Wildlife lovers would soon be able to enjoy a safari ride in jeeps with animals like tiger, leopard, elephant and bison moving around in natural surroundings inside the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal in India. The state forest department has prepared a detailed project report to allow safari in the southern section of the Mahananda forests located near Siliguri. Plan is yet to be cleared by Central Zoo Authority (CZA). Safaris will be in an area of 700 acres of the forest where wildlife is seen in its natural surroundings. Spread across more than 150 sq km of area in north Bengal,the Mahananda sanctuary is rich in flora and fauna. Wildlife species which can be found in the forests include the Royal Bengal Tiger, Himalayan black bear, leopard, sambar, spotted and barking...
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Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan in India is one of the most celebrated tiger parks in world alongwith Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh. Ranthambore has been home to one of the most revered tigress 'Machli', a lead in one of the most well known wildlife fights between a tiger and a crocodile. Sighting a Royal Bengal Tiger in its territory is altogether a different experience. I had the chance of doing it twice in two days. On a cold winter day, after a blank morning safari, we had a lucky afternoon to watch tiger T-20 (as the tigers are normally named) in its full glory but not before we had a sprint (ofcourse in our zeep) in the wild upon hearing a call about presence of tiger in the Rajbagh area of park. So here it was, in front of us enjoying his evening st...
Read MoreTalking about tourism in Kashmir, will generally take you to Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam. No doubt that they are the gems of the valley, but there is still a lot besides these four top spots. Lot many places to see and admire and lot beyond the regular natural beauty spots. Naranag is one of them and it was an altogether different experience for me to visit an archaelogical site in such a scenic surroundings. But equally anguished was I to see such a place in total shambles. Nobody to protect or even take care of such an important site. It has been left to be ruined. I was astonished to see that there was not even a single sign board or a plaque which could give visitors any idea about the site, its history, importance or architecture. Go googling was the only option left. ...
Read MoreNature lovers who long for savouring the warmth of congenial wetland spots in Bhitarkanika in Odisha's Kendrapara district would now have to take care of their purse. Visiting the mangrove-infested sites with a shoe-string budget has now become a thing of past. As Bhitarkanika National Park reopened for visitors on Thursday, 1st August 2013, authorities have effected a steep hike in boarding and lodging for tourists. The rise is manifold and likely to pinch the middle class and lower middle class visitors. Forest officials said that "For factors beyond our control, the hike was made for better maintenance of government-owned bungalows in Bhitarkanika. The park remained out of bound for tourists and visitors from May 31 till yesterday in view of nesting season of estuarine crocodile."...
Read MoreAlmost for a century it remained to be India's longest sea link, until 2010 when Bandra-Worli sea link was opened. Pamban rail Bridge on Palk Strait in Tamilnadu state of India was opened for traffic in 1914. It has now entered into its hundredth year. This sea link is 2.3 kilometres long and it connects Indian mainland to the Pamban island. Pamban island houses one of the most important pilgrimage sites in India- Rameshwaram. Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi are mythologically related to epic of Ramayana. The rail bridge also has a parallel road link but it was built quite later. Bridge located at the world's second highest corrosive environment after Miami and in highly cyclone prone area was a challenge to build and was certainly an engineering marvel Pamban rail bridge is for the mo...
Read MoreThe famed Nanda Devi Jaat Yatra, held after every 12 years in Uttarakhand hill state of north India, will not be postponed in wake of the recent rain tragedy in Kedarnath, Chamoli, Rudraprayg areas, which left scores dead and entire hill state shaken. Although, district authorities have suggested keeping it at a local level this time saying they are not in a position to handle big crowds. The Nanda Raj Jaat, known as the Kumbh of Uttarakhand, is slated to be held from August 29 to September 16, 2013. The 280 km and 19-day trek starts from Nauti village and reaches Homkund through Bedini Bugyal, Roopkund and the very difficult Gali pass. The yatra will be organised as per schedule though there was a proposal to postpone it. We spoke to the local people who want it to go on. It is a rel...
Read MoreA male elephant named Gabbar, who worked in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam in north-east India, ferrying tourists, died today following a prolonged illness, Park officials said. The 50-year old elephant, named after the villain 'Gabbar Singh' of mid seventies Bollywood film 'Sholay', was injured following a fight with a buffalo in the Park in December last. 'Sholay' is still considered among the most popular films in the Indian film Industry. The elephant was treated by Park veterinarians for the last seven months but it died this morning in the Bagori range. Gabbar carried tourists on its back for more than twenty years and later as he aged, the elephant was used to carry rations to the different camps in the Park....
Read MoreIf you don’t like to be alone and secluded in hills, still would like to have some great views than Sursingdhar (close to Chamba in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand in India) is the right place to be. Dense pine forests around will still keep you away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It is a delight for your eyes. Sprawling on the hill towards the left is New Tehri town. After dusk the lights of this young town along with Bhagirathipuram (‘B Puram’ as locals call it) will give you a perfect feel of star gazing. Down further, you can see the Bhagirathi River, more as a mammoth reservoir for the Tehri Dam. Up north-east, you can have splendid view of Chaukhamba and Nanda Devi peaks. Down south you can see hills hiding Devprayag and holy shrine of Chandrabadani. And this all can be e...
Read MoreNot like few other hotspots of the area, but a cool place to spend some quite days. Badshah Thaul has a slice of history and an eye on future. It is actually a educational hub with main campus of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University located right at Badshah Thaul. Just three km ahead at Ranichauri is research centre campus of Pantnagar Agriculture University. Badshah Thaul was historically one of the places, where the (Tehri) king used to have his court (Durbar) whenever he was on move in the area. Hence was derived the name. Now regular local fairs are being held at this place. From Badshah Thaul one can see the hills of Dhanaulti and also the hill where one of the most revered goddess of the region Surkanda Devi is seated. Things to see and do Badshah Thaul is facing ...
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As the name suggests, there has to be a Viraat and also a khai. We have both here. In Hindi, khai is a gorge and that is quite deep here. But word ‘Viraat’ has two meanings. One is big or huge and the gorge here is really worth calling viraat. In that sense, name Viraatkhai seems quite logical. But actually the place Viraatkhai associates itself with king Viraat of Mahabharata, where Pandavas spent last year of their thirteen year exile anonymously. Either ways, located in Jaunsar-Bawar region of Garhwal, Viraatkhai is beautiful to the core and thoroughly adventurous place to be. Located on a pass at an altitude of 1950 mts overlooking Dehradun-Mussorie on one side and Himalayan peaks on other, Viraatkhai is so quiet that you can even hear yourself breathing until a strong wind blows p...
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