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

[offshorebirder]

On 4/12/2023 at 10:32 PM, Atravelynn said:

He also had no qualms letting us know he was in charge of the territory by giving us a menacing snarl.

 

WOW!    Catching up on this excellent TR - what a fine safari y'all had.

 

[KaliCA]

Picture number 3 shows a wonderful and very distinct whisker shot! Well done, Lynn!

Linda, your shots have a lovely orangey tint that fits with the tiger’s coloring. 
Wow! Hari’s leg is definitely close to that stalking tiger. Nice drama… and then more with the rain…

So maybe bring a dry bag to keep cameras dry just in case it might rain?

Edited May 4, 2023 by KaliCA

[madaboutcheetah]

Omg - I remember there were alarm calls all around and we were bewildered as to where the cats could be! Suddenly I stand up and there she was right behind us ….

[wilddog]

@KaliCAit seems that all the vehicles we travelled in had rain protection options. The open gypsies had waterproof rooves which could be added and/or ponchos to cover us up in heavy rain.

 

I am fortunate that I traveled with 2 excellent photographers, with serious camera kit, during this trip, Lynn and hopefully Hari,  will continue to enhance this report with their excellent photographs 

 

I am just a point a shoot person and relatively unskilled. 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by wilddog

[wilddog]

On our last full day at Kabini the rain had left it's mark with puddles on the roads and elsewhere.

 

At one point we were parked, I think on a bridge, waiting for another vehicle to come down the hill. Suddenly @madaboutcheetahshouted and pointed to the other vehicle.................... there was a tiger on the sky line behind them.

 

This was Tiger 21- Sighting 30 named Tiger Tank. I do not know know whether Tiger Tank was male of female.

 

We could see the silhouette on the horizon behind the other vehicle but we were unable to take any photographs

 

 

On to Tiger 22 (or was it?) - Sighting 31

 

This tiger was resting in the long grass and behind a log and at first we could hardly see it. I was at the back of the vehicle, so probably had a better view than others.

 

At the time we were not given a name (or if we were we did not hear the comment) and so just snapped away as best we could. We had this down as an unknown tiger in our notes.

 

After a while she got up and turned around, and then later moved off.

Note: it was interesting to me that the '3 yawns and get up principle' applied to tigers a well as lions. It certainly worked here.

 

BUT reviewing my photos at home I realised that the side pattern was identical to those of the Backwater female's daughter from the evening before.

 

So apologies to all, that our tiger numbers are not what we thought but the sighting numbers are unaffected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by wilddog

[wilddog]

So the final morning, Tiger-wise, would feature two of our sightings regulars; Firstly the Temple Tigress and secondly Maggie.

 

Sighting 32

Temple Tigress

 

 

 

 

The Temple Tiger facial markings are so striking

 

 

and our star, Maggie - Sighting 33

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by wilddog

[wilddog]

Once Lynn has had a chance to add her photographs and comments (and Hari, if he is home yet) to our latest Tiger posts, we will move on to

• other sightings,
• birds,
• general advice and tips we have learnt
• and a post script

Edited May 4, 2023 by wilddog

[Atravelynn]

There were quite a few vehicles, including those big cantors, at Sighting #31 and suddenly the title for the trip report of my 2015 trip with Michael and Andreas came to mind, Stripes of Wild India.  Andreas is credited with that title.  These were stripes of a different type.

"Stripes of Wild India," title of the 2015 India trip report with @michael-ibkand @AndMic,  is appropriate in this situation as well. Black and white stripes. All part of the Gumball Rally.

 

“3 yawns and get up principle' applied to tigers a well as lions”  It was indeed three yawns for this mystery tiger that could be the Backwater female.  Without the rain we likely would not have had an opportunity to see the yawns and stretching because she would have been resting deep in the jungle.  But the drippy trees encouraged her to seek a drier, more open environment for lounging.

Sighting #31  Yawn #1, Kabini, the Gumball Rally was waiting for this tigress to awaken from her nap.

 

 

 Sighting #31  Still Yawn #1, Kabini, the Gumball Rally was waiting for this tigress to awaken from her nap.

 

 

 Sighting #31  Yawn #2, Kabini, the Gumball Rally was waiting for this tigress to awaken from her nap.

