Tiger sightings in Kanha are few compared to Bandhavgarh, but the quality of sightings in Kanha are far superior. When i say quality of sightings, there are various points i wish to state here. First and foremost, the sheer size of Kanha National park is huge, 5 times bigger then Bandhavgarh, which implies that the tourism pressure is not so intense here as in some other more popular Tiger reserves. Though there is rush to get inside the park, but once inside you practicaly do not encounter other vehicles for miles, and on many occassions than not you come across various animals all to yourself. There have been instances when our naturalists tracks a Tiger on the trail walking towards you, while you are wondering what to do, our driver is in complete control and is reversing cautiously, the Tiger totally oblivious to your presence keeps walking towards you, as he is perhaps patrolling his territory. Such sightings have been many in Kanha.
In a normal 3-4 nights stay, if you would do 4-5 safaris in the park, and you get one such sighting it will leave an indelible mark on your memory. Apart from Tigers, what you also see here and not in other parks is a healthy population of Bisons, Wild Dogs, Bara Singhas and many a times Leopards and Sloth Bears. So, if you wish to experience the thrill of being with a Tiger in the beautiful forests immortalised by Kipling, then this is your chance.
A number of superlatives come to mind to describe my holiday at Kanha in October ‘08. But I don't want to end up sounding like a glossy travel brochure, so I'd say – I had a 'TIGER' of a time! Having a tiger couple trail us for more than an hour was one reason; discovering Chitvan, was no less, the other.
ReplyDeleteTo be very honest, I was very apprehensive about your resort. I didn't have any first-hand opinions to go by and the impressive snap shots on your website served only to add up on those fears, since I am of the school of thought that advertising, more often than not, belies the Real Thing.
However, driving into the gates of Chitvan defenestrated all my phobias and walking into my suite transformed me from a Doubting Thomas to an Ecstatic Harry. The WOW reaction was spasmodic.
And that's not all…
Every meal we had over the period of 4 days was a gastronomical adventure – each dish, though simple, turned out a big riot of complementary effects.
I also need to add that you have a wonderful crew back there each of who were genuinely lavish in their eagerness to please. The morning send-offs and afternoon welcomes they gave us before and after every safari did much to warm the cold and cool the heat.
Needless to add - Yes, I will be coming back sooner than soon. And to every prospective visitor I'd like to say – Believe me. I'm not exaggerating!