Two tigers in one place! What a view! Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2explore! This is your host, Harish Bali. We are at the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh for a jungle safari. We left our hotel at 5.10 AM today. After travelling for about 3-4 KM,... ...we've reached the Khatia Gate of the National Park and this is where our safari will start from. Our Gypsy is also parked among these Gypsies that you see parked here. The entry will start in another 10-15 minutes. It has been several years since I've been excited about visiting Kanha National Park! So far, we've sighted the Sambar Deer on our left, it was a good sighting. We have just begun our safari. It is quite early in the morning. Sambar deer is very close to us. It must be 20 meters from us, right? Yes! And this is the largest deer in the Deer family. The largest! On our right, we have male sambar deer. Yes! And on our left is a female. How do you tell the difference between them? With the help of their antlers Sir! In the deer family, only the males have antlers. Not the females! See, in a young male, you will find only two horns. Its horns haven't branched into antlers yet. The Hindi name for Spotted Deer is 'Cheetal.' Right! This is 'Barasingha' (Swamp Deer), brown golden in colour. This variety of deer is found only in Kanha and nowhere else. In 1972,... You are talking of Barasingha? Yes, Barasingha! In 1972, only 66 of these were left. Really! 66! So, a breeding place was created for them in Kanha. So, they started growing in numbers once they started breeding here. Now, they are about a 1000 in number. Which zone are we in now? We are in the Kisli Zone. We will have to cross it to reach Kanha. The main safari would start in the Kanha Zone? Yes, Kanha is the main safari area. Oh man! What a clear view of tiger! Right in front of us. See! He is coming in our direction. Amazing! Two tigers in the range of 100 meters of each other. Uff! He is hunting a deer. Amazing! Bhaiya, it is headed towards us. It might come up to you. It would come up to me? Right now, our Gypsy is standing in front of a line of vehicles. And the tiger is about 30-40 meters from us. Oh! Dhani Bhaiya! Yes! I only saw two tigers. Have you seen all four? No, I have also seen only two. But there are four of them! The other two are still deeper in the forest. You saw two. Even I got to see two! But, right now, there are four tigers in this area! Yes, four tigers. Now, both are in one place. Two tigers together in one place! What a view! In our country, I have done jungle safari in several places. But, till today, I have never seen a tiger, up close and that too two at the same time! Such a close distance! Amazing! I have to admit, watching these tigers so closely is a matter of luck. You were saying you haven't seen this scene in last 8 years. That's right. I have never seen tigers so close to me. Till today, I might have seen at the most one tiger, at a time. But today, we have been so lucky to see three tigers together! Even now, I can see another tiger roaming around in the bushes. Brother, this has been an amazing experience! I've seen two tigers so closely today. Actually, we saw three tigers, that too within 15 minutes of time period. A deer standing in front of the tiger. Isn't it afraid of the tiger? It is afraid that is why it is alert. Then why is it standing. It should leave. He has realised that there is a tiger near him. That is why he is alert. As soon as it sees the tiger, it will call. I mean it will send out a distress call to alert its herd. If seen, at this time both tiger and deer are very close to each other. Well, the deer is sure that the tiger must be here somewhere. But it hasn't given the call yet. He won't call till he sees the tiger. There is one more thing, if it will give the call, the tiger will know the deer is here. Yes! It has become completely still, neither moving a step forward, nor backward. It is on high alert! There are high chances of sighting a tiger here. What are the chances of sighting a leopard here? Ten percent. You mean if I go on a safari ten times, I would see a leopard only once out of that. Exactly! And that too from afar. Yes! Leopard is known to maintain distance from humans, right? Yes! It doesn't come too close. No. We are here now. You were talking about a film that is 17 minutes long. Yes, it is shown in a museum here. They are showing the film at the museum here? There is breakfast here as