Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...
Kabini. There is something magical about the word itself. The
landscape is no less magical, with the river running through a lush green
terrain, with thick forests and fertile fields. We had seen the river on
multiple visits to the region, but the reservoir, and the forest reserve, which
are both named for the river, had eluded us, for years. Probably the time
hadn’t been right.
Earlier this year, as we planned our summer trip, and my son’s
13th birthday, there was only one choice for a wildlife destination
– the Jungle Lodges Resort at Kabini!
My first trip to a JLR camp was at Kali River Lodge, Dandeli,way back in 2002. Since then, we have visited many more of their resorts, and admire,
both, their dedication towards nature and wildlife, as well as their commitment
to sustainable tourism. Kabini, as one of their most popular properties, was
one we were eager to visit.
We arrived at the Kabini River Lodge on a hot summer afternoon,
eagerly looking forward to our first jaunt into the forest. Even as we settled
into our jeeps, the skies darkened, and it began to rain! Summer showers are
usually quite welcome, but when we are all set to go watch animals? Certainly
not! It wasn’t only Samhith who was disappointed, but also our fellow travellers,
who were ardent photographers, with cameras and gears that wouldn’t react very
well to rain! So, covers unearthed and zipped up tight, we headed into the
forest, a gloomy lot.
It is at times like these, that the well trained naturalists of
JLR show their mettle. The naturalist who accompanied us (whose name I have
sadly forgotten), braved the rain, and our low spirits, to talk of the forest
and its many inhabitants, urging us to keep our eyes open, for we never knew
what we might just happen to spot! Thankfully, nature too smiled on us, and
brought a whole herd of elephants in our path! Watching the elephants in the
rain, and the older ones shield the young, was quite a sight, which brought out
the smiles and raised our spirits!
As we drove through the jungle, the animals may not have been
visible, but we could admire the vibrant landscapes instead!
We were almost through, when suddenly, our driver stopped, and
backed up. “There” he pointed. “There’s a leopard on that tree!” Eager to spot
the leopard, we craned our necks and peered into the trees, but to no avail.
Even with binoculars, it was hard for us to spot what our driver had, with his
naked eyes! Eventually, zooming in with the camera, we were able to get our
first glimpse of the leopard, curled snugly on the branch of a tree.
Could you spot the leopard in the pic? This was clicked with
the max zoom on my camera! Now, can you imagine someone spotting this, with his
naked eyes, while driving through? You now know why we are so in awe of the
people of JLR!
Other jeeps joined us soon, and our co-travellers showed off
their photography skills, managing to capture the leopard as it turned and
stretched. We, of course, had to make do with blurry views through the lens of
my simpler camera. Incidentally, these photographs were all clicked by Samhith,
who was the first one in our group, to see it through the camera!
A commotion suddenly disturbed the relative peace, and our
driver hurriedly drove us towards what appeared to be another herd of
elephants. It turned out (as we heard from other jeeps) that we had just missed
a tiger, startled by the elephants! Regretting the missed sighting, we settled
instead, for watching the elephants have a mud bath! Much as I would have loved
to see the tiger, it was no less exciting to see the playful way the elephants
frolicked in the mud!
As we made our way back, the leopard was still cosily settled
on the tree. It was quite a high-spirited group which returned to the lodge,
singing praises of our driver, for his spotting of the leopard! Who knew that a
rainy day would turn out so bright?
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