Stripes of Wild India

[janzin]

I've been eagerly awaiting the next installment! Sloth bear and tiger in the same minute...wow!

 

I like how in that vehicle above there is a bit of a padding for a camera rest. I am thinking that it is definitely worth my while to bring a beanbag for use in those Indian gypsy vehicles.

[Atravelynn]

 

The final breakfast stop in Tadoba - good view of the vehicle. We had a different vehicle and usually a different driver almost every outing.

 

I received a protest Personal Message from Michael regarding this last picture, and with good reason. He reminded me that in Tadoba we had Driver Jagu for each drive. Only the Gypsy changed; Jagu remained with us.

 

Michael reminded me of Jagu's comment when we were looking at a Thick-knee and another Gypsy pulled up nearby to check out what had so absorbed us.

 

"Move on," Jagu advised the other vehicle, "the people in my car are nuts! They look at birds, would you believe that? Go, go, go, nothing to see here."

[Atravelynn]

Wow - fantastic! What a last day - but not even done yet?!

Not yet because I somehow lost my last installment after quite a long time of work. Must have clicked the wrong thing. But we are nearly at the finish line!

 

I've been eagerly awaiting the next installment! Sloth bear and tiger in the same minute...wow! Within seconds. Nothing much happens for hours and then it all breaks loose!

 

I like how in that vehicle above there is a bit of a padding for a camera rest. I am thinking that it is definitely worth my while to bring a beanbag for use in those Indian gypsy vehicles. There was padding in THAT vehicle. All Gypsies had a place to rest the camera in the front seat. Both Andrew and Michael had a screw-in little bean bag. A pod I believe. They always used the pod bean bag. In the back seat the bar was often bare. I used a short (footlong) monopod that I held. It did not extend to the floor. That worked better in the back seat. On my first trip Rajan brought a footlong monopod and let me use it throughout the trip.

[Kitsafari]

I would have loved to take the photo of a thick knee as well. don't everyone?

 

what a great final morning = how long was the break between the sloth bear and the tiger? i guess they were at different points of exit/entrance.

 

and there is more?? i wish this TR could go on. it's been such a marvellous, witty, humourous, informative and entertaining three-way (I bet Andrew was nudging and prodding behind the scenes) report. Thanks all for giving me such an inspiring taste of wild India.

[elefromoz]

@@Atravelynn, great images of the Sloth Bear, it really shows the differences in his/her size and build from his North American cousin. Much slighter but none the less formidable when threatened. I was reminded of the spectacular photos Vikrams brother took of the mother Sloth, with babies on board, taking on the Tiger in a surprise encounter and sending it packing.

 

These little animals have suffered a lot, how lovely to see them roaming in their forest home. Glad your friend "behind the scenes" got to enjoy it too finally.

[TonyQ]

What a great sighting of the Sloth Bear - followed so quickly by a tiger.

"Go go go - nothing to see here" - love it!

[Atravelynn]

 

what a great final morning = how long was the break between the sloth bear and the tiger? i guess they were at different points of exit/entrance. The photo timings show about 15 seconds between the bear and the tiger. They were different entry/exit points, but I was thinking they must be aware of each other.

 

and there is more?? i wish this TR could go on. it's been such a marvellous, witty, humourous, informative and entertaining three-way (I bet Andrew was nudging and prodding behind the scenes) report. Thanks all for giving me such an inspiring taste of wild India. You are welcome and thank you for the comments.

 

 

@@Atravelynn, great images of the Sloth Bear, it really shows the differences in his/her size and build from his North American cousin. Much slighter but none the less formidable when threatened. I was reminded of the spectacular photos Vikrams brother took of the mother Sloth, with babies on board, taking on the Tiger in a surprise encounter and sending it packing. I was thinking about that encounter and that amazing photo. It won some huge award and rightfully so.

 

 

What a great sighting of the Sloth Bear - followed so quickly by a tiger.

"Go go go - nothing to see here" - love it! It's so funny because it was not meant to be funny.

[janzin]

 

"Move on," Jagu advised the other vehicle, "the people in my car are nuts! They look at birds, would you believe that? Go, go, go, nothing to see here." They'll be hearing a lot of that coming from our vehicle!

