The goal was to travel onwards on weekend, return on the following weekend with a leisurely visit to some wildlife sanctuary in between.
BHPian abirnale recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Some wise soul said this: there is no such thing as work-life balance. You only need to navigate between work and life!
I was scheduled to visit Chattisgarh, steel town – Bhilai for work. There was initially no option for travel by road but with some effort, I made that as an option! And the rest was all easy!
The goal was to travel onwards on weekend, return on the following weekend with a leisurely visit to some wildlife sanctuary in between. Kanha being farther away from the route was ruled out – Tadoba and tipeshwar were two easier options to choose. We been to Tadoba earlier this year, hence picked Tipeshwar as my choice.
The parks typically open on Oct 1st and the online bookings for Oct 15 onwards are preferred. This year, for Tipeshwar, MahaForest website opened up on Oct 3rd itself! A trusted contact at https://safaribuff.in/got me two safaris at Tipeshwar for Sunday! Tipeshwar is located on the boundary of Telangana and Maharashtra. Its a relatively smaller sanctuary and has good number of tigers. Tipeshwar is famous for being the home of tigress Avani, on whom the Vidya Balan starrer ‘Sherni’ was loosely based.
Alright, here is the summary of all you need to know about Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary and planning a trip for Safari there:
About the TWLS: https://www.tipeshwarswildlife.com/ [This is not an official website]
There are two gates: Mathani and Sunna. Sunna is closest to the NH44 – just about 2 kms from highway. In the Sunna village, there are some Farmstays, Resorts as well as homestays. The nearest town to seek stay options would be Pandharkawada.
Booking Safari online is cheaper than offline. The offline Safari’s are subject to availability and requires you to carry your IDs, fill a physical form and submit along with cash. The online website to book Safari for any WLS in MH is: https://safaribooking.mahaforest.gov…booking/index/
There is a regular booking and there is a Tatkal booking at some cost. Booking includes everything – permits, guide, gypsy. You only need to pay for the Camera at the time of entry. Mobiles are not allowed to be used in the park.
The farm-stay I was booked into by the Safaribuff was Junglee Bageecha – https://maps.app.goo.gl/eW8KtcP7qk1vM9h79 This place has about three or four spacious rooms with AC and Geyser. They have generator backup too. The property has a nice open area and sit-outs, hammock/ hanging chairs and chairs outside two rooms. Its fun watching the birds in the property. Food is good and service is descent.
Below are some specific details that might be of interest to readers:
Here is the summary video of all sightings:
https://youtu.be/O_yH2er2UcQ?feature=shared
I did two safaris in total – Sunday morning and evening. The morning Safari was eventful while the evening was super dry! So essentially this trip is quick and easy to sum up in next post along with pictures.
Continue reading BHPian abirnale’s post for more insights and information.
