Tiger Trifecta; Thirty Three sightings of Twenty Three Tigers in Ten and a half days

[Frostfire]

Have been enjoying this double-effort trip report thoroughly You have got me questioning why for some reason India always loses out to another wildlife destination when we are planning! So many tiger encounters, and some without the crowds that I often hear of, and put me off a little. Great information, lovely pictures! Can't wait for the rest  

[KaliCA]

Thank you so much, dear Linda and Lynn, for posting gorgeous pictures of Bandhavgarh NP.  My dream is to spot a tiger sitting in water as you did. To hear a youngster cooing for its mother would pull my heartstrings as well. Besides the obvious, I was surprised to hear that you spotted elephants there! Amazing, and what zone was that? Even your crop of non-Tiger pics is impressive. Wow! That Gaur…
We will not have any full day safari days because the cost was just outrageously high. So it’s good to hear that most Tiger sightings did not happen between 11 and 3 pm. Did I understand this correctly?

I understand that the advantage of a full day safari lies in the fact that in the afternoon, you are already well inside the park whereas the PM vehicles need to line up outside the park. Correct?

Anyway, thank you for all the valued information and the fun pics with your guides. 
All the best, Katrin

 

[Atravelynn]

11 hours ago, Toxic said:

@Atravelynnand @wilddogI have really enjoyed reading the dual narrative report, and some excellent photos and sightings across the both of you!  Thank you so much. The fun photos just above brought a smile to my face too - so nice to see you both having fun with your guides   We had fun with the guides, other guests, laughing together, etc!

 

I'm interested in reading your thoughts on Pench and the sightings you saw.  Coming up next I (perhaps foolishly) added a week of safari onto the end of my 14 day trip through Rajasthan, covering Pench and Kanha. I'm guessing just by the title you had better luck there than I did! 😂

Adding more tiger time is never foolish if you can swing it.  There is a good deal of luck involved so increasing the opportunities for luck improves the outcomes.  With an itinerary like that, you must have seen some good tigers as well as other stuff, @Toxic

11 hours ago, Zubbie15 said:

Really enjoying this report, you had some great tiger sightings. It makes me regret that we had to push back our almost finalized trip for next February to 2025( with WWI and guided by Rajen).   It will be worth the wait.

 

I really like the idea of the fans, I remember how hot it was on our all day drives in Ranthambore back in 2019. Something to keep in mind for next time!  Feb should be fairly cool.  As Linda mentioned, it never got too hot.

 

10 hours ago, Frostfire said:

Have been enjoying this double-effort trip report thoroughly You have got me questioning why for some reason India always loses out to another wildlife destination when we are planning! Lots of places to go in the world. So many tiger encounters, and some without the crowds that I often hear of, and put me off a little.  Bandhavgarh has implemented a stricter policy of how many vehicles per zone.  The total number of vehicles also has been reduced from when I was last there about a decade ago.   Great information, lovely pictures! Can't wait for the rest   Thank you, that is very kind.

 

1 hour ago, KaliCA said:

Thank you so much, dear Linda and Lynn, for posting gorgeous pictures of Bandhavgarh NP.  My dream is to spot a tiger sitting in water as you did.  I'm sure a trip to India can fulfill that dream. The later in the season, meaning warmer weather, the greater the odds.  Tiger in the water is not unusual and is one of the more reliable ways to see them. To hear a youngster cooing for its mother would pull my heartstrings as well. Besides the obvious, I was surprised to hear that you spotted elephants there! Amazing, and what zone was that? I think Zone 1 (Tala) but they are now roaming all over Bandhavgarh.  Elephants were more common in Kabini. Even your crop of non-Tiger pics is impressive. Wow! That Gaur…
We will not have any full day safari days because the cost was just outrageously high. Yes, it is.  Rajen gave us figures indicating a 10x greater cost for all day than the regular outing.  Since there are 2 regular outings, I guess that translates to 5x the cost.  So it’s good to hear that most Tiger sightings did not happen between 11 and 3 pm. Did I understand this correctly? Saw only 1 tiger at 2:45 pm through about 3 pm.  The rest were morning or afternoon.  We thought we'd be able to see a tiger or two, especially at a waterhole, without a crowd.  We did not find any.  In fact, we saw very little wildlife during the midday and we were out looking. 

I understand that the advantage of a full day safari lies in the fact that in the afternoon, you are already well inside the park whereas the PM vehicles need to line up outside the park. Correct? Yes, also the full-day permit gives vehicles the right to move between zones and not stick with one particular zone.  That turned out to be an advantage of mobility.

