Bandhavgarh (March 2021) - Stripes, you beauty!

The tiger is a source of constant fascination and awe for most people in my family. Any trip to a tiger forest is eagerly looked forward to, and the fervour is nothing short of that before a pilgrimage. Well, in a way it is exactly that for us; a visit to where we find God - in our forests. And when one of those happens to be a striped God, it makes for an extraordinary pilgrimage. We'd missed our annual visit to Ranthambhore in June 2020 and were all set for the 2021 edition (which was not to be). So when a school break for my daughter popped up, we considered Bandhavgarh, a place that I hadn't been for 9 long years and the rest of my tiger-loving family had never ever seen. Joined by our friends Kedar and Priya and their friends Shweta and Apurva, and their children, we were a merry bunch that turned up at Mumbai airport for the flight to Jabalpur.

The three-odd hour drive was largely uneventful, with beautiful roads all through. We reached our wonderful hotel, The Bandhav Vilas just around lunchtime. The property is a wonderful place, comfortable, plush and homely at the same time. A mouthwatering repast later, we were all still hungry - for sightings this time! We assembled at our jeeps, with our driver/naturalist Mukesh Shukla. We were heading into the legendary Tala zone, the heart of Bandhavgarh and home to many legendary tigers like Sita, Charger and B2. I had the privilege of sighting the majestic Bamera last time round. He's long gone but his progeny now rule parts of Bandhavgarh.

We drove in, and stopped within a few minutes. There was a leopard hidden in the bush in the slopes around the path. We got the briefest of glimpses before the spotted wonder disappeared altogether, but what a start this was! Further down and past the Siddh Baba temple and the beautiful Chakradhara meadows. It was all coming back to me. I felt at home in this spectacular forest almost at once. Mukesh drove us expertly, checking all the routes of the dominant tigresses (and males) but it was getting close to exit time and we had no stripes. What we had however, was the beautiful sighting of a couple of camp elephants bathing, including a youngster. Our youngsters were spellbound watching the little one frolic about in the pond.

It looked like we would start off with a tiger-less safari as we headed back towards the gate. When at one point, Mukesh just stopped and said the magic word. And there she was, a young tigress sitting on a rocky slope maybe 50 feet away. Mukesh told us that she was the daughter of the Chakradhara tigress, from her previous litter. She was just gorgeous, and she knew it too as she posed confidently for us. We had another problem though - our other jeep had blissfully carried on, without spotting the tigress. With no way to reach them, we were praying that they return and thankfully they did, finding that we weren't right behind. We didn't have too much time, but we had a good 20 minutes with this beauty. She wasn't the least bit bothered by (or even interested in) us as she first sat and then got on her haunches as if she was fixing her gaze on something. Nothing probably caught her fancy so she settled back in and bade us goodbye. And we exited on a real high.

We headed early out early the morning to the Khitauli zone and missed a tiger even before we entered. Bandhavgarh's tourist zones are divided by a state highway, which is what we needed to take to get to the gate. Just before Khitauli gate, we saw some jeeps parked on the highway and the occupants searching for something. And that something could only be stripes or spots. Turns out it was a tigress who had come on to the road to cross and, finding a rather unexpected posse of paparazzi, had hastily retraced her steps, And she stayed hidden in the bush even as the throng melted away to our respective gates.

We had high hopes for Khitauli, having heard of stories of some of its legendary denizens including Bajrang and Chhota Bheem, two huge male tigers. And we searched far and wide, Mukesh drove us everywhere and we had alarm calls at a few places, but no sign of any tigers. A beautiful Crested Hawk Eagle kept us engaged and a sumptuous breakfast kept us in good humour. The same story played out in the afternoon as well, in Khitauli again. And we exited the park, happy to have experienced the forest, but yearning for a tiger sighting nevertheless. And we were all a bit reflective as we drove out of the gate and onto the highway. 

And then I noticed that Mukesh was slowing down, allowing all other jeeps to drive past even as he cruised along slowly. And at one point on the highway, the road elevates to create an underpass for animals to cross (a brilliant idea!) and Mukesh pulled over to the side and looked into the grassland below. And almost at once, He said 'tiger' and one appeared out of the grass! It was like magic! Mukesh whispered that it was Bheem, the erstwhile king of the park, now a senior citizen biding his time on the fringes. We shot a few frames in really poor light as the tiger walked towards us, used the underpass to cross and then walked into the bush on the other side. An amazing and totally unexpected sighting.

