India Travel
Gir National Park in Gujarat
The Asiatic lion which, thanks to hunting, forest-cutting and poaching, has been extinct in the rest of India since the 1880s, now survives in the wild in just 1150 square kilometres of the gently undulating Gir Forest. Gir National Park (mid-Oct or Nov to mid-June daily 7-11 am & 3-5.30pm), entered from Sasan Gir. 60km southeast of Junagadh and 45km northeast of Veraval, holds almost three hundred Asiatic lions in its 260 square kilometres. They share the land with Maldhari cattle-breeders, whose main source of income is buffalo milk. Many families have been relocated outside the sanctuary, but those who remain are paid compensation by the government for the inevitable loss of buffalo to marauding lions. Gir also shelters two hundred panthers, seen more easily here than in any other Indian park.
Permits ($5 per day, S5 extra with camera, 10 extra with video) can be obtained at the park information centre in die grounds of the Sinh Sadatt Cues; House in Sasan Gir.You must enter the park in a Jeep ($10). hired from the information centre, which can take up to six people plus the mandatory guide (10). Although a little unenthusiastic at times, they should know the spots where sightings are more likely, and may agree to follow any route you wish to take (maps available at information centre).Two good tracks are"Deva Danga” and “Riley s", or out to the lake near Kamelsh war, just west of the park boundary, where there’s a good chance of glimpsing a marsh crocodile.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Rajaji National Park and around east of Haridwar at Uttaranchal
Around 830 square kilometres of the Himalayan foothills immediately east of Haridwar are taken up by RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK (mid-Nov to mid-June; Rs100 for three days, Rs50 each additional day, plus Rs20 per vehicle, Rs500 with video camera), which belongs to the same forest belt as Corbett National Park, 180km east. Although not geared for tourism to the same extent as Corbett, the park is absolutely beautiful, with a similar range of wildlife -most notably elephants, but also antelope, leopard and even a rare species of anteater - although no tigers. There are eight entry gates into the national park
Palamau (Betla) National Park
In a remote and lawless corner of the state, 170km west of Ranchi, the beautiful forests of the PALAMAU NATIONAL PARK (also known as Betla), cover around 1000 square kilometres of hilly terrain rising south towards Madhya Pradesh. Part of the Project Tiger scheme (see Contexts, p. 1532). Palamau has been hard hit by drought, and even optimistic estimates of its tiger population stand at a mere sixty.Tiger sightings, more common in the hot season, are proudly announced on a noticeboard at the park offices. Like many national parks, Palamau consists of a buffer zone, open to visitors, surrounding a core
Bandhavgarh National Park in Eastern Madhya Pradesh
With Kanha becoming ever more popular, Madhya Pradesh's second national park at BANDHAVGARH, tucked away in the hilly northeast of the state, is receiving increasing attention from tourists. The draw is that the park has the highest relative density of tigers of any of India's reserves, shelters a collection of fascinating ruins, and offers the chance of trekking through the jungle on elephant-back. It's a long haul to Bandhavgarh from either Jabalpur (195km) or Khajuraho (237km), but worth it - not only to track tigers and deer but also, as all the accommodation is close to the park gates, to
Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh
Widely considered the greatest of India's wildlife reserves, KANHA NATIONAL PARK encompasses nearly 2000 square kilometres of deciduous forest, savanna grassland, hills and gently meandering rivers - home to literally hundreds of species of animals and birds, including a stable population of tigers. Despite the arduous overland haul to the park, few travellers are disappointed by its beauty, particularly poignant at dawn, though many feel hard done by when it comes to tiger-spottmg: you will need several forays into the park to ensure a chance of at least one good sighting. Central portions of the Kanha Valley were designated as a
National Philatelic Museum in Central New Delhi
To locate the National Philatelic Museum, at Dak Bhavan, Post Office Sansad Marg (Mon-Fn 9.30am-l2.30pm & 2.30-4.30pm; free), go to the entrance by the car park at the back of the post office on Sansad Marg and report to reception, where you will be given a pass to go up to the first floor and view the extensive collection of rare stamps. These include first-day covers and special cancellations from the pre- and post-Independence eras. A booth in the main post office sells special commemorative stamps to liven up your letters.
