Stripes of Wild India

[michael-ibk]

I confess that one is just in there because Lynn hates them so much.

[graceland]

@@michael-ibk, This is so great, seeing parts of India I never really knew about..and not as crowded from your pics as I thought. Loved the Emerald Dove amongst the gigantic mammals. Those rhino are something! And I've never seen one charging so gave you a good photo op to bring back.

 

Truly enjoying this safari along with everyone else. I have often thought about India, but seemed so vast I did not know where to start. I thought the lodging looked very old colonial; the name of the beer hilarious.

 

 

 

[Alexander33]

@ Atravelynn

 

I confess I had to laugh out loud at the Toilet/Temple almost-debacle. I'm glad to hear you found the right "T" and were able to view those expansive sightings afterward. I will consider this a lesson learned for my own application: Even (especially?) in emergencies, it's never a waste of time to ask.

 

@ michael-ibk

 

The high alcoholic content of that beer notwithstanding, I think I would have been joining the chorus of the unhappy Italians. It just isn't as perfect a vacation without my good, strong coffee in the morning and my good red wine at night. (Of course, given the otherwise memorable experience, I suppose I could have suffered through the beer.)

Edited May 1, 2015 by Alexander33

[michael-ibk]

@@graceland @@Alexander33

I love my alcohol too and was happy to get my Kingfisher Beer, Gin Tonic and Whisky in the next lodges. Didn´t try Indian wine.

 

Alcohol is indeed prohibited in some of India´s states, notably in the Gujarat (home of Asia´s last lions). Additionally, states sometimes declare certain days (holy days, election days) "dry".

 

See here for India´s alcohol laws:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_India

http://www.fullstopindia.com/liquor-prohibited-a-list-of-dry-states-in-india/

 

None of which seemed to apply to our stay in Assam, so I don´t know what the issue was. Kaziranga is by no means remote, it´s only 90 minutes to the city of Jorhat, so getting supplies shouldn´t be too difficult. We were told that the lodge owner had some health issues so maybe because of that someone forgot to restock, who knows.

 

Still, I managed to get by with He-Man, and while I missed having a proper drink for dinner it was not that much of a big deal to me. So while I´m sure the "alcohol problem" wouldn´t happen at the hotel-like places like Infinity or The Iora my choice would still be clear. I enjoyed the stay at Wild Grass Lodge, and would stay there again if I returned to Kaziranga (which I´d love to do!), especially because they have such an excellent guide with Tarun. (And from what I´v read, heard from guests and been told by Wild World India their overall level of guiding is very high.)

Edited May 2, 2015 by michael-ibk

[LynneB]

As I started to read you report something odd happened. I saw one of my photos of the tiger at Tadoba...

 

It turns out that I was at Tadoba at the same time as you, also staying at Svasara and we must have been at the same sighting and clicked at the same time!

[Bush dog]

Thank you, all three of you, for this trip report, that recall me my first trip, more than 30 years ago, to Delhi and India.

 

Excellent team work!

[Atravelynn]

As I started to read you report something odd happened. I saw one of my photos of the tiger at Tadoba...

 

It turns out that I was at Tadoba at the same time as you, also staying at Svasara and we must have been at the same sighting and clicked at the same time!

One of YOUR tigers??? Excuse me, that was OUR tiger. What a coincidence. This is hilarious. Maybe we ran into each other. Were you in that intrepid bunch that always ate lunch outside even when it was 100 F and always had smiles on your faces? We might have said a few words to each other.

 

I am not making this up but a few times at Svasara I thought I heard someone say Lynn(e)--it sounds the same with or without the e. Really, I turned around a few times to see if it was for me. I would never have thought of this again without your post.

 

This is THE coincidence of the trip. We had another incident that was also highly coincidental. That was at Kanha.

 

We all will be expecting your trip report, @@LynneB!

Edited May 2, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

@@graceland @@Alexander33

 

I love my alcohol too and was happy to get my Kingfisher Beer, Gin Tonic and Whisky in the next lodges. Didn´t try Indian wine.

 

Alcohol is indeed prohibited in some of India´s states, notably in the Gujarat (home of Asia´s last lions). Additionally, states sometimes declare certain days (holy days, election days) "dry".