 

[michael-ibk]

Of course Jagu didn´t say that in English. But the way he said it and the reactions from the other vehicle made very clear what he said.

 

 

 

Both Andrew and Michael had a screw-in little bean bag. A pod I believe.

 

It´s called a Red Pod. Very handy stuff, and worked very well on those bars in the gypsies. Learned about it - of course - here on ST, a @@Safaridude recommendation.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bean-Camera-Support-Compact-Cameras/dp/B005ZTYD3Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434205856&sr=8-1&keywords=red+pod

 

We were all very sure the Bear and the Tiger HAD to meet, because a few minutes earlier Pandu had already peaked out on the road once before, so we knew he was there, very close to where Baloo entered. But apparently they both kept their calm and wisely chose to ignore each other.

 

And indeed, we were all very happy to have a good Sloth Bear sighting, and only two hours before our trip would finally come to an end. Good timing!

Edited June 13, 2015 by michael-ibk

[Galago]

Great photos - as always. It's quite a surreal experience reliving these sightings from a slightly different angle. I have enjoyed this trip report immensely - thank you.

[Atravelynn]

Final installment regarding the trip itself.

 

The langurs were telling us "so long."

 

Very convention-like assembly

 

0ur last morning in Tadoba had a mugger, sloth bear, tigers, nicely posing langurs, and Wild Dogs.

 

We could not leave without a send off from the dhole. We ran into some dhole researchers who helped direct us to a pack of 3 adults and 2 pups.

There is a pup visible at the edge of the plant, behind a rock.

No chance I missed out on seeing the pups this time. In fact I think he was apologizing for being so elusive that first morning when

we made acquaintances and I never even caught a glimpse of the little pup.

Dhole doo-doo, note the butterflies

We talked with a naturalist at Tadoba about the challenges facing dhole, which include:

 

- An increasing tiger population, which is good, but more tigers can mean less dhole.

 

- Diseases from domestic dogs.

 

- The above pressures result in smaller packs of dogs (packs of 4-6 are common, maybe up to 12 vs. 20, 30, even 60 in years gone by). A sizable pack of dogs is a formidable opponent to a tiger or a leopard so these cats avoided dhole territory when packs used to be big, leaving more prey for the dogs and providing a safe environment for raising pups. Tiger hunters of a bygone era used to completely avoid areas with large dhole packs because they knew tigers just would not be present.

 

- Another effect of several small packs vs. one large one is that each pack stakes out its own territory. When all dhole in an area belong to one pack there can be more dogs per square kilometer because the pack—whether large or small—requires 40-48 sq km. For each of several packs to establish a sufficiently large territory, some packs may need to leave the prey-rich core area of the park. As dhole enter into buffer zones, not only is there less prey, but the odds of contracting domestic dog diseases increases.

 

It is a viscous cycle. That’s why we were pleased to see the researchers devoting their time to studying the dhole.

 

Some of the roads to begin our journey back to our daily lives in a distant world.

 

From Tadoba to the airport in Nagpur was a 2-hour drive, then sad farewells and our respective flights home.

The team left to right: Andrew, Lynn, Michael, Rajan

Edited June 15, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

Thumbs up for Wild World India

Kanha waterhole with New Male

 

I used WWI back in April of 2011 for my first trip to India. I was reassured by the fact they had been ranked the #1 nature and wildlife company in India by National Geographic in 2009. Not that I place a lot of stock in the rankings/ratings, but it verified for me that Nat Geo had confirmed they really existed and were legit and performed well.

Kaziranga, Western Zone

Kaziranga, Eastern Zone

 

I investigated about 3 companies both in India and the UK and while all were impressive, I liked WWI’s expertise in wildlife so I chose them for Trip #1.

Malayan Giant Squirrel, Kaziranga, Western Zone Western Hoolock Gibbon (female) at the Hoollongapar Sanctuary near Kaziranga

That first solo trip was a great success from start to finish. I really enjoyed Rajan and his brother Ashok as guides in Kanha, along with CB who is excellent with birds and as a driver. Hari was my outstanding guide in Corbett. I liked how the routing utilized overnights trains to save time and fit in 3 parks plus the Taj Mahal.