Corbett National Park at Ramnagar northeast in Delhi and southwest of Nainital in Uttaranchal
Corbett National Park, based at Ramnagar. 250km northeast of Delhi and 63km southwest of Nainital, is one of India's premier wildlife reserves. Established in 1936 by Jim Corbett among others, as the Hailey National Park, India's first, and later renamed in his honour, it is one of Himalayan India's hist expanses of wilderness. Almost the entire 521-square-kilometre park, spread over the foothills of Kumaon, is sheltered by a buffer zone of mixed deciduous and giant sal forests, which provide impenetrable cover for wildlife. Most of the Core Area of 330 square kilometres at its heart remains out of hounds, and
Panna National Park at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh
The vast PANNA NATIONAL PARK (Nov-June; Rs100 including obligatory guide, vehicle extra), known for its large cats (including tiger), deer and antelope (nilgai), lies a short way east of Khajuraho, spreading across a landscape of rocky hills and ravines covered mostly by scrubby deciduous forest. Access is easier than in some of India s better-known sanctuaries - you can even go in on foot if you take along an armed guide. It's best visited in winter, as the entire area gets extremely hot during summer - though there is a better chance then of seeing tigers as they emerge in
Wandoor and the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park in The Andaman Islands
Much the most popular excursion from Port Blair is the boat ride from Wandoor. 30km southwest, to one or other of the fifteen islets comprising the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park. Although set up purely for tourists, the trip is worth doing, gaining you access to one of the richest coral reefs in the region. Boats depart from Wandoor at 10am (daily except Mon; Rs90-125. plus RslO entry permit to the park); you can get there on A&N Tourism's tour (Rs75) or by local bus, but it is more fun to rent a moped and ride down to meet the
Park practicalities: Madia at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh
The village of MAD LA, 24km southeast of Khajuraho near bridge across the picturesque River Ken, is the most convenient point of access to the park, and has the nearest accommodation. Giles' Tree House, booked through the Raja Cafe in Khajuraho, is a fairly professional operation and serves meais (order all food at least 4hr before leaving Khajuraho). You can sleep on the beautiful opal platform of the branches or camp by the riverbank below. Car hire (alsorom Raja Cafe) for the roundabout trip to the Tree House is Rs500. Madias more upmarket Ken River Lodge consists of comfortable modern mud
The Town in Northern Gujarat
Bhuj is overlooked from the east by the old and crumbling fort on Bhujia Hill, while the vast Hamirsar Tank, with a small park on an island in its centre, stands on the western edge of town.
Bharatpur and Keoladeo National Park of Jaipur in Rajasthan
The walled town of BHARATPUR is just a stone's throw from the border with Uttar Pradesh, 150km east of Jaipur, and a mere 18km from Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's deserted capital. Though it may not hold any especially distinguished attractions, it's fun to explore by bike or on foot, with traditional markets, mosques, temples and a massive fort encircled by a wide and murky moat. However, the real reason to come here is to visit India's most famous bird sanctuary, the Keoladeo National Park, just a short way south of the town. Even if you're not particularly interested in ornithology, this
Mahatma Gandhi - India’s great soul Eating in Gujarat
Although Porbandar is well known in Gujarat for its seafood, you'll have a job finding it. Outside the hotel restaurants, there's a fairly uninspiring choice of places to eat; many seem to serve only a limited number of the dishes listed on the menus.
