Lisa G Saw • April 15, 2019

Tigers In India

Exploring Bandhavgarh National Park

India 2019

This was yet another fabulous wildlife experience booked with Exodus and my fourth trip with professional photographer Paul Goldstein. We were a small group of 14 and based at the Nature Heritage Resort near one of the entrance gates to Bandhavgarh National Park. We had lovely rooms, great food and service, plus a nice swimming pool to cool down. It was needed. I thought the Pantanal was hot, but this time the temperature was in the low 40s all week! It was seriously hot by 9am most days! If you've read about my other trips with Paul, it'll come as no surprise to hear we were woken at 4.30am every morning to be amongst the first through the gates when the park opened each day. It wasn't too much of a hardship since it was the coolest part of the day! I don't even think the temperature dropped to below 20°C, even at night!

Himanshu was our local knowledeable leader, full of enthusiasm and always quick to respond to any issues or problems. He worked hard to make sure we had a great trip, which involved lots of work behind the scenes. There was a great team of drivers too, who took us out in the safari jeeps each day. Despite the severely limiting factors imposed on our safaris by the Indian authorities, such as staying with the same vehicle and driver for the duration of the holiday, restricted to zones within the park and not being able to go wherever you like, we still managed to have an amazing time and that was definitely down to Himanshu and the drivers. I'd been impressed by our boat driver's skills in the Pantanal and these guys in India were just as adept, often having to manoeuver their jeeps on narrow tracks, even when there were 20 others doing the same. Supposedly, we were there during the off-peak season. I dreaded to think what it was like during peak times.

On each safari we had a local forest ranger accompany us to help locate the tigers and tell us the names of the other wildlife we were seeing, including many different types of birds. The knowledge, experience and communication skills varied amongst these rangers, but then again, they don't get any kind of formal training. The incentive for them to be good at their job was the tip they'd receive after each game drive. For the most part I was lucky and had good rangers who worked hard and were rewarded proportionately. They'd check out the prints in the sand and listen for alarm calls from the other wildlife, such as the birds, langurs and deer. Sometimes, it would be so quiet, as if all the wildlife were asleep or inactive, which wasn't too surprising considering the heat! We certainly took refuge from the scorching heat in the middle of the day and only went exploring at dawn and dusk except for the two occasions we had full day safaris.

...For the most part I was lucky and had good rangers who worked hard and were rewarded proportionately. They'd check out the prints in the sand and listen for alarm calls from the other wildlife, such as the birds, langurs and deer. Sometimes, it would be so quiet, as if all the wildlife were asleep or inactive, which wasn't too surprising considering the heat! We certainly took refuge from the scorching heat in the middle of the day and only went exploring at dawn and dusk except for the two occasions we had full day safaris.

Our jeeps were open sided vehicles without a roof. With just three of us in each vehicle, plus a driver, this gave us excellent uninterrupted views of the park and wildlife and it was great for taking photos, but gave us no protection from the dust, sun and disease carrying insects. So, despite the heat, I spent the majority of the time covered up. To help cool me down I sometimes dowsed my tube scarf in water or would pour a little into my hat before putting either on. It was lovely! When we weren't on the move, we'd take shelter under the trees (sometimes referred to as the living room), whilst sitting in the jeep waiting for something to happen. Only on very few occasions did the living room double up as a toilet, when people were desperate to relieve themselves bush style, behind the jeep. Generally though, the rule was no getting out of the vehicle unless we were stopped in the designated fenced off areas for food, drinks and toilet breaks.

When we weren't on the move, we'd take shelter under the trees (sometimes referred to as the living room), whilst sitting in the jeep waiting for something to happen. Only on very few occasions did the living room double up as a toilet, when people were desperate to relieve themselves bush style, behind the jeep. Generally though, the rule was no getting out of the vehicle unless we were stopped in the designated fenced off areas for food, drinks and toilet breaks. Whilst we were waiting for the tigers to appear or move, we were sometimes lucky enough to see other species nearby.

It was vitally important to keep our fluids up during the course of the week to prevent deydration. I've never drunk so much in all my life! On our first full day, two of our group were worse for wear by the early afternoon and they returned to the resort when one of the drivers was going back to collect more cold water. On the second full day, I started to get a headache and made the decision to go back for an hour and a half, along with three others. Thankfully, after a swim and time to chill out in my room I was fine to go back out for the rest of the day. We had the added bonus of seeing Solo, an adult female tiger, when we drove to and from the resort. The first time she crossed the road right in front of us and walk through the trees barely 10m away. It was amazing to see her so close and unphased by our presence. On our return, we saw her lying down in the shade of an overhanging rock.

On the second full day, I started to get a headache and made the decision to go back for an hour and a half, along with three others. Thankfully, after a swim and time to chill out in my room I was fine to go back out for the rest of the day. We had the added bonus of seeing Solo, an adult female tiger, when we drove to and from the resort. The first time she crossed the road right in front of us and walk through the trees barely 10m away. It was amazing to see her so close and unphased by our presence. On our return, we saw her lying down in the shade of an overhanging rock.

