Holidays are synonymous with travel. And this season, let it be a dedication to all our pawed friends in the wild. If you love animals, this will be the icing on the cake.
Imagine the thrill of spotting a grizzly bear or a leopard on a branch. The sight of a lioness with her cubs or a tiger hunting its prey will be unforgettable. Here are three we have specially picked for you.
Home ground: Spotting tigers in Tadoba, Maharashtra
Tiger Trails
There’s nothing that can beat watching the tigers in their natural spaces. Wildlife safaris allow enthusiast to pick morning and afternoon slots to view these majestic creatures. Pench, Kanha, Corbett, Tadoba, Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh are few of the many places offering exclusive safaris. Book a canter or a jeep and keep your camera ready to enjoy this visual treat. Divided into zones each space offers these territorial tigers exclusivity. Blending in with them will be the barking deer, sambar deer, Leopard, Striped Hyena, Sloth Bear, Crocodile, spotted deer, Chital and Nilgai. Summer also happens to the pick of the season for spotting as animals love to stay cool and are invariably found near the water holes.
NATURALLY PHENOMENAL: The Wildbeest in Africa. Photo: AP
Join the migration
You must have been to a movie theatre where every sound is amplified. How would this be in reality. If you happen to visit the plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania to the grasslands of the Masai Mara, Kenya all you will be able to hear will be the thundering noise in the ground below as millions of hooves take on their annual journey. Herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles fill the plains as they embark on their 1000 km circular trek in search of seasonal pasture and water. This migration is a struggle for survival and a natural spectacle as you watch the greatest mass movement of land mammals. Needless to say, the migrating herds also attract the attention the renowned predators from the big cats, crocodiles, and the hyenas who remain on prowl round the clock. Open jeep safaris with two timings to choose from are the best way to view these animals.
Grow horns
Surely you have seen many of the one-horned rhinos on the television or online. Imagine the sight when you spot this 1500 kg of brown grey majestic animal. Kaziranga is a vast expanse of 430 square km of tall elephant grass, a marshland and the presence of the Brahmaputra river makes this place look enigmatic. Home to more than 2200 one-horned rhinoceros, it was formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India - Lord Curzon of Kedleston. During her visit to the park to see Indian one-horned rhinoceros; she wasn’t able to found even one and she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect them. A jeep safari or an Elephant safari can help you spot other animals as the park is the breeding ground of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer and tigers.
Visit www.youngworldclub.com/wildlife for an interactive version.
