We had booked a couple of days at a game park and were eager to explore the tiger reserves of India now that we were living here but we had heard how notoriously difficult it was to spot them. So with lowered expectations and a bird book we began our first jungle safari in Panna. We were the only vehicle on the road for our entire time there. We saw antelopes, Sambar and Nagai a form of deer, spotted deer, always reminiscent of Bambi and crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of a lovely wide river, the Ken.
The birds were everywhere, plum headed parakeets shrieking and swooping, the jungle babblers the Egyptian vultures, the red headed vulture, a grey headed fish eagle, the white eyed buzzard, the Indian darter and jays, the Indian roller and lots more.
Shree was out naturalist and he was lovely. Round face, small moustache, chubby and smiley he was full of did we know stories – did we know that the jungle cat had a very short tail, that the beeb tree produced berries that some of the animals ate.
The chalets presently seven, are soon to be twelve. Each is built in a corner of the grounds secluded from the others. The rooms are the work of Interior designer Christopher Brown, who is known for a lot of his work in South Africa. The attention to detail is truly impressive. A gazebo with flowing curtains and cushions where you can lounge like a maharaja or maharani, a full window of the world from your bed, cushions everywhere, a mini bar in leather, a gym, neatly folded away in your desk, reading lamps that enable you to read. Good lighting a rarity in this country of light.
Lovely leather accessories with the finest finishes. A handwritten card of welcome. Each chalet has a story to it and its name is inscribed in the paving stone at the entrance. A telephone from days gone by which gives you instant service all the time. A bathroom to die for, individual sinks, a rainfall shower in the middle of the room, bathrobes and every conceivable product you might need to use, including insect repellant and torches. They have thought of it all. The food an eclectic mix of nouvelle and Indian.Delicious.
On our last day we stopped to watch a troupe of monkeys. Then we heard Sambar alarm calls and soon watched them running scared. There was definitely something there and we waited almost catching our breath in anticipation of what we were going to see.
Shree thought it might be leopard and that was good enough for us but there she was in her glory a fully grown tigress emerging from the undergrowth and then doing the unthinkable which is walk right in front of the jeep. No straining to see her, no long grass to block our vision but there turning her head as if to greet us and then striding on she was a vision of beauty larger then life. Not just memorable. Unforgettable.
