[AniChaudhuri]

The background:

Me: Honey, we didn’t see any tigers this time.
Wife: Why, they didn’t know you were coming?
Mom: Hope you’ve had enough now. High time you grow up!

That’s how the conversation went with my wife and mom after I completed my latest Kanha trip (sixth in five years) in Dec’21. I was crestfallen, Kanha had never returned me empty handed. But this time even after 6 safaris (plus one night safari), I had nothing to show. Worse, I had taken a few of my friends along who were either first timers or had themselves never seen a wild tiger before. Expectations were high as they had heard of my prior sightings in Kanha. I felt like I had let them down. Not that tigers were not being seen – vehicles 50 metres apart were seeing them, but due to some quirk of fate we were not at the right place at the right time, reaching only seconds after the tigers had moved off.

Nature and wildlife have always attracted me; I try to make a couple of visits to the central Indian forests every year. The long road trips bring an added sense of adventure. Those who are regular in the wildlife circuit would know that while the travel & the actual safari routine can be physically draining, they refresh the mind and soul enormously. I had visited Ranthambore and Pench with my family before but realised that the schedule can be punishing for a young kid, or for elderly parents. Hence all my subsequent sojourns to Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Tadoba have been with like minded friends and colleagues. Here I must mention my colleagues DC & DN who are equally crazy if not more when it comes to wildlife, and almost all my jungle visits have been in their company.

The barren Kanha tour failed to soothe our itch and once the 2022 holiday calendar came out we were in search of extended weekends for our next potential trip. We were clear we definitely needed to see some tigers, and that’s why everyone was unanimous it had to be Tadoba this time. But then Omicron struck, and the Tadoba forests were closed in January and the site wasn’t accepting bookings. We had in the interim tentatively decided on the weekend of 26th Feb (Saturday), extending till 1st of March (Tuesday - Mahashivratri) provided we took Monday off from work. That would allow us sufficient time for 6 safaris, plus the travel. We didn’t consider driving down from Thane as currently that would take almost 17 hours one way, but I’m keenly following the progress of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Highway. Once that is ready, I guess Thane to Tadoba would be approx. 9 hours. Eminently doable. I could put my diesel Compass to good use, letting it stretch its legs at 150kmph which is expected to be the max speed limit on this highway.

The planning:

But first, wifey needed convincing for two back to back tours so quickly. There has been an unspoken understanding at home that for every forest trip I make with my friends & colleagues, there has to be another trip with the family! So I suggested a weekend trip to Nashik & Shirdi in early February, and after a soothing spa treatment during our stay at Nashik, I let slip this news. It was taken rather well. Her only reaction: “Okay, when we go back I won’t put your suitcase up on the loft as you’ll be needing it again soon.” A job well done.
In the meantime, Tadoba had reopened its gates and was accepting online safari bookings. However those who had booked earlier but couldn’t do their safaris due to Omicron were already rescheduling their bookings. Most were chasing the same long weekend, or the one during Holi. Before we could get our act together, the Moharli side was totally booked out for the 26th Feb weekend. The only gates remaining were up on the northern side of the park – namely Navegaon core, and its adjoining buffers. We hadn’t been to this side of Tadoba before; our last two trips had been to Moharli & Khutwanda cores and the Agarzari & Dewada buffers and had given us bumper sightings. A few enquiries about the potency of Navegaon core/buffers yielded mixed results. But time was running out and if we didn’t book, these too would be gone. So we just went ahead and booked the safaris – all 6 of them. We opted for 2 core safaris – both at Navegaon, since Kolara core wasn’t available. Amongst the buffers, we chose Alizanza (2 safaris), and Shirkheda and Madnapur (one each). Here I must acknowledge the guidance of Mr Anirban Ghosh, who runs the Nature’s Sprout group of resorts, one of whose properties we shortlisted for our stay – Bodhivann Jungle Camp. It offers accommodation in their 8 air-conditioned tents, located just outside the buffer area where the night safaris take place. We also booked our early morning flights to Nagpur from where the resort car would pick us up.

