Wildlife Safaris India

Camping Safaris -Kanha national Park

2009-08-02T12:52:07+02:00

Camping Safari at Kanha
Oneness with nature
Indian Wildlife
Indian wildlife is unique and exhibits amazing biodiversity in terms of flora and fauna. There are many endemic and keystone species that can be seen nowhere else except in India. By all means most charismatic and attractive species is the Bengal tiger now severely endangered. India is home to major predators the tiger and the Asiatic Lion. Snow leopard, clouded leopard and the leopard are and amazing sight in there natural habitat. Thus apart wildlife watching attraction includes the Indian Rhino, elephant, wild ass, numerous goat antelopes and deer. Small and big mammals abound in their own ecosystem which offers the finest sightings in the World. Bird and reptilian life is no less intriguing and insect life abounds with butterflies being the main attraction.
Camping Experience
Ecotourism in India is the usual package tours for group travelers and independent travelers with hotel accommodation being the core. The safaris are offered as package by the urban style hotels but lack the real input required to enjoy wildlife from close. What is required is a holistic experience that which is offered by camping safaris a concept new and unique in India.
We conduct camping safaris in style but in responsible manner. Our camping safaris stick to nature. The luxury camps located in finest habitat of Kanha National Park buffer are not permanent. They are set up for you and removed once the safari is over. This minimizes the impact on local surroundings. We use eco friendly solar lanterns and battery operated lanterns instead of electricity. Crystal clear water is fetched from the next door stream boiled and heated for use. All things in use are natural and recyclable.
We use natural resources in order to run the camps. The camps are fully serviced by local staffs who work as waiters, naturalists, cooks and field guides to assist in trekking. The camps offer full comfort in tandem with natural surroundings. It is a living experience of a life time in pristine wilderness as our ancestors did once.
The Safari
Your camping safari begins right at your arrival in Jabalpur where you are driven to Kanha in a fully equipped luxurious safari jeep. The camps are placed in the heart of wilderness at Kanha buffer. The service is luxurious with finest Indian cuisine being served in style. The habitat compliments wildlife at its finest. With luck one can come across tigers, leopards and bisons that live in the neighborhood. At night sit under the stars and listen to the sounds of the jungle. The camp fire keeps you warm as you savor the surroundings – calm – serene – rejuvenating.
The excursions in the park are carried out in well equipped jeeps that which drove you to the camping site. Wildlife safaris in Kanha offer the best chance to see the tiger in India. That apart, a little luck fetches you a leopard or a bison which is a marvelous sight. Other interesting animals in Kanha are the sloth bear, hard ground Barasingha, Sambar deer, ubiquitous spotted deer, the wild dog, jackal; fox….the list is endless.
Kanha abounds in birds’ resident and winter migrants. Bird watching is exciting in the park as well as in the surroundings of the camping site. Our trained naturalist assists you in all activities from park safaris to bird watching.
Adventure camping
Our camping safaris are unique in that they are hundred percent eco friendly and offer luxury and comfort without taxing natural resources. We employ locals, the sons of soil who know everything about their amazing forest and its wildlife. We are instrumental in providing livelihood to local endemic communities and thus create a pool of conservationist who see reason in conservation of Kanha and its amazing wildlife.
Welcome
Come join us in this wonderful heart throbbing jungle safari adventure. Camp in style and yet be one with nature.
Camping Safaris 4x4
We offer you the chance to enjoy a wonderful Mobile Camping Safari in Kanha. Camping Safari includes game drives in Kanha National park. This is for the first time such Camping Safaris is being organised in India.

A camping safari staying in small private mobile camps is one of the best ways to experience the local Flora & fauna

The safari has been designed to include a variety of habitat so that the widest diversity of wildlife can be seen. The camps are sited in private owned jungle so that walking and night drives may be taken but are also conveniently located for easy access to The National Park.

Highlights: Adventure in Wilderness

Group Size: maximum 4 people
Type of Safari: Camping Safari.
Camps are set up on our exclusive camp site.
Accommodation: Tents are heavy-duty canvas dome tents for two persons in one tent.
We will provide complete bed & Linen, Towels soap etc
Hot Water in Bucket
Chemical imported Toilet tent.
Shower tent.

Prices 2009:
October to April
650.00GBP per person based on a minimum of two persons
480.00GBP per person based on a minimum of four persons

Includes:
Airport pick up & Drop
Services of resident naturalist
Rail journey by 1st AC
All meals in Kanha
Delhi on B&B
Camping equipment
Sleeping mattress
Transport in 4x4 vehicle
All park fees
09 game drives
All activities

Excludes:
Drinks, laundry, Tips, mineral water & beverages, elephant ride

Day 01
Arrive New Delhi, assistance upon arrival later transfer to the Estate, overnight Home stay.

