Incredible India

In June I went off to Central India to Khanya and Pench National Parks in Madhya Pradesh state. Pench is where Rudyard Kipling got his inspiration for Mowgli and The Jungle Book. I was a guest at the luxury jungle lodges of Banjaar Thola and Bagvhan owned and run by Taj Hotels India and South Africa’s Andbeyond. The accommodation, service and food were superb. The travelling was gruelling - Joburg to Dubai, Dubai to Delhi (where I spent a couple of nights catching up with Indian friends), Delhi to Nagpur (in the middle of India) by air, then 6 hours by road to Khanya. Not for sissies! But it was a wonderful trip - read all about it in South Africa’s Sunday Independent July 24, 2011, and did I find the tigers? Yes, I did! See the amazing pics my guide, Durshan Kumar Singh, took.

I experienced the full weight (and I mean weight) of the Indian monsoon in Khanya, but when I arrived at Pench, the rains had eased up and I saw lots of deer, a massive Gaur - the biggest bovine in the world which weighs in at 1000 kg - and some dole - Indian wild dog.

Back in Delhi, I stayed at the Park, Connaught Circus, a vibey boutique hotel which arguably has the best location in the city because from it you can walk almost everywhere.

India’s national parks aren’t teeming with game like our South African ones, but sights, sounds, vegetation, gorgeous birds and of course, the tigers, are an unique experience. 

---