 

 

 

Sighting #31  Stretch between Yawn #2 and Yawn #3, Kabini, the Gumball Rally was waiting for this tigress to awaken from her nap.

 

 

 

 Sighting #31 Yawn #3, Kabini, the Gumball Rally was waiting for this tigress to awaken from her nap. Sujith had us perfectly aligned until she stretched and changed her position, yawning once more before getting up. With the Gumball Rally in full force, we could not reposition the vehicle and had to contend with the log.

 

A friend of Hari’s who came to join us for our final evening at Kaav predicted that our final drive the last morning would be a great one, stating, “Last drives always are.” 

 

Hari and Beena had to depart that morning, so they could not join us for this last outing.

 

As Linda noted, the Temple Female and Maggie bid us farewell, initially with numerous vehicles around, but Sujith anticipated the movements of each cat and knew which roads to intersect their paths. We ended our visit with two separate private encounters of two amazing mother tigers of Kabini, leaving any Gumball Rally far behind. 

Sighting #32 Temple Tiger, Kabini.  No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.  Passing close to the vehicle, ignoring us.  No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.   No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.   No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.   No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.   No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.   No other vehicles.

 

 

Sighting #33  Maggie, Kabini.   No other vehicles.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Atravelynn

[Kitsafari]

wowowowow. was the sighting of the mum and the 2 cubs one of your best, if not the best, sighting of the trip? if I had been there, it would have been for me  - an extended sighting in the open with two cubs interacting with mum - amazing. @wilddog 's video captured the mum's comfortable walk with the bold cub and the shy cub's retreat. I'm also rather stunned that the gumball rally 25yards away hadn't tried to rush forward to close the gap. the unruly sightings of Tadoba i think had scarred me for life, so to hear how the other vehicles had responded so well to provide that gap for the tiger and cubs to cross is so refreshing. 

 

Kabini really delivered for you guys!  

 

(BTW in @Atravelynn's april 30 post, i believe that the first photo of the red-vented bulbul is that of the red-whiskered bulbul which is a big target for caged bird trade in Southeast Asia)

Edited May 7, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Atravelynn]

We saw other animals besides tigers in Kabini.

Green Bee-eater, Kabini

 

Green Bee-eater, Kabini

 

Green Bee-eater, Kabini

 

Green Bee-eater, Kabini

 

 

 

Chital, Kabini

 

 

Chital, Kabini

 

 

Dhole, Kabini

 

 

 

Gaur, Kabini

 

 

 

Stripe-necked Mongoose

 

 

Stripe-necked Mongoose

 

 

 

White-throated Kingfisher

 

 

 

Peacock, Kabini

 

Peacock, Kabini

 

Peacocks fighting, Kabini

 

 

 

Wild Boar, Kabini

 

 

 

Elephants, Kabini

 

 

Backwaters of Kabini and elephants

 

 

Backwaters of Kabini and elephants

 

 

Backwaters of Kabini and elephants

 

 

Backwaters of Kabini, elephants

 

 

Elephant, Kabini

 

Backwaters of Kabini, elephant and chital

 

 

 

Indian Giant Squirrel, Kabini

 

 

Indian Giant Squirrel, Kabini

 

Indian Giant Squirrel, Kabini

 

 

Indian Giant Squirrel, Kabini

 

Indian Giant Squirrel, Kabini

 

 

 

Barking Deer, Kabini

 

 

 

Red-headed Vulture, Kabini

 

 

 

Black-rumped Flameback, Kabini

 

 

 

Grey Junglefowl, Kabini

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

21 minutes ago, Kitsafari said:

wowowowow. was the sighting of the mum and the 2 cubs one of your best, if not the best, sighting of the trip? if I had been there, it would have been for me  - an extended sighting in the open with two cubs interacting with mum - amazing. @wilddog 's video captured the mum's comfortable walk with the bold cub and the shy cub's retreat. I'm also rather stunned that the gumball rally 25yards away hadn't tried to rush forward to close the gap.  The line of other vehicles did come forward once, but when the shy cub kept running back into the brush we backed up further to increase the gap.  I do think the behavior of all the vehicles during this sighting was good. the unruly sightings of Tadoba i think had scarred me for life, I agree that Tadoba had the worst driver behavior I have seen.  The passenger behavior was also bad.  I recall one Austrian tourist in another vehicle who hopped out of her vehicle and into our vehicle, without ever touching the ground, because we had a better position for tiger viewing.  She was surprised to meet two  more Austrians (Michael and Andreas).  We all let her know she was not welcome, two of us using the Austrian language. so to hear how the other vehicles had responded so well to provide that gap for the tiger and cubs to cross is so refreshing. 

