Just Tigers! ... Watching Tigers in Kanha Tiger Reserve!

A client travelled on our 'Just Tigers! holiday and submitted this entry to our writing competition.

Bengal Tiger by Kalid Pasha

We had risen early and arrived at the entrance to Kanha Tiger Reserve shortly after daybreak. Soon after our arrival at the reserve centre building complex, much to our delight and expectation, we were informed that a tiger had been located. We were driven to a spot where we climbed aboard an impressive elephant, who was to be our mode of transport for our eagerly anticipated wildlife experience. As we moved off, the sun was still rising and the jungle around us seemed to flourish and burst into life. The morning mist still hung in the already warm air and many birds of different varieties were already well into their beautiful morning chorus. This sound was punctuated by the alarm calls of chital and sambar deer, plus the langur monkeys, heralding the nearby presence of the tiger. There was an air of tension amongst the group and I could feel my heart beating faster with each passing moment. The great creature upon whose broad, tough back we had trudged precariously over the uneven terrain, began to fidget beneath us. The mahout encouraged him to remain still as we peered into the deep multi-coloured undergrowth. Then suddenly, with a flash of colour we caught a glimpse of the tiger. He was an incredible sight, vibrant orange and rich ebony stretched over a large and powerful frame. As he disappeared from view, lost in the camouflage of his territory, we followed in pursuit. The excited shouts and gestures of the mahouts threw our giant steed into action and once again we bumbled through the undergrowth. Branches whipped around our heads and tore at the swaying howdah. Soon we arrived at a boulder-strewn mound and saw the much admired beast in all his glory resting on some rocks at the top. He was only a short distance from us and his elevated position put him at eye level. I saw his beautiful face clearly and for a moment our eyes were locked upon each other. I caught my breath, stifled a sob and longed for this moment to last for an eternity. Sadly, however, it was over all too soon. Feeling suddenly threatened he rose, turned and disappeared over the crest of the rocks back into the cover and safety of the jungle, a small sanctuary for this beautiful animal living on the edge of survival.

During our visit to Kanha we were rewarded with further good sightings of tigers, but none of them could surpass that first memorable encounter. We also had other good sightings of numerous chital deer, sambar deer, wild boar, dhole, gaur, etc. and many beautiful and vocal bird species. 

On one of our numerous excursions into the reserve I was the person who first spotted the only leopard seen during the time of our visit. The news of the sighting spread very quickly and our jeep was soon joined by several others, with the drivers and local guides eager to show their clients this beautiful elusive animal. My reputation amongst the reserve staff seemed to take off and for the immediate future I was greeted good humouredly with salutations of ‘Leopard man’. This greeting, however, was short lived following yet another wildlife experience involving bees! 

Bees were encountered daily at the reserve centre building complex, especially at the gents toilet block and were no problem. However, a visit by the Governor of Goa was to take place and the decision had been taken to eradicate the bees from their preferred location by smoking them out. This was no doubt so that the Governor could relax if he had to answer a call of nature. Very few people were aware of the action that had been taken against the bees, so everyone turned up at the centre at the normal time to have a breakfast snack and catch up on what sightings had taken place and for any news of tigers. All of a sudden most of the vehicles quickly loaded up and dashed away from the parking area. In my wisdom I thought that a tiger had been located and people were eager to see it. Not so! The bees were not happy with having been evicted and were out for revenge. Soon the only jeeps left in the parking area were those belonging to our group and so the bees decided to concentrate their attack on these. For some reason the bees focused their attention on three of our group, including me. I had many stings to my face and hands which were the only parts of my body visible. We quickly drove from the area and it was not until we were probably half a mile from the centre that we were bee free. The consequence of this attack was that for several days my face and hands were very swollen. The good humoured daily greetings from the drivers and guides now, and for the remainder of the visit, changed to ‘Bee man’. This slightly unpleasant experience of being in the wrong place at the right time, which I can now recall with some hilarity, did nothing to detract from the overall enjoyment of our first Naturetrek tour!