The knotted black bundle under our feet heaves rhythmically as the occupant seems resigned to his fate of being trapped in a bag.  But then, every now and then, our vehicle hits a bump causing the bag to jerk and twitch. We hold our breath, …

Jamnagar seems an unlikely location for a bird sanctuary or a marine national park.  The capital of a former princely state known as Nawanagar, Jamnagar is located in the Gulf of Kutch, an arid belt abutted by the Arabian Sea.  Virtually untouched by British architectural …

The baby elephant comes bounding towards us and thrusts her trunk at us.  Flattered by this unexpected attention, we stroke her trunk tentatively and pat her prickly back, but she pushes our hands away and nuzzles again and again.  We are both amused and perplexed. …

I haven’t had much luck with tiger-spotting although I have visited quite a few tiger sanctuaries in the country. My five visits to Jim Corbett over a period of 25 years yielded nothing more than wild elephants, deer and mynahs. But Kanha was so close …

This is one wild life safari that begins long before you reach the jungle, all the more thrilling because you never expected it! Provided you travel at the right time of the year – between October and December. As you drive from Dwaraka to Somnath, …

The ever-effusive Google, god of instant gratification for impulsive travellers and armchair researchers,  is stumped for sites when I query for Gahirmatha.  All I get is sketchy Wikipedia and repetitive sales spiel by tour operators whereas  what I am looking for is specific information on …

Kapuas may not be as well-known as Kaveri but is as wide and impressive.  Its delta is a tangle of tributaries each as wide as the parent river itself and sprawling over several kilometres. At 1143 kilometers, Kapuas is the longest and biggest river on …

Bharatpur is literally in my backyard – a mere three-hour drive from home. Which is why we end up going there every now and then. It is pure bliss to stay inside the park and take the dawn rickshaw ride to spot the early birds. …

Time stood still. The setting sun sent slanting shafts of golden light onto the forest floor, strobe-lighting the dance of the dust mites.  Nary a ripple on the surface of the pond. Even the chirping birds seemed to have fallen silent, as if in deference …