In terms of the tiger sightings, they were amazing! Just like in the Pantanal, we had 100% record for sightings across the eight safaris we went on. We saw 22 different tigers in that time. There I was, before the trip, wondering if we'd see any at all! We were just 10mins into our first game drive when our first tiger was spotted! It was a good sign of things to come! However, I ought to point out that kind of 'hit rate' for sightings is incredibly rare! For some of us it was our first time seeing tigers and we were thoroughly spoilt. Paul kept telling us we didn't deserve it! You hear of people visiting these parts and not seeing a single one.

It hadn't crossed my mind we might see multiple tigers together, but we did. There were two groups of cubs that we saw quite a lot of. It was amazing to watch them interacting with each other. The first group was Solo and her four seven month old cubs who were often seen close to some rocks. They weren't small, but clearly not fully grown either. This group were often seen really close to the dirt track and one time, when I leant out of the side of the jeep to try and get an unobscured photo of one of the cubs who was looking straight at me as she lay down, about 10m from me, I felt a little unnerved. I realised I was touching distance from the bank and she might have been eyeing me up thinking 'Mmm...dinner'! Thankfully, she didn't have the speed of a cheetah, nor the inclination to spend any energy, so I was safe. Tigers like to silently stalk their victims. Nonetheless, I didn't linger in the position long!

The first group was Solo and her four seven month old cubs who were often seen close to some rocks. They weren't small, but clearly not fully grown either. This group were often seen really close to the dirt track and one time, when I leant out of the side of the jeep to try and get an unobscured photo of one of the cubs who was looking straight at me as she lay down, about 10m from me, I felt a little unnerved. I realised I was touching distance from the bank and she might have been eyeing me up thinking 'Mmm...dinner'! Thankfully, she didn't have the speed of a cheetah, nor the inclination to spend any energy, so I was safe. Tigers like to silently stalk their victims. Nonetheless, I didn't linger in the position long!

The other set of cubs were Dotty's three male 11 month old cubs who we saw play fighting in the water on several occasions. It was incredible to witness. They'd be up on their hind legs and jumping in the air. I took so many photos! The first time we saw them at the water hole there were only two playing, but on the subsequent visits we saw all three play fighting. On our final game drive, one of the cubs had managed to kill a langur and was using it to taunt his brothers. But, he made the mistake of going into the water with the langur still in his jaws and managed to drop it. The cub seemed very confused when he couldn't find it again. What we witnessed over those few days was something really quite extraordinary and extremely special. Paul told us he'd never seen behaviour like it in all his 20 years of seeing tigers in India! Even the other drivers and guides that spend their lives working in the national park said they'd never seen anything like it before either!

On our final game drive, one of the cubs had managed to kill a langur and was using it to taunt his brothers. But, he made the mistake of going into the water with the langur still in his jaws and managed to drop it. The cub seemed very confused when he couldn't find it again. What we witnessed over those few days was something really quite extraordinary and extremely special. Paul told us he'd never seen behaviour like it in all his 20 years of seeing tigers in India! Even the other drivers and guides that spend their lives working in the national park said they'd never seen anything like it before either!

We had the opportunity to go on an elephant ride whilst we were in the national park. The idea is that you can get closer to the tigers because they're unphased by the presence of elephants and so hopefully get some better close up shots. Paul assured us that it was run by an ethical group and the elephants were well looked after. There's no denying, it's a good source of income for the locals. In countries like India and Thailand they're used to using elephants to work, like in other countries they use oxon and horses. However, it didn't sit right with me. I felt very conflicted and also under pressure as it was a case of all of us or none of us doing it. In the end, I gave in to temptation, but I regretted it afterwards and felt sad. I was disappointed with myself. The experience didn't add to my overall enjoyment of the trip, nor was it an amazing sighting of a tiger. At the end of the day, I prefer to see animals wild and free, not being used for human enterprise. I'd never do it again.

...There's no denying, it's a good source of income for the locals. In countries like India and Thailand they're used to using elephants to work, like in other countries they use oxon and horses. However, it didn't sit right with me. I felt very conflicted and also under pressure as it was a case of all of us or none of us doing it. In the end, I gave in to temptation, but I regretted it afterwards and felt sad. I was disappointed with myself. The experience didn't add to my overall enjoyment of the trip, nor was it an amazing sighting of a tiger. At the end of the day, I prefer to see animals wild and free, not being used for human enterprise. I'd never do it again.

My lasting memory of the trip, aside from the playful cubs, was the snarling face of a female tiger wanting to cross the road. She was about 10m away, looking at me directly, our vehicle being in her path. For that brief moment my face wasn't shielded by my camera. Instead, we were eyeball to eyeball. Her power and beauty took my breath away and completely intimidated me. She didn't look in any way vulnerable. But she is! Sadly, there are people in the world that think it's okay to kill tigers for their coats and body parts. Like so much of the world's wildlife that have been in rapid decline, tigers need our protection. We should stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves and try to take better care of the planet that is our home!

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The Return Journey

By Lisa G Saw • May 1, 2025

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