Beyond Nagpur
Where Tigers roar and Eagles dare
Maharashtra Tourism organised a series of familiarisation (FAM) trips in March 2022 covering the regions of Nashik, Nagpur, and Konkan to showcase the diverse experiences in Maharashtra and for pan India travel and media participants to get a closer glimpse of Maharashtrian heritage, art, and culture. They aimed to promote Maharashtra in domestic and international markets. Since the Nagpur- Amravati trip had four wildlife safaris scheduled and with wildlife close to my heart, I am super glad to have chosen one of the most experiential trips of my life.
Our FAM group comprised twelve people, and our excitement began when Vinod Kshirsagar from Thomas Cook, our tour organisers, got us all together on WhatsApp. I had a late evening flight on the day of departure, so everyone had arrived in Nagpur by afternoon, and they all had a delicious lunch at the Chalets Boutique Hotel. The food here was a subject of discussion for many, and it appeared that I had missed out on the best deal in Nagpur city. Due to a prior obligation, I had to fly to Nagpur at night and arrived at MTDC Bodalkasa Resort around 2 a.m. I thoroughly enjoyed my two-and-a-half-hour drive from Nagpur on the wide and smooth highway. I had never anticipated that such kind of road existed beyond Nagpur.
The MTDC Bodalkasa Resort is flanked by the Bodalkasa Dam and the Nagzira forest, making it an ideal site for nature lovers. The resort has luxurious and spacious rooms with a spectacular view of the greenery and the still waters. During a late-night stroll, our pals were ecstatic to discover two species of nightjar birds. As a birding enthusiast, I was super happy to stay awake at night as the place came alive with the chirping of nocturnal birds, and one could also hear the eerie call of the owls. We spent two nights at the resort.
Our first safari was at the Nazgira Navegoan Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the Gondia district of Maharashtra. The small reserve is rich in bio-diversity and has linkages with Kanha, Pench, and Tadoba Tiger Reserves. Its rocky and undulating terrain is covered with thick teak forests that support some of India’s most endangered floral and faunal biodiversity. The reserve has a low tiger occupancy but is crucial owing to its linkage with other tiger-rich areas. Our whole group did the Safari in a Canter. Though we didn’t sight any tigers, we were awestruck by the hilly topography, which seemed to exist in its own realm. We saw a variety of deer species here, including spotted deer, sambars, and nilgais. The place was teeming with white eye buzzards, a medium-sized raptor.
We were taken to a lake near Navegoan to see the vulnerable and endangered sarus crane in our bird-watching safari. The sarus cranes can only be found in two districts in Maharashtra: Gondia and Bhandara, and nowhere else till further south. Sarus cranes have given a new identity to the Gondia district, as every year many nature lovers come here to see the beautiful birds that are regarded as the ‘Symbol of Love’ and are the most sensitive species. We were fortunate to see a pair of tallest flying birds with an alluring backdrop of the glistening sun after a long wait and some hustle and bustle of changing locations.
While traveling from one place to another took time, it was certainly a captivating road journey, and the pit stops for savoring local food added great fun elements to the trip. In the region, the one thing that stands out is the Mahua tree. They’re likely to be found in every nook and cranny along the road or in the forest. The Mahua is truly a tree of life in tribal India! The tribals use its bark for medicine, its fruit for food, and its flowers for wine.
Ramtek was our next destination and is situated around 50 km from Nagpur. It is known for its ancient fort and the Lord Rama temple that beholds a considerable amount of mythological importance in itself. It is believed to have been the place where Lord Rama stayed during his exile. It is the reason why Hindus flock to this place for blessings. Ramtek would be of high interest to those who are up to exploring Maharashtra’s cultural and mythological roots. Besides having pilgrimage importance, Ramtek is developing into an attractive tourist destination considering the proximity to Nagpur, the Pench National Park, and various other attractions.
At Ramtek, we stayed at The Greenland Resort and Villa, an enchanting property surrounded by lush green lawns and an ideal place for a relaxed holiday near Nagpur. Situated on the foot of the hills and beside a lake, one can get excellent lakeside and hillside views from the rooms. I spent my major time in bird photography, wherein the next morning, I captured a cool 32 species of avian wonders in just three hours.
The Pench forests are spread over Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The forests, which inspired Rudyard Kipling to write Jungle Book, are divided by the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh interstate boundary, creating an artificial divide for the wildlife. The Pench forest in Madhya Pradesh covers an area of 1180 sq. km, including 411 sq. km of the core area, whereas the Pench forest in Maharashtra spreads across 741 sq. km, inclusive of 257 sq. km core area. However, wild animals know nothing of the complexities of the divide or rules and roam free and cross over from one side to the other as and when they wish.
The Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra has more of a diverse dry deciduous forest landscape, with regions rich in bamboo, riparian forest, and meadows formed near the backwaters of the Totladoh dam built on the Pench river. Here, we had a great time on our jeep safari. It was almost towards the end of our safari that people in three jeeps including mine could see a tiger from far, lazying on the lake’s edge. We closed in and tried to capture the majestic animal, but the thick, grassy vegetation eluded us from a decent shot. We definitely wanted to stay and photograph when the beast rose, but the guides and the drivers requested against it as they had to get out of the reserve or they could be fined for staying late. We had to depart with a heavy heart, much to the amusement of the tiger, who appeared to be totally at ease in the thickets while watching us.
The beautiful mixed forest majorly has teak, tiger, leopard, wild dogs, nilgai, sambar deer, Indian gaur, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boar, sloth bear, jackals, langoors, peacocks, vultures, and around 350 bird species.
Situated in the Satpura range at a height of 118m, Chikhaldara is a green and unspoiled and the only hill station in the region. On the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border, it’s around 120 km from Amravati. Chikhaldara is the base point to visit Melghat Tiger Reserve, a prime bird-watching site in winter. Melghat is home to more than 250 bird species, including the rare and endangered Forest Owlet.
The MTDC holiday resort at Chikhaldara is an old resort but more rustic and charming property with attached balconies and valley views. Our group enjoyed the verdant, cool place and the storytelling sessions around bonfires. We were specifically warned not to leave the property at night, as there had been numerous sightings of tigers, leopards, and sloth bears.
While its tigers are spotted occasionally, Melghat might best be known as an eagle sanctuary. It’s a birdwatcher’s dream come true. I can vouch for this by saying that you can spot the Crested Serpent Eagle at every mile, and it seems like they are following you. Melghat is also where we sighted our first Sloth Bear, a female with two grown-up cubs. It was a sight to behold. They were straight in front of us on the road. After a few moments of curiosity, they scampered up a hill and out of sight after the mother gave us a mild threat. In Melghat, we also found huge herds of gaurs in the vast golden pastures. Our jeep also sighted the elusive jungle cat and the barking deer with plenty of waterbird species. Between the three tiger sanctuaries, Melghat impressed me more.
On our final leg, we were back in Nagpur, where we once again had a lovely threecourse lunch at Chalets Boutique Hotel and enjoyed the authentic Vidarbha cuisine. The trip had surely ended, but I knew it was only the beginning of new friendships, immersive memories of some amazing experiences, and well-spent time.