 

See here for India´s alcohol laws:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_India

http://www.fullstopindia.com/liquor-prohibited-a-list-of-dry-states-in-india/

 

None of which seemed to apply to our stay in Assam, so I don´t know what the issue was. Kaziranga is by no means remote, it´s only 90 minutes to the city of Jorhat, so getting supplies shouldn´t be too difficult. We were told that the lodge owner had some health issues so maybe because of that someone forgot to restock, who knows.

 

Still, I managed to get by with He-Man, and while I missed having a proper drink for dinner it was not that much of a big deal to me. So while I´m sure the "alcohol problem" wouldn´t happen at the hotel-like places like Infinity or The Iora my choice would still be clear. I enjoyed the stay at Wild Grass Lodge, and would stay there again if I returned to Kaziranga (which I´d love to do!), especially because they have such an excellent guide with Tarun. (And from what I´v read, heard from guests and been told by Wild World India their overall level of guiding is very high.)

Wild Grass and Tarun would be my winning combo once again in my view. Throw in a He-Man 9000 and some Fanta and you have Nirvana. I personally did not participate in the beer drinking or the Fanta. At Svasara for at least one day, it was dry. All alcohol sales were banned to that region temporarily.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

Thank you, all three of you, for this trip report, that recall me my first trip, more than 30 years ago, to Delhi and India.

 

Excellent team work!

That would be the team of Michael, Secret Lurker Andrew, Lynn, and He Man 9000 Ultra Super Strong Beer.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

@ michael-ibk

 

. And hooray on the hoopoe, a favorite of mine as well.

Who knew the Hoopoe had so many followers! It was the first "cool" bird I saw on safari so that's why it became my fav.

 

If I missed it earlier, I apologize, but what was the weather like? Hot; sultry; pleasant? In some of the photos it looks breezy and almost a bit cool, but, being India, I'm not so sure about that.

Michael did a good job of describing the weather. I hardly ever wear open toed shoes on safari outings but I definitely did for the afternoons when it was hottest. Fortunately not humid! All of our accommodations were nice and cool either from their construction or fans and A/C. We wore a fleece or similar most mornings.

 

Kanha was noticeably cooler, which is to be expected. Mornings were cold and I even wore my wool head band. It got hot by afternoon. Pench and Tadoba were the hottest, again to be expected. At Tuli Tiger in Pench we had the lovely tented accommodations about 4 city blocks from the main lounge and dining area. A golf cart transport was offered. Though I always walk, there were times midday when I accepted the golf cart transport because I did not want to exert myself in the intense heat, even for 4 blocks, and perhaps become dehydrated. Tadoba was 100 F at the heat of the day, I am sure.

;

your landscape photos show a very pretty Kaziranga. I was surprised as I had expected a thicker and denser forest landscape.

There were definitely open areas to go with the forest. I would say the Western Zone probably had the most forests. But all zones had nice combinations of open areas, water, and forest.

 

 

You get points for fine composition on the House Sparrow photo!, @@michael-ibk! I find the subject matter to be an invasive species, at least where I live.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Atravelynn

[LynneB]

 

As I started to read you report something odd happened. I saw one of my photos of the tiger at Tadoba...

 

It turns out that I was at Tadoba at the same time as you, also staying at Svasara and we must have been at the same sighting and clicked at the same time!

One of YOUR tigers??? Excuse me, that was OUR tiger. What a coincidence. This is hilarious. Maybe we ran into each other. Were you in that intrepid bunch that always ate lunch outside even when it was 100 F and always had smiles on your faces? We might have said a few words to each other.

 

I am not making this up but a few times at Svasara I thought I heard someone say Lynn(e)--it sounds the same with or without the e. Really, I turned around a few times to see if it was for me. I would never have thought of this again without your post.

 

This is THE coincidence of the trip. We had another incident that was also highly coincidental. That was at Kanha.

 

We all will be expecting your trip report, @@LynneB!

 

We were indeed the group sitting outside - there was a fan there so so perhaps not as intrepid as we appeared!

[michael-ibk]

@@LynneB

 

Talk about missed ST-GTG opportunities.

 

You and your very intrepid group certainly seem to have enjoyed yourselves, had a good time? Which other parks did you visit this time? And hey, you could share trip report duties with us when we´re getting to Tadoba!

