India Wildlife and Medieval Tour for Mr. Aladdin
Mumbai – Rajkot - Sasan Gir – Alang - Ahmedabad – Delhi – Corbett – Delhi - Neemrana – Jaipur - Ranthambhore – Fatehpur Sikri – Agra – Delhi - Bandhavgarh – Kanha
– Pench – Nagpur – Mumbai
34 Nights – 35 Days
Cut short to 30 days due to VISA issues
34 Nights – 35 Days
Cut short to 30 days due to VISA issues
Day 30: Pench
After breakfast, take safari at Touria zone and Jamthara zone, Enjoy dinner & overnight stay at resort.
Wednesday 3 rd of February 2016 and we made the same route to the gate, on the dirt track passing the Grey Hornbill tree. There were plenty Grey Hornbills bot not any good pictures. But today the tree was full of Yellow-footed Green Pigeon.
We continued towards the gate to Pench National Park and I spotted a Grey Heron in another tree
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Indian Grey Hornbill
I asked the driver to stop and I took a picture of the Grey Hornbill and we continued to the gate and I was pretty happy with our stop at the Grey Hornbill tree. There were quite a few jeeps waiting at the gate. We did the paper work and we entered the park as jeep # 4 or 5.
My driver passed the first dirt track on the right side continuing straight. I asked him to turn right. Turn right and we are on route #2. Our permission was for route #1. We had been taking the #1 Route everyday so I insisted that we would take the #2 route.
This is the route where we spotted the tigers and we had passed a beautiful water hole full of dead trees. I wanted to check out the water hole again as we were in a hurry back to the gate yesterday. So I insisted on turning right.
The driver put the jeep in reverse and we backed back to the gate and we were lucky and the guy in charge changed our permit to route #2. Well, anyway, some of today's pictures are seen below.
We stop to look at the waterhole
We stop at the water hole to check out the dead trees. But I never got any good view as our view was blocked by bushes and trees. This was a wee bit disappointing, but no time to ponder this as we heard a warning call. A Sambar deer gave warning calls, is it the tiger and the 4 babies again?
We turned around and we went back and we spent 20 minutes listening before we gave up, no tigers. We continued on route #2 and next stop was under a tree where we spotted a Changeable Hawk-Eagle just 8 to 10 meters away from us. The Changeable Hawk-Eagle was sitting on a branch and on the branches above there were 3 crows making a terrible noise.
And it was easy to see that the Changeable Hawk-Eagle was very annoyed by the crows and the noise. We take a few pictures before we continue on route #2.
Changeable Hawk-eagle
The Eagle is very annoyed by the noisy crows in the branches above
Changeable Hawk-eagle
Changeable Hawk-eagle
Changeable Hawk-eagle
Changeable Hawk-eagle
Changeable Hawk-eagle
We left the Changeable Hawk-Eagle and we continued and as we had to be at the gate in time the Driver was about to turn around. I asked him to continue and we reached a small bridge. I told him to turn around and go back as if we continued forward we would have to drive fast to make it back in time
Nice and slow is how I like it. Then we can see a lot of interesting things. He turned and I asked him to stop, just 2 meters from us there was a Juvenile Changeable Hawk-Eagle. What a beauty and I was very lucky that I had spotted the bird in the grass. And seriously, the picture were the Changeable Hawk-Eagle is walking, agree with me that it looks like a chicken if you imagine the bird without the feathers!
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
A Juvenile Changeable Hawk-eagle
No tigers or leopards but I was very happy for the two Changeable Hawk-eagle and this was better than both a tiger and leopard. OK, a leopard would have been nice as it is a very beautiful animal. Well, now we were in a hurry to get back to the gate and we took off through Leopard land.
Spotted Deer
Spotted Deer
Male Jackal grooming a female jackal
Love in the air - Yesterday the Alexandrine Parakeet and Spotted deer mating call all over the park.
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
Male Jackal grooming a female jackal
Love in the air - Yesterday the Alexandrine Parakeet and Spotted deer mating call all over the park.
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
Male Jackal grooming a female jackal
Love in the air - Yesterday the Alexandrine Parakeet and Spotted deer mating call all over the park.
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
Male Jackal grooming a female jackal
Love in the air - Yesterday the Alexandrine Parakeet and Spotted deer mating call all over the park.
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
And of course, male tigers roaring looking for partners to make more tigers
Leaving Pench National Park, most likely for the last time
I have had most help from my friend, the bird pal I met at Suan Rot Fai. Sending pictures of birds I have not been able to identify to him via Line. 3 minutes later he and he have managed to identify most of the birds I have had problems with. THANKS! Visit his web page m☥lever for his beautiful pictures.
And my new aid, maybe, and I say maybe the best aid. I brought my mobile phone as my SIM card have stopped working and I tried to get it to work again so I can use the internet. Thus I had my phone in my pocket on my first game drive in Jim Corbett National Park.
We saw a bird and I asked my Guide and the driver if they had a pen and a paper as I had forgot my pen and paper in my room. I remembered my LG phone and I recorded the name. And thus I will always bring my phone. Writing the name in the car and I have found more than once that it can be hard to read what I had wrote when I'm back in my room.