 

Kabini really delivered for you guys!  

 

(BTW in @Atravelynn's april 30 post, i believe that the first photo of the red-vented bulbul is that of the red-whiskered bulbul which is a big target for caged bird trade in Southeast Asia)  Thanks and I made an edit.  Hopefully this one remains wild.

 

[michael-ibk]

Beautiful! Love the Ele landscape shot and the jumping Squirrel particularly. Great you saw Dhole as well. 🙂

[Atravelynn]

19 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Beautiful! Love the Ele landscape shot and the jumping Squirrel particularly. Great you saw Dhole as well. 🙂

Thanks. Dhole was a top target for Linda from the start of our planning and we even cholse our Pench accommodation to increase the odds of dhole there (which we did see in Pench, but not good views) so we were very happy to see dhole.  Kabini comes through!

Edited May 8, 2023 by Atravelynn

[Kitsafari]

i love the mongoose - what a gorgeous looking fella. and awesome shots of the elephants against the scenic background. i didn't know there were eles there, and eles in India would have been a top mark in my book 

[wilddog]

 

Fantastic photos Lynn.

 

The dhole sightings were a delight for me and, in Kabini, we actually manged to get a shot off to prove it.

 

Just going back to March 14th we were sitting, listening and watching for a tiger as we had heard alarm calls.  We were concentrating to the left of the vehicle but a sound alerted us to something on the right. It was the elephants walking though. Their feet were scuffing through the dead leaves as you can here on this video. A lovely sound.  The elephants, too, recognised there was something around in the bush

Just a note the sound seems only to be audible if you watch on youtube. No idea why....

 

 

and finally what of the leopards

 

We often heard them or heard about them . It was mating season so there was a lot going on, but not within in our sight.. However on the morning after the heavy rain we found this guy sitting at the edge of the road..

 

 

 

 

and Blackie?.....as he is known locally this is the only sighting we had................on the signs as you drive into the park.

 

 

It is thought that, having appeared for a week of so to mate, Blackie probably headed back up to the area of the park where tourists cannot go. So a disappointment for us, but the other sightings we had really made up for it.

 

We still await a photos and further comments from @madaboutcheetahbut he is still in Tanzania, so in the meantime some photos of us with Hari, Beena and Sujith, the Kaav naturalist.

 

 

 

 

What a fantastic team and there is no doubt having Hari and Beena with us enhanced our visit enormously, and in so many ways.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by wilddog

[madaboutcheetah]

What a wonderful report, guys ......  So glad you had a good final morning that we had to miss as we were driving home early.

 

Back to a reality check back from the cheetah plains of Namiri (report will come later when i get to edit - too many cheetah to even count) ......  Will update this thread when i settle in with some photos and fond memories of the March madness that's dry season Kabini.

Edited May 11, 2023 by madaboutcheetah

[madaboutcheetah]

Here goes ..... Highlights of my few days in Kabini.  Lynn and Linda were coming in on Monday March 13 .....  Since the previous day was a Sunday - My Sister Beena and I would drive up and get in a couple of drives while they were on their way from Central India.

 

Highlights include a pack of Dhole and puppies (I've only seen Dhole puppies once before and that was in the Valparai tea estates) .......  Of course, Maggie and her cubs were the show stoppers as seen in the stellar posts from both @Atravelynnand @wilddog

 

We had an amazing time hanging out with both the ladies - talk of travels across Africa and getting Lynn's input on a potential polar bear trip one day when I choose to forego an African safari!! 

 

Many Thanks to the Kaav team of Divya, Vanya and Sujith our naturalist for all the wonderful hospitality as always .........  Blessed to be in driving distance.

One final thought - Kabini is not a place to go to if you expect predators round every corner like say, the crowded packed plains of the Masai Mara.  It's a place to go to, if you are interested in observing a true wilderness conservation project (a park that runs in the middle of highway) and the conservation efforts that goes into safe guarding the future of our parks here in India!!! All that said - I'm truly devastated that we missed Blackie (twice) ....... He made his only appearance in the park after six months and we happened to be there and still missed him!! Oh well... Update - no sign of him since!!  The rains have started and with that the park is supposedly lush green again.