Day 02
Transfer to Railway station to connect a direct train to Jabalpur (1st Class) overnight train

Day 3
On arrival in Jabalpur, you will be met by our executive and private vehicle at Jabalpur station later transfer in an Air condition Tata TL 4x4 Mobile safari vehicle to Kanha National park. (Fresh n up facility & breakfast in Jabalpur Hotel included)

We will be Camping in a Private Jungle having a total Wilderness feel and away from the local concrete lodges. After Lunch get ready for the evening game drive. Overnight camp (Our team will make the Camp fully operational before your arrival.)

Day 04, 05, 06, 07
Morning & evening game safari

Day 08
Drive back to Jabalpur. Lunch at Hotel Krishna Jabalpur later transfer to station/airport for your onward Journey to New Delhi overnight train

Day 09
Arrive Delhi early morning at 07:00 hrs transfer to The Estate, day free of your own (local sight seeing can be arranged on request)

Day 10
Transfer to international airport

Comments

National Parks opening dates

2009-07-02T11:04:43+02:00

This is to inform all that the National Parks in Madhya Pradesh (Bandhavgarh-kanha-Pench-Satpura) now will open from 16th October 2009.

Earlier the park use to open from 1st October.

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Birding Trip Report - Bharatpur

2009-02-21T17:40:24+01:00

Trip Report - Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Organizer - India Footprints

India Footprints a package tour operator organized a briding tour to Bharatpur - Chambal River Valley - Sattal - Corbett National Park in India.

Bharatpur is a well known wetland in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is spread over an area of 29 square kilometers and encompasses wetlands, scrub forest and small patches of grassland and forest canopy.

Bharatpur is home to approximately three hundred species of birds including winter migrants. Hence it is best destination for birding expedition in India to checklist a large number of bird species. On our two day trip we visited a near by reservoir called Ban Baretha which is a lrage water body about fifty kilometers away.

We were able to checklist more than two hundred species in our three day.

Among the noteable species were:

Eurasian Sparrow Hawk

Greater Spotted Eagle

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Imperial Eagle

Crested Serpent Eagle

Shikra

Eurasian Marsh Harrier

Siberian Ruby Throat

Grey Night Jar

Large Tailed Nightjar

Ruddy Shelduck Duck

Northern Pintail

Eurasian Wigeon

Shoveller

Common Teal

Lesser Whistling Teal

Comb Duck

Red Crested Pochard

Spot Billed Duck

Sarus Crane

Wooly Necked Crane

Brown Fish Owl

Dusky Fish Owl

Spotted Owlet

Indian Scops Owl

Dusky Crag Martin

Oriental Skylark

Paddy Field Pippit

Richard's Pippit

Rufous Tailed Lark

Zitting Cisticola

Sarus Crane

Rosy Pelican

Spoon Bill

Great Cormorant

Tickell's Thrush

Black Headed Ibis

Red Rumped Swallow

Whiskered Tern

River tern

White Capped Bunting

Spanish Sparrow

We were unable to see the Indian Skimmer at Ban Baretha but did see it at Chambal River Sanctuary.

Over all the trip was a big success with our foreign birders making the most of the bounty.

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Tigresses to be relocated at Panna National park

2009-01-22T15:09:07+01:00

Wed, Jan 21 08:55 AM

New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) A tiger count is in progress in Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve even as officials are finalising plans to fly in two tigresses from another sanctuary next month, officials said.

'The two tigresses will be selected for relocation either from Bandhavgarh or Kanha tiger reserve,' said L.K. Choudhary, field director, Panna Tiger Reserve. He added that the step has been taken to partially correct the skewed sex ratio of tigers in Panna.

Lately there have been concerns of low tiger population in Panna and officials admit that they have not seen any tigresses or cubs in the reserve for the past couple of months.

But tigers, they said, still roam the forests as is evident from the pugmarks observed by forest guards during patrols.

Habitat destruction and disturbances were considered main causes for the low tiger population in Panna.

'The present survey by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) would ascertain these facts in Panna, mainly the causes for low tiger density, as well as their numbers through camera traps and other methods,' said Rajesh Gopal, head of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) that manages the tiger reserves in the country.

'This is however not a government of India's (central government) survey but a study commissioned by the state to WII. The findings would help us to plan better protection in the reserve,' he added.

Choudhary said that between April 2006 and March 2008, a gang of criminals had been using the forest as their hideout. Last year the leader of the gang was killed, while several other gang members were arrested by the police.