Getting to and from Corbett National Park at Uttaranchal
Ramnagar is served by frequent buses to and from Nainital and Ranikhet, 112km north. Buses arrive every halt-hour or so after the eight-hour trip from Delhi; Delhi Transport Corporation run a semi-deluxe service (Rs90), and most of the alternatives are pretty basic. The only direct train to Delhi leaves it 8pm and arrives at 6.30am, with interminable stops along the way. For faster trams and connections to other parts change at Moradabad. The nearest airport, at Pantnagar, 80km southeast, is rarely used. The closest of the various gates into the park, lkm from central Kamnagar, is Amdanda on the road to
Keoladeo National Park Practicalities East of Jaipur in Rajasthan
Cycle rickshaws are the main form of transport within the city, but fares for he long haul in and out of town soon mount up, and it makes sense to rent a bicycle, either from your hotel (around Rs35/day) or the shop on NH-11 outside the Spoonbill Restaurant. If you need to change money, head for the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur. Binarayan Gate (Mon-Fn 10am-2pm, Sat 10am—noon). Bharatpur's bus stand is in the west of town near Anah Gate, just off NH-11. If you're arriving from Fatehpur Sikri, get off well before, when the bus stops at the crossroads
Practicalities at Palamau (Betla) National Park
The official headquarters of the park, Daltonganj. 25km from Betla, are served by direct buses and a branch railway line from Ranchi. Five buses each morning and three each afternoon (first at 7.30am; last at 4.30pm) run from Daltonganj to Betla, which is 6km off the main Ranchi-Daltonganj road. If you're coming from Ranchi, you could try to change buses at the turn-off and get to Betla without going through Daltonganj.This is a fairly lawless corner of the state, so it's best to avoid night travel. Next to the Betla gates, the main park entrance, a small complex holds administration offices,
The Asiatic lion in Gujarat
The rare Asiatic lion {yamhera leo persica) is paler and shaggier than the more common African breed, with longer tail tassles. more prominent elbow tufts and a larger belly fold. Probably introduced to India from Persia, the lions were widespread in the Indo-Gangetic plains at the time of the Buddha. In 300 BC Kautilya, the minister of Chandragupta Maurya, offered them protection by declaring certain areas abharaya aranyas, "forests free from fear". Later, in his rock-inscribed edicts, Ashoka admonished those who hunted the majestic animals - the emblem of Ashoka, printed on all Indian currency notes, shows four Asiatic lions
Sariska East of Jaipur in Rajesthan
Alwar is the jumping-off point for the beautiful Sariska Tiger Reserve and National Park, a former maharaja's hunting ground managed since 1979 by Project Tiger. Like irs more famous counterpart Ranthambore, the sanctuary encompasses abundant woodland dotted with evocative rums. including a popular Hanuman temple (only open to the public two days per week) and an old fort. Wildlife here includes sambar, nilgai and chital, wild boar, mongooses, monkeys, peacocks, parrots and other birds, but poaching has regrettably decimated Sariska s population of tigers and sightings are less frequent than at Ranthambore. The poaching problem came to a head in
Van Vihar Zoological Park in Madhya Pradesh
If you haven't made it to Madhya Pradesh's bona fide national parks, or if you have, but missed the big cats, it's well worth visiting Van Vihar Zoological Park (daily 7-1 lam & 2-5.30pm; Rs100 [Rs10], free for children under 5; Rs25 extra with camera, Rs2(X) extra with video; for transport around the park, a rickshaw is Rs100-150 plus Rs10 entrance fee, bicycle Rs3 entrance fee). A trip round the five-square-kilometre sanctuary ties in nicely with a visit to the Museum of Man next door- keep the same rickshaw for the whole trip. The star of the park is a
Simlipal National Park Accommodation in Orissa
Advance booking is officially required for all but one lodge, the Aranya Niwas, through the Field Director of Project Tiger, Banpada 757002, Mayurbhunj district, Orissa 06792/52593. It is not possible to pay for any accommodation using foreign currency or traveller's cheques. Where to go in Simlipal is largely dictated by the location of the lodges. There are six dotted around the park, but the best from the point of view of spotting wildlife is Chahala (83km from Banpada) - one of the maharaja's former hunting lodges, just inside the core zone near a salt-lick where animals congregate in the evemngs. As
Simlipal National Park practicalities in Orissa
The park is open from November to mid-June (daily 6am-noon; visits extended to 2pm on prior arrangement 06792/52593), but the ideal visiting season ends in February. The majority of the ninety-odd tigers are supposed to hang out in the 845-acre "core zone" which is mostly out of bounds. There are two main entrances: one at joshipur in the west (convenient if you're driving from Calcutta, and close to most of the lodges), and one at Pithabata near Banpada on the eastern side. You have to pay a daily entry fee (Rs100 [RS10)]) plus Rs100 per vehicle and Rs100 camera charge).