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Indian Adventure 14

Simon from WILDFOOT spent part of his summer enjoying an Indian wildlife special holiday, documenting his journey throughout so that you could find out more about it on the WILDFOOT blog. Today, Simon travels to Guwahati and takes in the sights of the Kaziranga National Park.

Part 14

As the team here at WILDFOOT always endeavours to be a little different with its itineraries, I fly from Delhi to Guwahati, which is the largest city of Assam. The journey is short and comfortable and a similar distance to that between London and Rome.

Kaziranga National Park is too unique to miss out on. I take a diversion to this interesting, diverse region covering some of the world’s most important grasslands and the monsoon flood area of the Brahmaputra River.

The river is one of the world’s longest and most important to the environment and the surrounding natural world. This park is also home to two-thirds of the world’s endemic one-horned rhinoceros.

You will also sight wild elephant on safari plus many other species in this National Park. Birding is amazing by the way. Tigers are prevalent but because of the foliage, very difficult to see so don’t come here hoping for big cat sightings. This region is known for its tea and you will see miles of tea plantation as you travel to the national park.

While this poor animal is poached for Chinese meditational reasons, numbers are increasing despite a huge 48 lost to poachers in 2014. In the last two years, the Indian government has pulled out the stops with 24/7 park guards shooting to kill anyone who will risk their lives for a piece of horn, which most people know to be of no medicinal use whatsoever.

A guard with a loaded gun is always sent out with each jeep, which is apparently for our safety and to protect from potential attacks, as well as for the general security of the park.

Next time, Simon continues his adventure in the Kaziranga National Park and spots some exotic birds. If you would like to start your own wildlife adventure in India, contact the luxury travel agents at WILDFOOT today. With a range of exclusive destinations and itineraries, we can offer a unique travel opportunity that allows you to make memories and explore some of the world’s most beautiful natural surroundings.

Indian Adventure 13

WILDFOOT’s Simon spent time on an Indian wildlife adventure earlier this year and documented his journey for you to peruse on the WILDFOOT blog. Today, Simon travels to the Tiger Den and finds out more about the predatory nature of local tigers and leopards.

Part 13

This is my last day in Ranthambore and I’ve had excellent sightings of Tigers, one leopard and many other wildlife and birding species. It’s been an amazing visit.

Tigers and leopards are seen on many occasions in this area. After the staff finish their shifts at 10:30pm, the tigers and leopards are known to sit on the walls or in the trees and climb over the eight-foot wall of the park to get into the village.

These predators are driven in by the various free-roaming animals that are readily available in the town – the roaming cattle, pigs and dogs are all easy pickings.

These regular visitors are all well and good for a tourist, but their visits can also end in human deaths. Last month, a local lady was killed by a leopard and in 2012, a young boy was killed just off the road by a tiger that he disturbed at six in the morning.

Leopards are more likely to stalk a human, while tigers will only attack if they are provoked. It’s clearly not the big cats’ faults, as nature dictates, but those that do kill humans are captured and taken to a zoo so that other human lives are spared.

The forestry commission has decided to take action against the predators, and is creating a wildlife corridor, known as the Keladevi wildlife corridor, within the next six years. Driven by these incidents and the death of Hash Vardan, who was one of India’s best-known and most influential wildlife campaigners, it is hoped that an additional wildlife park will bring the whole area to over 1,000 square kilometres and make the surrounding areas safer for residents and tourists.

This solution will provide comfort for the next decade, and it will be interesting to see how it is implemented in the coming years. The Indian government wheels turn slowly, but it is better late than never.

Next time, Simon travels to Guwahati and takes in the Brahmaputra River. If you would like to start your own Indian wildlife adventure, get in touch with a luxury travel company like WILDFOOT today. We’re on hand throughout the week to answer your questions and put together an itinerary that works for you and your family.

Indian Adventure 12

Simon from WILDFOOT enjoyed an Indian wildlife adventure this summer and documented his travels for you to peruse on the WILDFOOT blog. Today, Simon spots a tiger in the Ranthambore National Park.

