Safari Tales from Pench National Park, The Mowgli Land
Updated: Aug 27
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Pench National Park - The Mowgli Land
I was thrilled about visiting Pench National Park, fondly dubbed Mowgli Land. Truth be told, I had no clue it was the very place that inspired Rudyard Kipling's iconic work, The Jungle Book. It took me by surprise, and needless to say, the kids were over the moon. Growing up, we were enamored with all the characters from The Jungle Book - Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, Kaa, Shere Khan, King Louie, Hathi, Bandar-log, and the prospect of exploring the park was exhilarating.
From the moment we stepped into Pench Tree Lodge, it felt like stepping into a dream – greeted with refreshing towels and warm smiles, it was clear this place was something special. Our cozy cottage tucked away amidst the trees felt like our own little sanctuary. And the meals! Oh, the meals were nothing short of a feast, filling our bellies and hearts with joy. But the real magic happened out in the wild. Every safari by Pugdundee Safaris was an adventure, guided by Shiv, our amazing naturalist and both of our forest guides - Ramphal and Mahesh. We saw things I never imagined seeing in person – from elusive dholes to majestic gaurs and even a rare glimpse of a leopard. And let's not forget the highlight – spotting that magnificent Bengal tiger! It felt like a scene right out of a movie.
Safari Tales from Pench National Park, The Mowgli Land
Chapter 1 - Exploring the serenity of Pench Tree Lodge
Arriving at the lodge around 1 pm, we passed through fields of soybeans being harvested and sprinkled. Beyond the Karmajari signpost, we entered a gate adorned with the Pench Tree Lodge signage. We pulled up at the reception area to be welcomed by the lodge staff with cold wet face towels and the naturalist. Our naturalist Shiv first gifted us steel water bottles as a kind gesture from the property to its guests and also an attempt to reduce plastic bottle usage. After a briefing on the park and lodge from Shiv and completing the check-in process, we were led along forest paths to our cottage. The double-story bungalow featured stone walls, high ceilings, and teak wood furniture, exuding rustic charm with modern amenities. The bedroom opened onto a balcony with bamboo chairs overlooking the forest, complete with provided slippers for guests. After freshening up, we dined at the restaurant housed in another large cottage, adjacent to a courtyard with a swimming pool and changing rooms. Inside, the restaurant boasted spacious seating and an open pantry, where we were treated to a lavish Indian meal served at large tables. We were seated and then one by one the waiters and waitresses brought us a royal meal of Indian curries, meat, lentils, rice, bread, to end with Indian dessert and ice cream. After such a sumptuous meal, we headed back to our cottage to grab a quick snooze before we could commence our most awaited afternoon safari. Following the indulgent feast, we returned to our cottage for a quick nap before our eagerly anticipated afternoon safari. At 3:40 pm, we gathered at the reception to begin our adventure.
Chapter 2 - Unveiling Pench National Park’s Rare Encounters
The afternoon safari commenced from the Karmajhiri gate. After verifying passports and identification, we were allowed to enter the core area at 4 pm. A guide allowed to our vehicle from the forest department joined us in the jeep. With over 20 years of experience, he was adept in recognizing animal calls, paw prints, and bird nests. Our driver and naturalist, Shiv was also helpful in identifying forest routes, water holes, guiding us in spotting animals, and navigating sightings based on information from other drivers. Equipped with binoculars and high-zoom cameras, we scouted the thinly covered teakwood forest. Further ahead in another 30 minutes, we got sighting of the very rare Indian wild dogs or dholes. This was an extremely rare sighting and we were super elated! I personally had never seen these elusive, stealthy, and territorial creatures in flesh and blood before so it was a huge win for me! These are an endangered species in India with its population less than 5000 currently. Known to be always in packs, they were present four of them. Each member of the pack possessed distinct features – sharp, pointed snouts, long, attentive ears, and tails adorned with tufts of fur. This was a rare sighting and we were quite happy with the spotting. They are challenging to spot due to their elusive nature and dwindling population. Dholes are highly skilled hunters and often roam remote and densely forested areas, making them elusive to human observers. When you are in Pench, you will know what exactly inspired Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book - The sightings of the mighty Indian bisons (gaurs), wild boars rustling through the underbrush, golden jackals darting through the grasslands, mongooses scurrying across the forest floor, monitor lizards running up trees, chitals peeking now and then at us and hanuman langurs echoing calls through the jungle. Its a sight to behold! We were now desperate for a sighting of the big cat. But these creatures are so hard to spot and even though Pench National Park has a sizeable number of tigers, the sighting of one is not the easiest.
