Pench National Park is housed in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The wildlife park got its name from the river Pench, which cuts a path through the forest. The beauty of this wildlife park is so enchanting, that it has sparked one of the best creations of Rudyard Kipling’s – The Jungle Book.

I went to attend one of the functions in Nagpur. As per the plan, post-function, we all went for another gathering in Pench National Park, which is just a 2-hour drive from Nagpur. There was a lot of preparation done (food, travel, safaris, etc) for a group of 40 people staying at a farmhouse.

We left early on the 26th (Republic Day morning) in preassigned cars and buses. After reaching the farmhouse, we were greeted with an amazing hot breakfast with chai in the chili morning. Later, we were told our Safari schedule. Half of us were aligned for an evening safari from the Khursapar zone, and the remaining for a morning safari from Turia gate, which is the most elegant zone. The chances of spotting the big cat are highest in this zone.

I went for the evening safari. The jeep came to our farmhouse to pick us up at 2 in the afternoon. Our safari started and we started spotting animals slowly starting from different species of Monkey’s and Deer – Sambar, Chital (Spotted deer) followed by Nilgai (Blue Bull), Gaur (Indian Bison).

Bison is a beautiful and huge animal. I saw it from such a close proximity. The animal was crossing the road in front of our jeep. The size of the Bison made me wonder about the power that the tiger posses. The big cat can attack so fearlessly such a huge animal.
We also saw a big peacock and many, many different species of birds.

And the moment we reached midway for a 5-minute break for the washroom/water, etc, we heard a calling for a sighting of the Big Cat. Yes, the fearless Tigress named Baras. Our guide immediately asked us to sit in the jeep, and the driver took us to a tiger sighting spot. It was a treat to watch the tigress for almost half an hour. The Big cat was sitting in a very relaxed position, licking and cleaning herself, then rolling around, and then finally she slept.

Our jeep was at the best view location, exactly in front of the Tigress. All the rest of the jeeps were in the opposite direction. It was 5.30 in the evening, so we had to leave from there. It was the first time that I saw a tiger sighting during our safari. The experience was mindblowing. Watching the wild into the wild.

We spend the evening around the bonfire with live music, and mouth-watering pav-bhaji.

The next morning, while we relaxed in the farmhouse and went to the nearby nature trail, the remaining people went for a morning safari, which started at 5.30 AM from Turia gate. Luckily, they also spotted Tigress along with her cubs, which she was carrying in her mouth. Although, it was among the rare view of spotting Tiger, but i didn’t had any regrets of not being part of morning safari, as i also saw the Tiger the previous evening.

To summarize, it was a wonderful experience, and would love to explore many more national parks in India and Abroad. Woh kahavat hai na “sher ke muh ko khoon chatana”. Watching wildlife is simply an addiction, but definitely a good one.

Few Takers or Tips

• Turia is the best zone for Tiger Sighting. The chances to spot tigers are higher in this zone than in others.
• Booking for this zone gets full very early, so need to book in advance.
• Carry your ID card. They check everybody’s ID card going into the Safari.
• Book the safari only when you plan everything. They don’t allow any changes with respect to anything – from jeep change, person change in lieu of, ID which you mentioned at the time of booking…etc.
• There are only two slots for Safari – Morning (6.00 AM-9.30 AM) and Evening (2.30 PM – 5.30 PM). You can enter anytime in between, but the exit time is 9.30 am in the morning and 5.30 in the evening. There are no slot systems, which are usually there in other safaris.
• Night Safari is available, but not sure about spotting the animal. But one will surely enjoy the Jeep ride in the dense jungle at night.