Officials believe the disturbances might have forced the big cats to migrate to adjoining forests.

The Panna field director alleged that a local farmer had hired the criminal gang to prevent forest staff from taking charge of an area that he used for mustard cultivation.

'He hired the Thokia gang after the forest department objected to his (the farmer's) encroachment on the tiger habitat. But after the police gunned down the gang leader and several of the gang members were arrested, the situation has gradually improved, as forest staff can now do their work without fear,' Choudhary told IANS on phone.

The 670-sq km Panna reserve, nestled in the picturesque Vindhya Hills of the Bundelkhand region, was declared a tiger sanctuary in 1994 and is one of the five tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh. The others are Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench and Satpura-Bori-Pachmari.

Although the latest tiger numbers would be known only after the completion of the survey by the WII next month, a 2000 estimate had put the number at 32. The reserve is home to many other endangered animals such as the black buck, the chinkara deer, hyena, the Indian wild dog and different varieties of birds.

Weblink for news: http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090121/812/tnl-two-tigresses-to-be-flown-into-panna.html

Comments

Affordable Safaris by India Footprints

2009-01-02T14:13:10+01:00

India Footprints have introduced for the first time affordable safaris to two popular national parks in Central India - Kanha & Bandhavgarh.

We are a top level travel agency and package tour operators. Perfect delivery and high quality service is what we believe which our past record shows well.

Affordable or low cost does not mean low quality... we do not comprise on services at all. We have years of expereince in conducting wildlife safaris and guided tours to National Park and Sanctuaries in India. All our wildlife trips are in the company of accomplished naturalists and guides.

We believe in fair price and always request our guests to travel atleast in a group of four persons so that we can put less stress in the park and can also save huge money, not possible if we travelling independently.

Looking at the slow economy we have introduced a low cost Tiger Safari based on a minimum of 4 persons travelling together.

Affordable Tiger Safari

Tour Duration: 10 days
Season: Oct to June
Tour Customizable: Yes
Number of Participants: minimum four
Tour Price per person: 770.00 Euros.

Hotels Foreseen
Delhi: Sun star Standard Hotel on B&B (can be upgraded with an extra cost)
Kanha: The Krishna Jungle Resort
Bandhavgarh: Nature Heritage.

Tour:

Day 01
Arrive Delhi transfer to hotel on B&B Day free.

Day 02
Transfer to station to connect direct train to Umaryia overnight train.

Day 03
Arrive Bandhavgarh National park evening game drive.

Day 04, 05
Morning & evening game drive.

Day 06
Drive to Kanha evening game drive.

Day 07, 08
Morning & evening game drive.

Day 09
After morning game drive, transfer to Jabalpur (3 hrs) to connect direct train to New Delhi. Lunch in Jabalpur included along with Packed Dinner on Train.

Day 10
Arrive Delhi transfer to International airport or to Hotel if you have booked extra nights.

The Cost Includes:
Airport Pick up & Drop
Delhi standard hotel on B&B
Kanha & Bandhavgarh on full board with all meals, stay, all game safaris, entrance fees, elephant ride
Rail journey by AC sleeper class
Road journey by Deluxe air conditioned cars

Our Cost Does Not Include:

International Airfare, Visa and airport tax
Medical care and travel withdrawal, luggage and health insurance.
Meals other than specified.
Personal expenses such as table drinks, laundry, telephone bills or any other expenses not specified above.
Any insurance for any change in program due to circumstances beyond or control or emergency.
Any increase in Government taxes, fuel increases, etc

Find more exciting travel packages to India on our website. Contact US for more information.

Comments

Dead Tiger found floating

2008-10-10T12:30:03+02:00

Tiger body in river...

from the pages of THE TELEGRAPH newspaper (Calcutta edition,7th October Indian)

Calcutta, Oct. 6: Tourists cruising down a Sunderban river hoping for a glimpse of a Bengal Tiger saw one today, but it was dead. The tiger’s body was found floating in the Bidya in Gosaba, some 260km south of Calcutta.

The tourists, on a motorized launch, alerted the crew who called officials at the forest department camp at Dobanki, 50km away.

At Sunderbans Tiger Reserve team arrived in about three hours and took away the “full-grown male” for post-mortem. Officials said the place where the carcass was found was at least 100km from human habitat.

“We haven’t found any external injury marks. The post-mortem will reveal whether it was poisoned by poachers or it died of some disease,” an official said. Reserve director Neeraj Singhal could not recall another instance of a dead tiger floating on a river.

