Welcome to the jungle: See how Indian safaris are changing
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India is home to more than 92,000 known species of fauna. And yet, when the family books a wildlife holiday, pulling on khaki shorts, charging the GoPro and filling up the Thermos, all we’ve largely wanted to do is spot a tiger. Thankfully, things are changing. Not only are we realising that there’s more to see, India is also working to ensure that the generations after us will have something to see, too.
Earlier this month, the cabinet approved an outlay of ₹2602.98 crore to continue the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats. The money will go towards protecting not only tigers, cheetahs and elephants, but the ecosystems that allow them and other species to thrive.
India is now home to 106 national parks and 573 wildlife sanctuaries. Another 200-odd are being considered, many of them that will link neighbouring areas to create denser, richer habitats. Along the coasts, more villages are patrolling beaches during turtle nesting and hatching season. There are new biodiversity hotspots, new trails, new visitors and new surprises in the forests and coasts we thought we knew. Take a look.
For birding enthusiasts
The map now spreads past Rajasthan’s Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Birdwatching and tracking groups have sprung up, contributing to better data on where to spot a rare winged visitor.
● At Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, more visitors now look up. The area is home to more than 600 avian species. “There’s always something incredible to spot, including the collared falconet, owls, hornbills, woodpeckers, fish eagles and waterfowl,” says Latika Nath, author, photographer and wildlife conservationist.
● Across the North East, local communities have shifted from hunting birds to birdwatching. Around the Mishmi Hills, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh, homestays and lodges offer bird-watching tours so that tourists can spot rarities such as the Bugun Liocichla and two species of tragopans, or up to 10 species of laughing thrushes. “There’s tented accommodation and expeditions run by local communities at Eaglenest,” says Anish Andheria, president of the Wildlife Conservation Trust.
● Nayantara Jain, executive director at ReefWatch Marine Conservation, loves to walk around Chidiya Tapu, a village at the southernmost tip of the South Andaman Islands, which has emerged as the first stop for birders vising the UT, to spot owls. Be on the lookout for the Andaman woodpecker, Andaman coucal, Andaman drongo, Andaman shama, Andaman bulbul and Andaman serpent eagle.
● Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha’s Garhjat Hills is among the most rewarding places for birding in central and Eastern India, says Aditya Panda, expedition leader with Natural Habitat Adventures. This is where to spot red jungle fowl, Alexandrine parakeet, crested serpent eagle,hornbills and the Indian trogon.
● Nath recommends a trip to Gujarat’s Little Rann of Kutch. In winter, most human visitors here are birders. They’re there to spot greater and lesser flamingos, the common crane, bar-headed goose, and thousands of other geese and ducks.
● Panda finds Corbett and Kaziranga in Assam great for bird spotting. “Both offer easy approaches into the higher Himalayas, where one can find species not found in the reserves,” he explains.
Turtle-nesting nooks
Along Odisha’s coastline, Olive Ridley turtles, in the tens of thousands, return every spring, just to lay eggs at Gahirmatha beach and at the mouths of the Rushikulya and Devi rivers. Forty days later, little hatchlings emerge from the sand, possessed by a singular urge: To paddle out to sea. Volunteer-driven programmes over 15 years have ensured that turtles hatch and return safely. Locals patrol beaches at night, fishing is prohibited in the season. Odisha’s methods are being replicated along our coasts. Here’s where to see turtles in slow action.
● “Nothing compares to the mass nesting events on the coast of Odisha,” says Panda. At the Rushikulya river nesting and hatching are the two main events. Turtles nest from late December to early January; hatchlings paddle towards the sea from early March to late April. Further north, in the Sundarbans, the endangered northern river terrapin nests from January to March; breeding colonies have significantly helped increase their numbers.
● Jain suggests volunteering in Chennai to patrol the beaches during nesting season, roughly from December to March. “It’s a wonderful way to learn and give back during your holiday.” Turtle walks are organised along Marina Beach, Neelankarai and Besant Nagar Beach at night, during which visitors can spot turtle nests and help relocate eggs to protected hatcheries.
● Along the west coast, the beaches of Morjim, Galgibaga and Agonda in Goa are now better-protected Olive Ridley turtle sites, says Nath. In Maharashtra, Olive Ridleys make their way to Velas Beach in March-April, and a conservation-led festival, held since 2002, has widened its tourist offerings over the past few years.