On Saturday 26th Feb we took the Air India 5:30am flight as planned and landed at Nagpur at 6:40am, almost 40 mins prior to the scheduled arrival time. While we waited for the car, we had a cuppa at the airport and then left for the resort at around 7:30am. I generally make it a point to chat with the drivers as some of them often double up as gypsy drivers during the safaris, but this guy wasn’t so. So, not much intel could be gathered. We reached the resort at around 9:30am and had a look around. This was to be our abode for the next 3 nights. The manager at the resort was one Anurag Chaturvedi, a strapping and likeable guy who had trained and worked as a Naturalist at some of the premier wildlife resorts in the country. We immediately struck a rapport with him. He gave us a brief tour of the property and what was noticeable was his enthusiasm for and knowledge of all things wild – from butterflies to reptiles, birds and mammals. The property, as I mentioned earlier, was located just outside the buffer area of Alizanza. Due to the fact that there is a water body located a hundred metres behind the resort, there is regular leopard and occasional tiger movement nearby. The tents are placed in a circular pattern at the edge of the property in the direction of the water body and is surrounded by a small fence to keep cattle and other animals out. The tents themselves showed their age but were still in pretty good condition with an attached bathroom inside. The ACs worked effectively too and it was necessary considering the area gets hot, and I mean really hot. Luckily the resort had 3 vacant tents during our arrival and we checked into our rooms early.

The safaris:

After a brief period of rest, we had lunch and got ready for our first safari – at Shirkheda. The resort car dropped us off at the gate at 2pm. It was quite hot, and this was just the end of February. Shirkheda was a beautiful zone, not something I would say about the buffers in the Moharli side which are mostly bushy. One of the reasons we always preferred Kanha over Tadoba in the past was the quality of the forest. Kanha I felt was incomparable when you consider its beauty – the vast expanse, the varied topography, the diversity and quality of its flora and fauna as well as the level of forest administration. Here however in the northern side of Tadoba we felt the quality of the forest could match that of Kanha. Shirkheda had lots of waterbodies – infact one of those in a dense location cocooned and hidden by a canopy of trees that we came across was probably the best example of a tiger hideout there could possibly be. Still, we didn’t see what we came here for, which was not surprising because there was some construction work going on inside by the forest department. The sound generated by the machinery and the people working alongside was bound to drive any big cat away. Still at one point we had a close encounter as a langur sitting atop a tall tree continuously gave its alarm calls, which prompted some of the construction workers to go into a huddle, but it turned out to be a false alarm. We also missed a wild dog sighting (a group of five) by a whisker. Our wretched luck was continuing. However, we did see some Nilgai, sambars, wild boars, and plenty of birds (egrets, cormorants, rufus treepies, etc).



Post dinner, we were acquainted with Dolly, the resident (Indie) dog of the resort. Anurag regaled us with a few of his experiences. He narrated an incident that happened in January when one morning a group of wild dogs chased a cheetal out of the buffer zone and right outside the resort gate and killed it. They ate it there as well while Anurag was furiously taking photographs (which he showed us later). Once they had their fill they left the carcass there, which was then polished off in the evening by the leopard that had recently made its home in the surrounding landscape. Interesting.
We made our way back to our tents in the darkness, wondering if someone’s watching.
At around 3o’clock in the night I was awoken by a continuous barking of Dolly. She was furiously shouting from infront of my tent looking in the direction of the waterbody. I was tired as hell to even peek out , but that’s something I now regret. Her barking continued for half an hour and then she stopped. Whatever it was - most likely a leopard, had moved off.

Our morning safari was at Navegaon core. We left at around 5:45am from the resort. In the car, DN said he had also been woken up by Dolly’s barking and that he suspected the same. It was quite chilly - even safari veterans like us were not expecting this kind of cold. Anyway, the morning safari didn’t yield much. As Tadoba visitors would know, the core area here is the same irrespective of the gates you enter from. So someone going in from the Navegaon gate would eventually be in the same area as someone who has entered from the Kolara side, or the Moharli or Khutwanda gates. We tried for lots of specific tigers including Maya but with no luck. We were told that after the very unfortunate incident of her killing a forest guard Maya’s sightings have significantly reduced. It was getting exceedingly hot at around 10:30am when we exited the forest. There were a couple of first timers in our group this time who were getting impatient. But then patience is the name of this game.

