Space Technology

By: Shantanu Kumar
Tigers are gorgeous. They carry a royal aura around them. Their sheer charismatic appearance fills every heart with awe. Amongst all animals, it is perhaps the one that attract maximum number of wildlife lovers. For tourists, catching a glimpse of this maginificent creature is an unforgettable experience. Every move of the animal they see seems to etch out in their mind for the rest of their lives. And can we forget to mention poets who have been so insipired by the beauty of the creature that they have based a number of their literary work around them?

But why is it that we are talking so much about the tiger now? Well, that’s the effect that the creature has on anyone who wishes to write an article on wildlife! Around the world, there are number of sanctuaries and parks where you can spot this wonderful animal, India being one of them. Infact, India is one of those countries where tourists from around the world come to see tigers. As per census report, there are around 1411 tigers in India. Now that figure might not seem very inspiring considering what a vast country India is, still, trust me, you will have fair chances of spotting it if you plan properly.

First you need to know what is the best time to visit India if it is tiger spotting that is on your mind. Many of the sanctuaries and parks close down during monsoons so you need to plan acordingly. Secondly, you need to know which are the parks where scope of spotting tigers are higher when compared to others. For the first question, the answer is December to May. It is this period, specially till March that weather is cooler in India and the parks are open. As to which park will give you a more fruitful trip, the answer is Bandhavgarh and Kanha. There is Corbett, Periyar, Ranthambore and Sariska too where tigers can be spotted but it is the two parks above that have reported maximum tiger spotting by tourists. Both these parks have returned more number of happy tourists than any other park in India. Located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, these two parks lie in Umaria and Mandla district respectively and are around 250 kms apart.

Bandhvgarh was once a hunting retreat for the royal family of Rewa and is also famous as the site where the white tigers of Rewa were discovered. Elephant and jeep safari are the best ways to track tigers in this park. Other faunal species that will catch your attention in this park include Nilgai, Chausingha, Chital, Chinkara, Wild Boar and sometimes a Fox or Jackal. Apart from animals, you can also enjoy the magnificent Bandhavgarh fort and Kalchuri Archeological Remains here.

Kanha National Park was the one that provided the famous novelist Rudyard Kipling a base for his novel, the ‘Jungle Book’. Here, other sightings include the rare Swamp Deer. It is also considered one of the best maintained park in India. After you have spotted tiger, make sure to visit the Bamni Dadar, the sunset point from wher you can relish a breathtaking view of the surroundings with grazing sambhar and gaurs.

Wildlife tour operators in India can tailormake a trip for you around these parks or else you can also pick up from amongst their list of planned tour package. Tiger Trails is one such package which I found and thought would be great to share. This package not only gives you an opportunity to explore the above mentioned two parks but also two other well known parks – Ranthambore and Bharatpur. Both of these parks are located in Rajasthan and give you a wonderful chance to spot a number of other animals and birds. Bharatpur is actually a bird sanctuary where migratory birds flock in large number between October to February.

So if you wish to see this wonderful creation of nature in all life and blood, do visit the Bandhavgarh and Kanha national park during this vacation. An unforgettable experience awaits you.