Kashmir blows you away. And then some. No matter
how high your expectations, you still come back awestruck at the sheer beauty
of the place and the sheer absurdity of the situation there. The latter is for
the political commentators, so I will replace rhetoric with a picture of the
stunning Dal lake, taken by my wife Surbhi.
And while the whole trip was a magical, eye-popping visual feast, the jewel in the crown for me was the trip to Dachigam National Park. It’s one of India’s less visited and certainly least touristy wildlife destinations. But at a mere 20 odd kms from Srinagar, it’s a must-see for any serious wildlifer. The main attraction – critically endangered Hangul (Kashmir Stag) found only here.
So, on one of our mornings in Srinagar, I set out
early to Dachigam. Our hotel owner had arranged for a car and driver and he in
turn had asked for ‘the best’ guide there, at least that’s what he said.But the
man who met me at the entry gate was no mere guide. He was Mr. Malik, the head
naturalist at Dachigam and a veteran of the park. He’d been persuaded by our
driver, Javedbhai to take me for a walk into Dachigam, busy as he was with a
bunch of serious trekkers.
Himalayan Bulbul at the Park entrance |
Dachigam is all about views like this |
When winter turns to spring |
And we walked on, stopping to admire the view at
times till we got to an open, grassy hillside. Mr. Malik stopped and said that
there might be a chance of seeing hangul here.
And lo! Within a minute he whispered “Hangul” and
there they were – two of them, in the distance, coming down the hill in a
serious gallop. Two sub adult males he said – their trademark horns hadn’t yet
grown to full size. We watched them, beautiful in their long striding gallop
till they rounded the hill and vanished. And I found that I was trembling with
excitement. It was an incredibly rare sighting and I felt truly blessed to have
spent those two minutes watching these amazing deer.
And, to my surprise, so was Mr. Malik! He was
overcome with emotion! That’s when I realized how amazing this sighting was. To
add to that he kept telling me (not that I needed reminding) how lucky I was!
We both sat down at the edge of a cliff, next to some beautiful wild lilies,
and reflected on an incredible morning.
As we descended, I did get to see my Himalayan
Black bears as well, a mother and cub pair. That they were at a rescue centre
(about to be released back into the wild) didn’t matter one bit as I watched
this beautiful, cuddly (yet seriously fierce) creature from up close. There
were also a couple of leopards in the rescue centre, for good measure.
Himalayan Black Bear |
Dachigam Trip Guide
Getting there
It’s barely 20 kms from Srinagar, the nearest
airport. Best to stay in Srinagar and hire a car and drive upto the main gates.
Post that it’s pretty much all walking.
Stay
At Srinagar, there are fantastic options, to suit
pretty much any budget. We sampled two places on our trip and both were
amazing. The hotel Dar-es-Salaam (www.hoteldaressalaam.com
- Phone +91-194-2427803) is a
house converted into a hotel and it is awesome. It is set on the banks of the
Nagin lake and the lawn slopes into the lake with no walls or fences. The staff
is excellent and the food is sensational, be it Kashmiri cuisine or any other.
Even simple food like their dal is so amazingly flavoured.
View from the Dar es Salaam Hotel lawns |
Food
The food at both Dar-es-salaam and The Lalit were
excellent, but the place for local Wazwan cuisine has to be Ahdoos
(www.ahdooshotel.com Phone 91-194-2472593) in Srinagar town. More than 90 years old, it
was the first restaurant in the Kashmir Valley. Outstanding food. Period.
You can also check out Krishna Vaishno dhaba for
a vegetarian break from all the meaty wazwan food. Excellent veggie food,
superb kheer and very reasonable. Budget for crowds at lunch time and not much
parking space around.
There are no ‘jeep’ safaris so walking is the
only real option. And there are many different walking choices – short walks
(like the one I did) or proper multi-day treks. Mr. Nazir Malik (+91 9419732201
malik.nazir@gmail.com) is the head
naturalist and is superb, not just with the sightings but is a terrific person
as well.
Travel
We had an awesome driver take us around Kashmir. So,
to take you to dachigam I would recommend Mr. Mukhtar Ahmed ( +91 9906723598) Not
only is he a very good driver, he’s a wonderful person as well. Always careful
with the 2 kids in the car and he called to check on us after we reached Delhi.
I’d taken Javed Ahmed Khan (+91 9906591912) since
Mukhtar was busy with the family, and he’s very good as well, and is far more
into Dachigam.
Other tips
For sighting Hangul, Sept/Oct is a good time when
they’re in their rutting season and easier to spot, as are Black bears around
that time.
Leopard and Red Fox are easier (relatively) to
track in the snow covered ground in winter
It was freezing when I went in April, so some
basic warm clothing might be a good idea even in summer
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