Onward
On Maha Ashtami (13 Oct) night, left home at 4 AM in the morning, anticipating traffic woes due to a certain Burj Khalifa replica on the way. Haggling through slow traffic, reaching airport took couple of hours. Finally I could catch my flight for Nagpur. A take-off at 9 AM, with an interim terminal switch at Delhi from T2 to T3, I was standing at Nagpur airport exit, getting my vaccine double dosage verified at around 4 PM.
Checked into Hotel Urban Hermitage which was 5 minutes drive from the airport (they provide free pickup/drop-off), situated at the very end of the airport road. The metro station connecting airport runs in between, a reminiscence of Mumbai metro style.
The hotel was designed for corporate stay, with rooms priced in mid-2000 INR mark. Famed to have a rooftop dining area, this five floor structure did have a buffet system on ground floor as well. Food price was exorbitant high across the board, including that offered in room service.
Every food on the menu tasted awful. The Paneer Jhalfrezi and Special Chicken Angara was truckload of spices with no discernible taste. Even the breakfast order of poached eggs with steamed veggies was too poorly done for a commanded price of 170 INR.
The bedsheets were dirty (will not go into graphic detail) and the room service was tad bit unprofessional. On the plus side, the rooms were spacious, dedicated work space and large tiled bathrooms. The massive window, overlooking the metro overpass, gave a great glimpse into Nagpur traffic behind the folded curtain.
Table of Contents
Preparation
This idea of going on tiger safari started a year back in Spiti, when my co-traveller Chetan, introduced me to the idea of professional wildlife photography. After spending the last one year learning about birds, I decided to splurge on Sigma 100-400 lens for my Sony setup to also attempt at capturing mammal shots. Chetan helped me contact the agency ShareYourSafari, known for quality and budget group tours to tiger reserves.
I contacted the company owner Harshal Malvankar in the month of March 2021. However had to drop the plan eventually because of rising cases leading to subsequent phase 2 of lockdown in Nagpur. Instead, I opted for 14-17 October Season opener plan which included the Dusshera holiday. The distribution was of 6 safaris, split into 3 cores and 3 buffer experiences.
The plan was Nagpur pickup by 9 AM on 14th October 2021, drop to Kolara Gate by Innova and stay in resort like Taaru Vann or similar. First day included lunch on arrival followed by afternoon safari. The next 2 days of 15th and 16th October had safari twice a day, one in morning and one in evening. On 17th October, post morning safari, drop to Nagpur by 3 PM for respective airport/train station. This warranted 50% online payment of 21000 INR online and the remaining to be paid on spot.
Safari One : Navegaon Core
Mr. Yogesh picked me and four candidates up in his 8 seater Innova and we were on our way by 10 AM. The rest of the team were coming in on the same day and their flights were all scheduled to land by 11 AM, different vehicles were awaiting to pick them up. This group has 16 participants planned in order, as communicated in whatsapp group chat, divided into batches of 4.
My roommate and the first person in car was Mr. Altaf. A trained harper and with far more experience with carnivores, he had visited Tadoba before with the same group and pretty much everything down central India since his job requires him to work out of Bangalore. A Nagpur resident, he came to pick me up knowing my breakfast was sorted for in the hotel. He also took me to a quick detour in what used to be former birding land in Nagpur, where we saw peafowl.
We picked up our fellow passengers, who are senior birders from Pune, Mr. Rajiv and Mrs. Lalita from the latter’s bungalow from Nagpur. Both having travelled extensively across the world and with experience of around 4 former trips to Tadoba, they were very knowledgable about most of the forests in India. While the couple was assigned stay in Taaru Vann, stone’s throw away from Kolara gate, most of the group including me had received stay in Sylvan Wood resort.
Upon reaching Sylvan after a drive of 2.5 hours, the car took the couple ahead to Taaru Vann which was 20 minutes away. Sylvan welcomed us with a refreshing drink and we dived into for a quick game of pool. One can know the sighting status of the day on the entry board placed at resort gate. The highlight for the previous day was sighting of Tigress Rani. Everyone else was coming in late, so we were somewhat lucky to not miss our buffer lunch before embarking on the safari for the day.