Not totally unexpected, as Mukesh explained to his exhilarated crew on our way back to the hotel. He'd heard from someone that there were alarm calls in that grassland in the afternoon and he figured that the tiger (if there was one) might come out and cross after all the safari vehicles had passed. And that's exactly what happened. This was no lucky sighting - it was anticipation and tracking at its best. And our respect for Mukesh went up several notches. An otherwise tigerless day was transformed in a flash. And we were totally looking forward to the next couple of days.

The following morning was back at the Tala Zone, home to no less than 4 different tigresses, two of those with cubs. We drove in early in the morning, past Chakradhara and into the territory of a tigress named Spotty, one of the most spotted tigresses in the park. But she proved elusive. Later, a couple of jeeps who had come behind us, told us that they'd seen the Chakradhara female with three cubs, not more than ten minutes after we'd passed that particular spot. Underlines the importance of being at the right place at the right time! We drove around, looking for another tigress named Kajri, but again drawing a blank.

In the jungle, things change in an instant. Here we were, at a loose end, thinking about breakfast and an approaching jeep signals that there's a tiger on the move! And as we peered down into the small nala in front of us, a regal feline form walked across. It was the tigress Bhitri, Mukesh informed us. We let her cross the road and then stayed back to let the other jeeps get a dekko. But being the rockstar she was, she walked some distance in the undergrowth alongside our jeep. The light wasn't great so the photos were ordinary, but the sighting was thrilling.

All three jeeps were buzzing now! Amazing how one sighting just changes everything. We then decided to visit the Sheshsaiya (statue of a reclining Lord Vishnu), built in medieval times on a hill just beyond the Chakradhara meadow. We also passed Sita Gufa (Cave) which was used as a nursery by Bandhavgarh's Queen Mother, Sita, in the late 90's. All in all a wonderful morning's work.

We were back in Tala that afternoon. And this time, the focus was on one of Mukesh's favourites - a tigress called Kajri. We went straight through to her area but there was no sign of her. And then, langurs started calling up in the hillside on our right. We waited to check for any signs of movement, but there were none. But the alarm calls were incessant. And then Mukesh suggested we check the other side of the hill. And we drove around, to continuous alarm calls. And then, at one point, we heard something else. Less than 20 metres away in the bush, a tiger roared. And kept roaring. It had crossed maybe 60 seconds before we rounded the last bend and reached there. She kept roaring and walking further and further away. And we left that place, marvelling at the value of a few seconds in the wild!

We waited at another spot but she didn't appear. And then, on our drive back to the gate, we had the most thrilling 2 minutes of the entire trip. We were driving leisurely through the wooded Mirchani area when the 'kharrr' of a Barking Deer stopped us in our tracks. Turned out that it was time for the evening jungle orchestra playing 'Alarm Call' - we stood mesmerised as Spotted Deer, Sambhar, Langur and even Peacock joined the Barking Deer in a spectacular symphony of alarm calls. They were urgent, even desperate, suggesting that the predator was really close. And this orchestra could only mean stripe or spot. Alas, neither made an appearance, but the thrill of those mad two minutes still lingers on, many months later. Exiting Tala for the last time on the trip, we were all buzzed!

The next (and final) day would be spent in the third tourist zone, Magdhi, home to many iconic tigers, including Dotty (who had four young cubs) We saw no sign of her, but drove onwards to an area ruled by a tigress called the Dabhadol female. We came across a few jeeps stationed near a path which was out of bounds for tourist jeeps. In one of those jeeps was Dr. Anish Andheria, conservationist extraordinaire, close friend and one more of my wildlife 'teachers'. He said that there was waterhole down that path and the tigress and her two cubs were supposed to be around that. While they waited, we decided to look a little further. And, finding nothing, we gently drove back towards them. And as soon as they came within sight, we saw them frantically waving at us. Asking us to look behind our jeep.