well, since it is the centre point. And the washroom is here as well? Yes, on this side. So, shall we pick our breakfast from the Gypsy? No, it was in the Gypsy but the driver took it away already. Oh! He took it already. Alright! Our breakfast has been provided by the M.P. Tourism, as is the system here. In the jungle safari, the hotel provides you with breakfast. You can eat it during the tour. Eating is allowed only in one place because of wrappers, etc. The wrapper in which your breakfast has come will go back to the hotel. Here, you won't find a dustbin or any such thing. That is the right thing to do! I mean forests sustain life! Yes! You will see a lot of tourists visiting here. But you won't find a single piece of garbage in the whole jungle. You won't see a single wrapper, but even if a tourist discards something by mistake... ...we pick it up and dispose it outside the jungle. Very good! Let's have breakfast! Did the M.P. Tourism provide these plates? Yes, it is by M.P. T. Sir. Alright! I thought you got these here. No, it all comes from the hotel though this we got here. Samosa, right? They had asked me to have samosa too. This is poori (deep-fried wholewheat flatbread) and aloo (potato) sabzi. What else have they given us? This is...muffin? What is the time of the evening safari? 4 PM! From 4 till when? Till 6.45 PM. From 4 PM to 6.45 PM. And what about the night safari? Night time is 7.30 PM to 10.30 PM. That safari goes through the Buffer Zone, not the Core Zone. Okay! Night safari takes place in the Buffer Zone. This night safari has started only two years ago? No! Do they sell only samosa here or other things too? Samosa, maggi, tea, coffee, Aloo Bonda (potato fritters). Alright! Poha! Samosa, maggi, aloo bonda, tea, coffee! So, let's order tea once we finish samosa. Yes, sure! Rest,... ...this aloo curry with poori... ...good taste! And this chutney with the samosa... ...we used it with the poori-aloo, instead! Which T-shirt, do you think, would suit me the best? Grey would be good! Grey would suit best! Okay! I will buy grey! You said its rate is Rs 650. Rs. 550. 550! Bhaiya, give me this one! Show me the honey, Bhaiya! Rs. 250 for half a kg? Yes Sir! And this is for Rs 550? Yes, here you go! So, this is my T-shirt and this is honey! Whenever I visit a forest area, I prefer to purchase honey for my family! If you get hold of good quality honey... ...you would never experience cold or cough. You can eat a spoonful of honey on a regular basis. Bhaiya, it has been my personal experience that... ...when I purchased honey from Jharkhand... ...I gave a spoonful of honey daily to my son, when he had cold. It is warm. I am telling you, I gave him that for 3 days and on the third day, he was alright. Later on, when I had cold, I did nothing but... ...consume a spoonful of honey every day for five days. So, we don't use honey regularly. We consume it only when we have cough or cold. That is how much we have benefitted from the honey, however, that batch of honey is over now. Bhaiya! What is this thing? These are deer antlers. Original? These are original antlers. Alright! These antlers are a mix of those of Spotted deer, Sambar deer, and Barasingha. So, these were the antlers shed by the deer? Every year, after the mating season is over, the deer sheds its antlers. And he grows a new pair of antlers. This happens once in a year. I have never seen such a thing! Today is the first time for me! Good! This was fun to watch! Terrific! Now, in the monsoon... ...how do the wild animals survive? We can catch the cold or get a runny nose if we are caught in the rain for an hour. But here, look at this presentation! Amazing! Several animals such as Gaur, Sambar, Barasingha,... ...give birth to young ones in the monsoon. This is why the Park is closed to visitors during this time of the year. It says here that Gond and Baiga tribes were the first tribes to dwell in these jungles. (Narrator in the documentary) We saw a 15-min film in the hall. The crux, according to me, of the whole film is that... Excellent editing! Awesome photography! Storyline, information... ...right message... ....I am talking of the social message, this 15-min long film has everything! I am told this Park is home to more than 300 species of birds and Barasingha are 800 in number. As of today, these animals face the most danger from poachers or hunters. The film shows steps taken by the wildlife department to save animals from that danger. During the