The afternoon safari was at Alizanza. This area is dominated by the tiger pair of Mowgli and Jharni, who have their 3 five-month old offsprings also with them. Recently Jharni had started bringing out the cubs to waterbodies and there had been some excellent sightings. So hopes were high. Besides, on our way to the gate we saw a mongoose which is considered auspicious. We entered the forest at the designated time expecting some action. After about an hour of driving suddenly the guide said “leopard”. We strained our eyes to see where it was when the guide pointed out that it was just about 10 ft away from us on the side of the road, hiding in plain sight in the dry bushes. Then we saw it. It was a female. When it realised it’s cover is blown, it just casually turned around and walked deeper into the forest. We were amazed to see its stunning camouflage which although we had heard of had never been fortunate to experience in the natural environment. It happened so quickly, none of us could take any pictures. While I aimed at the bushes I couldn’t focus the camera fast enough. But its been captured in memory sure enough.
After some wondering around for another hour or so, we went to the waterhole which Jharni had been recently frequenting with the cubs. There were already a few gypsies waiting there and gradually the number of cars increased, everyone coming in with the same expectations. It was quite hot with no tree cover around. Around 5pm there were a few peacock alarm calls which got everyone attentive. As excitement was reaching fever pitch, a few gaurs (Indian bison) came to the water hole to drink. Clearly, they hadn’t sensed the tiger if there was any. Conversely, if the tigress was around with cubs she obviously wouldn’t bring them to this melee. We were gutted as the situation panned out exactly like that. At around 5:30pm we left for the gate as the exit time was 6pm. Half the trip was over with no tiger sightings. Things were getting desperate.
Nothing much to talk about in the evening except for a few cheetal alarm calls at around 9pm near the resort. I slept like a baby that night. Dolly I presume, had a quiet night too. She is one brave girl.


When it rains, it pours:

Early morning of the 28th a few weary bodies picked themselves up again at the sound of the alarm clock. We got ready and left for the gate, this time again for Navegaon core for our second and last safari in the core area. By now, all talk within the group of tiger sightings had dissipated. Everyone was quiet, but keeping their fingers crossed. We entered the forest and again saw a mongoose crossing the road but no one was bothered to comment. Fifteen minutes after starting our safari we entered the Navegaon meadows. Just as we took a turn, one of our first timers GB exclaimed “hey, what was it that just passed”? Nobody else had noticed anything, so we just ignored that. But in about 5 seconds we were all up from our seats as we noticed a large male tiger standing at the edge of the meadow to our right. We collectively gasped at the sight. He was about 50 metres away, but because it was an open field, visibility was excellent. It was Chhota Matkasur, and this was his area. In the golden light, he was looking magnificent!



The road was on a slightly elevated ground compared to the meadows on either side and so we had a great view of him as he walked towards us, all our camera shutters going bonkers. Then as he came up to the road he looked straight to the other side and stopped dead right infront of our gypsy, almost touching the bonnet. He looked stunning in his shiny winter coat. I just forgot about my camera and admired the regal beast standing 4 feet away from me (I was sitting/standing next to the driver). The 70-300mm lens as it is would have been useless for clicking an object so close. It is another matter that no lens would have done justice in capturing the beauty, grace, and strength of this striking and majestic animal. It felt as if time stood still at that moment.



After a few seconds he crossed the road and walked up to the other side about 20 feet from us, and looked on intently. It was clear he was looking for something. Then there were some alarm calls about a hundred metres to our left towards where he was looking. Then we understood – there was a female with him who had just crossed over as we were coming and who was seen by GB, and Chhota Matka was looking for her.



However, he probably realised that she is not coming back, so he turned around facing us again and did a bit of scent marking.