 

@@Bush dog

 

Thanks, have you just returned from a safari?

[Atravelynn]

Please do join in on the Tadoba part of the report, @@LynneB. The more, the merrier! It will be like playing tag.

[Bush dog]

@@Bush dog

 

Thanks, have you just returned from a safari?

Unfortunately, no. Indeed I had to cancel my last project and replace it by a 10 days "safari" in a hospital. I was back home 3 days ago. I intend, when I will feel a little better, to give more details. So, send me a message with your e-mail.

[Kitsafari]

 

@@Bush dog

 

Thanks, have you just returned from a safari?

 

Unfortunately, no. Indeed I had to cancel my last project and replace it by a 10 days "safari" in a hospital. I was back home 3 days ago. I intend, when I will feel a little better, to give more details. So, send me a message with your e-mail.

@@Bush dog Oh dear. Hope you are recovering well.

[Atravelynn]

Wishing you a full and speedy recovery @bushdog!

[Atravelynn]

Day 4 at Kaziranga:

 

When arranging the itinerary, we all knew we wanted to visit the Hoollongapar Sanctuary near Kaziranga, which has the highest concentration Western Hoolock Gibbons of anywhere in the world. Vikram of Wild World India included this complimentary excursion to see Indian’s only ape.

 

But before the primate activity came the Purple Swamp Hen activity. We stopped at a field of hundreds, outside of Jorhat, a little over an hour into our journey.

 

Purple Swamp Hen enroute to Hollongapar Western Hoolock Sanctuary, outside of Jorhat

 

Sign at entrance

The gibbon is not considered one of the Great Apes, like Gorillas, Orangutans, Chimpanzees, Bonobos, and (depending on your listing techniques) Humans. But with no tail, a relatively large brain and rotary shoulder blades, gibbons are indeed an ape--a “Lesser” or “Small” Ape.

 

Maybe gibbons lack the notoriety of their larger cousins because they never had a Louis Leaky-appointed advocate. Chimps have Jane Goodall; Mountain Gorillas had Dian Fossey; and Orangutans have Birute Gildikas.

 

What gibbons lack in size and fame, they make up for in numbers. Seventy percent of all apes are gibbons.

 

We had a 5:30 am departure for a 2-hour ride in an enclosed, comfortable vehicle traveling eastward to the sanctuary. Tarun joined us and we had a new driver, not Bokuhl who drove the Gypsy. The roads were not winding so no Bonine (anti-nausea) medicine was needed.

 

Our arrival was delayed slightly by a passing train just outside where visitors enter the park.

 

Train at Hoollongapar Sanctuary

 

Railroad tracks run along 22 sq km Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary.Railway, which can cause the tree dwelling primates to have to descend to the ground--something they rarely do--if they want to move between patches of forest. It can present a challenge.

 

Along with the train, our first sighting was the Capped Langur, in contrast to the Common Langur seen in many of the Indian national parks.

Capped Langurs

We set off with Guide Tarun, our driver-naturalist, and our local ranger. Michael stated that he was enthused about seeing his first ape.

 

Tarun took the shot

The trail was flat and easy to hike. We wore hiking boots. Ankle protection from leeches is a good idea. The ranger showed us how he removed some leeches that had latched onto his sock-free ankles.

Hoollongapar Forest trails

Tarun had suggested a long-sleeved shirt in case of flying insects. We did not encounter insects of note, but we did see some interesting mushrooms.

On the trail to gibbons

Lots of beautiful butterflies lined the paths at our feet.

 

But we were more interested in what we could find swinging above our heads and after 45 minutes we were rewarded.

Female Western Hoolock Gibbon

Juvenile Western Hoolock Gibbon

Or dancing above our heads.

Catching the gibbons at rest was a major challenge.

Adult Male Western Hoolock Gibbon

 

Juvenile Western Hoolock Gibbon

Gibbons are the only apes to live monogamously. We saw three happy families of three—2 parents and a juvenile. Youngsters stay with the family for 7 to 10 years and can have siblings every 2 to 3 years.

 

Our first family of 3 was trying for more members. Seeing mating gibbons was very unusually and even the ranger was quite excited to witness this. How lucky we were.