Anyway, thank you for all the valued information and the fun pics with your guides. 
All the best, Katrin

 

 

[Atravelynn]

11 hours ago, Zubbie15 said:

I really like the idea of the fans, I remember how hot it was on our all day drives in Ranthambore back in 2019. Something to keep in mind for next time! 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIAFH52/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Many colors to choose from.  As Linda stated, we never used them due to cooler than expected temps.

[KaliCA]

Fans are great! We use them on African safaris when you are sitting and waiting with the engine off on a hot day. I bring along two that you can clip on anything like the sun visor and it runs on a rechargeable battery. 
see pic. Got them at Walmart. I also used it in the Camper Van to fall asleep while camping in Kruger in September. 
But the ones Lynn are showing, would be more comfortable to pack and are better for personal cooling down in an open Jeep. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by KaliCA
Add pic

[Atravelynn]

Tigers were the main attraction, but here’s a Leopard List, starting with Bandhavgarh.

 

Bandhavgarh Leopard List

Mother and cub.  I spotted a slender creature running through the jungle as the light was fading.  “Mongoose!” I called.  But then the mongoose easily bounded up a tree so Rajen gently corrected me with, “Leopard!”  It was a leopard cub.  Next the cub and the mother leopard both descended the tree and ran off.

 

Documentation shot of leopard at Bandhavgarh.  Mother ( shown here) and cub. 

 

As we departed Bandhavgarh’s Jungle Lodge at 8:00 am in a regular vehicle with a driver, Rajen pointed out the not-so-common White-breasted Swamphen.  Seven hours and fifteen minutes later, with  half an hour of stops for our packed lunch and loos, we arrived at Pench.  This was Holi so we were on the lookout for celebrations as we traveled through the cities.  Early in the day nothing was happening but later we saw colorful signs of this holiday.

 

 

White-breasted Swamphen, seen leaving Bandhavgarh's Jungle Lodge

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Atravelynn

[Athene]

@wilddog @Atravelynn Following your fantastic trip report with great interest. We visited Bandhavgarh shortly after you did as part of a two week trip to India. We were not quite as fortunate as you with our tiger sightings but had one good and lengthy encounter with Dotty (Dot-D). I am just going through the photos and if my husband ever finishes editing, I hope to write a short trip report

[wilddog]

@Athenethanks for reading along. 

It will be great to see your  TR when it is ready and hear the latest on Dot D. 

I also thought she was Dotty until Lynn 

put me right.

 

I am currently reviewing all my Pench shots and videos in preparation for our next chapter and I expect Lynn is too. It takes a while.......

 

and thanks to @Frostfireand @Zubbie15too.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by wilddog

[Atravelynn]

13 hours ago, Athene said:

@wilddog @Atravelynn Following your fantastic trip report with great interest. We visited Bandhavgarh shortly after you did as part of a two week trip to India. We were not quite as fortunate as you with our tiger sightings but had one good and lengthy encounter with Dotty (Dot-D). I am just going through the photos and if my husband ever finishes editing, I hope to write a short trip report

Not to take over your trip report in advance, but I am very curious about the weather you had.  What days were you in Bandhavgarh?  Dot D/Dottie is a charismatic gal.

[Athene]

She really is @Atravelynn We were so lucky to see her walking along the road for about half an hour, scent marking and roaring - and it was just us, no other vehicle around.

We also had three full day permits for March 18, 19 and 20. Our first full day was a bit overcast but no rain, second day it started quite nice but in the afternoon it started raining and we got soaking wet. Our last full day was sunny for most of the time and no rain.

Vikram Singh from WWI was our guide and he said it is a very unusual weather pattern - it shouldn't be raining in March.

[Kitsafari]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:40 PM, wilddog said:

Coming soon to a screen near you , a TR from @Atravelynn and @wilddog

 

 

 

 

 

FInally finding time to start on your TR and the title already makes me regretful. But very pleased for you two - you both were positively beaming in that shot. 

[Kitsafari]

a couple of questions - did you have to sit and wait at spots for tigers to appear, and how long was the longest wait? 

 

"Bandhavgarh has implemented a stricter policy of how many vehicles per zone.  The total number of vehicles also has been reduced from when I was last there about a decade ago. "

would you know how many vehicles per zone now? but no restriction on the number of vehicles at a tiger sighting ?

 

wow that blue-bearded bee-eater is gorgeous! and the changeable hawk eagle has a very long crest. I just read that the Indian sub-species has a longer crest than the other sub-species.

 

You both had a lot of fun!  