 

 EDIT:  For anyone who is interested in a Kabini visit - I highly recommend Feb/March/very early April.  Unfortunately, due to global warming - we've had summer showers much earlier in the season in recent years...... Usually, in South India we get summer T'storms prior to the official monsoon that sets in around June.  However, these showers have started much earlier every year in recent times.

 

To add - according to Sujith the Kaav naturalist - this Feb the game viewing was slow because of the Tiger dynamics .....  The Back water female (who was the super star of Kabini) no longer roams the forest as she was taken away to Mysore as she had a run in with villagers after her recent fight with another tiger.  Subsequently, the sightings of her side of the Tiger tree (cubs etc etc.,) weren't seen either.  

The earlier photos you see in the thread of the BW female is her daughter from the previous litter. 

 

So just FYI if you get to planning.

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by madaboutcheetah

[Atravelynn]

Thanks for your contribution of excellent photos of some very memorable sightings, Hari.  Glad your Africa trip had lots of cheetah.  From one cat to the next.  Cute and active dhole you saw just before we arrived.  It was a fabulous 4-night stay at Kaav with you and your sister.  While the whole trip was outstanding, we'd have to say that Kabini was the highlight.  So glad we finally go to visit this special place and spend time with you!  Thanks for everything!

 

 

Some final hints and thoughts

 

 

Electronic 30-day tourist visa—There are lots of warnings about being sure you are on the Indian Embassy website when applying for the visa.  I was sure I was on their site when I applied, and it was only when the confirmation email came in that realized I had not applied on the embassy site, but on a travel company site. The downside was I paid an extra $50 for the visa.  The upside was the photo requirement was very easy to do.  On the embassy website (where I also applied thinking I might have been scammed with a fake visa on the other site) it took me 2 hours to get my photo to be the right size.  I was eventually denied the electronic tourist visa by the embassy because I already had a valid one through the travel company.  So it was not a scam, just a hand in my pocket.

 

 

The dates on the visa show a 30-day window of ENTRY into India, starting within a couple days of when you apply, not a 30-day time frame to be in the country.  At first, I thought the visa was wrong.  Very stressful.

 

 

Wild World India—For a wildlife trip I’d recommend giving them a call.  This is my fourth successful trip with them. Vikram put a lot of time in with us up front to have the itinerary match our needs.  Having top-notch, experienced and connected guides is crucial and Wild World India can arrange them, starting with Rajendra, who accompanied us in Bandhavgarh and Pench.

 

 

I also give WWI credit for booking the Kabini part of the trip based on Hari’s recommendations, which may have been a stretch for them.  It turned out great for all of us.
 

Check with Hari in advance if you go to Kabini—His input, recommendations and connections are extremely helpful.  Maybe you can even share some tiger outings and meals with him!  He is a delight to travel with, as is his sister, and very knowledgeable about Kabini.

 

 

Currency—WWI will change money for you upon arrival, saving the hassle at the airport.  Tips in US Dollars are acceptable.  WWI gave us tipping and camera fee information, which is subject to change.

 

 

Ablutions—Some of this was already included as responses to comments.  All accommodations were just like any hotel.  During transfers the drivers could find a decent toilet (but not always western and usually no paper) within 30 minutes of a request.

 

 

In the parks, at the center points where meals were taken, there were numerous facilities with both western and drop toilets.  Paper was rare. 

 

 

There was almost no opportunity to hop out behind the vehicle or find a bush during the drive because park rules strictly forbid that.  The toilets in the field were usually holes in the ground or just a designated spot. Kabini had a toilet stop with buildings and Kaav is sponsoring a new toilet building to be available for use by everyone in the park.  When the line was too long at the toilet building due to a couple of cantors pulling up, people just stepped behind the building.

 

 

All-day outings—Some of this was also included as responses to comments.  The advantages are:  More time out there = more possibilities of seeing something interesting; we could be well into the park in the afternoon before the other vehicles that left at 3:30 (or whenever) entered; in Bandhavgarh the all-day pass meant you could switch zones during the day, which was not allowed for half-day visits, which I think was the biggest advantage. 