Part 12

Very exciting morning as it is my first Tiger Safari across the Ranthambore National Park in search of a tiger. After a short time driving across the beautiful landscape, we spot a tiger just 30 metres away from our truck, giving me an excellent opportunity to take some photographs for my friends and family.

The Ranthambore National Park covers approximately 400 square kilometres and offers 10 different safari routes. This is particularly useful for those who want to explore different aspects of the park, or who want to try their luck at spotting some of the wide variety of wildlife on offer.

The Forestry Commission highly protects the area, and one of its responsibilities is to ensure that routes take an equal amount of safaris using six-person jeeps and larger vehicles called canters, which carry around 18 persons.

WILDFOOT recommends that you take a jeep option over the canter options in every case. Although a jeep costs more, it offers increased opportunities for wildlife observations. WILDFOOT pre-books these excursions, so don’t for one minute expect to turn up and book on the day. Instead, make sure that you plan way in advance.

Due to the success of the immense tiger protection over the last few years and vertically zero poaching, there are now close to 65 tigers across the National Park, which is up from just 26 in 2007. The Park may sound like a large enough space at 400 square kilometres, but the territories are aggressively fought over by tigers, so jeep safaris are meticulously planned to avoid getting caught up in the action.

Great success has brought a problem of sorts – a natural one of tiger territory. The tigers are pushing out because of territorial issues with each other into villages, farms and settlements, so it will be fascinating to see what happens in the coming years as tiger numbers continue to increase.

In his next update, Simon will discover more about the tigers and leopards that reside within the Ranthambore National Park. To find out more about taking part in your own Indian wildlife venture, don’t hesitate to contact the luxury travel agents at WILDFOOT today.

Indian Adventure 11

This year, WILDFOOT’s Simon spent time in India, documenting his wildlife journey throughout. We are serialising Simon’s travels on the WILDFOOT blog. In his latest update, Simon arrives at Ranthambore to begin a three-day mini-adventure.

Part 11

The Ranthambore National Park is world-renowned for being a place where one can observe the tiger in its natural habitat. Only four hours away from Agra and about the same from Delhi, I don’t understand why anybody would miss out on this wonderful region when enjoying a wildlife holiday in India.

It is only a 10-minute ride from the train station to our lodge, which is called The Tiger Den Ranthambore. The accommodation is a good 3.5 stars in quality, but the location is peaceful and far enough out of the town to be a haven for good birding opportunities around the property.

There’s a pool, large attractive lawns and rose gardens here. The staff are very helpful and friendly and Patrick, the hotel manager, is amusing, friendly and runs a tight ship. All of the food is served buffet-style, and there is a delicious range of options from which to choose.

The view of the landscape from our accommodation is magnificent. The area offers a diverse range of terrains, from flat deserts to large red hills, which are some of the oldest in the world.

Diverse, too, are the wildlife offerings. Most visitors travel to Ranthambore exclusively in hope of spotting a tiger, but it would be a lost opportunity not to embrace the other rich wildlife and reptile opportunities. Leopards, sloth bears, hyenas, wolves, mongoose, porcupines, spotted deer, sambar deer, langur monkeys, wild boar and crocodiles can all be spotted – not to mention various species of snake and lizard, which are very hard to find most of the time.

Bird species number up to 230, so visiting Ranthambore is essential for any keen birder. The travel experts at WILDFOOT recommend at least three or four nights in Ranthambore, so I decide to spend three days here exploring everything that the area has to offer.

In his next update, Simon will explore the Ranthambore National Park in search of a tiger. If you would like to find out more about enjoying your own Indian adventure, get in touch with the travel experts at WILDFOOT today.

Forest Adventure Brazil 11

Wildfoot’s Sara spent time on a wildlife viewing Brazilian adventure last summer and kept a journal throughout her trip. On this blog, we’re documenting her journey day-by-day. Today, Sara spots an armadillo.

Day 11

As I open my bedroom door, I am greeted by a sea of birds. Each morning, the staff throw some rice flour down in the courtyard that attracts all sorts of birdlife, including choco chachalacs, bare faced curassows, yellow-billed and red-crested cardinals, baywings, purplish jays and even a stunning orange-backed troupial, so this place really is a birder’s paradise!