[RC88COR]

@wilddog@Atravelynn Loving your trip report! You had great tiger sightings in Bandhavghar, as did I when I was there same time of year a few years ago. I think end February to mid March is a great time to visit the tiger parks/reserves in central India, not too hot yet and not as many people as in April thru June. The drying bamboo and the fallen leaves makes for interesting photos and better sightings than earlier in the year with the dense green foliage. I absolutely loved the sounds of the forest with all the alarm calls and learning to follow them - so experiential!  Glad to hear they are regulating the number of vehicles in the park. 

[Atravelynn]

16 hours ago, Athene said:

She really is @Atravelynn We were so lucky to see her walking along the road for about half an hour, scent marking and roaring - and it was just us, no other vehicle around.

We also had three full day permits for March 18, 19 and 20. That is prime time!  So you did 3 full days too.  It will be interesting to get your thoughts on 3 consecutive all day permits. Our first full day was a bit overcast but no rain, second day it started quite nice but in the afternoon it started raining and we got soaking wet.  We had a soaking wet day too in Kabini.  Our last full day was sunny for most of the time and no rain.

Vikram Singh from WWI was our guide and he said it is a very unusual weather pattern - it shouldn't be raining in March. No it should not.

 

13 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

a couple of questions - did you have to sit and wait at spots for tigers to appear, and how long was the longest wait?  We waited at waterholes twice as I can recall.  Once for about 45 minutes late in the day at Bandhavgarh so it was not real hot.  We were rewarded with a tiger coming out of a hidden area.  We knew she was there, but were not sure if she would appear. The other time at Pench was also later in the afternoon.  We eventually abandoned the waterhole after about an hour and then were told by another vehicle that the tiger and cub had appeared, so we high-tailed it back.  I had actually thought more of our time, especially on the all day outings, would be spent sitting at waterholes.  But it was not.  About 5 of our sightings in the 3 parks were at waterholes, but in all but one case, we found the tiger at the waterhole.  On my previous trips I don't recall long waits at waterholes either.

 

"Bandhavgarh has implemented a stricter policy of how many vehicles per zone.  The total number of vehicles also has been reduced from when I was last there about a decade ago. "

would you know how many vehicles per zone now? but no restriction on the number of vehicles at a tiger sighting ?  I am not certain of the particulars of the restrictions.  I do know that Bandhavgarh routinely had the least number of vehicles at sightings, based on our experience. I also know our all-day permit allowed us (and about 4 other vehicles per day) to have more flexibility.  @Athenemay have insights as well.

 

wow that blue-bearded bee-eater is gorgeous! and the changeable hawk eagle has a very long crest. I just read that the Indian sub-species has a longer crest than the other sub-species. fascinating!

 

You both had a lot of fun!  

 

7 hours ago, RC88COR said:

@wilddog@Atravelynn Loving your trip report! You had great tiger sightings in Bandhavghar, as did I when I was there same time of year a few years ago. I think end February to mid March is a great time to visit the tiger parks/reserves in central India, not too hot yet and not as many people as in April thru June.  Good point! The drying bamboo and the fallen leaves makes for interesting photos and better sightings than earlier in the year with the dense green foliage. I absolutely loved the sounds of the forest with all the alarm calls and learning to follow them - so experiential! Yes, very exciting to hear those calls.  Glad to hear they are regulating the number of vehicles in the park. 

 

[madaboutcheetah]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:44 PM, RC88COR said:

@wilddog@Atravelynn Loving your trip report! You had great tiger sightings in Bandhavghar, as did I when I was there same time of year a few years ago. I think end February to mid March is a great time to visit the tiger parks/reserves in central India, not too hot yet and not as many people as in April thru June. The drying bamboo and the fallen leaves makes for interesting photos and better sightings than earlier in the year with the dense green foliage. I absolutely loved the sounds of the forest with all the alarm calls and learning to follow them - so experiential!  Glad to hear they are regulating the number of vehicles in the park. 

 

I think there's a limit to number of vehicles per zone etc etc., in any case ...... So not sure Feb/March is going to be fewer people compared to April/June ...... I would guess it's busy all times because those parks close for the monsoon possibly late June to end September or there about.  One tip I would say for most parks in India - avoid the weekends if you can (definitely applies to Kabini).    

Edited April 19, 2023 by madaboutcheetah

[wilddog]

Wednesday March 8^th

Road transfer from Bandhavghar to Pench.

 

As I mentioned previously this was in fact Holi Day in India. We felt a little guilty about keeping our driver and other staff away from their families on this special day, but hopefully they were earning extra cash and we would not be stuck in a camp for the day with no game drives.

 

The roads were not that busy and there are now toll roads that speed things up but it was still along drive. We stopped when convenient and just relaxed through the journey.