Then he walked back and again stood next to our gypsy. He was so close if he flicked his tails he would have touched us. At this moment we realised there was a half eaten spotted deer carcass lying next to the road. Till this point our gypsy was the only one on the scene, being the first one to enter through the gates. However, a couple of other gypsies now came on and the tiger made a hasty retreat back to where he came from but still very much within everyone’s sights. Again, we were furiously clicking away. But soon the tiger realised that his kill is still lying near the road and that we were not going away. So after a minute of pondering he gradually walked up to the road again and picked up the half eaten cheetal and went back, this time well beyond from where he had come up initially.






Having witnessed the entire action we were content and felt he was not coming back. So with wide grinning faces we exited the scene still trying to process what we had just seen. My count of individual tiger sightings had remained stuck at 24 for quite some time. What a way to celebrate the silver jubilee.

We drove around for another 45 mins or so without seeing anything of note. In between we met other gypsies and they could make out from our faces that we had seen a tiger. We derived a lot of pleasure in narrating our story and eliciting a mix of happiness, disappointment and envy in others. Then our driver said that since he can’t find too many other gypsies in this area he suspects some sighting happening towards the Jamni side. We drove there and found a lot of gypsies parked on the road, waiting in anticipation of tigress Chhoti Tara coming out of the woods from the other side of the waterbody that lay between us. After some expert manoeuvring our car managed to find a spot on a slightly higher ground with a reasonable angle of sight through the trees. After about 5 mins of waiting Chhoti Tara came out to the waterhole through the trees and then the tall grass, as gracefully as ever, and had her fill. She was about a 100 metres from where we were but luckily we had a good view because of our elevated position.





She then walked along the edge of the pond and up its bank and came towards us and on to the asphalt road.



The drivers of all the gypsies had already begun jostling for a better spot as she started walking on the road, and ours too joined in. Inspite of all the surrounding chaos - shoutings, pleading, and a mix of awe and admiration – it was the tigress that kept her cool, walking slowly on the left hand side of the road leaving more than sufficient place for the gypsies to pass by if they wanted. Talk about road manners!



After walking for a hundred metres or so and being followed by us paparazzi, she had had enough and quietly slipped in to the forest and out of our sight.
We were over the moon with what we had seen this morning. After a long dry spell we had finally tasted success. AB who saw a wild tiger for the first time that morning remarked that people who kill such beautiful animals for monetary gains should be hanged. I could understand the emotion.

We left for breakfast to the centre point. Bananas, eggs and sandwiches never tasted better. But who knew that our day wasn’t done! After breakfast we came back to the same water body, the driver’s hunch being that Chhoti Tara’s sub adult cubs may also be nearby. They are almost 2 years old now and have started spending more and more time away from their mother, but in the same area. This time, there were very few gypsies around as it was almost 9:15am and most drivers were aiming for the exit gate. Suddenly out of nowhere, one of Chhoti Tara’s sub adult cubs – a tigress, came out of the waterbody and sat on the embankment. No one had any idea she was sitting there away from prying eyes hidden by the high walls of the embankment. As she sat there oblivious to us, about 20 feet away, she yawned and then licked her paws fastidiously and provided many capture worthy moments.





Her belly was full, it was clear there was a kill that mother and daughter had done full justice to. It was an unexpected bonanza and we took full advantage! After another round of yawning she lay down on the embankment wall for a well-deserved nap, just as the mercury was rising.





We could sense here was another bold tigress, very comfortable being around with humans. Probably the case with most tigers of Tadoba, but not necessarily a good thing – neither for humans, nor for tigers. But that is another matter worthy of a separate discussion. As for us, we could hardly believe our luck. Finally as the clock turned 9:30am we decided to move out from there and head for the exit gates. Three separate tiger sightings in the same safari was a new high for me! We rewarded the driver and guide handsomely as they probably rescued our entire trip.
As we came back to the resort Anurag could make out from our faces this was a productive trip. He quipped that he had told all the resort staff to be on their toes, because when guests don’t get to see tigers they usually complain about a lot of things, whereas if the safaris go well then the guests are far more accommodating. Never thought of this – interesting insight. Now the staff could breathe easy! But first I needed to go back to the tent and download all the 500 pics that I clicked during this safari so that I could re-enact the events in my head over and over.

