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Published: December 19th 2009
We visited two Indian national parks in Rajasthan as part of the Intrepid trips, and Catherine had the excitement of seeing a tiger! The photo doesn't have much detail but it certainly captures Catherine's excitement!
The first visit was to Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur Rajasthan. We entered the sanctuary in rickshaws and luckily for the rickshaw-guy, the terrain was flat, and the weather surprisingly cool. Almost immediately after leaving the main road, the cacophony that is Indian highways fades, and one starts to appreciate this little oasis. Our rickshaw-guy had sharp eyes and good ornithological knowledge, so we were right into the experience within the first 100 metres. The first and frequent sighting was a Common Hoopoee which put on a fine display as he left us. We also saw several Rufus Treepie which were like a brown variant of the Australian magpie, and many water birds. Apparently more than 300 species of birds can be seen in the park; two thirds of these are migratory. The place had an impressive diversity of mammals as well with Nilgai (Indian antelope), chipmunks, mongoose and monkeys, as well as a few wild cattle. We went as far as an extensive wetland,
which we think is part of the larger Keoladeo National Park, and here there was a monument that recorded the total kill at a hunt during the time of the British. An awesome/disgusting haul of wildlife, and we wondered how rich this place must have been before that time. Heading back it started to rain, and while it was probably a relief for our rickshaw-guy we were literally shivering. Who would have thought? All too soon we were back at the main road, and again part of the constant blowing of horns and the roar of engines.
After a great lunch at the Bird Park Inn, Greg bought three exquisite watercolours of birds from the Sanctuary painted by a local artist called Katara. We then headed on to Kirauli, Rajasthan as mentioned in other blog entries.
On the second part of the trip, Catherine visited the Ranthambhore National Park just on dusk, and traveling in an open jeep. Again she saw many bird species (some shown) but the highlight was obviously seeing a Royal Bengal Tiger napping in the afternoon sun: Royal because they were hunted exclusively by the Raj. There were also at least two species of
Rufous Treepie
Ranthambore National Parkdeer, and many types of monkeys.
From the Park, Catherine and the group traveled on to Bundi.
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