 

Sloth Bear, Tadoba

 

The next trip, about a year later in March 2012, I went straight to WWI for a combination of Bandhavgarh with ST member Brian’s Art for Animals and a solo visit using CB as my driver to Gujarat. Again, a wonderful trip. As an example of WWI’s attentive service, when my flight changed at the last minute to produce an unexpected layover in Delhi, I was picked up at the airport and taken to the WWI offices for a mango juice and then we did a nice walk around Hauz Khas before heading back to the airport. That was a nice gesture.

Langur in Kanha

 

For this trip , the three of us investigated approximately 3 different companies, all in India I believe. Aside from a positive previous experience with WWI, we were impressed with the firm pricing for 2015 provided a year in advance in 2014. Some of the companies gave 2014 pricing and stated we should expect an increase.

Langur, Pench

 

We appreciated having Wild Grass Lodge’s guide, Tarun, who came highly recommended by Vikram for Kaziranga.

 

Back to pricing—even with Rajan as our private guide, with Tarun in Kaziranga, and with a couple nights at Le Meridian in Delhi, and the lovely, well situated Chitvan Lodge in Kanha, the price was very competitive with itineraries offering less.

 

Chital drinking in Pench

Langur in Pench

 

In addition to the excellent guides, flawless transfers, and fine accommodations while on the trip, WWI provided sound advice when we were planning the trip. Our original plan had Kaziranga at the end. Vikram moved it to the start for best weather and conditions. Not all the operators suggested that very important switch.

 

Vikram tries very hard to personally meet with his clients at some point during the trip, which enhances the trip and allows for some interesting conversation and questions. We enjoyed our time with Vikram. And we enjoyed our safari in India!

Edited June 15, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

How many in your party?

 

There were 3 of us. In Kaziranga we added Tarun, the naturalist and Bohkul the driver. In the Kisli section of Kanha we had Rajan, who is based in Kanha, and a driver. Outside of the Kisli section of Kanha we needed a local guide in addition to Rajan. Recall we wanted to have our own private guide (Rajan) accompany us for areas outside of Rajan's home territory. In retrospect having Rajan with us for the trip was an excellent decision both from the standpoint of quality and quantity of sightings and even from a cost standpoint.

 

So in the Mukki section of Kanha, in Pench, and in Tadoba we had in our Gypsy:

1. Rajan

2. Driver

3. Local Naturalist

4. Andrew

5. Michael

6. Lynn

 

For the Gypsy the setup was: Driver and Local Naturalist in the front cab; 2 people in the first/front bench; 2 people (one being Rajan) in the second/rear bench. IMO that's the max, and it worked fine for us. If you are going as a solo or couple or group of 3, then bringing along your own guide makes sense. If you are 4 or more, the extra bodies and crowding cancels the benefit of your own dedicated guide.

 

When driving in a van or SUV-type vehicle between parks, it was driver and Rajan in front. Then the back seat held 2 people. The back of the vehicle had a jump seat for 1, which was just fine and I sat there often. Andrew did too. Rajan also offered to take that jump seat. But one more person would not have reasonably fit into the transport vehicle.

 

Don't look at Andrew and me, look at the Gypsy. Note not a lot of padding in this one. A monopod for use in the back seat is definitely needed.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Atravelynn

[graceland]

What a beautiful story; what a beautiful group and what a GORGEOUS amt. of wildlfe; some of which I ' ve never heard of (! ) or seen......just amazing. I know youalll had a blast together by the smiles I see.

 

Thank you for sharing this incredible safari. I doubt I'd ever get OH to go anytime soon, so I've enjoyed a ride to a destination I never knew.

 

That is the power of Saffaitalk and its's amazing members.

 

 

The photos all of you took should be in a memento book for those of us not fortunate to visit!

 

 

Thank you over and over; this was so much fun!

[Treepol]

@@Atravelynn @@AndMic @@michael-ibk once again thank you so much for an informative and entertaining TR.

 

From the rhino ridden plains of Kazaringa to dhole in Tadoba (and tigers, sloth bears and tons more in between) you have set the Indian safari bar very high indeed.

