Umaria route, Sudipta Da could alight at Bilaspur instead of Raipur. From Bilaspur, he could take a train or an auto to reach Uslapur, which is just 8 km away and serves as a bypass station for Bilaspur.
Bilaspur is approximately 2 hours from Raipur, and this advice turned out to be a lifesaver. Sudipta Da managed to get down at Uslapur at 0230 hours and catch the train to Umaria. Thanks to the local person, who spent nearly 40 minutes explaining everything in detail, Sudipta Da successfully joined us at Umaria the next day. It was a huge relief for all of us, especially since missing the first safari seemed inevitable at one point.
There are various ways to reach Bandhavgarh, and this experience reinforced how vital local advice can be when traveling in unfamiliar territories.
Get In
By air: Jabalpur Airport, at a distance of 190 km, is the closest airport to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Private vehicles are available to form the airport to the national park area. Since Kolkata to Jabalpur connection by flight has stopped, we had to go to Raipur to go to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
By rail: Satna Railway Station, at a distance of 133 km, is the nearest railhead to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Apart from that Umaria is only 39 Km from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Katni is 102 Km from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Another important important station is Shahdol, MP , which is near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Bandhavgarh National Park is well connected with all the major cities and stations in India.
- Jabalpur : 190 km/ 4 hrs
- Satna: 120 km
- Umaria: 39 km/ 45 min
- Khajuraho: 270 km/ 6 hrs
- Katni: 102 km
We could have opted for any of the options. On the date of journey Raipur>Umaria was the best option for us.
By road: Umaria is the best option for us to reach Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. We could have taken the road journey from Katni or Shahdol or Satna, depending upon the connection train or Plane.
Know Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
The foliage in Bandhavgarh National Park is mostly of dry deciduous type. There are 32 hills, plateaus, meadows and cliffs – all of this makes it a very unique place. It is somewhat similar to Ranthambore NP.
The vegetation of Bandhavgarh is specially filled with Sal forest in the valleys and Bamboo stretches on the lower slopes of the region. While half of the forest is being covered with fine trees of Sal and Bamboo, the forest also beholds the mixed species around the higher hills that also includes high grasslands which are the major specialty of the Bandhavgarh jungle. We saw Leopard tree, Indian Ghost tree, Crocodile barked tree etc.
https://www.bandhavgarh-national-park.com/flora-in-bandhavgarh.html
Bandhavgarh National Park like all the other parks of Madhya Pradesh, remains open for visitors from 1st October till the 30th June. But in winter it is very cold and sightings are not good . We visited in 15th November-17th November and we did not have very good sightings, though we saw tiger 3 times in 5 safaris.
Core Zones : There are 3 Core safari zones in Bandhavgarh National Park, namely Tala Zone (540 Sq kms), Magadhi Zone (400 Sq kms), and Khitauli Zone (400 Sq Kms).
Summer season, March to June, can be hot and dry, but it offers the best chances for spotting animals.
Source : https://www.mpforests.com/
Morning Safari in November - 6.15 am - 1100 am
Evening safari in November - 3.00 am - 5.45 am
Night Safari ( 7 pm to 10.30 pm).
There was an elephant safari also.
Unlike other national parks, Bandhavgarh seems to be much easier to book. The booking process is transparent—you can actually check the availability of seats in different areas. Unlike Corbett, Bandhavgarh appears to be free from scams. However, I opted to book through my friend Avijit (contact: 89101 11675), who handles bookings semi-professionally. He is very reliable, lives near my house, and has up-to-date knowledge of all the parks in India.
For those interested, you can book directly via the official government website:
M.P. Forest Department Website - https://forest.mponline.gov.in
Booking and Safari Details:
- Like other national parks in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh allows a maximum of 8 people per jeep: 6 tourists, 1 guide, and 1 driver.
- Canter service is also available, making it possible to book individual seats for certain zones.
- The park is reportedly closed on Tuesdays, although I did not independently verify this information.
Costs:
- We initially paid ₹2,950 per safari online (₹2,450 for the permit + ₹500 as the agent's service charge).
- At the resort, we paid the remaining balance of ₹4,200 per safari (₹3,600 for the vehicle + ₹600 for the guide).
Overall, the process was straightforward and efficient, thanks to Avijit’s assistance.Bandhavgarh Fort
In the core Tala zone of Bandhavgarh lies a fort which is the oldest fort of India – the Bandhavgarh Fort. It links back to the Ramayana era. It is said that it was a hill which Lord Rama flattened into a plateau. And then built a fort on top of it. He gifted this fort to his brother Lakshmana. This is where the name “Bandhavgarh” originates. In hindi, “Bandhu” means “Brother” and “Garh” means “Home“. Thus the name, “Bandhavgarh“. The fort is very massive and it has several temples also inside it.
Shesh Saiya and Charan-ganga
Near the Bandhavgarh fort lies the Shesh Saiya, a statue of God Vishnu lying in a reclining position on the 7-hooded snake “Shesh Nag” . A stream of water flows from near his toe. This is believed to be the source of Charan Ganga – which meets the ocean at Dwarka.
Natural caves
There are many ancient caves in the Tala zone of Bandhavgarh National Park as well. They are located at the base of the Bandhavgarh Fort. And it seems these caves were used for meditation purpose in the ancient times. There are in total around 39 such caves in this region. The biggest cave is called “Badi Gufa” (Big cave). In the later time, these caves were used by the wild animals of the national park. On the last day, we went to see this.
Jungle Attractions
Bandhavgarh has one of the highest density of tigers known in the world and is home to some well-known tigers which are large. Charger, a tiger so named because of his habit of charging at elephants and tourists (whom he nonetheless did not harm), was the first healthy male known to be living in Bandhavgarh since the 1990s,as well as a female known as Sita. Charger once appeared on the cover of National Geographic and is considered the second most photographed tiger in the world. Almost all the tigers of Bandhavgarh are descendants of Sita and Charger.
