Duration: 6 Nights / 7 Days
Places Covered: Delhi - Bandhavgarh
- Kanha - Delhi
Day1 Delhi - Bandhavgarh:By
Train at 1500 hr We will receive you at the airport in the morning and then after
picking up some fruits, juice and water for the journey proceed to station in
Delhi for train to Umaria (Bandavgarh).
If time permits we will drive
through the tour of New Delhi Buildings. Overnight will be on the train.
Day
2 Bandhavgarh: Reach Bandavgarh in the morning and check in at resort.
Bandavgarh is a new National Park with a very long history. Set among the Vindhya
hills of Madhya Pradesh with an area of 168sq miles (437sq km) it contains a wide
variety of habitats and a high density of game, including a large number of Tigers.
This is also the White tiger country. These have been found in the old
state of Rewa for Many years. Maharaja Martand Singh captured the last known in
1951. This white Tiger, Mohun is now stuffed and on display in the Palace of Maharaja
of Rewa. Prior to becoming a National Park, the forests around Bandavgarh had
long been maintained as a Shikargah, or game preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa.
The Maharaja and his guests carried out hunting - otherwise the wildlife was well
protected. It was considered a good omen for Maharaja of Rewa to shoot 109 tigers.
His Highness Maharaja Venkat Raman Singh shot 111 Tigers by 1914. There
are 32 hills in this part of the park, which has a large natural fort at its center.
The fort's cliffs are 2625 feet (800 meters) high, 1000 feet (300 meters) above
the surrounding countryside. At independence Bandavgarh remained the private property
of the Maharaja until he gave it to the state for the formation of the National
Park in 1968.
After the park was created poaching was brought under control
and the number of animals rose dramatically. Small dams and water holes were built
to solve the problem of water shortage. Grazing by local cattle was stopped and
the village within the park boundaries was relocated. The Tigers in particular
prospered and the 1986 extension provided much needed forest to accommodate them.
Check in at the resort and enjoy the afternoon safari inside the park. Overnight
will be at Bandavgarh.
Day 3 Bandhavgarh: Enjoy a full day
game viewing inside the jungle. (Two safaris) Trip to the Bandavgarh Fort: The
oldest fort in India - considered to be more than 2500 years. One-hour trek up
the fort is worth the effort. The charm of this trek lies in discovering these
monuments in the jungle, unspoiled and unexplored.
Some of the statues
lie off the main path and so it is best to take a guide. Apart from the avatars,
well worth seeing are three small temples of around the 12th century.
These
temples are deserted but the fort is still used as a place of worship. Kabir Das,
the celebrated 16th century saint, once lived and preached here. The natural ramparts
of the fort give breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. The fort still
belongs to the Maharaja of Rewa and permission is required to visit it. However
permission is available locally and no trip to Bandavgarh is complete without
making an effort to climb up the fort.
The staff of the resort carries
your lunch while you are busy negotiating the trek to the fort. Overnight will
be at the resort.
Day 4 Bandhavgarh - Kanha: By Road
250
km in 6 hr After breakfast drive to Kanha. This is the place that has been described
by RUDYARD KIPLING in his great book "The Jungle Book". Located in the
Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha National Park is a tiger reserve that
extends over an area of over 940 square km.A horseshoe shaped valley bounded by
the spurs of the Mekal presents an interesting topography. Steep rocky escarpments
along the edges offer breathtaking views of the valley. Realizing the danger on
the Tiger population in the country, the Government started the "Project
Tiger" at Kanha and in 1974 the area was declared a Tiger reserve.
The
park is also the habitat of the high ground Barasingha. In 1930s, the Kanha area
was divided into two sanctuaries - Hallon and Banjar of 250kms to 300kms each.
Though one of these was subsequently disbanded .The area remained a protected
one until 1947. Depletion of the tiger population in the year that followed led
to the area being made an absolute sanctuary in 1952. Patient watching should
reward the visitor, with a sight of Indian Fox, Sloth bear, Striped hyena, Jungle
cut, Lepord, Mouse Deer, Chausingha or four horned antelope, Nilgai, Ratel and
Porcupine Kanha has some 200 species of birds.
Watchers should station
themselves in the hills, where the mixed and bamboo forests harbour many species
and in the grassy forest clearings. Water birds can be seen near the park's many
rivulets and at Sarvantal, a pool that is frequented by water birds and the area
in front of the museum. Reach in the afternoon and relax at the resort. Overnight
will be at the Kanha Resort.
Day 5 Kanha:Spend the full day
viewing game and spotting TIGERS inside the jungle. (Two safaris) Overnight will
be at the resort.
Day 6 Kanha - Nagpur:By Road
250 km in
6 hr Proceed for the morning GAME DRIVE into the forest. Proceed to Nagpur. Nagpur,
popularly known as Orange Capital of India is also the second capital of Maharashtra.
The Gond King of Deogad, "Bakht Buland Shah" laid the city's foundation
in the year 1702.
This city derived its name from the river Nag that flows
through it. Nagpur was the capital of Madhya Bharat State (C.P. and Berar) after
Indian independence and in 1960, the Marathi majority Vidarbha region was merged
with the new state of Maharashtra. Overnight will be at Nagpur.
Day
7 Nagpur - Delhi:By Air
Flight Number : CD 7469/7470
Airlines :
Indian Airlines
Aircraft : Boeing 737
Departure : 0900/1010 hr
Stopover
: Nil
Arrival : 1025/1135 hr Breakfast will be at hotel. Transfer to airport
for flight to Delhi. Reach and transfer to airport for connecting flight home.
If your return flight is late in the evening we would be organizing a hotel for
day use which can be used for relaxing.
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