[elefromoz]

Applause, cheers, standing ovation.......I shall miss the regular instalments. I'm looking at a return to India in 2017, I've told Vikram next time will focus on Elephant herds and Tiger, hopefully I'll have a quarter of the luck you all did. Thanks again

[janzin]

Thank you thank you for the wonderful report and for convincing my husband and I that India had to be our next trip! Along with the fantastic photos and the sightings report, I also appreciate all the travel tips as well. And the recommendation for Wild World India. Honestly we did not even bother with quotes from anyone else as WWI's price seemed reasonable right from the start and I 100% trust your expertise. (And I also read several other reports, here and elsewhere, highly praising WWI.)

 

As it turned out we are pretty much following in your footsteps next year (just with less days, sadly) so I hope to be able to post a report with at least half as many good sightings as you folks had

[Atravelynn]

Thank you for all the nice comments!

 

Indian Night Jar

Bird list

 

Asian Barred Owlet

Asian Open-bill Stork

Asian Pied Starling

Bar-headed Goose

Black Drongo

Black Stork

Black-hooded Oriole (tea garden)

Black-necked Stork

Black-winged Cuckooshrike (tea garden)

Blossom-headed Parakeet

Blue-bearded Bee-eater

Blue-throated Barbet

Bronzed Drongo (tea garden)

Bronze-winged Jacana

Cattle Egret

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

Chestnut-tailed Starling

Common Greenshank

 

Rose-ringed parakeet, Qtub Minar Red-breasted Parakeets, Central Zone, Kaziranga

 

 

Common Hoopoe

Common Kingfisher

Common Moorhen

Common Myna

Common Stonechat

Common Tailorbird (tea garden)

Coppersmith Barbet (tea garden)

Crested Serpent Eagle

Emerald Dove

Eurasian Wigeon

Gadwall

Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

Great Cormorant

Great Egret

 

 

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Kaziranga, Eastern Zone

Greater Adjutant

Greater Coucal

Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush (tea garden)

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

Green Imperial Pigeon

Green-billed Malkoha

Greenish Warbler (tea garden)

Grey Heron

Grey Jungle Fowl

Grey-backed Shrike

Grey-headed Fish Eagle

Himalayan Griffon

House Crow

House Sparrow

Indian Grey Hornbill

Indian Peafowl

Indian Pond Heron

Indian Roller

 

Wooly-necked Stork, Kanha

 

Intermediate Egret

Jungle Myna

Kalij Pheasant

Lesser Adjutant

Lineated Barbet

Little Cormorant

Little Egret

Maroon Oriole

Northern Shoveler

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Pallas’s Fish Eagle

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Robin

Pied Starling

Puff-throated Babler (tea garden)

Purple Heron

Purple Swamphen

Red Jungle Fowl

Red-breasted Parakeet

 

Savanna Night Jar, Tadoba

 

Red-collared Dove (tea garden)

Red-Headed Vulture

Red-headed Vulture

Red-Naped Ibis

Red-vented Bulbul

River Lapwing

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Ruddy Shelduck

Rufous Necked Laughingthrush (tea garden)

Rufous Treepie

Short-Billed Minivet

Slender-billed Vulture

Red-naped Lapwing, Tadoba

 

Spangled Drongo

Spot-billed Duck

Spot-billed Pelican

Spotted Dove

 

 

 

Oriental Honey Buzzard

 

Spotted Redshank

Stork-billed Kingfisher

Swamp Francolin

White Rumped Vulture

White Stork

White-breasted Waterhen

White-fronted Goose

White-rumped Shama

White-tailed Rubythroat

White-throated Kingfisher

Wood Sandpiper

Wooly-necked Stork

Yellow- footed Green Pigeon

 

 

Above birds were seen at Kaziranga, some were also seen again in other parks, but are noted once.

Birds below were seen in Kanha, Pench, and Tadoba .

 

Alexandrine Parakeet

Asian Paradise Flycatcher

Black Kite

Black-headed Ibis

Black-shouldered Kite

Brown Fish Owl

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Common Hawk Cuckoo

Common Kestrel

Common Teal

Cotton Pygmy Goose

Goldenback

Golden-fronted Leafbird

 

Wattled Lapwing, Tadoba

 

Green Bee-eater

Grey Bushchat

House Sparrow
Indian Cormorant
Lesser Fish Eagle
Hen Harrier
Indian Thick-Knee
Green Sandpiper
Large Cuckoo-Shrike
Indian Golden Oriole
Bank Myna
Brahminy Starling
Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker

Indian Nightjar

Indian Scops Owl

Jungle Babbler

Jungle Owlet

Lesser Whistling Duck

Little Grebe

 

Indian Night Jar, Tadoba Bronze-winged Jacana, Tadoba

 

Magpie Robin

Malabar Pied Hornbill

Oriental Honey-buzzard

Osprey

Painted Stork

Pied Bushchat

Pied Wagtail

Plum-headed Parakeet

Red Capped Flowerpecker

 

Pygmy Geese, Kanha

 

Red Spurfowl
Red-Naped Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Indian Darter

Red Wattled Lapwing

Rosy Starling

Savanna Nightjar

Scarlet Minivet

Shikra

Striated Heron

White-breasted Drongo

White-browed Fantail

White-eyed Buzzard

 

Indian Scops Owl, White-fronted Kingfisher, Brown Fish Owl, Jungle Owlet - all in Kanha

Your countdown begins, @@janzin and you too @@Treepol!

@@graceland, it seems you get around quite well and have more trips planned without your OH. You may get to India yet.

@@elefromoz, I'm looking at 2017 for India also, but where you went--Satpura. We'll be trading place, how funny.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Galago]

Great report Michael and Lynn. Hope to bump into you again!

[janzin]

Wow wow wow, thanks for the bird lists (and great photos), just about all of them will be lifers for me except for some of the widespread waterfowl/waterbirds--oh yeah, and House Sparrow

[michael-ibk]

Not a lot of "famous last words" from me here, just Amen to everything Lynn already said. It was a great trip where everything went smoothly (thanks Wild World India!), we were incredibly lucky with our sightings and I am very thankful for that. And we had lots of FUN! (You hear that, @@graceland ? ; ) Really would like to be back in 2017! (And @@Galago , a shame we didn´t really chat, ignorant about our Safaritalk affiliations - next time!)

Thanks everybody for commenting, "liking" or just reading along, I´ve appreciated all the feedback very much!

India is all about the Tiger? Wrong! Even if the King of the Jungle is the main attraction there is so much more to see and marvelling at. And so I´d like to conclude this report (for my part) with a list of all mammals we saw (and some more interesting ones which are a possibility but we did not find).

Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock Hoolock)
3 families of 3, seen only at the Hoolongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, a possibility in Western Zone of KAZ and adjoining forest reserves



Bengal Slow Loris (Nycticebus bengalensis)
None seen, nocturnal, a possibility around KAZ (Panbari and Kanchenjuri forest reserves, Hoolongapar Gibbon Sanctuary)

Rhesus Macaque (Macaca Mulatta)
A few in KAZ and PE, none in KAN and TAD



Stump-Tailed Macaque (Macaca arctoides)
None seen, good chances at Hoolongapar Gibbon Sanctuary)

Northern Plains Langur (Semnopithecus entellus)
None in KAZ, abundant everywhere else



Capped Langur (Trachypithecus pileatus)
3 at Hoolongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, also a possibility in Western Zone of KAZ and adjoining forest reserves



Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Several herds and individuals at KAZ



Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
Delightfully many of them at KAZ



Indian Chevrotain aka Mouse Deer (Moschiola indica)
None seen, a possibility in all Central Indian park

Indian or Red Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak)
A few individuals each in KAN, PE and TAD



Sambar (Rusa unicolor)
A few in KAZ, regularly seen in all other parks, especially TAD



Swamp Deer or Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii)
Subspecies Eastern Barasingha seen in good numbers at KAZ



Hard-ground Barasingha in good numbers at KAN



Spotted Deer or Chital (Axis axis)
Abundant everywhere except KAZ where they don´t occur. Most common mammal seen



Hog Deer (Axis porcinus)
Very common in KAZ



Gaur (Bos gaurus)
Several sightings in all Central Indian parks. Occur outside of KAZ



Wild Buffalo (Bubalus arnee)
Regular sightings in KAZ



Blue Bull or Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)
A few sightings in PE and TAD



Four-Horned Antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis)
None seen, low chances in all Central Indian parks. One other gypsy in TAD saw one individual

Indian Gazelle (Gazella bennettii)
None seen, theoretically around in Central India´s parks, but they prefer drier areas. Ranthambore or the Gujarat would be better for them

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
One herd inside an enclosure in KAN