 

One time, when we stopped at the side of the road the lorry drivers called and waved to us from their decorated vehicles. We waved back and wished them a Happy Holi Day.

 

As we approached our lodge we could not even see it, as it nestles in a very natural environment, surround by trees.

 

[wilddog]

 

 

 

 

Jamtara Lodge

 

The camp comprises I think 9 tented rooms in a very natural setting with long grass either side of the paths, to and from, the central area with trees all around.

 

When we reached our tent they were vary spacious and there were 2 single mattresses, but they were built into a large double bed frame, ….. and this would be our first time sharing.

 

I was initially taken aback, but realised there was no alternative and so we chose our sides of the joined beds and ‘marked our territory’ through the room and bathroom. Lynn would unpack in the bathroom and I would used the dressing/case are on ‘my’ side of the room.

 

 

We are advised not to walk up the path in the dark but wait for an escort which would spot our torch from our tent and walk down and collect us. After a quick settle in, we awaited escort from our tent for the evening meal who did not appear.

 

There was a phone in the room but we could not figure out how to get through to reception…….or anything and in the end I set off for the main area. Lynn was not happy about this as I was breaking the rules but I did survive and someone than went down to collect her.

 

I should add that the next day we were advised that recently a tigress had been spotted around camp so my little adventure was probably not wise. In fact after we had left the tigress walked straight past the meeting area while guests were there. My advice? do not follow my example.

 

On reaching the main indoor dining and lounge area there was an extended family visiting and we joined them for an audio visual presentation on Project Tiger. After that, the other guests disappeared and the 3 of us dined alone. We could not, at this point, work out what was happening.

 

The meal, was delicious, the service impeccable and this would continue throughout our stay.

 

It transpired that there were several dining areas,

Under the banyan tree....

 

on the roof (My favourite),

 

 

a bush dinner area

 

 

and finally the open sided lounge meeting area, which is where we met up before all the drives.

 

 

 

You could also eat lunch by the pool...................

 

 

By this stage we had really been eating too much, so sometimes we would drop out of lunch or dinner, and on the night of the roof dinner, Lynn had decided not to eat. The roof top dining was kept a secret until you were led up there, so sadly Lynn missed it.

 

On a personal note, although I do not normally ‘do’ luxury I loved Jamtara and it was my favourite of the 3 camps/lodges.

 

Normally this camp accesses the park through a gate near to camp (see Map above) While we were there the river crossing was not safe so we had to go via a more distant gate to the east, which was some 20 or 25 minutes away. We just got up earlier and left in plenty of time to register at the gate, pick up out local guide and enter the park.

 

Pench NP was much busier than Bandhavghar NP. Many of the guests were enjoying an extended Holi day by visiting their nearest National Park to see the wildlife. 

 

Post Script. I am away for the next few days so @Atravelynnwill lead the way with the sightings etc and I will add in my images/comments and a couple of videos when I get back.

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by wilddog

[Atravelynn]

9 hours ago, wilddog said:

Again, your account and photos of Jamtara brings back some memories of things I had forgotten. Thanks, Linda!

 

 

 

The very artistic and moving presentation we saw the first night at Jamtara recounted an interesting history. Amit Sankhala, who operates the lodge along with additional properties, is the grandson of Kailash Sankhala, who was appointed by Indira Gandhi to head the first tiger census and he was a leader in banning tiger hunting in India.

 

a bush dinner area

 

 

Because this bush dinner was quite a few steps into the bush and a tiger was known to be in the area, we wondered if the flaming plumes that were ignited throughout our dinner were not just for dramatic effect, but to keep away the tiger.

 

 

On a personal note, although I do not normally ‘do’ luxury I loved Jamtara and it was my favourite of the 3 camps/lodges.

 

It was an outstanding accommodation. The reason we booked the very lovely and luxurious Jamtara was because at the time of booking, the odds of seeing dhole were greater in this area.  Also we thought the Jamtara Gate would have fewer vehicles entering, so less crowding.  It turned out the dhole had moved from this area and good rains from the last monsoon meant the area around Jamtara was flooded so we had to use the Karmajhiri Gate, as Linda mentioned, that was a 20-25 minute drive away.  We learned that Jamtara in Pench and Jungle Lodge in Bandhavgarh, where we had stayed, are under the same management.

 

We met an Indian gentleman who was very experienced in Indian safaris and he comes to Jamtara every year around Holi for one entire week to immerse himself in nature. He chooses Pench over any other park and Jamtara over any other accommodation.