Each group had been assigned different zones to expand maximum possible chance of sighting. My roommate Altaf got switched with Mrs. Nina for the safari tours. Mrs. Nina was the daughter and wife of army veterans of Bangladesh libration war. Hailing from Noida, she came in to experience safari on the insistence of her daughters.
The first learning on the geography front was that Navegaon and Kolara gates lead to the same zone. The evening safari lasts between 2.30 to 6.30 PM. Effectively every person gets three hours of showtime, because one has to cross through buffer area, where humans and wild beasts co-exist.
There was a limit to the number of jeeps allowed per gate, with total accounting to sixty jeeps running across in entire Tadoba. Nobody was allowed to litter or get down from the jeep. Mobile calls were not allowed, cellphones were to be kept in locked steel hatchets inside the jeep. The monetary rate of jeep increases if one opts for quartret jeep configuration (which most does for better visibility) instead of usual 6. The cheaper alternative was the small bus and the costliest option was to book the entire jeep to yourself.
Our encounters for the day were mongoose, spotted deer, sambar deer, pond heron, lesser cormorant and gray hornbill. Chancing upon a rumour of the tigress called Sharmili roaming around with her cubs, we kept pacing in and out an area. Suddenly in front of our jeep, it’s partner male tiger Bajrangi (T-45) crossed our path in all it’s glory. The feline giant was nearly ten feet in length, took a stop for a split second to observe us and marched ahead to the pond on other side. I was too much in awe that my reflexes activated late, barely managing a clean shot of the side profile of the tiger.
We were so ecstatic that we gave a handsome tip of 100 INR to the driver and the guide each. Every other group were saddened by their no show state and quite evidently envious of beginner’s luck. The day ended with bonding over shared paan-flavoured hookah under the starry sky.
Safari Two : Kolara Buffer
We left early morning at 4 AM replacing our scheduled Navegaon Core due to a goof up from organiser’s end. This did cost us our chance for the day eventually. We zoomed early to the spot through Kolara gate, this time in the buffer zone, where Sharmili and her cubs had made a deer kill 3 days ago. The dead carcass was visible in a distance but without any sight of tiger. A male redstart kept its perch in front of the water hole, eventually escaping into the dense jungle from being bothered by constant vehicle flow.
A drive to another waterhole with trailing hope showed us fresh pug marks on the bank. This lake was the hotspot for the birds of the buffer. A basking cormorant could be spotted, along with green bee eaters and bulbuls.
All the jeeps kept zooming in and out around the waterhole no. 2 with hope. Our retreat happened post breakfast as 9 AM approached, expecting everyone will pretty much have the rotten luck as we did.
How wrong we were! Those who went to core zone spotted the old male T-54 Matkasur, lazing around in the tall grass. They could not move ahead for 2.5 hours straight, as disturbing a sleeping tiger was highly unethical. The sighting lasted throughout until Matkasur woke up, yawned and waddled away.
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Safari Three : Sirkada Buffer
Sirkada entrance was more than half an hour drive from the Kolara gate, which made the experience that much extra to deal with. This was followed by an exceptional overdose of bumpy roads, fear of the jeep getting stuck in mud amidst forest. The guide reported that there has been no sighting in Sirkada and Alizanja in over a week. As a result, chances of encounter with leopards and sloth bears were considered higher in this area.
Encountered wild boars and waterhen and a whole lot of body pain. With truck load of disappointment, our car slowly crawled to the exit gate. The guide chose to stop near a massive water body as we waited to see the deer family prancing away.
All of a sudden, the deers went on high alert and started generating repeated warning calls. The guides followed the direction they were staring at and predicted that the resident tigress and her cub will sneak out for water. Finally there seemed to be a real chance of catch!
Darkness fell on like a cloak as the calls got louder, everyone had their eyes peeled up front. As other gypsy followed suit, couple of the groups went too enthusiastic and drove too much into the expected path, ignoring our constant signal to go on reverse. However the damage was probably done as the barks came to an abrupt halt, likely the tiger getting spooked and taking a different route as so many humans encroached their path.
To add real salt to our wounds, we came back to the news that the Kolara core group had head on encounter with the coveted tigress Maya and her one surviving male cub. It is presumed that the remaining three cubs from last year are dead now, although their body had not been recovered.