I head back into my room and grab my camera, and although I would never describe myself as a hardcore birder, you cannot fail to be impressed by this dazzling display and it’s not long before I fill yet another memory card!

I am finally dragged away with the threat of missing breakfast as our boat driver is already waiting. A jaguar was spotted late last night on the bank not far from the lodge and the driver thinks it might still be in close proximity, so we decide to go and take a look.

We scour the banks for a couple of hours, but it’s not meant to be and none of my favourite big pussy cats are to be seen or heard today, so we call it a day and head back out onto the Transpantaneira and make our way to Pousa Alegre, which is home for our last couple of days.

Despite feeling more like an active cattle ranch than a tourist lodge, Pousa Alegre features on most wildlife itineraries of the Pantanal, because it has a reputation for great tapir and giant anteater sightings.

Although there is no forest or river immediately accessible from the lodge, there is still lots of bird and mammal life to see and on arrival, I am encouraged to head out to a hide on one of its small watering holes as plenty has been spotted here in the last couple of days.

Despite being incredibly warm, we settle in at the hide and bide our time. As always with wildlife, a little bit of patience goes a long way, and we start to notice a steady stream of creatures coming to the water’s edge to quench their thirst, including agoutis, coatimund, peccaries and deer, all unperturbed by our presence.

However, once again it is the bird life that really steals the show with some lovely sightings of a pair of chestnut-bellied guans, a little group of sunbitterns, a chestnut-eared aracari and a greater antistrike among many more.

At sundown, we finally make it to the lodge itself and check in, although my stay here is brief, and no sooner have we finished dinner than we get back into our open-sided safari vehicle for one last night drive.

Although in my heart I am a little bit disappointed that the giant anteater once again eludes me, this is made up threefold by good sightings of two tapirs, several crab eating foxes and unbelievably, an armadillo, which is undoubtedly the most prehistoric creature I’ve ever seen.

I begin to realise how lucky I am when Jose, who has guided in the Pantanal for almost two decades, declares this is also the first armadillo he has ever seen, and unlike the puma earlier in the trip, it allowed me enough time to get some photos of it.

All in all, it was a very successful night drive, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for me tomorrow!

Forest Adventure Brazil 10

Last summer, Sara from Wildfoot spent time on a wildlife viewing holiday in Brazil. As part of the Wildfoot blog, Sara has been documenting her journey for all to read. Today, she ticks off yet another rare species from her wish list and spends time with a family of friendly otters.

Day 10

This morning could almost be described as a lie-in, as I eat my breakfast at 6am before starting my activities an hour later.

I embark on a gentle horse ride that is very relaxing, and while navigating the long grass, I catch a glimpse of a red brocket deer and agoutis, which is a large rodent. Another option here is fishing for piranha from small kayaks.

We enjoy a fabulous lunch and have a leisurely boat ride in the afternoon, spending some time with a friendly family of giant river otters, as well as a small troupe of capuchin monkeys, which are busy feasting on fruit high up in the trees.

At sundown, the river comes alive with hundreds of roosting egrets and cormorants lining the banks, while a constant stream of noisy parrots flies overhead.

After yet another superb dinner, I force myself to stay awake and head out for a night time safari drive. With lots of good sightings being made the night before by other guests at my accommodation, I am feeling hopeful!

It’s not long before we get our first sight of a tapir, one of Brazil’s ‘Big Five’. It’s certainly a peculiar looking creature!

We also spot a couple of crab-eating foxes frolicking in the undergrowth and a family of white-nosed coatimundi, so I can go to bed with the knowledge that I have ticked off a couple more species on my wish list today!

Forest Adventure Brazil 9

After spending last summer on a wildlife viewing Brazilian adventure, Sara from Wildfoot is documenting her experiences on our blog. Today, Sara travels to Pantanal and spots a young ocelot.

Day 9

Today we’re on the move again, and this time, our destination is one of the most renowned eco lodges in the Pantanal, situated approximately halfway between Porto Jofre and Cuiaba.

However, there is still time for two more jaguar sightings in the morning, as a 20-minute boat transfer to dock quickly becomes three hours of jaguar viewing!