struggle to keep the animals safe... ...the forest guards even have to bear animal attacks. I really enjoyed watching this film. If you visit here, you must watch this film. You must visit this gallery as well as the gallery on that side, let me show you. This gallery contains information about the reptiles. It also has general information about tigers and... ...I read that at the beginning of the 20th century... ...India was home to about 40,000 tigers. In 1992, when 'Project Tiger' began, at that time,... ...the total number of tigers was 1827. After several efforts to save tigers, today, their count stands between 2600 and 3300. That is the range of total number of tigers in the country. To be honest, if you are interested in gaining information, and are hungry for knowledge... ... you wouldn't mind spending 30-45 minutes in just this gallery. What is most important is that you should not miss the film. I am going to pick up my T-shirt and then, we'll leave. Deer and Langur are good friends with each other. Alright! That's why they are found side by side. Yes, they stay close to each other. Monkeys usually live on trees. They throw leaves on the ground, which the deer then eat. In case, the monkeys locate a tiger or leopard from a distance, they give a warning call. That helps the deer stay alert and escape to safety. So, they understand each other? Yes! Monkeys help the deer. Okay, you mean to spot the tiger. Yes! No! To spot tiger movement! Yes, it will spot tiger movement and give a warning call. That would help the deer escape to safety. Looking at them, it seems that their whole life is only about this. Yes, they live under a constant fear! Continuously trying to save themselves. Just trying to save themselves from the imminent danger. How long is a deer's life? 10-12 years! After our safari, we are back at the Khatia Gate. Thank you! We enjoyed a lot in your company. We also gained a lot of knowledge. Your experience helped us learn a lot more about the jungle. Let me share some basic information with you. I am standing outside the ticket counter right now, which is on this side. If you visit here on a weekday... ...between Monday and Friday... ...you will pay the forest entry charge of Rs 2450. On Saturday-Sunday, this charge becomes Rs 3050. The Gypsy charge is fixed, Rs 3000. That price is not linked to Friday or Saturday. I mean it is not linked to weekday or weekend. The guide charges are according to the grade of the guide. If a guide has passed the official examination, he charges Rs 600. Otherwise, it is Rs 480. In any case, all the guides here are learned, knowledgable. If you want a pick up from your hotel, the charge would be Rs 200-300, depending on the distance. So, the total safari charge would be between Rs 6000 to Rs 6400. In the morning, you told me, about 100 Gypsies are allowed to enter. Yes, 100! 100! The number of Gypsies allowed inside in the evening is 70-80. The number of Gypsies going for night safari is further less because not many tourists go. He tells me that the night safari is more about experiencing the jungle than watching animals. Night safari allows you the experience the feeling of a jungle at night. You were telling me only 7-10 Gypsies go for night safari daily. Great! You can book your safari online till 120 days prior to the travel date. For offline booking, I told you about the ticket counter on my left. You can book tickets here up to 24 hours prior to the safari date. But that could be tricky because only 3 Gypsies are available for offline booking, rest are for online. 3 Gypsides and one Canter. Behind me, you can see the Jungle Camp Hotel. This must be of the Forest Department. Yes, forest! Some of you might like staying here as well. You could stay here and go for the safari next morning. I am going to find out about the tariff and accommodation here. Now that you are going to leave us here, let me say goodbye to you. We spent some good time with you. Okay then, see you again. Bye-bye! I checked out an A.C. accommodation here. The charges are Rs 2465 on double occupancy basis. No meals are included. It is a decent, comfortable accommodation. If you are staying here, and want to have meals, you'll have to inform them in advance. They will prepare the meals for you separately. They don't have a buffet system or a ready menu. Okay Bhaiya, thank you! I have taken details of other rooms as well, which I will share in the video description. Come, let us go back to our