From Nature’s Trunk
Think east and think wildlife, the names that come to mind, naturally, are the two national parks Kaziranga and Manas. But where besides those two? In a word, Jaldapara. Situated some 125 km east of Siliguri, and just 7 km from the town of Madarihat
The rhino population is estimated at 35 and it is also home to tigers, elephants, various deer and of course a plethora of winged species. Jaldapara covers 114 sq km of forest area and is cut by the Torsa river. My husband, my mother and I began our excursion to Jaldapara one lazy afternoon in February from Binnaguri, about an hour away by road. The idea was to stay there for the night and take the early morning elephant safari into the forest. Boy were we all excited about the trip — it was the first time for us on elephant back and our first night inside a wildlife sanctuary!
Lush green grasslands and forest area welcomed us as we made our way to the Hollong Tourist Lodge, our place for the night. The entrance to the Lodge was itself very enticing as the archway was covered with the ‘golden shower’ creeper, from which flame-orange blooms were hanging low. The lodge is the only place to stay within the sanctuary and it also provides visitors with breakfast, lunch and dinner. A double room plus food comes for a modest Rs 500.
The lodge is made entirely of wood, with impressive lawns opening out into the forest. The rooms are very spacious and charming, complete with four-poster beds and wooden furniture. I felt as if I was back in the British era. The whole place had a very ‘English’ feel to it! The beauty of the lodge is that each room has wide windows on one side, opening out into the forest. We spent a good hour or so looking out into the forest, trying to spot some wild animals while sipping tea.
Right outside our window, the forest authorities had made two-three mounds of salt licks for the animals. I learnt there that wild animals do not get enough sodium in their diets out in the wild, therefore they are instinctively attracted to these salt licks to make up that deficit. The licks were strategically placed overlooking the windows of the lodge so that visitors could see animals approaching the salt licks. After all, they have every reason to be wary of humans — the most dangerous species of them all!
A stroll was in order so that we could breathe in the freshness of the place. We saw the elephants which were to take us on our safari the next day. We also saw a sight which looked out of place in the forest: leopards in cages kept outside the forest office. Then we learnt that they were all either injured or sick and would be returned to their environs after they recovered. The forest officials regularly make rounds and keep track of the health of animals within the sanctuary.
The rhino population is estimated at 35 and it is also home to tigers, elephants, various deer and of course a plethora of winged species. Jaldapara covers 114 sq km of forest area and is cut by the Torsa river. My husband, my mother and I began our excursion to Jaldapara one lazy afternoon in February from Binnaguri, about an hour away by road. The idea was to stay there for the night and take the early morning elephant safari into the forest. Boy were we all excited about the trip — it was the first time for us on elephant back and our first night inside a wildlife sanctuary!
Lush green grasslands and forest area welcomed us as we made our way to the Hollong Tourist Lodge, our place for the night. The entrance to the Lodge was itself very enticing as the archway was covered with the ‘golden shower’ creeper, from which flame-orange blooms were hanging low. The lodge is the only place to stay within the sanctuary and it also provides visitors with breakfast, lunch and dinner. A double room plus food comes for a modest Rs 500.
The lodge is made entirely of wood, with impressive lawns opening out into the forest. The rooms are very spacious and charming, complete with four-poster beds and wooden furniture. I felt as if I was back in the British era. The whole place had a very ‘English’ feel to it! The beauty of the lodge is that each room has wide windows on one side, opening out into the forest. We spent a good hour or so looking out into the forest, trying to spot some wild animals while sipping tea.
Right outside our window, the forest authorities had made two-three mounds of salt licks for the animals. I learnt there that wild animals do not get enough sodium in their diets out in the wild, therefore they are instinctively attracted to these salt licks to make up that deficit. The licks were strategically placed overlooking the windows of the lodge so that visitors could see animals approaching the salt licks. After all, they have every reason to be wary of humans — the most dangerous species of them all!
A stroll was in order so that we could breathe in the freshness of the place. We saw the elephants which were to take us on our safari the next day. We also saw a sight which looked out of place in the forest: leopards in cages kept outside the forest office. Then we learnt that they were all either injured or sick and would be returned to their environs after they recovered. The forest officials regularly make rounds and keep track of the health of animals within the sanctuary.
That night we took out our night-vision binoculars and proceeded to lie in wait the animals to appear. Thanks to those field glasses we could see herds of wild buffaloes and wild boars roaming around near the salt licks. The people from the next room had also come prepared with powerful flashlights to see the animals. That also helped us see them better.
Up bright and very early at5am , we were informed that the safari would begin at six. So it was a mad scramble to get ready and come out to see the elephants.
There were a couple of baby elephants walking amid them and they were a truly adorable sight! Each of us got an elephant to sit on; mine was Urvashi and her ‘calf’ followed us throughout the hour-long safari. Unfortunately for us it had rained heavily the previous night, therefore, the chance of spotting animals was reduced a great deal.
However, we kept our spirits up and scanned the forest like detectives scouting for clues! We saw a number of unusual birds flying around. Most of the birds were peacocks, calling out to each other at dawn with a rather peculiar sound: most unusual background music! We also spotted a ‘barking deer’ hidden among the trees but as our mahout steered the elephant in its direction, it ran off with such speed that I couldn not even take a photograph.
Wild buffalos and bison crossed our paths from time to time and the greenery around us also looked very exciting, with a thick undergrowth and tall trees covered with creepers. I visualized Tarzan swinging from them, if only the rest of us were so lucky! Towards the end of our elephant ride, I spotted a peacock perched in the branches right above us, and quickly clicked. The silhouette of the peacock was perfect!
An hour and the safari was up. As we reluctantly got down from our elephant, I decided to thank Urvashi by caressing her trunk. it felt strangely rough and scratchy — then I realised her proboscis was sprinkled with thick, prickly hair! As wev waved goodbye to each elephant, somewhere in my heart I felt Urvashi would remember us. One day I would love to go back and meet her and her baby again.
It had been a memorable and adventurous trip for all three of us. The atmosphere of serenity and calm, coupled with the quaintness of the lodge, make Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary a place worth visiting.
Up bright and very early at
There were a couple of baby elephants walking amid them and they were a truly adorable sight! Each of us got an elephant to sit on; mine was Urvashi and her ‘calf’ followed us throughout the hour-long safari. Unfortunately for us it had rained heavily the previous night, therefore, the chance of spotting animals was reduced a great deal.
However, we kept our spirits up and scanned the forest like detectives scouting for clues! We saw a number of unusual birds flying around. Most of the birds were peacocks, calling out to each other at dawn with a rather peculiar sound: most unusual background music! We also spotted a ‘barking deer’ hidden among the trees but as our mahout steered the elephant in its direction, it ran off with such speed that I couldn not even take a photograph.
Wild buffalos and bison crossed our paths from time to time and the greenery around us also looked very exciting, with a thick undergrowth and tall trees covered with creepers. I visualized Tarzan swinging from them, if only the rest of us were so lucky! Towards the end of our elephant ride, I spotted a peacock perched in the branches right above us, and quickly clicked. The silhouette of the peacock was perfect!
An hour and the safari was up. As we reluctantly got down from our elephant, I decided to thank Urvashi by caressing her trunk. it felt strangely rough and scratchy — then I realised her proboscis was sprinkled with thick, prickly hair! As wev waved goodbye to each elephant, somewhere in my heart I felt Urvashi would remember us. One day I would love to go back and meet her and her baby again.
It had been a memorable and adventurous trip for all three of us. The atmosphere of serenity and calm, coupled with the quaintness of the lodge, make Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary a place worth visiting.
Comments
Post a Comment