Normalcy resumes:

Now that the monkey was off our back, we felt far more relaxed going into our afternoon safari. This one was at Madnapur where Junabai tigress has recently given birth to three cubs, but the cubs were barely a couple of months old and the tigress was understandably cautious and barely seen. The driver mentioned that during the morning safari some tourists had seen the sole black panther of Tadoba, nicknamed Blackie. The safari itself was uneventful, although one gypsy came across Matkasur – the father of these cubs. As a zone we weren’t too impressed with Madnapur as we felt it was feeling the pressure of human settlements with lots of human habitation in the adjoining areas. Still, after the morning safari no one was in a mood to complain. Cue, some evening celebrations.


Our last safari on Tuesday morning was at Alizanza. It was the 1st of March, and as per rules the safari timings were changed. The morning safari from the month of March was preponed by half an hour, so instead of 6:30am, we went inside the forest at 6am. It was pitch dark, so even though using the car headlights is avoidable, we had to use them reluctantly for the first few minutes. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Jharni with her cubs and had requested the driver and guide to focus solely on them. While the rest of the gypsies went searching at the waterholes, the driver felt they might be at the site of a recent kill and so we took off in a completely different direction as compared to the others. However, this proved to be a mistake – we searched in vain and with no other gypsies around there was no exchange of information. While we requested the driver to go back after a while, he proved obstinate and insisted that we’d find the tigers there. For safari goers this is the ultimate dilemma – to stay and risk missing a sighting the rest of the world would have elsewhere, or move back to the pack and miss the chance of a unique sighting. We finally did the latter. As we returned to one of the waterholes after a long and barren drive we found a flurry of gypsy activity as they said Jharni and her cubs had just moved on after drinking there. We caught a glimpse of them through the trees as Jharni guided the cubs and they dutifully followed their mother. As we kept moving with the other cars, we could see the tigress & cubs climbing a steep hillock some 50 metres away, as easily and gracefully as any cat can be. Neither of these sightings lasted for more than 5 secs, not enough for a clear shot, but it did tell us in which direction the tigers were moving. All the gypsies rushed to take a roundabout way of climbing that hillock hoping to intercept the tigress somewhere. And intercept we did. While our gypsy was not the best positioned being amongst the last ones to climb, first we caught a glimpse of Jharni crossing the road and climbing further through the undergrowth, then followed by a couple of cubs running to catch up with their mom. Couldn’t spot the third cub sadly - so good was their camouflage, but managed to click a few pics of Jharni and two cubs separately.







The rest of the safari was spent waiting and second guessing if they will come out and waiting for alarm calls, but with the sun beating down we knew chances were slim. Thus concluded our last safari – though I can’t say the sightings were satisfactory but atleast we caught a glimpse of the cubs along with their mother. May be better luck will prevail next time.

Not much else to write about – we came back to the resort and after lunch bid goodbye to the staff and left for Nagpur airport for our evening flight back to Mumbai. Tadoba continues to amaze with its tiger sightings, and while one may get a better “feel” of the jungle at some of the other forests like Kanha or Corbett, Tadoba has its own pull. Further, the resort being so close to the actual forest brought about a different charm. I came back rejuvenated and with lots of bedtime stories for my 6 year old. Wife was happy too sensing this will keep me quiet for a while. As for me, number 31 is probably just a few months away!

[ramnath_77]

@AniChaudhuri this is a wonderfully composed travelogue with some lovely pictures. Glad you had sightings to your heart’s content.

Tadoba is always very close to my heart as it was here that I saw the first tiger in the wild (Zamoon Zora lake near the Mohurli gate side) in 2012.

I have been to Tadoba quite a few times and have been blessed with some great sightings of all the star cats - Maya, Sonam, Madhuri, Matkasur, Chota Matka, Choti Tara etc.

I agree with you that Tadoba might not have the same forest feel of a Kanha/Corbett, however the quality of sightings in the core and buffer make up for it. I hope to make a trip to Tadoba before the season closes in June this year.

[Torque123]

Well composed & engrossing travelogue with lovely images. It is always great to stay in a place closer to wildlife. The night time activities of animals in & around such places are thrilling.