 

 

I thought an advantage of the all-day pass would be the ability to stay with tigers who spent the day in the waterhole.  Had the weather been more typical and less cloudy and cool, or if we had gone later in the season when it gets hotter, I think this would have been an advantage.  But it was not for us.

 

 

We saw very little (and I don’t just mean no tigers) during the midday hours.  Still, I’m glad we did it.  For sure, our last Bandhavgarh tiger probably would not have been possible without the full-day pass and we were able to have that tiger to ourselves for about 20 minutes before other cars came along.

 

 

The cost of an all-day pass is 10x the cost for a half day pass, meaning it is 5x more expensive for the day because you buy 2 half day passes. 

 

 

As a compromise on being out in the heat all day, we were offered the option of coming back for lunch, instead of going to the center point, and then heading back out again.  We declined.

 

 

I brought sun sleeves for the all-day outings and used them once.  The other days it was unexpectedly cloudy.  I did not use the sleeves on our half-day outings later in the trip, but again we had a lot more cloudy and cooler weather than expected.

 

 

 

Air-tight plastic containers—Energy bars, granola bars and cough drops are best kept in air-tight plastic containers to prevent small animals from gnawing through the suitcase and the sealed ziplock to get at them.

 

 

Spicy food—Not a problem at Jungle Lodge in Bandhavgarh, Jamtara in Pench or Kaav in Kabini or any of the hotels we stayed in.  There was a variety of food to choose from.

 

 

-------

While we had 33 tiger sightings, our laughs numbered many times that.  What fun it is to travel with Linda! Thanks Lynn. It was fun.

 

 

 and a couple more bits of advice from me, (Wilddog)

 

Alcoholic Drinks and Laundry

These are available at all camps, but at an addtional charge. I was able to pay for these by card at the end of our stay.

 

Wifi

 

Not generally available at the camps, with the exception of Kaav. The only time this was an issue for me was when Whats app was used to communicate with us. Furtunately Lynn had it covered.

 

 

Camera hire

as we drove in and out of Kaav we came across a camera hire shop. This might be useful to other future travellers

 

 

Power supplies and Plugs for UK travellers - I took these light weight charger plugs with me (top 2 images).A bank of converter sockets were provided in each lodge bedroom which included the UK 3 pin BUT mine did not work. In retropect, I realise that my chargers did not have an earth, hence the problem.

 

However before travelling I had purchased these small 3 pin converters for India which worked perfectely (35mmx 35mm).

Make sure you bring fully earthed UK 3 pin and I would suggest purchase the India small 3 pin pictured

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by wilddog
Additional information

[Zim Girl]

Really enjoyed this report, so many great tiger sightings!

[wilddog]

The Post Script

 

For those that have been reading along you will know that our transfer to Bangalure did not go quite according to plan, most notably our stay at the Taj.

 

Lynn flew out of Bangalore on the day we left Kaav, but I had decided to fly with BA direct at 7.00 am the following day and I had booked the Taj (independently) for that last night in India.

 

I did wonder if they would make the connection to the old woman who had 'lost it' a few days previously.

 

and they did............a full Upgrade.............. with a WHOLE bottle of Red wine (which I did not manage to consume), luxury chocolates, fruit and access to the Club Lounge for sandwiches snacks etc

 

Perfect. - I caught my flight fully refreshed and satisfied.

 

What a trip it was . Thanks to all concerned and most notably Lynn, Hari and of course WWI.

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

Now THAT's a proper cheese plate!  You did a superb job with The Adapter, Linda.  Type D.  A fine note to end on.

 

 

[TonyQ]

A great trip with wonderful sightings 

Thank you all three of you for your contributions 

[michael-ibk]

What Tony said! You really were so lucky with your sightings, the number of Tigers is just unbelieavable. Tiger Cubs are simply the stuff of dreams. Not to mention Leopard, Dhole and so much else. A really fantastic trip - and report!

[AKR1]

Tigers literally dropping from bushes along with excellent detail that will very helpful to others. Thanks for making the effort in doing this to the dynamic duo and to Hari for curating Kabini. 

[Kitsafari]

awesome trip report by the two Ls. so glad you had a loadful of amazing sightings, including an extended one of Hari and his sis.