I left home at around 8:30 pm on the 11th of May, to catch the metro to Yesvantpur Junction, from where the Yesvantpur-Gorakhpur Express departed for Chandrapur at 11:40 pm. It was drizzling and the coach was near the end of the platform. I was in A2 (A/C 2-tier) and there was a gentleman named Ram Mohan who was traveling to Kazipet and onto Karimnagar. He works for an Israeli company and soon we got chatting about our jobs and things in general.
A/C 2 tier is the way to go, as the berths are wider and it is easier to climb onto the upper berth. This is of course, if there is no First A/C (H-A1), which is the ultimate luxury!
The train passed through Secunderabad, Kazipet and Balharshah, reaching Chandrapur before the scheduled time of 5:38 pm the next day.
The driver Namdev was there to pick me up and drop me at Waghai Resort. It was a 1-hour journey through small towns and jungle. There was a checkpost where vehicles were not allowed after 6 pm and an entry had to be made with forest officials. I guess only vehicles with a hotel reservation were allowed to enter.
I reached the resort around 7 pm. The room was very nice and more than adequate for two people. I had dinner around 8.30 pm that consisted of authentic Maharashtran cuisine, including sev sabzi that was delicious.
Karthick (skipper) and GT Arasu, took a flight from Chennai to Nagpur and then a cab from Nagpur to Moharli and so they arrived at around 1:30 am. Our wake-up call, the next morning, was at 4:30 am, but I was able to get a decent amount of sleep due to my earlier arrival.
Our first safari started at 5:30 am at the Moharli gate (the closest to the resort). We were unable to sight a tiger, but nothing could prepare us for what was in store in the other safaris. As for the first safari, we were rewarded with spectacular closeup views of a pack of Dholes (Indian Wild Dogs, known for their ferocity) and a Black (Sloth) Bear, apart from Chital (spotted deer) and Langurs (monkeys).
We had breakfast at the end of the first safari at around 9:30 to 10:00 am. After breakfast, it was time to catch up on some sleep. Lunch was at around 1:30 pm. and was also a delicious buffet of traditional local cuisine.
The afternoon safari began at around 2:30 pm. Chandrapur was extremely hot and is one of the hottest parts of India. A thermometer showed 45C to 48C even during the late afternoon (4 pm) in the shade! There was news of the sighting of a tigress named W (because of a “W” marking on its face). It was resting near a pond, to escape the heat. There was not much going on, so we focused on the birds in the vicinity. We were able to spot Monarchs, Racket-tailed Drongos and Orange-headed Thrushes and even a beautiful Asian Paradise Flycatcher, that was simply gorgeous. The heat was terrible and my eyes burned from the salt in my sweat, but there was no stopping us. When you walked, the hot air hit you like a blast furnace!
Eventually, W decided to get up and move on. She was absolutely massive and it was a totally surreal experience, being in such close proximity to such a magnificent beast. This was my very first tiger safari and sighting ever and it did not disappoint!
The nights were devoted to Carlsberg, Tuborg and Kingfisher to celebrate our success 🙂
Day 2 sightings consisted of Gaur (Indian Bison) sightings – a small family trying to cross the road, including a gigantic male right next to the dirt road. In the afternoon, we were able to sight a tigress named Maya on the banks of a massive lake (called Jamini). This was followed by the sighting of another male (identified as Rudra), but later turned out to be Tala. As it was resting behind a tree-trunk, there were numerous visitors to the watering hole, including langurs, sambhar and bison, seemingly oblivious of Tala. The Sambhar, however, let out numerous calls as a warning to the other forest-dwellers. Finally, when the Bison moved in, Tala decided that it was time to move on, as it was scared of the bison! It was interesting to see how wildlife co-exist even in the presence of danger.
On the way to another location (watering hole), we spotted an absolutely magnificent Brown Fish Owl, resting by the side of the road. At the end of the safari, we were rewarded by sightings of another tigress named Ruma in the underbrush.
Finally on the morning of day 3 (safari number 5), we were able to spot Ruma, a breathtaking tigress. She was resting by the side of the road, but she woke up to check us out. That’s when we got some of the best shots of a tiger in the wild! She was a magnificent specimen and it was literally love at first sight for all of us!
Other sightings included the Asian Paradise Flycatcher and a herd of Wild Boar, but Ruma was the icing on the cake!
We picked up some souvenirs at the gift shop.
Finally, after some sleep, lunch and rest, it was time to check out and this time, we were all in the same vehicle, as Karthick and GT Arasu decided to take a detour to Nagpur via Chandrapur.
After I got off at the railway station, I spent some time taking some videos of trains for my son, who loves them.
I caught the Sanghamitra Express at around 7:30 pm, that was overcrowded and even reserved coach S6 looked like an unreserved compartment. I had the side lower berth and had to share it with a traveler from Bihar, in-spite of having a confirmed ticket. The 20 hours to Bangalore flew by and I was at KSR by around 5 pm. The temperature in Bangalore was 24C – half of what it was at Tadoba!
An incredible and unforgettable trip with my first tiger sighting(s)! We spotted 6 tigers in all – W, W’s cub, Maya, Tala, Rudra and Ruma.
The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is located at Moharli, Maharashtra. Temperatures can be very high in summer, but the probability of sighting tigers is very high. If you pack some sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water, you’ll be fine. It will definitely be worth it, despite the heat and can lead to an experience of a lifetime. Morning safaris are not an issue at all due to the cooler weather.
Special thanks to Karthick for organizing the trip and GT Arasu for some splendid company!
Signing off.
Ganesh Gopalan's Blog 