Chapter 3 - In Pursuit of the Big Cats
With the forest’s dry brown foliage, it was evident that spotting the big cats would be difficult as they were the true masters of camouflage. After an excruciating one hour in the dry heat of Seoni, we finally got lucky with the mere glance of the head of a female leopard who was basking gloriously in the shade between huge rocks. Although not visible by the naked eye, we knew exactly where the leopard was sitting and we got a clear picture of him on the camera. Not thoroughly satisfied with our sighting, we continued to follow call signs of animals and signals from other drivers in search of the elusive Indian Royal Bengal Tiger. The scorching heat had slowly started to wear on us. Arya and Kiu were red from sweat and heat burns. As our safari time dwindled, hope waned until a message from another driver reignited our excitement. Ramphal was well prepared with cold lime juice in cold thermos bottles for each one of us bringing us much respite. When we were just about finishing our safari to head back to the gate, Shiv received a message from one of the other drivers that they were onto something 7 minutes away. Heading that our hopes heightened and we all got excited. Racing to the scene, we joined a cluster of jeeps and excited whispers filled the air, confirming a tiger sighting. In between two branches and almost 300 metres away I noticed a head glaring in our direction and it was the most royal thing I had seen in a while. It was a male tiger and it made us wait before it got up and started pacing towards us. Since we were already close to the end time of our safari, we had to leave business unfinished and head back to the main gate by 6:45 pm. We believe the tiger would have crossed the road giving us the opportunity of a lifetime to see her up close and in all its royalty but we couldn’t afford to lose another minute, lest Shiv and Ramphal get penalized by the forest department for late arrival. Grateful for the day's sightings, we returned to the resort for a sumptuous dinner and a restful night, anticipating another safari at dawn.
Chapter 4 - A Royal Encounter with a Family of Bengal Tigers
Shiv had requested us to be present at the lobby at 5 AM sharp for coffee and tea so that we could reach the Karmajhiri park entrance which opened its gates at 5:30 AM. Kids were a bit grubby that morning because of lack of proper sleep, however the moment they got on the jeep, they started chasing the sunrise and their senses awakened with the wilderness. The morning air was fantastic at 24 degrees, with a refreshing chill on our faces. The kids were in shorts and were cold from the wind, however Shiv had already planned considerately to supply us with clean, warm blankets for the safari, and this boosted the kids' morale. We had already completed two hours of our safari and at around 7:45 AM we approached the spot where a mother tigress was spotted behind a bush, revealing only part of her face near the talab (pond). Two hundred meters away, a herd of Gaurs kept kept vocalizing loudly, alerting other animals to the presence of another tiger. This time it was a male just basking under the shade of a tree, unconcerned by the gaurs panicking next to it. The kids watched in silent reverence as they witnessed Sher Khan from The Jungle Book come alive. This sighting was phenomenal because not only did we spot the mother and the father but also another cub that remained elusive to us, though spotted by a jeep ahead. We were so stoked by our sightings but a little disappointed that soon after we left, the female came out of its hiding and walked across the pond, giving spectators a wonderful sighting of its royal demeanor. There is no doubt that tiger sightings evoke a jubilant feeling, making the safari truly special.
It was already time for breakfast and instead of heading back to our retreat, a hearty breakfast was served in the midst of the jungle. It was an incredible experience! No wonder Pench Tiger Reserve received the "National Tourism Prize 2006-07" for being recognized as the "Best Maintained Tourist-Friendly National Park." Pench National Park had received the The bonnet of our jeep doubling up as a dining table. The safari lodge ingeniously packed our breakfast in thermos bags, ensuring our sustenance arrives piping hot. They packed parathas, chills, eggs with baked potatoes, muffins, coffee and masala chai, all served by Shiv with the utmost flair.