The one park in India which has the highest probability of tiger sightings is Tadoba. The idea of opening multiple gates in buffer zones is something very commendable. This should ideally reduce the pressure on the core zone which I do not see happening. With so many safari gate options, it helps a lot in planning & entering the forest from the side closest to the tiger's territory one is focused on. The safari booking in Tadoba is simple, transparent & is almost corruption free.

The only thing I would like to see improve in Tadoba is the number of gypsies that enter the park from each gate. For example - around a minimum of 40 gypsies enter the core area from the 4 different gates mentioned below for each safari. I am not even considering the bus/vans here. 6 out of 10 times all these gypsies are in & around Maya's territory. The pressure on her is too much. The number of jeeps that enter each buffer zone has increased over the years.

Moharli Gate - 20+ Jeeps
Khutwanda Gate - ~4 Jeeps
Kolara Gate - 12 Jeeps
Navegaon - 3 Jeeps

[abhi_tjet]

Beautifully captured clicks and nice log there Ani! Those were some very beautiful tigers/tigresses .

After recently sighting a lion at Gir, suddenly, craving has started to watch tigers as well. A visit to Tadoba is surely on card.

Below is a short of the same.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=C4-u_eYHOMc?feature=share

[Punatic]

Originally Posted by AniChaudhuri

We were over the moon with what we had seen this morning. After a long dry spell we had finally tasted success.

Incredible pictures, really brilliant. Please post more (or spread them across multiple posts..!); giving just one "Thanks" simply does not feel enough

[AniChaudhuri]

Hi Ramnath, Glad you liked it. This being my first post at Team-BHP was a little apprehensive whether it would be up to standards. Look forward to hearing from you after your next trip !

Hi Torque123, Thank you. Your posts on Kabini and Ranthambore inspired me to share my experiences too. Agree with you on the points you mentioned.

Hi Abhi_tjet, happy that you liked the pics. Yes, you must visit Tadoba. If you liked the lions of Gir, you'd love the tigers even more - take it from me!

Hi Punatic, thank you for the kind words! Will try to post more pictures soon!

[deepak_misra]

Originally Posted by AniChaudhuri

Hi Ramnath, Glad you liked it. This being my first post at Team-BHP was a little apprehensive whether it would be up to standards. Look forward to hearing from you after your next trip !

Wonderful article. Your apprehensions regarding your first post are much unfounded. I have found that writing a travelogue embeds the experience much stronger than just photos.
So please do keep writing

[raktim]

A wonderfully narrated and detailed travelogue with some great pictures. @AniChaudhuri since it appears that you have been to Tadoba possibly multiple times, just curious to know, in case you have ever tried the night safari offered inside the buffer zone. Is it worth trying?

[AniChaudhuri]

Hi Raktim, thank you. Yes indeed, I have tried the night safaris a few times. In terms of experiencing a jungle environment at night, it was wonderful, especially when one enters. Adventurous. Eerie even. However in terms of animal sightings they didn't yield much. The limitation with night safaris is that your range of vision is limited to wherever the gypsy headlights fall - which is mostly straight ahead. And therefore even if there's an animal close to you but by the side of the road one is likely to miss it. Also, after a while during the drive one might feel a little bored because in that darkness everything appears very similar and after that initial novelty is gone there is only the sounds of cricket to give you company. Try it out, but don't go with too much of an expectation.

[raktim]

Originally Posted by AniChaudhuri

....I have tried the night safaris a few times. ...

AniChaudhuri, you have just given a wonderful summary about safaris at night. Actually quite inclined to experience the ambiance at night since I never did that before. However, we have contacted a Forrest guide beforehand, who is advising against and has strongly suggested to go for a day safari into the buffer for a different experience of jungle. I will really appreciate if you have any suggestion here.

[AniChaudhuri]

Hi Raktim, Tadoba buffers are good; infact I'd say you have more of a chance of seeing tigers in the buffers here than in the core. But don't do day safaris in the buffers of other forests if you have a choice, they are a complete waste. But that's my personal opinion. Hope I've answered your question.