Pench is magical. I've been there five times now, and each time, I come back refreshed because the forest is so breathtakingly beautiful.There's Venuban (Bamboo Forest), a canopy of bamboos, full of secrets. That's where we saw paradise flycatchers in the past, and Malabar Pied Hornbills this time.There's Jannat Point, where we saw our first jackal.Totladoh, an erstwhile village, close to which we saw the tiniest crocodile I've ever seen. And of course, there's all the rest that I love--the garadi forest, the teak trees that are different in different seasons, the Indian ghost tree, the crocodile bark tree ... Joy! Peacocks One of the highlights of this visit to Pench was certainly the dancing peacocks. We saw a dozen or more! The one here was probably the most magnificent, trying hard to attract a peahen that seemed, for the most part, quite … [Read more...]
Pench – December 2021
Should we even consider travelling? Maybe we should just cancel and stay home.We haven't gone anywhere for so long! Surely, a jungle is safe! Where else will we actually be able to stay socially distant?What if we have to do an RT-PCR before taking our flight back. Will we have to spend a night in Nagpur?Let's not cross a state border. That way, being doubly vaccinated should be enough for us to catch a flight.Wondering, debating, planning ... we finally did go to Pench Tiger Reserve in December 2021, and I'm so glad we did. Safari in the Rain Watching the rain, all by ourselves in the wild The weather report said there would be a little rain. A little rain.Not a thunderstorm.But have you ever been stuck in a thunderstorm in the middle of the jungle?It was incredible. We stood at Bakhari Camp and watched the rain pour down on huge teak … [Read more...]
Jannat Point, Pench Tiger Reserve
It's been over three weeks since the year started, and they have been incredible. I have much to write about--my heart and mind are full of stories.I wrote about bringing the new year in with the sight of a leopard at Pench Tiger Reserve, but anyone who loves the jungle knows that a "sighting" is not the only exciting thing about a safari. There's much more. The very sight of the gate makes my heart beat faster--unexplored, unpredictable worlds lie beyond!Pench, particularly, is teeming with wildlife. I would not be exaggerating if I said that we saw over a hundred peacocks during our four safaris there.We saw the young ones of nilgai, sambhar and chital, and I love fawns! They are an adorable combination of curiosity and fear. They gaze at us, as if to ask, What is this new beast? Who are these people? I wonder what they want! And then, suddenly, primal instinct takes … [Read more...]