So now I always have my mobile in my pocket and it has been a great help.
Of course, all bird pictures available on my Indian
bird checklist of bird I have seen by clicking HERE
Of course, I have seen many many more, but this list is for birds I managed to get on picture
Some of the pictures are OK, and some of them are straight up in a very poor quality
bird checklist of bird I have seen by clicking HERE
Of course, I have seen many many more, but this list is for birds I managed to get on picture
Some of the pictures are OK, and some of them are straight up in a very poor quality
We leave Pench National Park for the last time. I liked it, but it was not good. There were fences in the park and they told me that it was because they want to protect the grass lands. Well, grass land is nothing natural here, the grass land is where the old villages was located when they turned it in to a National Park.
Sambar Deer is the favourite food of the Tigers as they don't run very fast and they can't see very well. And tigers have a very low success rate in their hunting. Well, never mind, we drove down one of the dust tracks yesterday and there was a Sambar Deer and he got startled. Starting to run, straight in to a fence. Bouncing back running in the other direction and in to a fence again. Then back to the other side again. And he almost got stuck with his horn.
I told the driver to stop the engine so the Sambar would calm down. The he start the jeep and continue driving.
- What the
are you doing?I told him to get in to reverse and to leave the same way we had come. Yeah, this is nothing you want to see in a National Park so it felt a little like Legoland safari at times.
I expect more from a safari
So I will most likely never come back to Pench (only if someone holding a gun to my head or someone is buying) again. Otherwise it had been a very nice experience here in India and I have had a very good time. Beautiful experiences for the parks around India. And now we have completed the last game drive in India.
We drove back to Pench Jungle Camp and the Grey Hornbill tree was empty. But the wires along the road back to Pench Jungle Camp is a safe bet, there are always Indian Rollers and/ or Kingfishers sitting on the wires.
Indian Roller
Indian Roller
Indian Roller
When we returned to Pench Jungle Camp there was full activity with people cleaning up the place. Because of me? There have been a wee bit of hullabaloo at Pench Jungle Camp since I got out of the car arriving from Kanha. I was under the impression that I had booked a tent at Pench Jungle
Camp, nestling among 12 acres of lush foliage, sprawling lawns, and untouched landscape is a perfect getaway for nature lovers! YEAH!It is aptly named as a Jungle Camp.... that provides an unqualified jungle experience! Although the resort is unparalleled in its luxury and comforts.
So I was shocked to discover that this was my hotel, first i thought that I was at the wrong place because it reminded me about a derelict (undeveloped) piece of land. Well, they call it untouched landscape that perfect getaway for
nature lovers.So I wa snot happy and the manager sent an e-mail to Meruka India Tourism Service to complain about me.
Please note, we got the following issues soon after your checked in:-
1. He was promised 7 star luxury at the time of booking, which he claims just be seeing the reception, that this is not 7 star.
I don't want to brag, but I'm an experienced traveller and I have never heard of a 7 star hotel. I have stayed at hotels claiming to be 6 star, but that is bollocks. So why should I expect 7 star hotel in the jungle? Even though it would have been easy to come to that conclusion reading their web page
2. He was promised that there will be WIFI facility in the tent (accommodations), which is not the real case. He is very disappointed, as he does not want to come all the way to the reception or lounge to access the internet.
“The resort is unparalleled in its luxury and comforts” and you have to run around with your lap top to check your e-mail
3. No one informed him about the Tiger Census timing changes. He is very unhappy about not been able to enter the park early in the morning.
Not an issue with the hotel
4. Another major issue we are facing here is that Mr Aladdin says he does not want any NATURALIST or GUIDE to accompany him, as he wants to be all alone in the jeep. This is quite strange, but true.
Who want two guys unable to speak English talking in Hindu non-stop on a nature drive? Forget the nature experience with birds chirping etc.
13 deluxe safari tents equipped with all the modern facilities like Air Conditioning, Tea coffee maker, refrigerator, luxurious bathroom, Sit-out verandah. Tents are spacious and tastefully done
up with neo-ethnic interiors.Yes, I sent the pictures I had taken and I asked Pench National Park to compare my pictures with their pictures from internet. They sent back an answer and they would remove this hotel from their list of properties.
The Management turned very friendly and, well, maybe they started to clean up because of the complains. I didn't mind the place if they had put ordinary place, all about the luxury and comfort, it is just a scam. But I think you understand that this is not a place Aladdin is recommending.
Anyway, I packed my bag and I brushed my teeth and I spotted a spider on the wall. Good ducking luck, last day! Imagine if I had seen a spider on my first day back in Gir. I would not have dear to go in to the bathroom during my stay in India. Leopards and tigers outside the hotel, no problem! But a darn spider.
Well, I'm out of here for a road trip to Nagpur and my flight to Bombay. So click HERE to find out if I manage to get to Radisson Hotel in Nagpur where I will have a meal before going to the airport. Radisson claim to be a 5 star hotel so there should be a good restaurant.
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it 
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. Jiffy (also jiff)
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaasFaites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopraSprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben! คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
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