The whole family in the trees.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

After that thrilling encounter, the ranger told us he knew the whereabouts of another family since they occupy territories. Home range can go from 0.15 square km to 4 square km and in an average day they can range from 600 meters to 1350 meters. We heard them and saw them. After enjoying family #2, we cut through a narrower, less groomed trail, following our ranger for sighting of a third family.

Male Western Hoolock Gibbon

Juvenile Western Hoolock Gibbon

We had some nice views of the brown-colored female Western Hoolock Gibbon.

Female Western Hoolock Gibbon

 

Not only can rhino travel at 55 km/hr, but the Western Hoolock Gibbon can swing through the trees at that speed. A gibbon vs rhino race would be interesting.

Our last views of these magnificent creatures were as they swung into the thick forest.

Hoolock Habitat

When the show concluded, after 2 hours, we had enjoyed the privilege of watching 9 of the approximately 100 Western Hoolock Gibbons in the sanctuary.

 

All of a sudden we became the subject of almost as many photos as the gibbons. A group of about 15 naturalists were meeting at the reserve and when they encountered us, they all whipped out their cameras for variously posed group shots. It was not the first time we became incorporated into group photos by strangers. A group of women at one of the attractions in Dehli snapped many photos surrounding us individually, in pairs, and all three of us. We have no photos of these encounters because we were too busy accommodating the requests to smile, pose, look here, look there.

 

A domesticated calf encounter followed the wild gibbons for me.

Just outside the gibbon sanctuary

 

Our return took us about 2 hours and 20 minutes vs about 2 hours that morning. Enroute was a procession for a holy day. We were home in time for lunch and our afternoon outing into Kaziranga.

Procession to celebrate a Holy Day in Assam

In the last several decades, the Western Hoolock Gibbon numbers have declined by almost 90%, and it is now considered to be one of the most endangered 25 primate species in the world. In 1997 the Government of Assam upgraded the status of the Hoollongapar Reserve Forest to a Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in 1997.

 

Since the reserve is near Jorhat, it is possible to stay there. It is also possible to fly into Jorhat and then drive 2 hours to Kaziranga rather than fly into Guwahati and drive about 5 hours to Kaziranga, like we did. The catch is (at least when we were planning) that there was no flight from Delhi to Guwahati, just from Calcutta to Guwahati.

 

We all found the visit to the gibbons to be a trip highlight!

Edited May 3, 2015 by Atravelynn

[graceland]

Well.all I can say is 'wow" this is an amazing photo journal of a place may never visit (too many others in place) but if it happened, would be fabulous. I love all the chimp photos, a LYNN sighting, and the gang together. what an amazing ride you three took together. India sure has its mixes and you showed us well.

 

The gibbon jumping looked like pure joy....sorry i am in iPad and can't complete half my sentences; non the less it was fabulos!! I have toyed with the idea of India for years and never quite figured it out; your report superbly helpful

 

 

1

[michael-ibk]

We all found the visit to the gibbons to be a trip highlight!

Amen to that! While it is possible to find them in Kaziranga (Kanchanjuri area of Western Zone) and the Reserve Forests around the park (Kuchukarata, Bagser, Panbari) they are much easier to see in the Sanctuary, since a few families have become quite habituatet over time. If you´re a monkey fan, it would be a good idea spending more time there than we did - besideds Gibbon and Capped Langur there´s a good chance of finding Stump-Tailed Macaque, Eastern Assamese Macaque, Pig-Tailed Macaque, even Bengal Slow Loris if one is very lucky. There are even some elephants in there, and leopard are hunting Muntjac and Wild Boar. The Sanctuary is an island, surrounded by tea gardens now, and that´s the main problem the Western Hoolock Gibbon is facing - habitat degradation. Since they "brachiate" through the trees (their way of locomotion) they need large, contiguous wood areas which are shrinking. If they have to come to the ground, walking bipedally very clumsily, they are easy prey for predators.To make matters worse some tribes hunt them for food and "medicine". So no more than about 3,000 Western Hoolock Gibbons are left in the wild.

 

It´s not only fantastic seeing them but also hearing them - Gibbons vocalize loudly in the mornings and evenings especially, and in former times their songs could be heard all over Eastern India. Now, only faint echos of gibbon music are left.