Cat fishing
In the country’s 55 reserves, tiger numbers have grown from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2023. The most reliable destinations remain Ranthambore, Tadoba, Kanha and Bandhavgarh. But other sanctuaries are upping their game and have less of a tourist rush. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh is consolidating its sanctuaries into the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve, which will be the third largest in India.
● Jain recommends Kabini, Karnataka. “Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to be shown tigers, leopards, bears and wild dogs by the incredibly knowledgeable forest department naturalists there,” she says.
● Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is less crowded, says Andheria. He took a three-day trip there in May 2022 and spotted nine tigers, four leopards, seven sloth bears, innumerable gaur and sambar, three marsh crocodiles and 55 species of birds.
● The Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh) and Sanjay Dubri (Madhya Pradesh) reserves are also becoming popular, as are Bandipur and Nagarhole in Karnataka. “Even Kaziranga, believed to offer poor chances of tiger sighting, is beginning to get reliable,” Panda says. “We may soon get to see the rare pseudo-melanistic tigers—black tigers—that exist only in Similipal, Odisha, as the reserve is about to open up to organised tourism.”
● Good news for the other big cat too. Most lion safaris happen in Gujarat’s Gir National Park. But the state plans to open a new safari at the Barda sanctuary, 100km west, before Diwali. It’s already home to six lions, including one who apparently moved there of his own accord.
The sea in close-up
Scuba diving communities in the Andamans gave India the first glimpses of underwater life in the 1990s. The rest of the coast is now opening up to marine tourism.
● Snorkelling around Agatti island in Lakshadweep guarantees encounters with coral gardens, sea cucumbers, small reef fish and green sea turtles. For those who prefer to stay above water, glass-bottom boat rides are the best bet. Try night diving or snorkelling post sundown to watch the reef come alive with bioluminescent plankton and nocturnal creatures such as octopi, lionfish, cuttlefish and lobsters. Andheria suggests heading to Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Minicoy and Bangaram.
● Puducherry has spots for free-diving (diving without breathing apparatus), reef diving and underwater photography at Temple Reef and Coral Shark Reef, says Nath. There’s kayaking in the Pichavaram mangroves a short drive away and dolphin-spotting via boat. Serious enthusiasts are also putting the Gulf of Mannar, off the coast of Tamil Nadu, on their lists. The 21 islands there are bordered by coral reefs and rich marine biodiversity.
● The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the richest coral cover, with as many as 179 species. Barren Island, part of the archipelago, is India’s only active volcano and an especially fantastic place to snorkel over healthy, hard coral reefs. “It’s not easy to get to, but worth the journey,” Jain says.
● In the Gulf of Kutch, around the waters of Narara and Pirotan islands, is a unique coral reef ecosystem, with a blend of hard and soft corals (though expeditions here are focused on ecotourism and research), says Nath.
Rich pickings
India’s biodiversity hotspots spread far beyond its northern and western mountain ranges. But there are more surprises within reach.
The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu—part of the Project Tiger initiative—is also home to leopards, elephants, sloth bear, gaur, lion-tailed macaque and dhole (Indian wild dog). It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise, as well, with over 270 species of birds.
The Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh has everything from tropical forests at low altitudes to alpine meadows. It’s also the world’s only park that is home to four big-cat species: Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard. Other sightings: Red panda, hoolock gibbon, Mishmi takin (an endangered goat-antelope) and the snowy-throated babbler.
Assam’s Kaziranga National Park offers more than sightings of the one-horned rhinoceros. The region is a sanctuary for wild water buffalo, leopards, gaur, elephant, sloth bear, capped langur and barasingha (swamp deer). There are some 480 avian species to spot, including great Indian hornbill, Bengal florican, greater adjutant stork and migratory geese and ducks.
In Sikkim’s Singalila National Park, red panda sightings are becoming common. “Organised red panda treks are getting popular there,” Panda says.
The elephants in the room
India offers a unique chance to spot elephants in diverse habitats. “In Kabini, it’s the typical deciduous forest and backwater grasslands. In Corbett, they move through sal forests and the banks of the Ramganga rver. In Kaziranga, spot them amid tall grasslands,” says Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan, a wildlife biologist studying elephants in India and Sri Lanka. He also recommends the backwaters of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.
