Bhandhavgarh and Panna - enjoyable visit

[Earthian]

Having aborted our trip during October last year, due to non availability of permits, we had resolved to get permits for Bhandhavgarh well in advance which we did in December for a a visit during march end. After researching all reports, i got 5 permits for Tala zone. we packed our bags and started off by road to Bhandhavgarh, about 1250 kms from where we live. On the way we stopped at Indore and then Bedaghat, near Jabalpur- a nice place on the banks of the river Narbada. The marble rocks are scenic and the waterfall is quite awesome, the short drop being made up by the huge volume.

 

We reached Bhandhavgarh on 27th evening and checked into Jungle mantra, a nice resort run by Rhea and Shalin, Shalin had already arranged for the gypsy jeeps and guides based on our permits and we were off the next morning at 5.45 am. While during the next 3 trips we sighted a lot of birds and some animals, the tiger was elusive. to add to my misery, sightings were now taking place in zone 2 every day ( for which we had no permits) and none in zone 1 ( where we had permits!) On the forth trip, our guide a smart person declared that we wait besides a waterhole and after a wait of some 90 minutes we got our first sighting. A tigress coming out of the grass for her evening meal.

 

Truly a magnificent sight. Patience pays! The light was failing and i had to crank up the ISO much to my chagrin, but better to get a picture with noise rather than no picture. Well, photographers can never be satisfied- thats what keeps us going.

 

 

The next day we managed to get permits for zone 2 (Magadhi) and we saw a tigress with her two cubs. There was a rumour that she had three but a poacher had killed one of them. Some thing needs to be done about these poachers, if the story is true. The sighting was not very good since the cubs and the mother did not come out from the thick bamboo. However on the next day we got a reasonably good sighting of the same family,

We had unseasonal showers and the jungle was cool- not the right conditions for tiger sighting. But that apart, there is something about the jungle that gets you. Once in, you are hooked.

 

we drove to Panna after 5 days and were lucky to sight Dholes. Then it was the long haul to back home

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( i am not sure whether my photos are embedded between texts and hence i shall post them again as attachments)

[wilddog]

@@Earthian thanks for your TR. Nice sightings of tigers; what impressive animals they are.

 

The dohl sighting, with cubs as well, is very special.

 

I was in Panna some years ago when it had a thriving Tiger population but this was later decimated. What is the current status of tigers there? are there any now?

[gagan]

Nice trip...did u do elephant back safari

[Earthian]

@@wilddog. Thank you. We saw only a dhole couple. no cubs. We were alerted when we saw sambars scampering away. I enquired about the tiger repopulation endeavour at Panna and did not get any reliable figures.

@gagan: the elephant back safari where they take you for tiger sightings has been discontinued. They only do an elephant joy ride now which is tame in comparison.

[Kitsafari]

Thank you for sharing. Somehow I was unable to view the first few photos but those of the Tigers and dhole came out well and they look so good.

[Earthian]

@@Kitsafari. thank you. i have tried, unsuccessfully as is obvious, to embed photos in between text. hence i attached them again in the end of the TR. i have a filed a request for help in Matt's thread of writing TRs but no help yet.

[Atravelynn]

How common are dholes in Panna? Very clear unobstructed shot of the dhole. The tigers were in lovely settings. It all worked out, but how frustrating when the hot zone in Bandhavgarh suddenly becomes the cold zone.