 

Hear them go at it at 00:15:

 

 

 

 

And a bit of human noise from the procession we encountered:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further information about the Gibbons:

 

 

 

http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/hoolock_gibbon/cons

 

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1200343/18197766/1337026104137/PC24.Choudhury.Hoolock.Gibbon_v4.pdf?token=nT692fJOk6PnYLCLUqhaPRTtwKg%3D

[madaboutcheetah]

What a super trip report ........... Thanks Michael, Lynn and @@AndMic ............ First of all, it was great meeting you guys in Delhi and glad your trip went well. You guys have seen more parts of scenic India than most of us have - one thing your report lacks is Leopard - may I suggest your next India visit include the South???? I shall attempt to be your tour guide!!!

 

PS - my cousin was asking about your trip and was hoping all went well.

Best regards

Hari

[michael-ibk]

@@madaboutcheetah

 

It´s a deal! Be careful what you wish for Hari, we have already been discussing the possibility of teaming-up again for South and Central India in 2017.

 

Give our best regards to your cousin.

[michael-ibk]

After all the gibbon fun we returned to Kaziranga NP for the afternoon and ventured out to Eastern Zone again. The sky was overcast, and we were half-expecting rain to fall any minute but would remain dry.

 

 

Little Cormorants

 

 

 

Bar-Headed Geese. This is one of the world's highest-flying birds, having been heard flying across Mount Makalu the fifth highest mountain on earth at 8,481 m and there are even unconfirmed reports of seeing them fly over Mount Everest. Very common in the park.

 

We soon stopped at the first watchtower and exited the car there, overseeing the plains and enjoyed watching the buffaloes again, who were somewhat wary of us but not overly concerned, some came pretty close.

 

 

 

Most of the herd kept their distance though, especially mothers with calves.

 

 

 

The buffalo in the middle with the impressive armament is a female, a male would have more massive, broadly based and not so rounded horns.

 

 

 

We stayed with them for 45 minutes, until we eventually further followed the road along the waterway where we found this odd couple:

 

 

 

 

Indian Pond Heron riding piggy-back.

 

 

 

 

It was a very relaxed and quiet afternoon, with very few other cars around (one of the major advantages of Eastern zone). We saw lots of Hog Deer, some otters again, some Rhesus Macaques and lots of birds, especially all kinds of Kingfishers but also Eagles and Owlets and just took delight in the peaceful atmosphere of Kaziranga.

 

 

Common Kingfisher

 

 

Stork-Billed Kingfisher, quite a rare sight.

 

 

Asian Barred Owlet

 

 

Hoary-Bellied or Irrawaddy Squirrel, very common.

 

We had some excitement later afternoon when the Deer became very nervous - and indeed, then we heard the unmistakable growl of a Tiger, a noise which put our teeth on edge - in a good way!

 

The fearsome hunter was close, we could tell even from hearing that he must have been in the high grass just a few 100 metres away from us and we waited for half an hour hoping for some action, but again, he was not generous again to grant us to see him.

 

Bit of history on Kaziranga:

 

Its status as a protected area dates back to the early 20th century, allegedely Lady Curzon was instrumental in getting Kaziranga declared a resere forest in 1905. (Her husband played an important part in establishing protection for Gir´s lions.) In 1916 Kaziranga became a game sanctuary and in 1950 a wildlife sanctuary. In 1974 it was declared Assam´s first national park, and was included in the UNESCO´s list of World Heritage Sites in 1985. In 2005 and 2007 it became an Elephant and Tiger reserve respectively, further enhancing its legal protection.

 

The park itself covers an area of roughly 430 sh km. The exact size is hard to tell since substantial parts of the land have literally been washed away by the Brahmaputra, the forces of erosion continue to eat away at Kaziranga.

 

On its way to 2,500 Rhinos, almost 2,000 Buffaloes and more than 1,000 Elephants - it´s really incredible that a park of this comparatively small size can shelter such an impressive mass of megafauna.

