Trip Report: India, Delhi, Agra, Chambal River
Safari and Bandhavgarh:
October-November 2008
Cultural
Our recent trip to India fell neatly into three distinct, and very different, parts: cultural, the River Chambal and Bandhavgarh and its tigers. Many things have changed since we last visited India; the pollution you feel could be cut with a knife and in Delhi and Agra was possibly the worst we have ever had to experience. It’s really that grim. The traffic is worse than St Petersburg, and that really is saying something, believe me. Don’t even consider driving yourself. The standard of driving at first seems to be appalling until, that is, you realise that it actually takes considerable skill to drive that badly. All the drivers seem to anticipate the unexpected – all the time: overtaking, undertaking, constant horns, going up one-way streets the wrong way. Of course, the huge Metro construction programme in progress in Delhi for the 2010 Commonwealth Games does not help matters; what a difference that will make, but in the meantime chaos reigns!
Then there are the black kites and electric crematoriums, the super magnificence of India Gate in Delhi, arriving at New Delhi rail station at 4.45 in the morning for the Agra express – no spitting, no hawking and definitely no boozing and the most comfortable train ride of my life are all but memories now. Then the romance of the Taj Mahal, both at sunrise and sunset, but oh that pollution and the thousands of people (it was Diwali)!
Chambal Safari Lodge
At last we escaped from the cities and headed deep into rural India, a very different and exceptional experience and one not shared by the average tourist, before reaching the wildlife oasis of the Chambal Safari Lodge. The wildlife here is simply stunning, the food the most delicious we have eaten outside of Kerala and the owners and guides the nicest people it is possible to meet. We managed to wangle an extra half a day, which meant that we could then enjoy the Sarus Crane Trail, a drive deep into the nearby wetlands, which are simply overflowing with huge flocks of cranes, storks and a multitude of other birdlife.
There were three species of owls roosting up during the day at the lodge, and on the river safaris we got to see the rare and highly endangered Gangetic dolphins and gharials, a long-snouted fish-eating crocodile, although we were just a bit too early to see the Indian skimmers, which over-winter here. By way of compensation I was able to stalk a pair of sarus cranes to within 20 feet; dropping onto one knee, I then managed to edge even closer until I pushed my luck just that bit too far and they slowly waded into the nearby swamp. Still, I got my photographs!
We stayed longer than most at the lodge, but even our three nights was not nearly enough and I would return to this wildlife paradise like a shot. It really is one of those very special wildlife places in the world. There is even a cultural experience at the nearby temple complex at Bateshwar on the River Yamuna and the annual animal fair there added an extra dimension to our trip: that and the fact that we were the only two Europeans there! Modelled on Varanasi it merits a visit.
Bandhavgarh and the tigers
Twenty eight sightings in ten days far exceeded even our wildest expectations and some of these were at point blank range. Bumping around rough tracks in the reserve in an open-backed jeep for over 7 hours a day is the most bum-numbing, boring experience, but when you round a corner and come literally face to face with a tiger produces the most incredible adrenalin rush imaginable. Then there are the elephant safaris, described by some as a circus, but hugely enjoyable, especially when you get to within a few feet of twin male tigers.
One of the mornings we drove up early to the fort to photograph the many species of vultures as they warmed up in the sunshine. As we breakfasted, we watched in awe as they lined up in their squadrons and ghosted along the edge of the near 3,000 foot high cliffs; some we looked down on, others drifted overhead. This just has to be the best place in the world to see these much-maligned birds. It is truly an awesome experience and one not shared by any of the other jeeps that day which made the same journey, as they came up much later and missed this incredible spectacle.
The last Tiger
One afternoon we had entered an unpopular section of the reserve and, once we had given the few other jeeps about the slip, had driven to the far end along surprisingly good tracks. There were just the five of us, Jai our driver, Pete our tour leader, our park guide and Toni and myself. Our guide badly needed a pee and so we had stopped to allow him to go behind a tree. The next moment there were several deep, loud growls from the jungle and our guide came hurtling back.
The langur monkeys immediately started their alarm calls, quickly followed by the deeper barks of the chitals, or spotted deer and the larger sambar. Minutes passed and then chitals, sambar and a lone blue bull, or nilgai, hurtled across the track behind the jeep and disappeared deep into the forest. We spotted another sambar some distance off and watched as he followed the progress of some unseen animal through 180°. Even he got spooked and sped off.
Nothing happened for an age, but we held our breaths, spoke only in low whispers and were patient for well over an hour. And then it happened… There was a male tiger, huge head, peering at us through a small gap in the trees. Slowly, ever so slowly, he prowled on to where the trees jutted out into a meadow like a spearhead and which pointed directly at a water hole. On and on he went, tantalising glimpses through the trees, and then, at last, he was out in the open, continuing his arrogant, prowling walk, heading for the water.
We gave him time to settle and then hurtled around the track to a spot where we had a clear view of him drinking, and did he drink! It dawned on us that he must have killed earlier and now needed to slake his thirst and wash himself. Spellbound, we watched for over half an hour, before he appeared to head off back into the forest, but at the last moment he changed his mind and came back to the water, wading in up to his belly to drink yet more water and wash himself.
And then he really did decide that he had had enough of us. Unhurried, he prowled away, this alpha-male, for he was the son of Boka and Sukhi, and we never saw him again.
Return to Delhi
Long overnight train journeys in India are a really interesting experience. It is only a shame that for much of the time it was too dark to see anything. Arriving early in the morning we transferred to our hotel, where we were given a free upgrade to the Executive Suite and then, in the afternoon, headed off to the fabulous bird reserve at Sultanpur. What a great way to end a trip like this!