Chapter 5 - The Intimate World of Pench’s leopards
On our afternoon safari on Day 2 at Pench National Park, we had an incredible sighting of both a male and a female leopard. When we arrived at the scene, several jeeps were already parked there, their occupants whispering with excitement, definitely denoting the presence of a big cat or more. There were two leopards, engaged in mating rituals, oblivious to the number of wildlife enthusiasts and photographers gawking at them in awe. Eventually, the female decided to decided to pull away and gracefully cross the road between the jeeps, with the male following suit. The male made a grand spectacle while he decided to display his grandeur, and he lingered on the road for a while, providing photographers with ample opportunities to capture stunning shots. They made every single one of us tail them while they mated 6 or 7 times more to eventually venture further disappearing deeper into the forest, leaving us longing for more.
Chapter 6 - Lakshmi inherits Tigress Collarwali's legend
Collarwali has been the most renowned tiger in Pench, earning her name from the collar placed by forest guards for tracking purposes. Renowned for her fierceness, she was involved in numerous predatory attacks, establishing herself as a formidable predator during her reign. She was also a prolific one, birthing 29 cubs in her lifetime. She succumbed in 2022 and ever since no tigress has come forward to proclaim her name. Recently, there has been talk about Lakshmi, a tigress renowned for her agility and strategic hunting skills, gaining notoriety for her fierceness in Pench. It's rumored that she might inherit the legend of Collarwali. We caught a glimpse of her during our morning safari on Day 3 near the pond. She crossed the road as two jeeps approached and then proceeded towards a herd of deer. However they were fast enough to evade her and she was unsuccessful in her attempt. That is exactly when we reached the spot when she was trying to make her kill. The ferocity in her stride was unbelievable. The way she stealthily moved and plunged her body forward to make her kill was a sight to behold. Being unsuccessful from her attempt, she decided to venture further deeper into the forest. Shiv was sure she’d move towards the talab, however he also mentioned that if she headed towards the meadow, then she might not show herself at the talab now. A chance was to be taken, so we headed for the talab. We waited with several other jeeps there who had already gotten word of her sighting. It felt like eternity waiting for her to show herself again, but no, she didn’t turn up and we had to retreat to other parts of the forest in search of other fauna.
That noon as we packed our bags and wrapped up our incredible journey through Pench National Park, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Little did I realize that my love for forests would mirror Sidd’s deep affection for animals, both leaving us equally mezmerized. I would miss the sweet fragrance of the Moyan and Mahua flowers of the forest. I would miss the soft morning light filtering through the trees of Pench. I would miss the feeling of my heart racing with excitement as our safari jeep rumbled along the winding paths, while we chased the sunrise passing villages and lentil crops, the cold wind in our face. I would miss unveiling a new chapter of adventure every time we entered Pench National Park. I would miss the ghost trees and the magnificent banyan tree. The deers, sambars, mongooses, eagles, bisons, foxes and jackals and many more 🧡I would miss lingering in the park after sunset, witnessing the sky ignite with shades of orange and yellow as the sun set below the horizon.
Closing Thoughts
I can't help but feel grateful for this experience and it was all possible because of Pugdundee Safaris, our knowledgeable and friendly naturalist Shiv, and our fantastic stay at Pench Tree Lodge. A heartfelt thanks to all the staff and manager at lodge for their warm service. Their commitment to eco tourism and sustainability, protection of wildlife and safety of animals and tourists alike, makes the experience wholesome. It's moments like these that remind me of the beauty and wonder of the natural world, and the importance of protecting it for generations to come. Until next time, Pench, keep on thriving and enchanting adventurers like us with your untamed beauty.
For details on planning an adventurous getaway in Pench National Park, including booking safaris, tips, accommodations, recommended gates, and logistics, please check out my blog post titled " Pench National Park: Exploring the Heart of India's Wildlife"
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