Different tourism zones for safari in Bandhavgarh NP

SHE-ELF

Hi there, I just registered myself on this wonderful forum.
I have already been browsing through it many times while preparing my trip to India (Delhi, Agra, Bandhavgarh and Similipal)this coming April and it has been extremely helpful.
However, there is one thing I can't find so I posted a new thread. My apologies if it does exist and I overlooked it.

I have noticed the Madhya Pradesh tourism office has recently created a tool to book accommodation and tiger safaris on their website.
When I tried to book a safari for Bandhavgarh the tool asked me for which "zones" I would like to book a safari.
The zones are:Tala, Magdhi or Khitauli. On the Mp tourism website you can actually find info about which animals are found in which zones.
However, what I am interested in is to know more or less where the most tiger sightings have been recently.
I know there are never any guarantees but if I have to make a choice anyway I'd rather optimalise my chances and choose the zone where most tigers were spotted.
Unfortunately I haven't received any reply to my emails sent to Mp tourism.

Has anyone recently visited any particular "zone" in Bandhavgarh or does anyone have more information about the different zones ?

Looking forward to your replies.
Best regards
She-elf

neelygee

Hi She-elf
I was at Bandhavghar in Feb 2008 & at the moment Tala is the only option with only 28 tigers available to see. About 13-14 are cubs & often with their mothers, so mother & cub sightings are not so frequent at this time. I was told that the other two sights house the remaining 37 tigers but at this moment these are unavailable to tourists until Sept/Oct this year which you will be able to do based at Tala. I was fortunate to see one tigress in my 5 safaris but there really was very few sightings by others while I was there. The best time to go is mid March-May. I went last March too & there really was a lot more life in the jungle & the frequency of tiger sightings was much higher. Hope this info helps.
Neel

travo

Hi She-elf,
Neelygee is absolutely right. The best time for tiger spotting is during April-May. The best zone is definitely Tala. The best place to stay is at White Tiger Forest Lodge (MP Tourism). The best book to read about Bandhavgarh is "BANDHAVGARH-Fort of the Tiger"-written by L.K.Choudhary (Ex-Field Director, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, e-mail:lalankc@rediffmail.com)and Safi Akhter Khan (?Assistant Director, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, e-mail: khansafi@hotmail.com). The book is published by Wild Atlas Books,Division of Bharti Constructions & Consultants, Taj Market, Taj-Ul-Masjid Compound, Bhopal 462001. Price:INR 360.00 only. I collected the book from a MRIGNAYNI sales counter at the forest entry point at Tala and found the book to be extremely useful. I visited Bandhavgarh during the peak tourist seoson time (1st & 2nd January 2008) and was unlucky. However, one of our co-travellers did see the tiger at the end of the day from a merely 15-20feet distance. We all saw that video footage lasting near-about 3 minutes and were simply mesmerized. Wish you a happy safari.

SHE-ELF

Hi Neelygee and Travo,

Thanks for your replies.
Wow Neelygee, if you were in Bandhavgarh in Feb I can't get any "fresher" information than that.
I was afraid to book the safaris online because I wasn't sure about the zones. Now I can go ahead and book with entry in Tala.
It looks like for tiger sightings we'll need some luck that day !
My plan is to book 2 safaris in advance (1 evening and 1 morning)and, if no wildlife sighted, go for a third safari but book it on the spot if possible. If we actually did see a tiger I would like to do a "nature walk" instead on day 2. I don't like to be in a jeep all the time and want to do some walking too. Here the objective is more to experience the nature as a whole rather than only seeing wildlife.
What do you think ?

Does anyone know where we will be getting our driver ?
Do the people at White Tiger Forest Lodge arrange this if I show them my excursion booking receipt?
I presume we should get the driver in advance in order to go queue up at the entry gate to get a guide/naturalist.
I understand the earlier you arrive a the gate the better the better guide you get.

Another question about white tiger forest lodge.
I heard that some rooms really have a nice view on the river.
If I can I want to try to get one of those.
However, I booked non-airconditioned rooms and I am not sure if these also face the river.
Do you know if those nice riverview rooms are airconditioned ?

Travo, thanks for the tip on the book.
I'll see if I can get a copy.

Best regards
She-elf

travo

Hi She-elf,

I don't know whether It will take 2 or 4 or 6 safaris to spot the tiger, but surely if U can manage to stay for at least 3 days, your chances will be brighter and also u'll get to see a lot more (including Bandhavgarh fort).

We visited the park during peak season time and yet we didn't book our safaris in advance. We just informed the reception people (@White Tiger Forest Lodge) and they arranged for everything (no need to worry about car/driver/guide etc.). U'll get ur jeep ready just outside the reception counter well in advance of ur scheduled safari time.

There are 5 routes (A-E, distributed serially, followed strictly, none is superior to others) through which the tourists are taken inside the park for the first half (chance of tiger spotting being maximum at this hour of the day) of the morning safari(to avoid jamming a single route!). After about an hour, all the jeeps will meet at a central point for a tea break. Ur driver & guide will get to know from others if a tiger was spotted at all. If spotted u'll be taken to that spot. Also u'll get a scope for elephant ride to have a closer view if the tiger is hiding itself/its kill behind a bush. The route of ur afternoon safari will depend on site of tiger-spotting during the day.

Chances are that u'll make it during ur visit in the month of April. However, if u don't, u'll get to see a board at ur exit point that portrays a picture of a tiger saying 'perhaps u may not have seen me, but plz don't be disappointed, I've seen u'.

For more info, just check the following links:
http://www.bandhavgarh.net/places-to...garh-park.html
http://www.indianholiday.com/india-w...s/bandhavgarh/
http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles...avgarhFort.asp
http://umaria.nic.in/bandhavgarh.htm

Wish U happy safari

SHE-ELF

Hi Travo,
You are right. I should extend my reservation with another day to optimalise my chances. However it might be difficult since we already booked a tour in Similipal Nat Park (with accommodation in a forest department cabin) for the days after Banhavgarh. But there's no harm in trying.

Anyway, the reason why I am so anxious to book the excursions in advance is because of this quote I read on the mponline.gov.in website:

"Madhya Pradesh has nine National Parks and twenty five Sanctuaries. It is known as the tiger State of India and has the distinction of having the highest tiger population in the country. It has six tiger reserves which are fast developing into important destinations for tourists from all over the world. With the increasing rush of visitors, it has been decided to apply the concept of Carrying Capacity in some major National Parks. The implication of this regulatory approach will imply the imposition of limits on the number of excursion slots. Entry into National Parks without advance booking may be difficult as 80% of excursion slots will be reserved for online booking from 1st January 2008. To begin with, the online reservation for Park excursions is being initiated in four major tiger reserves i.e. Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna."

I'm a bit concerned of not getting a ride because I didn't pre-book. I think I'll book 2 safaris in advance and book a third one on the spot if needed. Besides this I'll try to stay 1 day longer. I do feel like taking more time in Bandhavgarh so if I can I certainly will.

Thanks again for all the good tips. I'll certainly go through the websites you suggested.

Best regards
She-elf

travo

http://feistybluegecko.blogspot.com/

A nice write up. must read. informative too.

Hi She-elf,

I'll be out of town from tomorrow for a week-long trip to Dooars, North Bengal (Samsing-Suntalekhola-Jholung-Paren-Bindu-Gorumara forest). Plz excuse my absense from this forum.

BBoBsNo1Fan

Hi

let me know if you find out any more about visiting kituali, i would really like to go there myself.