A Zoo treats one like a spoilt child, providing an array of choices without appreciating the individual beauty. Strangely travelling in the open gypsy for more than 3 hours under the hot sun, caked by dust just for a glimpse of an animal is much more memorable. The feeling of disappointment as the closing time approaches and the sudden exhilaration in spotting a tiger, a safari has it all. A flick of the tail to ward off flies is enough to send a ripple of excitement across the 'audience'. Yes a Safari makes one yearn to see animals and fauna.
Getting There
We arrived in Umaria (nearest rail head for Bhandavgarh) in the Amarkantak Express at 2:00 AM on the 7th of March 2009. Other rail heads include Katni (2 Hrs) and Khajurao (230 Km). Dressed in light clothes for Raipur's summer we were completely ill prepared for the chilly winds that swept the station. Since the pickup from the MP tourism resort was not due till 4:00, we made our way to upper class waiting room on Platform 1. Strangely for a non-descript station, Umaria was well lit up with row upon row of newly installed tube lights on both platforms. In the waiting room we met Christine , his mother and girlfriend who were waiting for the Utkal express (6 hours behind schedule) who did not have much luck with the tiger inspite of numerous visits. Considering that the Indian Government was intent on robbing the foreigners blind it was pity that they were not able to see the tiger. We sighted numerous Chitals during our otherwise uneventful 32km (Rs 650) journey to the forest resort. A short nap preceded our first park safari (6:15 AM till 10:15 AM).
Morning Safari
We had bed coffee and tea to brace ourselves for the trip. Our vehicle, the legendary Maruti Gypsy and its 4 wheel drive, which we were sharing with a family from Kolkota took us to the sanctuary main gate where we paid an entry fee of Rs680(the fees is per vehicle which can seat 6-8 people). A gypsy for a jungle safari comes at Rs 1000 while its Rs 2500 for a trip to the fort. We took the 'C' route in the sanctuary which took us uphill downhill over rock, mud, sand and pebbles. During mornings vehicles movements are governed by the route system (A,B,C to F) while it’s a lassie faire in the evening slot (3-6PM). The jungle, a varying mix of bamboo and sal, was interspaced with grasslands of brown grass. We made numerous sightings of Chitals, the largest indian deer a
nd samabar, the largest Indian antelope. Most of the route hugged the Charanganga (which meets the Son river and finally the ganga) which is a perennial water source feeding the sanctuary and incidentally our government guest house. Mornings are extremely chilly and I was still shivering under a double Tshirt and jeans. Once the sun rises in the horizon (around 9:00 AM) the cold becomes more manageable however we had still not made our tiger sighting. We stopped at for a 'chai' in the middle of the jungle at centre point, a fenced enclave with around 7-8 shops also selling lays, biscuits and snacks. There were also 4-5 boys running around with bers and chana. We resumed our tiger hunt but to no avail. Finally we were given information about a 'tiger show' on elephant back in a corner of the sanctuary. Climbing the back of the tusker was kind fun in itself. Once we were fully with 4 people the mahout started tapping frantically on the elephant skull. The jumbo immediately veered to the left and made its way to the cave where the tiger had been seen. The 'cave' was actually a man made rectangular hole from 10th century were the tiger had decided to rest after the night's wanderings. The fact that tiger hardly moved, was lying on its back with legs up and was resting in a manmade cave didn’t give me much satisfaction. The elephant ride (Rs 100 per person) was only worth an elephant ride and a 'buffer' that we had seen a tiger but it did not give me the satisfaction of seeing wildlife. We then went back to the resort for breakfast and an afternoon of rest.
Places to stay
There are various lodges and resorts in Tala, the village next to the main gate of Bhandavgarh. Our last minute planning restricted us to the White tiger resort by MP tourism. The room rates hurt!! Rs 3500 for an A/c double bedroom. With an extra bed @ Rs 700 we were paying Rs4200 per night. The fact that pre dawn tea, breakfast, lunch (veg) , tea and dinner (non veg) made the price more reasonable. The ambience was great with huts on raised platforms under the shade of huge trees, connected by walkways. Other facilities include a swimming pool, souvenir shop and a game room (billiards table, TT, Carroms, chess). We never felt the need for a A/c and could have done with an air cooled room @Rs2500. If you discount the complementary food (2 people entire day), the effective rate comes to Rs 1500 which is decent for the excellent ambience. A slight bit of bother was the fixed 12:00 noon check in/out system.
Also dotting the village are resorts like GTV, Tiger Heaven, Wild Heaven etc which have rates from Rs600 through Rs 2000 and beyond. I would recommend a one day's stay at White tiger followed by stay in another lodge. This helps in bargaining as the quoted rates and rates at which lodges are given varies widely. Christine did a similar trick by staying in a resort for Rs600 which was quoting at Rs 1500 (cancellations make lodge owners desperate).
Fort Trip
The fort trip starts slightly late @ 7:30AM and ends at 11:00 AM. This was a stroke of luck as we shall see later. Steep would be an understatement for the climb up the hill. Hairpin bends, rocky ledges and roads cut into the rock face were common. We
kept a sharp lookout for the Malabar pied hornbill which is known to inhabit these parts of the sanctuary. Luck didn’t favor us then and we reached the gate of the fort without any sightings. My perception of gypsy and Maruti went up a few notches during that period. We were welcomed by a racket and that unique stench of bats. The fort is huge and has 12 large water tanks, statutes of Vishnu in various incarnations and the world’s only temple dedicated to Lakshman (brother of Ram). The fort is also dotted with various points like the seat of the maharaja (strategic point used to command troops) and vulture point (a Cliffside with vultures gliding around their nests). We struck gold on our return journey with a close up view of the Malabar pied hornbill. It was posed for us for several minutes and then glided down the slope. More luck awaited us at Sidhh Baba, a grassy patch in between the 
dense jungle. A convoy of gypsies signaled the sighting of a Tiger. By the time we reached the place the jeeps had already left as they would overshoot the park closing time of 10:15. We on the other hand had another 45 mins at our disposal which we put to good use. After staring at the brown grass for a good 15 mins we were getting impatient. Suddenly a black stick popped up!! The tail going up signaled the movement of the tiger. The tiger continued to higher ground and we had a view of the majestic walk across the grass. The tiger’s striped skin providing a perfect camouflage in the tall brown grass. It was a well rounded trip quite worth the Rs 3200 (2500 + 680) spent on it.
Other places to see and things to do
On the afternoon safari, we went to Sheesh shaiya (Sleeping Vishnu), the origin of the charan ganga river (literally translates as river 
from the foot). The statue of Vishnu (10th century) lies under the shade of the seven headed serpent and the river is supposed to originate from this point. The climb is steep and taxing and the driver might be reluctant unless you ask him to take you there. But the place is worth it.
Another point is Badi Gufa ( Big Cave)which comes as part of the safari. A cave built in the 10th century used by Buddhist monks and later by the military.
The interpretation centre (museum) in Tala village is quite informative and presentation style was good. A visit to the centre is recommended so as to better appreciate the wildlife. The timings are 10:30AM-1:00PM and 5:30PM - 7:30PM.
There also various souvenir shops in the vicinity and tiger pug mark Tshirts are quite a rage.
Return
We landed at the Umaria station at 11:00PM on Sunday, sipping hot tea, and waiting for the Amarkantak back to Raipur. We reached Raipur Monday at 8:00AM. Overall it was a extremely good weekend trip. It comes a close second to our Andaman trip because we were able to explore the entire region within the short span of time.