Apart from tiger, there are in general more than 22 species of mammals and more than 250 species of birds.
Some of the most famous animals in the Bandhavgarh National Park include carnivores like Asiatic Jackal, Bengal Fox, Sloth Bear, Gray Mongoose, Striped Hyena, Jungle Cat. The artiodactyls found here include wild pig, spotted deer, sambar, chausingha, nilgai and chinkara with mammals like dhole, the small Indian civet, palm squirrel.
Birds include crane, black kite, crested serpent eagle, black vulture, Egyptian vulture, common peafowl, red jungle fowl, dove, parakeet, Indian roller can also be found in abundance.
Apart from the above, the park also has special birds like Grey Hornbill and White-Breasted Kingfisher etc.
15.11.2024
Gondia BJU train reached Umaria at 0640 hours, and we had set an alarm to ensure we got off at Umaria, as it is not the last stop. We hired an auto for ₹700 each (Manager: Anil Yadav - 6260 267264, and resort contact: Siddhartha Ghose - +91 89894 70874) to reach our resort, Greetoe Celebration Van Vilas Bandhavgarh (https://greetoeresorts.com/).
The resort could have arranged a car for us at ₹2000 for 5 people or ₹1500 for 4 people. The resort is owned by someone from Satna and also has properties in Panna, Sanjay Dubri, and Kanha. A notable feature of the resort is a large banyan tree, under which guests can enjoy swings. It is one of the most interesting resorts I have stayed at. When we arrived, we saw a local woman creating a Gondia painting.
We were informed that if we wanted a specific driver for the safari, we would need to pay ₹1000 extra per safari. They emphasized that having a good driver is more important than having a guide. Later, we learnt that most guides have only 2–3 years of experience, and one guide had just 1.5 months of experience.
From the guide, we learnt that Bandhavgarh has 165 tigers. A male tiger's territory spans about 40 sq km, while a female's is 10–15 sq km. Unlike lions, both male and female tigers hunt. Tigers are highly active at night, and their night vision is excellent. Deer have an exceptional sense of smell, so tigers prefer to stay downwind to avoid alerting their prey. Every year, deer shed and regrow their antlers. While new antlers are growing, they have significant blood circulation and can bleed if injured. Tigers are especially fond of sambar meat, which can sustain them for up to 10 days. A tiger can eat up to 15 kg of meat daily. Female tigers typically weigh 300–350 kg, while males weigh 400–450 kg. The average lifespan of a tiger in the wild is about 15 years.
We stayed in Room No. 206, which had an attached swing and an open space for bathing under the sky—a unique feature in addition to the standard bathroom. After quickly having lunch, we left for the safari at 1430 hours.
SAFARI
15.11.24
The first (evening) safari was at Tala Gate. It began at 1500 hours and ended at 1745 hours. You are required to carry a hard copy of the online booking for entry. The weather was quite cold but still bearable.
Our guide was relatively new, with only two years of experience. Unfortunately, we did not have any notable wildlife sightings during this safari. However, we did see spotted deer, barking deer, and langurs. Interestingly, we spotted a Grey Hornbill inside the resort itself!
After returning, we had dinner and went to bed early, as we needed to wake up early for the next day's activities.
16.11.2024
The morning safari was at Khitauli Gate, starting at 0615 hours and ending at 1100 hours. Located in Madhya Pradesh, this gate is known for being more tourist-friendly. Notably, they did not charge for cameras. As with all safaris, you are required to carry a hard copy of the online booking. There was a breakfast break during the safari, which was arranged by our resort.
The sightings during the morning safari were excellent. We spotted an Adjutant Stork (মদনটাক), a tiger, a Grey Hornbill, a Red-throated Lapwing, peacocks, Indian Roller bird, wild boars and sambars.
After returning from the safari, we enjoyed a relaxing chit-chat session.
The evening safari was at the famous Tala Gate, renowned for its wildlife diversity. The sightings here were equally impressive. We saw a tiger twice, as well as a vulture, an owlet, peacocks, langurs, and a Racket-tailed Drongo.
After dinner, we went to bed early to prepare for the next day's activities. The resort also organized a vibrant tribal dance performance, adding a cultural touch to the evening.
17.11.2024
The morning safari was once again at Tala Gate.Unfortunately, the sightings were not very impressive this time. We observed a Rufous Treepie, a vulture, a spotted owlet, a common kestrel, sambar deer, and spotted deer. During the safari, we visited an ancient statue of Lord Vishnu reclining on the 7-hooded serpent, "Shesh Nag." This remarkable sculpture is believed to be over 1,000 years old. A stream of water flows from near Vishnu's toe, which is said to be the source of the Charan Ganga river, eventually meeting the ocean at Dwarka. The statue is located within the Tala Gate zone, atop a hill. We also explored several ancient caves in the area, which were reportedly used as stables, a court, and other purposes in historical times.
The evening safari was at Khitauli Gate.
The sightings were not great here either. We did, however, see an elephant owned by the Forest Department, which is used for monitoring wildlife.
After the safari, we returned to the resort, enjoyed a cup of tea, and then departed for the airport at 7:20 PM.
Our car reached the airport at 440 am. We had one tea break and one dinner break. We travelled 420 Km, longer than google route, since road was not very good. In any case for 60 Km road was quite bad.
Our morning flight was at 0840 hours and we reached Kolkata at 10.10 hours and went straight to the office.
SOURCE :
wikipedia
https://traveltriangle.com
https://www.bandhavgarhtigerreserve.org/tourist/point-of-interests