The flooding that changed our entrance gate also prevented us from traversing the beautiful green and rocky areas that Pench is known for, that I had enjoyed in 2015 when Michael and Andreas and I spent two nights in Pench. 

 

18 hours ago, madaboutcheetah said:

 

  One tip I would say for most parks in India - avoid the weekends if you can (definitely applies to Kabini).    We were able to do this, fortunately.  It was a great tip.  The days around Holi also brought in more local visitors taking advantage of family time together. 

 

A couple more shots of the Jamtara grounds:

Black-naped Monarch on Jamtara grounds in Pench

 

Racket-tailed Drongo on Jamtara grounds in Pench

 

Linda under the banyon tree at lunch - Jamtara

 

We were often provided fruit infused water with hydration salts at Jamtara, as shown here at lunch, to keep us hydrated.

 

Adorable tiger plate filled with scrumptious food at Jamtara.

Edited April 19, 2023 by Atravelynn

[wilddog]

Oh yes  the lovely plates. I had forgotten.

 

and Lynn's food photos demonstrate how we had small portions of lots of things to try, rather than large portions of a couple of dishes.

Loved it.

Edited April 20, 2023 by wilddog

[Atravelynn]

9 minutes ago, wilddog said:

Oh yes  the lovely plates. I had forgotten.

I'm not a place setting, china and dishes kind of gal, but I just loved the tiger!

 

[Atravelynn]

Pench is known for leopards and nice scenery along with tigers, so the Leopard List for our 4 nights will be first.

 

Pench Leopard List

4 total, all adults, 3 photographable

2 one morning, 1 that same afternoon, for a total of 3 on a day with no tiger sightings

1 another morning

 

Pench, morning

 

 

Pench, afternoon

 

 

Pench, morning

 

 

Pench, morning

 

 

Pench, morning

 

 

Whether it was just our vehicle or ten vehicles, the leopards seemed completely unfazed and continued on their path with no regard for us.

Edited April 19, 2023 by Atravelynn

[Kitsafari]

wow leopard galore! from a glance are you able to tell obvious differences from the leopards from Africa? I read that the asian leopards are slightly smaller and with shorter limbs - which I guess come in very handy in thick and dense jungles in Asia. 

[Atravelynn]

50 minutes ago, Kitsafari said:

wow leopard galore! from a glance are you able to tell obvious differences from the leopards from Africa? I read that the asian leopards are slightly smaller and with shorter limbs - which I guess come in very handy in thick and dense jungles in Asia. 

I was thinking shorter limbs! They do look shorter.

Edited April 20, 2023 by Atravelynn

[KaliCA]

Wonderful leopard shots! They do look slightly differ to me around the muzzle from African leopards. 
Just out of curiosity: Did guide and driver spot all the leopards and tigers or did you two spot some too?

Can’t wait to spot/see my first tiger. 
Looked at tickets yesterday. Choice of one stop is Air India. Choice of two stops is Qatar with stops in Chicago and Doha. Air India was a little cheaper and we refuse to pay more than economy for flights. What would you choose?

[Atravelynn]

30 minutes ago, KaliCA said:

Wonderful leopard shots! They do look slightly differ to me around the muzzle from African leopards. 
Just out of curiosity: Did guide and driver spot all the leopards and tigers or did you two spot some too?  Throughout the trip with 33 total tiger sightings and 7 total leopard sightings, here is who saw what:  Hari  (@madaboutcheetah)  spotted 3 tigers in Kabini, when he and his sister joined us for that last part of the trip.  One of those tigers was sitting RIGHT behind the vehicle and we were all looking for it in brush in front of the vehicle.  Hari, in the back seat, turned around and saw the tiger and alerted us all.  I spotted a mother/cub leopard combo in Bandhavgarh that I initially thought was a mongoose.  I spotted the grown cub of the tiger behind the vehicle in the brush then it disappeared.  Of the remaining sightings, I'd say half were made by all of us simultaneously after driver, naturalist, and Guide Rajen worked hard to get us in the right spot to be able to see the animal. The other half were made by one of the pros who then showed us. 

 

Can’t wait to spot/see my first tiger.   You will! 
Looked at tickets yesterday. Choice of one stop is Air India. Choice of two stops is Qatar with stops in Chicago and Doha. Air India was a little cheaper and we refuse to pay more than economy for flights. What would you choose?

I have chosen Air India 4 times for each of my 4 trips to India between 2012 and 2023.  Only this last time presented problems of the flight to India being 15 hours late (but I wonder if that had something to do with the G-20 summit in Delhi) and movie screens that did not work.  I chose Air India each time because of the direct flight to Delhi and the cheaper price.