At 5.30 this morning we joined the queue (the first of three) at Kanha National Park. The world and his wife seemed to be there but once inside the crowds miraculously disappeared. The organisation seemed to be better here than at Bandhavgarh, with the entrance operation running very smoothly. Our driver (Krishna) and guide were excellent today, pointing out birds, plants and animals very quickly - sharp eyes, again something better than at Bandhavgarh.
Kanha is by far the prettiest park I've seen in India, the landscape is stunning. At 6.00am the mist hung heavily over the long grass with forests rising out of it on the horizon, the early rays of sun streaming through the branches; streams rushed around boulders and through gulleys beside the road; dense, dark wooded areas gave way to wide grassy meadows where monkeys played; storks and herons could be seen on trees or rocks while the bright blue wings of kingfishers flashed in the early morning sunlight; spotted deer grazed peacefully at the roadside; termite mounds rose up like something out of a Martian sci-fi film.
Our first hint of a tiger was a huge pug mark [paw print] on the sandy bank of a stream at about 6.20. For just over an hour we had been waking up and watching the sunrise over the beautiful scenery but now we were on the alert! An hour after that the front truck of our convoy caught the briefest glimpse of a tiger as it vanished into the woods. By the time we, in third position, caught up he was nowhere to be seen. Ever hopeful that a tiger would come and pose nicely for our camera we parked and waited patiently, standing on the seats in the back of a Gypsy [safari vehicle].
The first vehicle had moved on up the hill and shortly there was an excited call - the tiger had walked in a circle and was now heading back in our direction, ten feet from the edge of the road in the undergrowth! Krishna hurtled forward, then kept pace (in reverse) with the tiger as he prowled through the trees. Where the trees ended and grass began he turned left, heading straight towards us! He walked a few feet, lifted his head to look at the jeeps in front of him, and made a right turn to continue through the grass and back into the woods behind.
We were incredibly lucky to have been so close! Cameras were clicking away but before we had time to check if we had any decent shots between us, that lucky truck at the front gave another call. A second tiger had appeared, this time to the right of the track and was now walking nonchalantly along behind that vehicle! Gypsies scrambled for a view around each other and for a good five minutes we followed her on her morning constitutional, pausing occasionally to check out new scents. The driver in front kept moving forwards which helped keep her in sight - if he'd stopped she would have slunk off into the undergrowth and quickly become hidden. Eventually she tired of our presence and went into the trees, emitting a loud grumble as she went. Our sighting was over but behind us two elephants went crashing into the woods to track her, their tiny mahouts wobbling comically as they urged them on.
Stunned and shaking we slumped back into our seats - what an amazing experience to be within feet of two wild tigers. We later found out that the first tiger (male) was the two-year-old cub of the second (female). Unfortunately moving animals, moving vehicles and cameras don't mix well and out of some 50 pictures only a small number are clear; I don't mind that though, I have fantastic memories of that moment which words cannot describe and photographs cannot do justice.
Elated and somewhere between speechless and hysterical, we drove on. That "Wow" factor hasn't worn off all day, and we had to focus very hard on being impressed by the wonderful sights after two huge tigers! The park was stunning and I do have some lovely landscape pictures (which would look great at watercolours...), and there was an interesting Visitors' Centre, describing how the park became a protected reserve, the work of Project Tiger, the other wildlife there, how the villagers who were living within the boundaries were relocated, the problem of poaching etc. Thirteen very happy campers returned to the hotel, worn out but certainly feeling like we'd got our money's worth!
This afternoon we went for a walk in the little village near the hotel, whose residents were displaced when the park was brought under Project Tiger's protection (it was the first). Tiny houses shelter families of up to six or seven people, with water coming from a communal pump, electricity to power their satellite TV!) from 'tapping in' to the overhead mains cables, and the only income from farming - they grow mustard, rape, wheat or keep livestock. We saw two boys, maybe five and eight years old, herding cattle with sticks bigger than they were! Outside one house a tiny baby was lying in a little makeshift hammock while her big sister pulled on a rope to make it swing back and forth, all the time staring at the foreigners watching her! On the edge of the village wild monkeys, one with a newborn baby, performed aerobatics in the trees or competed with the black, hairy pigs for food from the undergrowth. A boy was piling logs for transportation - on to the back of a rusty old bicycle! Rural India at work, rest and play.
This would be in my Top 3 Best Days Of My Life list. It might even be top."