hotel. Thereafter, we will plan our day forward. After safari, I returned to my hotel. After packing our luggage, we are now at the Yadav Dhaba. It is about half a km from the entry gate for the safari. We've come here for lunch. I had told them I wanted to eat local food while placing my order two hours ago. Now, see what they have prepared for us. Let me start from here. It is called 'Pech.' This rice variety is smaller in size and it has been cooked in water. We will be eating it like soup with our meal. This is Kadhi for us. Kadhi also has pakoras (friters) in it. This dish is made of a local vegetable called 'Chakod.' Now, what is this Chakod? These are Chakod leaves and this plant grows in the wild. This dish has been made with these leaves. I was told this dish is commonly cooked in homes here. This dish is called 'Chech.' Alright! And these are the leaves of Chech plant. Chech leaves are sold alongside other vegetables in the local market. So, these leaves were bought in the market... ...this they got from the jungle. Right! Two hours ago, I told them that... ...I want to eat what the locals eat. So, they told me that locals eat thick roti (flatbread) like this. Now, it is the first time that I am eating this thick roti cooked on wood fire. This is the thick roti they've got here. So, I told them I can eat one thick roti and one normal. Two things! One, these leaves are juicy, and second, these are fresh in taste. Whenever you eat something fresh, you can feel it. This one roti is sufficient for my lunch. Since I am not used to eat such a thick roti, it is a new experience for me. Let us take some chutney. And I will eat it with... ...this bhaaji (vegetable). This tastes different. These leaves have a slight sweetness to them. Slight, slight! And these leaves are juicy! And it also has a very subtle bitterness! Both tastes are different! People in Odisha, West Bengal like eating this dish called Pech. I have never tried it before, though I've heard a lot about it. The rice is cooked in water, like this, and then consumed. But I don't know the process of making it, whether it is soaked overnight or how it is done. After having a few bites, I can say that it has rice in it, even if I don't see rice grains. Adding some salt would have made it better in taste, but no problem! Still, it is good! Let us taste this kadhi as well. Very nice! This is an absolutely 'desi taste.' Too good! Absolutely rural taste! Excellent! Now, I am going to take some time to finish this food. We can say that bhaaji like this... ...needs to be eaten several times... ...in order to develop a taste for it. Rest, we have already developed a taste for Kadhi. Overall, I am happy that I came here for lunch. We are ending today's episode here. In fact, we are ending this whole series here. We began the Madhya Pradesh series in Chanderi. We travelled from Chanderi, while passing through Sanchi, Bhopal, and Bhimbetka to reach Pachmarhi. Then we also visited a village, Sabarvani. Then, we came here. This whole tour lasted for 10 days. Now, it ends here. I am hoping you would have enjoyed all the episodes of this series. Today's our experience at the Kanha Tiger Safari... ...has become a lifetime experience in itself. Now, I will say bye to you and... Next, I am planning to visit Lahaul, of Lahaul-Spiti. We toured Spiti three years go, but didn't visit Lahaul. So, I am planning to visit Lahaul next. So, most probably, the next series you'll see would be in Lahaul. Unless I change my destination in the future, for now, it is going to be Lahaul. In Himachal Pradesh! Right! For now, I will say bye to you! We will meet again with a new journey, new destination! Thanks for your time! You told me I would be able to see the cricket ground on that hill in front of me! Yes, yes! Where is it? If you look at the white shade in the distance... Yes! The ground that you see near that white shade is the cricket ground. Really! Yes! Before I came here, I had no idea that... ...I would get to see such a beautiful waterfall. Seriously! This is great! How much snow does this area receive during the winter months of January-February? In January... ...it snows heavily. There's heavy snow! Yes, up to 4-5 feet! 4-5 feet! Yes! Alright. During that time, if you have to travel to Killar, how do you do that? We don't travel to Killar then. You don't go to Killar? We collect all ration at home before snowfall. Ration? Yes, for winters. Because the road is closed after snowfall.