Tadoba Wilderness

Posted on July 7, 2017 Updated on July 7, 2017

Tadoba Wilderness

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India. It is notable as Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park.  It’s a typical central India forest with mostly open grasslands making it easier to spot the wildlife. Total area of the reserve is 1727 km²  which includes 625.40 Sq. Km of Core Zone and 1101.77 Sq. Km of Buffer Zone. The park was created way back in 1955.

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve derives its name from the Tadoba Lake  which named after  “Taroba” or “Taru” god, worshiped by tribal people who live in the dense forests of Tadoba and name Andhari derived form Andhari River that flows through the reserve.

Legend holds that Taru was a village chief who was killed in a mythological encounter with a tiger. A shrine dedicated to the God Taru now exists beneath a huge tree, on the banks of the Tadoba Lake.  The Gond kings once ruled forests in the vicinity of the Chimur hills. Hunting was completely banned in 1935. Two decades later, in 1955, 116.54 Sq. km. was declared a National Park. Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary was created around the National Park in 1986, and in 1995, both the Protected areas jointly declared as Tiger Reserve.

How to reach Tadoba –

If traveling by train, Chandrapur is the nearest railway station (around 45 KM) and by Air, Nagpur is the nearest airport (around 115 KM) . Both the Chandrapur railway station and the Nagpur airport are very well connected to all major cities across India.

Where to Stay –

There are lot of options for staying around Tadoba reserve however I found the MTDC resort quite descent and affordable. The MTDC resort is located very close to the Moharli range and offers clean and descent A.C accommodation along with restaurant facilities. The resort can be directly booked online from the official MTDC portal at https://mtdcrrs.maharashtratourism.gov.in/Account/Login.aspx

Day 1 – Afternoon Safari

We started from our journey to Nagpur from Pune by an early morning flight. Having reached Nagpur by around 9:15 AM, we were then transferred to Tadoba Tiger Reserve by a private car. I had booked the accommodation at MTDC Resort. The resort is located very close to the Moharli gate and quite well maintained. It also has its own cafe / restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. More details on the resort can be found at https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/properties/property/mtdc-tadoba

We reached the MTDC resort by around 12:30 PM, got freshened up, had some quick lunch and got ready for the afternoon Safari. The Jeep came to pick us on time and we were all set for our first safari at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Our first safari was booked for the Buffer zone. Upon getting the necessary permits and getting accompanied by local forest guide, we entered the jungle. Within no time, our driver opened full throttle and zoomed the jeep with all possible pace. I was wondering why we were going so fast! In some time, we reached a spot known as “Waghdoh” (Wagh means Tiger and Doh means a small pond). The guide told us that this place Waghdoh was territory of a 15 year old male Tiger known as Scarface. This male tiger had lost his right eye during fight with some other tiger. As per our guide, this place was a routine sit-out area for this Scarface tiger hence the probability of spotting him was high. While we were there at the Wagdoh, all we could spot was lot of monkeys, some birds (Treepies, BulBuls, Shikra and Jungle Crows). We waited, waited and waited almost for 2 hours. But, unfortunately, no sign of any tiger around! With a feeling of disappointment, we finally decided to move out and try exploring some other areas of the Buffer zone. We then went for a drive around the Irai dam at sunset where we could spot some wooly necked storks, Open Bills and a herd of Indian Gaur. We returned back to MTDC Moharli resort with no Tiger spotting for the day. As it was an early monsoon period, it rained heavily throughout the night with thunderstorms and lightnings!!

Day 2 – Morning Safari

With all new hope, we prepared our-self for an early morning Safari. Again our safari was booked for the route through Buffer zone. Even before the sunrise, we were at the gates of the park. With all necessary permits and the accompanying guide, we marched onto our designated route deep through the forest. The very first spotting was of the nest of Grey Headed Fish Eagle. We couldn’t spot the bird in or around the nest though. Soon a herd of Indian Gaur crossed our way.

With a few clicks we moved ahead. There was some surprise waiting for us. We saw something moving around the bushes patiently waited nearby. In short time, we could spot a sloth bear crossing the road ahead of us.

Trust me, spotting Mr Bear requires same or more luck than spotting a tiger! With all the excitement, we proceeded further to small waterhole deep into the forest which was supposedly the territory of Tigress named Sharmili. On our way, we noticed some bird movement in the roadside bushes. When we stopped to figure out the bird it was Rain Quail. The bird moves pretty fast on ground and gets camouflaged easily.

Sharmili was known to be spotted around this area with her 2 cubs. While at the spot, it was all silence. No movement, no calls at all! All I could hear and see was some frog making noise in the pond and a crested serpent eagle hovering over us.

By this time the sun had started heating up making us sweat. We waited for almost 3 hours with no luck at all! Finally, it was time to call off the safari and we started on our way back. Just as we left that spot, we noticed some movement in the bushes! Guess what? There were 2 cubs of tigress Sharmili who were happily playing with each other. It was truly a delightful experience. Though we couldn’t spot their mother Sharmili!

