Satpura National Park

I have seen tigers before - in Ranthambore National Park as well as at Kanha and Bandhavgarh. But wonderful though it was to see these majestic creatures I wondered what it would be like away from all the other jeeps or cantors in Ranthambore. Was it becoming more like a zoo?

So it was with interest that I read about a National Park where you could experience “a real wildlife experience”. What did it mean – particularly as it went on to say that if your idea of a vacation is to lounge comfortably with a glass of wine and cheese at hand with no insects about then this is not for you. I love tigers with comfort – especially enjoyed that in Taj Camps at Kanha and Bandhavgarh though the latter was not as sumptuously luxurious as Kanha. All I wanted was to experience the viewing of tiger in a more natural setting with fewer jeeps around. And not forgo too much of the comfort.
But in search of tigers in the true wilderness I was willing to give it a try. The place was Satpura National Park – Reni Pani Jungle Lodge in Madhya Pradesh – about middle of India with Bhopal as the nearest airport. There are trains from Delhi which get you even closer to the Park.

My first impression of the lodge, after a three hour drive from Bhopal, was that they had been understating it. Reni Pani Jungle lodge was more than comfortable – on the verge of luxury but in a eco friendly way. It blended with its surroundings but with its own pool to cool down in and superbly comfortable and plush lodges – each with its own butler to look after you. The outdoor shower had all the privacy needed but with views of the jungle. Nobody need have any fear of discomfort; on the contrary I would rate this as a luxury eco lodge spread over 30 acres. So having the comfort sorted out (but I will come back to it) I was keen to explore the park for true wilderness – after all that is why I had come here.

The first surprise was that I was not just limited to the jeep; I could instead use a boat, an elephant or even walk to explore the jungle. Apparently I could even use a cycle or a horse. Getting to the Park entrance, accompanied by the resident naturalist, was easy. A boat ride across the river and we were ready. I chose jeep on the first excursion so that I could get a feel of as much of the park as possible but on the other days I also walked and “took” the elephant. The park nestles under the low hills of Satpura etched against the sky.

We saw a leopard, sloth bears, gaur, wild dogs, deer of many variety and even greater variety of monkeys amongst the many animals in the jungle. Seeing a leopard stalk a noisy Langur monkey was the highlight or was it the gaur, the world’s largest wild ox that we met on our walk – a huge wild eyed creature that looked permanently bad tempered? I am not a bird watching enthusiast but amongst the many types my personal favourite were the Malabar pied hornbills flying across the sky. Indeed this is probably one of the best parks for bird watching. The sweet flowers of the Mahua tree ferment on falling so act as the local reservoir of hooch for the birds and bears. It’s not unusual to see drunk bears sleeping off the drink – never found out if they get a hangover!

There were many highlights including seeing a pack of wild dogs trotting down the trail on an expedition to hunt for the food. We never did see the tiger though we walked along its trail for a long while. A truly enchanting National Park still as it would have been in the days of Kipling – had he visited this one. A true wilderness meeting all my expectations of a proper jungle safari.

A swim at the campsite and back to my cottage to change for the sundowners and the dinner. I remembered the advice of not to stroll out in the dark as the camp is after all inside the jungle. But the butler was there to accompany me to the ever changing sites round the site for drinks and the dinner. I had to try the mahua martini. It was wonderful and I could understand why the bears were so fond of eating the fermented flowers of the mahua tree. The food was excellent – most of it sourced from the local village and totally organic. The staff too were from the village and it was nice to feel that at last there was something that was benefiting the local community and at the same time having a respect for the wilderness.

If you want to see a wildlife park in its natural state, to be able to walk it, to see and feel how a forest would have been in the days before us tourists then Satpura National Park is for you. An ideal romantic holiday in the great outdoors with luxury thrown in. Better do it now before it is “discovered”. I shall be going back to Reni Pani – after all I didn’t actually see the tiger and I do want to see it in its natural world – not half zoo like other parks. Which of course makes the sightings more difficult but why should it be easy! Satpura has as many tigers as Ranthambore and I am anxious that they remain shy of us humans. And I want to meet up again with the friendly, most hospitable people at Reni Pani. A truly enchanting experience.

There is also another lodge at Satpura – the Forsyth Lodge. It is a year or so older than the Reni Pani but it is also very good and luxurious. I preferred Reni Pani as the cottages are more spread out and you get a greater feeling of living in the wild. Both are fighters for the environment. I arranged my trip through Chillout365 www.chillout365.com