Poet Bhawani Prasad Mishra described the Satpura forests as dense but sleepy. I think I agree with him, the forests are sleepy. Full of vines and spiders but today maybe there are not as many tigers as he saw.
Earlier this month, we were invited by Pugdundee Safaris to stay at their lovely Denwa Backwater Escape resort. On the banks of Denwa River, across which lies the Satpura National Park. For 3 days we shuttled between the resort and the forest. Crossing the backwaters of Denwa and exploring it in various ways – each with a uniqueness of its own. So let me share this Safari Menu that we savored at this national park.
5 Ways to Explore Satpura National Park
Jeep Safari
Now, this is a standard way to explore national parks. A forest guard takes you in a Jeep along a defined path in the core forest area with the hope to spot animals in their natural habitat. We took two Jeep Safaris – one in the morning that starts around 6:30 AM and another that starts around 4:00 PM. Times may differ a bit depending on the time of your visit. A group in the resort had spotted a leopard and a sloth bear. That kind of raised our hopes of spotting these, animals. And once we did come close as we heard the calls of deer and monkeys. Well, you need loads of luck and perfect timing to spot big animals like tigers, bears, and leopards.
We did not see any of them but we did see loads of Indian Gaur and Sambar Deer – doing all kinds of activities. Saw langurs, monkeys, and herds of spotted deer. Spotted many birds in the forests and they were the ones who tempted us to go back to the forest again and again. The biggest discovery of Satpura forests was the giant spiders. And their webs that joined the tall trees together. It appeared as if they are trying to weave a cover on top of the trees. Ghost trees with their peeled-off skin shined in the moonlight as other trees merge into the darkness.
Walking Safari
There are walking trails designed on the periphery of the core area where you are allowed to walk around. Once you buy a ticket, a forest guard is sent along with you to take you to the trail. He helps you spot birds, spiders, butterflies, and animals. He also acquainted us with various plants and trees that happen in this region. And cautioned us against the plants that we should be careful with. We passed through the tall grass, through thorny plants. And through some plants that just wove their straws into our clothes that kept pricking us all the way. Our alert guide spotted a few camouflaged species like lizards. Children below the age of 14 are not allowed on this trail. Wear comfortable clothes that cover you as much as possible as a lot of plants tend to stick to you and your clothes.
Boat Safari at the backwaters of Satpura
This is essentially a boat ride for an hour or so in the backwaters of Denwa River. Where you see small islands that are the perfect habitat for birds. On this boat ride, the dense green forests on all sides surround you including the core area of the forest. It’s the flight of birds that would hold your eyes, though. Birds flying alone, flying in pairs, and flying in groups is a sight to see. Especially if you take this boat safari in the afternoon when you also get to see the sun setting into the waters. The day we were there, the sun gave saffron and blue color to the waters. I do not think I have it in me to describe that scene. You have to be there to feel it and soak it in – the sheer play of colors by nature.
Night Jeep Safari
This is the scary one – you go in an open jeep in the pitch dark. And use the searchlights to spot the animals. This safari is done on the bank of the river and is usually organized by the resorts themselves. With their naturalists guiding you in spotting nocturnal animals. We were told to look for shining eyes as that is the only way to spot animals. This means you have to be extra lucky for not only do you have to be in the vicinity of the animals, but they should also be looking at you too. We spotted a few Indian Hare running around, to begin with, and then we got lucky.
We saw two sloth bears first and then one of them crossed the road just in front of our vehicle. It made our day or rather our trip. After this spotting, some night birds like Indian Night Jar were like icing on the cake.
Birding Trail
To catch the birds it is best to walk and if possible not in groups. We walked around the water bodies around our resort. And spotted many birds like woodpeckers, Indian Rollers, Parakeets, and some colorful ducks around the ponds. The best time to do these trails is around sunrise and sunset. On this trail, while my better half was busy shooting birds, I said hello to many medicinal plants that grow in this area. There is an abundance of the Ebony tree whose leaves are used to roll Beedis. And this is a major source of revenue from these forests. Ghiria tree has multiple uses – its leaves are used as a mosquito repellent and antiseptic. Its wood is used for making the plows as it is light in weight but has amazing strength.
Wood from the Rimjha tree is used to make cartwheels, as it does not wear off easily. There was Jungli Tulsi or wild basil which is also used for medicinal purposes by the locals.
Apart from these, there is also an option of doing an Elephant Safari where you explore the jungle from the height of an elephant’s back. There is Village Safari that I thought would be more relevant for non-Indian visitors.
We will share more pictures of the flora and fauna that we saw here as part of our Sunday Shot series.
Recommend you to read the following blog posts on Madhya Pradesh Tourist Places to visit on my Travel Blog.
Collarwali Tigress – Queen of Pench National Park
Meeting Munna – Rock Star Tiger at Kanha National Park
As usual I rarely read post but yes, I like photos and spider photo remind about a photo I clicked few weeks ago but that was black one and photo almost similar.
Yellow spider – a new color for sure and beautiful photo.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading Tushar Ji
Sounds like a lovely place. Nice read.
It is really an awesome post. Thank you for sharing it with us.