And lo! There was a massive male tiger stepping onto the road 20 metres behind us! It was the Mahaman male, dominant in this area and father of Dabhadol's cubs. He sauntered past without a second look and disappeared down a nala. We guessed where he would reappear and he gave us some decent, if distant sightings. And then, the vehicle throng were alerted to his presence and they all assembled, while giving the King more than enough space to cross the road. His Majesty duly obliged with a close up sighting and disappeared up a small gully, no doubt to have a little mid-morning snooze. Onwards to Dabhadol then, and we got a glimpse of her and her two cubs at the edge of a huge lake. Only for them to disappear into the tall grass. One of her two cubs, no doubt the more considerate one, decided that the waiting humans deserved a sighting and gave us a bit of a catwalk, as she (he?) looked for a place to lie down. And we took that as a cue to exit our safari.

That afternoon safari was our last and we were back in Magdhi and back with Dabhadol (after the mandatory check for Dotty yielded nothing) Anish and his friends were on a full day safari and they spent it with the tiger family. Mom and cubs were sleeping it out in the tall grass, hopefully to appear in the evening. And then, out of nowhere, the tigress walked out of the grass. Mukesh anticipated her movements and all three of our jeeps drove far away and waited. And she walked towards us and then suddenly stopped. She'd seen a wild boar walking towards her. The boar had no idea that he was put on a menu as he trotted closer to the waiting tigress. She stood still, muscles all taut, ready to launch. And then she charged. But it wasn't her day - in the nick of time, the boar saw her, turned with astonishing speed and with a series of grunts, fled the scene. No doubt thanking his gods for saving his bacon. 

We looked back at the tigress and noticed that she wasn't all that bothered at having missed a meal. Her charge was a bit half-hearted now that we reflected on it. She walked on and disappeared into the grass. And then, 15 jeeps played 'find the tiger' for an hour, from all sides of the grassland. With no luck. She had gone into the deepest part and had gone to sleep. No doubt with a chuckle or seventeen at having outwitted these cray humans in their big, green machines. But that time was invaluable as Anish shared some of his vast forest knowledge with the kids. And nothing can replace that kind of wisdom. And to cap that spectacular afternoon, one of the cubs gave us a brief sighting. We drove back happy and content, with a promise to return to this most special of tiger homes.

Bandhavgarh will always have a special place in all our hearts.

Bandhavgarh Trip Guide

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is spread across more than 1500 sq kms in the Umaria District of Madhya Pradesh (MP), often called, India's heart.  Its sal forests and meadows are one of the finest places in the world to see wild tigers. It has had its share of legendary tigers, from Charger and Sita, to B2, Bamera and the amazing Rajbehra tigress.

Bandhavgarh has three tourist zones - Tala (the most famous), Magdhi and Khitauli.

Getting there

Bandhavgarh is about 4 hours (160kms) from Jabalpur, which is the closest airport and major rail head. Jabalpur has some (though not great) air connectivity, but excellent rail connectivity. 

The closest rail head is Umaria (35kms) which has a couple of trains to Delhi.

Another good rail option is Katni (100kms) which is on the main rail line connecting Delhi with other southern and western cities.

Your hotel can arrange pickups from Jabalpur, Katni or Umaria.

Safaris

You can book safaris on forest.mponline.gov.in or ask your hotel to book for you. Please carry original IDs when you visit the forest, these get checked when you enter the park.

I recommend that you do at least 4 safaris (combination of morning and evening) to maximise your chances of sighting.

Places to stay

Bandhavgarh MP has every conceivable type of accommodation, from affordable to unimaginable luxury.  

We stayed at the Bandhav Vilas. And whatever I say about it will barely do it justice. The property itself is a large, sprawling resort with small clusters of cottages. The rooms themselves are huge, beautifully done up and have a lovely verandah where we could sit and enjoy our evenings.

The food was amazing and hospitality was extra special. It was like being looked after at home.

The drivers and naturalists were out of this world. Mukesh Shukla, our driver/naturalist is such an incredible fountain of information and instinct. Rambeer Singh, an old friend (who we missed this time because of a family emergency in his hometown) another of those people who make it a pleasure to be with. 

Other tips

Bandhavgarh can get really cold in winter, so do pack in jackets and woollens. 

The park is very strict about enforcing COVID regulations, so a face mask is mandatory.

It can also get quite dusty, so the mask may also help keep dust away.