Day 2 – Afternoon Safari

Coming back from a tiring morning safari , we quickly finished our lunch at got prepared for the afternoon safari. Again our safari was booked for the route through the Core Zone. We started our drive at around 2:30 PM and soon were greeted with spotted deer, neelgai and sambhar. We then coursed towards the famous Tadoba lake. While the sun was generating all possible heat, the atmosphere around the Tadoba lake was quite a bliss with a cool breeze around. An oriental honey buzzard was sitting high on a tree while a crocodile was peeping around the banks of the lake.

The road besides the Tadoba lake is also the route for state transport buses running between the nearby villages. Unfortunately this creates traffic problems at times. While we were wandering around the lake, we suddenly heard call from barking deer. We tried to move in the direction of the call and got in alert mode looking for any signs of the predator’s presence. After waiting for a while, we had no luck and decided to move ahead. The guide stopped the car roadside and showed us a nightjar who was so much camouflaged that it was hardly visible!

The bird was quite bold and didn’t bother to move even after we attempted closeup shots. All of a sudden, there was hustle and bustle of jeeps gathering around, seemed that there was some news on the tiger spotting in the area nearby. We moved back and tried to follow some calls that were coming from the bushes. We didn’t had to wait long before a sub-adult cub of tigress Maya walked in style. The cub was least bothered about all the vehicles around and crossed the road before vanishing into the bushes other side.

The cub was truly a show stopper for a while!  Being very satisfied of spotting a Tiger so close, it was time up for the safari and we started on our way back to the resort. We made a small pit stop to gaze at the beautiful Indian Roller and icing on the cake was spotting the Brown Fish Owl 🙂

Day 3 – Morning Safari

Finally, on day 3, it was our last scheduled safari. We were all ready for the early morning safari greedily hoping for some more better sightings. The last safari was planned around the Telia Lake. The Telia Lake is the territory of the famous tigress Sonam. The Discovery Channel made an exclusive documentary named ‘Tiger sisters of Telia’ which showed how the 4 tiger sisters Mona, Geeta, Lara and Sonam first separated in territorial fights but later united back to hunt in packs. This was an extremely rare behavior as tigers hunt all alone as compared to other wild animals (like Lions, wild dogs) who hunt in packs/group. Having heard all these stories about Telia Lake, all we were hoping was a glimpse of the tigress Sonam. While we were driving around the Telia Lake, we could see lot of jeeps gathering around the high grassland just besides the lake. We soon joined the group of spectators. However, everyone was looking with curiosity and trying to find some clue about the predator. We waited for a while but no movement, no call at all. All silence! After spending about an hour at same place, there was a slight movement in the tall grassland. Folks waiting so long were all 0n there toes! We could now see the yellow and white spots which were the ears of the tiger.

Slowly, the predator started making move and finally came out of the bushes! Yes, it was Sonam. She didn’t disappoint us. She walked gracefully on the ramp, gave some poses to shoot and then settled down deep in the bushes other side of the lake.

It was truly a spectacular sight to watch Sonam proudly guarding her territory. No wonder she is the queen of Telia Lake. Our last safari in Tadoba was made special by Sonam. Though it was not over yet. On our way back, we spotted a monitor lizard which on look out of prey around the bushes.

By now throughout all the 4 safaris, we had spotted enough of wild species. The Tadoba eco-system also boasts rich flora. One of the highlights was presence of the “Ghost Trees”. These are the trees which glow in dark due to the skin color. Scientific name for the tree is Sterculia urens.

What to expect from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve?

Almost each and every person visiting a jungle like Tadoba has a sole motive of spotting a Tiger. I have seen people largely disappointed just because they couldn’t spot a tiger during the safari. The jungle is home to so many other species who are equally important even though tiger lies at the apex of the food chain. But to maintain the balance of the eco-system and to sustain the health of the forest, each and every creature plays a vital role. I personally love Owls. I was so very happy when I spotted the Brown Fish Owl. I would consider spotting this owl was more difficult and required more luck than spotting a tiger. (We managed to spot tigers in 3 safaris out of 4). So, we need to appreciate and respect all the creatures equally. Spotting a tiger is not in our hands and just a matter of luck.

 

Overall, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is one of the best places in central India to spot wildlife especially the Tigers. It is also in the close vicinity of other reserves like Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary etc. There have been instances of tigers migrating from one wildlife sanctuary to other all passing through human settlements.

We all must act with sense of responsibility when we visit such nature reserves. I have commonly seen tourists shouting, talking loudly, playing songs and littering right in the middle of the jungle and still expecting to spot good wildlife!! We are all fortunate to be part of such bio-diverse country like India. But we often lack in our efforts towards conservation of this natural wealth. It’s time to act with responsibility before it gets too late!