 

That´s because it can´t. Kaziranga has always been part of a greater ecosystem. Every year the floods come, and much of the park is under water then. Animals always used to move outside then, South to the rolling Mikir hills at the foot of the Karbi Anglong plateau, and up there into the forests. Elephants especially have had ancient migration routes which lead them far from the park during Monsoon. (This year, heavy rains have already started: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/abnormally-heavy-rains-inundate-kaziranga/)

 

That has changed. Population growth has lead to more traffic on the NH 37. With increased toursism more and more eating places, motels and houses have mushroomed along the street. Fences have been erected at substantial parts of the parks Southern, about 50 km long border at the demand of the villagers - and so the road has become more and more of an impenetrable barrier which animals are afraid to cross, and they remain inside the park. Floods, then, are more deadly now than ever, even if the park has built many artificial elevations with the help of the army. Even if the animals do dare to cross many end up as road kills, especially Hog Deer, but even Tigers and Elephants have been killed. And not only has the way out of the park become more difficult, the area animals can move too is shrinking and shrinking. Forest is logged, tea gardens are spreading, and more and more people living South of the park are leaving wildlife less and less space to go to and are hindering them from reaching the Karbi plateau, which is under pressure itself.

 

As Tarun also has told us elephants have almost become resident in the last years, and it is quite obvious that this situation does not bode too well for the park - it simply can´t sustain so many of them, and the negative environmental impact of having them inside all year long is huge.

 

Environmentalists and park officials therefore are petitioning for augmenting the park itself, creating and maintaining sufficient and safe migration routes to the Karbi plateau and taking steps to protect the Karbi forests itself. Kaziranga IS a huge conservation success story - but if it should become the "island" it is already changing into there´s little chance for it to remain the phenomenal wildlife jewel it still is today. Therein lies the biggest challenge Kaziranga faces - with the rate population growth is going a much bigger challenge than stopping rhino poaching for sure. (And that is a huge battle in itself, see here for example: http://www.firstpost.com/india/four-poachers-killed-kaziranga-national-park-2220750.html)

 

Steps have been taken, rumble strips have been implemented on the road, and the possibility of building under- and overways for animals is being discussed. Since the NH 37 is a important arterial highway linking Lower and Upper Assam rerouting some of that traffic to other roads would be ideal - but obviously very expensive.

 

The park IS expanding, also, the Purhapahar range (the 4th zone) itself consists of the first addition, and the adjacent Kukurakata Reserved Forest was also placed under the park´s management. The 2nd to 5th additions are comparatively small but are important in establishing lifelines to the Panbari Forest and the Karbi hills. Only the 4th has been handed over to park management, so far, the 2nd addition (around the gate of Central Zone) has been partly effected. The propsed 6th addtion would be the most sizable and mostly consist of the stream bed of the Brahmaputra itself. That´s not only water - the river is washin around many islands, suitable for wildlife. If all these additions would come into effect, the size of the park would then be 860 sq km.

 

So, many efforts have to be taken to conserve Kaziranga, and one can only hope that all parties involved will do their very best to ensure its future. The state of Assam could do much more however, apparently: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kaziranga-national-park-assam-govt-sits-on-funds-wildlife-protection-rhinos/1/430944.html

 

If you´re interested in further background info some links I found very interesting and informative:

 

 

http://kaziranga.assam.gov.in/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Note-KNP-Issues-01.pdf

 

http://www.aaranyak.org/reports/final_technical_report_aaranyak_korl.pdf

 

http://www.google.at/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEcQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhc.unesco.org%2Fdocument%2F6954&ei=RVtGVZbFIumy7Qazs4HwBg&usg=AFQjCNEh5obvx3Roh_KYFPieZdlc-VReRQ&sig2=_mrH8xk-PFcFtk3BD1fUtA&bvm=bv.92291466,d.ZGU

 

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/content/pdf/participant-papers/2011/april/biec-roa-nua/biodiversity_conversation_-_dr._bora.pdf

 

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/137/1374801645.pdf

[Treepol]

I'm so enjoying this TR, what a variety of animals and birds Kazaringa has to offer.

 

Great kingfisher photos.

 

Thanks for the hints and tips - weather, excess baggage, Brahmaputra cruise and leeches....

[LynneB]

@@LynneB

 

Talk about missed ST-GTG opportunities.

 

You and your very intrepid group certainly seem to have enjoyed yourselves, had a good time? Which other parks did you visit this time? And hey, you could share trip report duties with us when we´re getting to Tadoba!

 

@@Bush dog

 

Thanks, have you just returned from a safari?

 

We had a great time - we visited Pench and Satpura after Tadoba. I'm going to have to trawl through my photos now and see if I can spot any of you in the background!