Indian Wild Pig (Sus scrofa)
Seen occassionally in all parks



Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania)
None seen, only (very slim) chance of seeing them in Manas NP

Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Heard growling in KAZ, 4 in KAN, 6 individuals (7 sightings) in PE, 3 individuals (6 sightings) in TAD



Common Leopard (Panthera pardus)
None seen, a possibility in all Central Indian parks, missed it a couple of times, several sightings by other gypsies

Indo-Chinese Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
None seen, possible outside KAZ in theory, but would be a bit like finding the Holy Grail

Jungle Cat (Felis chaus)
Maybe one individual near a village in KAN. Could also have been a domestic cat. No photo

Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)
None seen. Low chances in KAZ and KAN

Fishing Cat (Prioncilurus viverinus)
None seen. Low chances in KAZ

Rusty Spotted Cat (Prinailurus rubiginosus)
None seen. Low chances in Central India

Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hemaphroditus)
None seen. Low chances everywhere. Saw one on the "Friends of Tadoba" FB page

Large Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha)
None seen. Very low chances in Assam

Grey Mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii)
Definitely one in TAD, maybe more (hard to differentiate them from afar)

 

(Yeah, I know, that´s why this pic was not included in the report. Light tip of tail tells it´s no Ruddy Mongoose.)

 

Ruddy Mongoose (Herpestes smithii)
A few in KAN and TAD



Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus illiger)
One in Delhi, but not sure - could also be a Grey Mongoose



Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
None seen, almost never seen in Central Indian parks, very low chances in buffer zones

Grey Wolf (Canis lupus)
None seen, almost never seen in Central Indian parks

Golden Jackal (Canis aureus)
One in KAN, 6 in PE



Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus)
One pack of 5 in TAD three times. Missed them in KAN and PE, others saw them there





Indian Fox (Vulpes bengalensis)
None seen, almost never seen in Central Indian parks

Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus)
Two in TAD



Hog Badger (Arctonyx collaris)
Almost seen in KAZ, seconds too late

Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis)
One in TAD, extraordinarily lucky to see it



Smooth-Coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
Several good sightings in KAZ



Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)
Forget it - as hard as in Africa. (Our guide Rajan has seen two so far)

Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica)
None seen. Possible everywhere in Central India - but strictly nocturnal

Black or Malayan Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor)
One in KAZ



Hoary-Bellied or Irrawady Squirrel (Callosciurus pygerythrus)
Occassionally in KAZ



Three-Striped Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
A few in TAD, maybe also PE



Five-Striped or Northern Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennantii)
Lots of them around the sights in Delhi



Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus)
One colony outside KAZ



(Probably quite some other bat species, too - but try identifying them flying by at night. )

South Asian River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)
None seen, possible in the Brahmaputra

[AndMic]

@@Atravelynn @@michael-ibk thank you so much for this trip report. I'm so glad, so happy that I was a part of this trip. We really had a great time and so many beautiful and exciting sightings !

 

Andrew

[graceland]

~~ And we had lots of FUN! (You hear that, @graceland ? ; )i~~

 

 

 

Most Enthusiastically So I'd Say

 

As we all have!

 

Thank you all for such an interesting and enligthening FUN trip report, Lynn, Michael and Andrew

Edited June 15, 2015 by graceland

[Atravelynn]

@@Atravelynn @@michael-ibk thank you so much for this trip report. I'm so glad, so happy that I was a part of this trip. We really had a great time and so many beautiful and exciting sightings !

 

Andrew

Agreed!

 

Thanks for the closing credits of creatues, @@michael-ibk!

 

 

My one regret--I did not bring India's Men in Blue good luck in the Cricket World Cup tournament, like I did 4 years ago when they hosted and won tournament.

[AKR1]

Magnificent ending to an epic trip report. Thanks for the detailed commentary and beautiful pictures allowing the rest of us to experience India's wilderness with you. While it's difficult to pick a favorite, I have always been fascinated by Kaziranga and your report only reinforced this. Yes no tiger sightings there but overall my favorite.In general you were quite lucky, but I believe preparation always helps luck and you guys were very well prepared. Your TO and guides were amongst the best.

 

On the cricket world cup, there is always next time which means India awaits Lynn's return!

Edited June 16, 2015 by AKR1