We meet two female jaguars named Patricia and Iris. Patricia we had seen previously, but Iris is a new one for the tally and is beautifully positioned in an open area. She seems completely at ease despite there being almost 20 boats jostling for a good view and allows each and every one of us to fill our memory cards with photos before finally retreating into the undergrowth, a great sighting to end with.

Once more, we are on our way to the dock where I am met by Bronco, who is going to take me on the next leg of the journey, which is a three-hour drive along the Transpantaneira to Southwild Pantanal Lodge.

The eco lodge was once a traditional cattle ranch comprising 3,500 hectares of flooded lands at the end of the Pixaim River, but today it is regarded as giving one of the best wildlife experiences anywhere in Brazil.

On arrival, I quickly notice it has not lost its original, rustic ranch charm, whether in terms of the physical building structure or its staff, with all of the guys donning cowboy hats. Before arriving, I had heard rumours that the food was some of the best to be found anywhere in the region, and lunch certainly doesn’t disappoint.

In the afternoon, I opt for a bit of a walking safari, which was perhaps in a bid to ease the guilt of having second helpings at lunch! We start with a visit to the observation tower, which has been carefully positioned next to a jabiru stork nest that has been used for the past decade. On reaching the top, it becomes clear that there are five very small chicks in it. It’s really interesting to see the interaction between the two parents and their chicks at close quarters, watching them take it in turn to gather food for the waiting hungry mouths.

Although I could sit and watch this family of storks all day I drag myself away to go on a night walk, which proves to be a very good decision as we strike lucky spotting a beautiful young female ocelot. Although I came to Brazil with high expectations of seeing jaguars, not for one moment did I expect to see one of these highly elusive nocturnal small cats, so it is a real bonus!

Pleased by this unexpected success, we return for a delicious dinner. The food at Santa Tereza is really some of the very best the Pantanal has to offer!

Forest Adventure Brazil 8

Sara from Wildfoot spent last summer taking part in a wildlife viewing Brazilian adventure and logged her activities throughout the trip. For your enjoyment, we’ve been serialising her progress on the Wildfoot blog. Today, Sara moves to a floating hotel, spots yet another jaguar and spends time with local fishermen.

Day 8

This morning, I am transferring from Porte Jofre to Southwild Flotel, so I say goodbye to Nelson and Wilson and thank them for their great hospitality before heading off by boat.

After a short ride, I am met by Layra and Jose, who are going to look after me for the next five days, and head out for a morning boat ride.

Layra is busy telling me how wonderful the area is and how regular sightings have become when, lo and behold, we get a call over radio to say another jaguar has been spotted. I am beginning to understand why this region has been aptly nicknamed the Jaguar Zone!

Luckily for me Selema, as she’s been named by researchers, is not camera shy, and she walks along the bank for 40 minutes, giving me my best sighting and photos of the trip so far. Combined with the haunting cry of howler monkeys in the distance, I am in wildlife heaven!

After the excitement has subsided, we head back to the Flotel to check in and have some lunch. The Flotel is made up of a couple of floating buildings, one containing 12 suites and the other with 10 rooms, a restaurant and a presentation room, all of which are finished to a very high standard.

After a tasty bite to eat, we head back out on the water in the opposite direction to visit a local fishing lodge that is known for its great birdlife and frequently visiting Brazilian tapir. The birdlife is plain to see on arrival, with wonderful sights of hyacinth macaws, a chestnut mandibled toucan and a short-eared owl within the first few minutes of arriving.

The fishermen kindly invite us to join them for dinner, which is of course the Catch of the Day. Nothing quite beats freshly caught fish cooked on an open wood fire!

They use this time to tell us of their adventures on the river from days gone by, with one even laying claim to seeing the extremely rare black jaguar only a day or so ago while out fishing. We bide our time listening and hoping, but in vain on this occasion, as wildlife will never be predictable. Finally, we take the boat back to the Flotel at 11pm, well past my bed time!

Forest Adventure Brazil 7

Last summer, Sara from Wildfoot took part in an incredible wildlife-spotting trip to Brazil, recording every step of her journey for you to read. We have been sharing her daily journal entries on the Wildfoot blog. Today, Sara spots a jaguar and some giant river otters.