Comments

Tiger Tourism in India

2008-10-09T15:44:10+02:00

The major tourists destinations in India incidentally offer best prospect of tiger tourism as well. The endangered tiger is the most charismatic animal in the World hence tourists from all over come to see this magnificent animal.

In Madhya Pradesh which is primarily dependent upon wildlife tourism and safaris it is Kanha National Park which attracts thousands of tourists followed by the enchanting paradise Bandhavgarh National Park which is famous for tiger safaris in India.

Kerala has Periyar tiger reserve which again is a major tourist destination. For those on Kerala travel and tours a visit to Periyar for wildlife watching is a must.

Rajasthan also offers best wildlife watching and tiger sightings at Ranhthambhore tiger reserve. This park is famous for diurnal behavior of tigers in India. The best birding scope while on Rajasthan tours is Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary which is World famous birding destination. Sariska also offers good wildlife watching but off late tigers have been poached there.

Goa though famous for beach resorts offers wildlife watching yet unexplored. There are many interest wildlife sanctuaries which have yet to come in lime light for its unique flora and fauna.

Comments

India Travels

2008-09-05T16:00:46+02:00

Barry & Sandra UK
Well this was our second visit with India Footprints and as usual it went just great and will surely come back again. They offer the best package tours in India.

They have excellent guides & have excellent knowledge on Indian Wildlife..Cheers

Comments

Park opening

2008-08-21T15:49:53+02:00

Tiger safari News

Park will be re opening in Central India from 1st Oct. onwards. As earlier it was decided to re open parks from 16th onwards but taking the last years traffic it was decided again to re open the park with the usual date of 1st Oct. 2008 this year also. Hence hotels at Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha have prepared themselves to meet guest requirements early.

Comments

Wildlife at Kerala

2008-07-06T18:12:47+02:00

In my recent visit to Kerala I was astounded by the greenery all around me. I visited Kerala to relax at backwaters and swim at the beach.

But I discovered more the discussion at an Ayurvedic massage center the masseur told me about Periyar. Thanks to time at hand I added tiger safari at Periyar in my Kerala tour and was not at all disappointed.

I am as it is very fond of wildlife safari and Periyar was a new and exciting discovery. Wild elephants and rare sight of the Bengal tiger really justified Kerala trip in Southern India. The herd of spotted deer, wild bisons and the large Sambar deer was thrilling beyond expectations. Periyar as I discovered was extremely rich in Indian birds belonging to Southern Taxa.

Like a wildlife resorts at Kanha Periyar Mational Park offers varied accommodations and lodging. You can spend enjoying wildlife in luxury. Periyar also offers wonderful nature treks in the surrounding jungle and rafting on the river at Thekkady which is not a done thing at Kanha National Park in Central India.

Apart from Periyar Kerala has many wildlife sanctuaries and bird habitats that the eco tourist find very appealing to visit.

I enjoyed the God's owm country immensely and visited many forts and palaces apart from the beaches, spas, and backwater and yes wildlife at Kerala. In fact time allowed me to visit all the places worth seeing in this Indian state.

I recommend Kerala as an exciting holiday destinations to tourists from all over the World.

Comments

Spotting a Tiger at Kanha

2008-07-04T16:16:21+02:00

Wildlife Safari at Kanha

The best place to see the tiger in India is Kanha National Park which harbors more then one hundred tigers in the wild. Situated in Maikal Hills a branch of Satpura range Kanha is a wild life heaven and offers the best tiger sightings in India. Kanha has more than 22 mammalian species and more than two hundred bird species. The number of species of insects including butterflies is un countable. Reptiles are common but being nocturnal in nature they are a rare sight except Indian python and the rat snake.

Locating Tigers

The method of a successful tiger sighting lies in the reaction to the animal's movement in the forest. When the tiger is on the move in the jungle, his realm is as responsive as the court of Great Mughal Rulers. Peacocks blare, Sambar deer bell, Spotted Deer call frantically, Hanuman monkeys explode in cough-like alarm, Jungle Fowl screech, Bison whistle and barking deer emit the impossibly raucous bark which is dog like hence their name. The repetition of alarm cries as well as the combination from two or more animal species in the same area of the jungle is a good sign that Bengal Tiger is moving nearby.

Using your ears to listen to what other animals are saying is a good method of locating a Tiger.

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Tiger safari opening dates

2008-07-04T15:46:33+02:00

With the close of the season eco tourists are looking forward for the opening of the park tiger reserves for wild safari again after the monsoon.

As per new policy of the Madhya Pradesh government the tiger reserves in Central India will open for tiger safari on 16th October 2008. Tiger sightings has been extra ordinary this year and with the birth of more tiger cubs the coming year promises to be exciting and higly succesful for tiger lovers.

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