Safari Four : Kolara Core
We ignored everything and went straight ahead to the spot where Maya was sighted last night. Enroute we suddenly founds the deers being on alert again and this time joined by a mongoose standing up (someone said mongoose sighting is considered lucky, the probability did speak for itself).
As the deers relaxed after a while, our search continued for a while. Tadoba lake shore has a spot for breakfast and proper washroom, where we decided to finish our packed breakfast sent from the hotel. There was a crocodile sunbathing in the lake, being its immovable self, like a floating log.
The breakfast point had parakeets and golden headed orioles flying in and out. This was overall the best food spot among all the zones.
One vehicle saw Maya, rustling in paddy field ahead. Soon all gypsies were gathered in same spot, giving minimal space to the fellow driver and obstructing visibility. The cub was finally visible, far far into the distance, swimming it’s worries away. It was evident we are not getting anything head on today, least of all Maya.
Safari Five : Kolara Buffer
We switched Alizanja for Kolara buffer to test our chances. This is where our luck with the guide let us down. Another group from our bunch managed to stay with Matkasur walking on the road behind them, looking for a tree to urinate on. Other gypsies came in too close in the path and Matkasur left the main road to hide inside.
While this was going on, another rumour restarted that Sharmili has been sighted around. She was finally visible, behind a small stream with her cubs!
But this is where things got worse. The first car parked in a wet road with cleanest view belonged to our tour organiser. As rain poured in and the unruliness that followed with nearly 20 gypsies cramming inside a 10 feet ditch for a glimpse, Sharmili decided to walk away and her cubs promptly followed the mother.
Safari Six : Kolara Buffer
Final attempt and fifteen minutes in, there was a sloth bear walking in circles behind a thicket. It refused to come out, probably due to anxiety caused by jeep noise. Finally the star, Matkasur was spotted in the open. As the tiger walked in between the narrow single lane within the forest, it had more than ten jeeps following in front and behind. We were around fourth in the back, and could track the bum of the beast for ten good minutes.
Ten minutes until someone came in too close and Matkasur urinated to mark his territory, going laterally inside the jungle. This is where our excitement finally came to conclusion.
Hotel / Food
Sylvan woods resort have massive wooden rooms, large balcony, open and closed shower area with timbered architecture all around.
There is a slightly unclean swimming pool in the centre, lush greenery, a common room which serves as dining area. There is no wifi and mobile internet situation is quite poor.
Foods were served as buffet, which were quite simple along with lunch and dinner. Breakfast were usually packed for the safari. Hookah (500 INR) and drinks could be arranged if needed. The staff are very courteous and helps with anything one may need. Our organiser had a Maharashtrian buffet and gala dinner organised which were far better than their regular menu.
There was a separate paid food menu available in the rooms and the bottled waters were chargable.
Return
Wrapping up at noon post a group photo session, we were on the same Innova driven by the ever reliant Mr. Yogesh. In less than three hours, I was at airport, waiting at the tiny lounge of Nagpur airport. The airport has one small row of counters and the security does not let you in the actual boarding gate until 2 hours of flight.
I met some of my fellow passengers who were boarding the same flight as me to Maharashtra at 7.30 PM while few were due for Bangalore at 8 PM. The ones going forward to Karnataka needed a mandatory RT PCR report to board and had to pay 850 INR at the airport clinic to get the same done, their reports likely to be received by the time of landing.
Tip Offs
- Do not get down under any circumstances once you cross the gates. Tigers of Tadoba have killed humans before.
- Don’t litter, keep silence, stay ethical. Not following these can lead to heavy fines.
- Keep phone in flight mode during safari, you may be allowed to not keep it in the storage box (unofficially). However ensure you are not bringing your phone out in the open under any circumstances.
- There are separate VIP slots which good organisers can manage, so planning through one helps since booking slots on your own can be a massive task, especially over weekends or public holidays.
- Carry long range camera gear, with padding if you have large lens, as the bumpy roads can be taxing. Being on high alert and ever ready is a skill that comes handy only in such safaris.
- Keep expectations in check and limit it further based on the season. Summers have easy viewing while winters have green backdrop. Luck with zone, guide and climate all plays crucial parts in your chance encounter.
Recommendations
This was my first tiger safari and the experience in itself is everything I can recommend. Will recommend peak season (April-May) for starters though.
We will back here 🙂
Sayantan