Day 7

Inspired by yesterday’s action, this morning I’m waiting for the boat, ready to leave not long after 5:30 am. It’s much to Wilson’s amazement, but I know that the morning is our best chance of spotting an elusive cat while it’s still cool, and I don’t want to waste a minute.

We’ve been on the water for a couple of hours, without seeing anything of real note, when Wilson suddenly grinds to a halt. There is nothing obvious to be seen, but I nonetheless raise my binoculars and scour the banks for movement – I am a true explorer, now!

After around 10 minutes of seeing nothing, Wilson retreats to his seat and starts the engine, but suddenly out of the corner of my eye I spot a movement, and find a jaguar!

It’s one of those moments when you think you are hallucinating, and from nowhere a beautiful female jaguar was standing only a few metres away from our boat, looking directly at us… it was absolutely mesmerising!

This is the first time I get a chance to really appreciate the true prowess and beauty of these incredible creatures, and I quickly realise I am witnessing something very special.

We spend around half an hour watching this graceful feline walk along the river bank, dipping out of view now and again to navigate the dense jungle, before it finally makes a turn and dissolves into the undergrowth.

This is a moment I will treasure forever, and it was made even better by the fact I didn’t have to share it with a sea of other people… in fact, only two other boats were close by before the jaguar called time on her private showing. We have another sighting a short while later, but just like yesterday, this cat has settled in for the day and is barely in view.

Without spotting another jaguar during the afternoon, we decide to spend some quality time with a family of giant river otters that are known to be nurturing some very small pups. The family is in a playful mood and seems very inquisitive as to our presence. They’re anything but camera shy and seem to be happy for me to snap away at them for well over an hour.

Inevitably, my evening is spent trying to sort through the several hundred photographs I have taken today, which will serve as reminders of my fantastic Brazilian trip.

Forest Adventure Brazil 6

Last summer, Wildfoot’s Sara embarked on an incredible wildlife-spotting trip to Brazil, recording the highlights of her holiday for your enjoyment. We have been sharing her daily journal entries on the Wildfoot blog. Today, Sara goes jaguar spotting, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Day 6

Today is serious! We have a fast speed boat for the whole day and a local guide named Wilson. And we have one thing in common – jaguar spotting!

The Pantanal, which means swamp or marsh in Portuguese, is the largest continental wetland in the world and is simply beautiful. I can think of nothing I’d rather be doing than cruising its maze of channels, under a perfect blue sky, in search of one of the most charismatic creatures to grace the New World.

In the wet season, 80% of the Pantanal floods, with water levels rising as high as three metres, but we are visiting in the dry season when water levels are significantly lower, causing the wildlife to congregate on the river edge and making sightings much more likely.

Lodge researchers have documented many jaguars to be living in close vicinity of Porto Jofre and are so confident that we will strike lucky, that some of the lodges have started offering a ‘money back guarantee’ if we don’t see one, which gives me great hope for the days ahead.

Luckily we do not have to wait too long before Wilson gets a call on the radio and, despite the linguistic challenge, we know immediately a jaguar has been spotted. It turns out to be a mother with an elderly cub!

I can’t believe my luck! We have been on the water no more than a couple of hours, and we don’t have one, but two of these beautiful creatures in front of us!

We spend some time with them before they decide to settle down behind some dense foliage for the day, somewhat obstructing our view, so we decide to try our luck by venturing downstream a bit further.

The wildlife is everywhere, caiman at every turn, heron and kingfishers bombing the water, capybara looking nervous in and out of the water. We even catch sight of a troupe of black howler monkeys and a very timid red brocket, a not-so-common deer species.

Just as we’re going to call it lunch, we get a message over the radio that another jaguar has been spotted. Once again, the jaguar has decided to seek shade from the blistering midday sun in some long grass so the view isn’t great, but I’m not ungrateful after seeing three in the same morning.

We spend the rest of the afternoon flipping between the two sightings in case either has decided to spring into action, but it’s not to be. We finally call it a day as the sun sets around us and head back to the lodge for a few Caipirinhas to celebrate. What a day!

Tag: wildlife

WILDFOOT Wildlife & Adventure Specialist