Off the beaten track in Satpura

“We all have forests on our minds. Forests unexplored, unending. Each one of us gets lost in the forest, every night, alone.” 
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wind's Twelve Quarters

Alas, it is difficult to get lost in a forest in India, there are few unexplored forests left and it is difficult to be alone. However the Satpura Tiger Reserve is one such forest where the crowds are less and the resorts are sensibly made to merge into ambient nature. Our welcome by a leopard by the side of the road as we drove in at night was a wonderful precursor of the two days ahead.  The haughty animal, disdainfully looked at us and slowly walked away into the jungle.  Here is where we let go of  our  daily electronic cocoons and freed ourselves to the joys of  simply being at one with nature.

The bridge and a hut at Reni Pani Resort...
...is a perfect example of being one with nature. Local material is used on the outside  to give a natural ambience to the dwellings and community areas. The passion of the owners in keeping this large resort in harmony with the jungle yet providing comfortable and modern amenities is evident in the smallest detail.  The lighting is dim, the construction has a forest flavour; we put wifi and TV on hold in this jungle retreat and enjoyed being there.  The resort plans a 'Satpura under canvas' hike which promises to be very different. The relative inaccessibility  of the this resort and park ironically, is what preserves them from commercialisation.

Birds at Reni Pani
are attracted by the water in the pool and the Arjuna tree nearby.  By sitting still and  silent in a shaded spot by the poolside with binoculars and camera, we saw a spectacle of birds. These Jerdon's Leaf Bird,  Spotted doves, Asian Paradise Flycatcher in brown phase and White-throated Kingfisher  were among the many birds we saw.  This is one of the few game parks where one is allowed to walk in the forest.  One has to be properly escorted by trained guides during such walks.  Reni Pani Resort has a detailed training program for its naturalists which enable them to lead such walks.

A Gaur comes to drink
at a waterhole, the patriarch, he gets the first  drink before the herd steps in and muddies the water.  The animal is muscular and majestic, irreverent of us watching and photographing  the herd.  It is very hot, it can go to 45 C, but we thought it is one of the best times to visit this forest as the heat separates the ogling easy tourists from the naturalist.  Water is scarce, and the animals come down to drink at the few waterholes that are still wet, this coupled with the scant leaf cover of dry vegetation makes for great photographic opportunities. 

Cubs and chicks abound
as this is spring and many animals and birds have young. We saw a mother Sloth Bear with two cubs clinging to her back at dusk and this young guy hitching a ride on his mother by day. This night-jar sat calmly  with her chicks while we photographed her. Drives in this Park are very enjoyable as one gets to see many animals and birds undisturbed by the herds of  vehicles that prevail in many of the other parks.  The fact that the fauna is not stressed by frequent visitors is plainly evident.  This park allows a mere 13 vehicles inside at a time, whereas in other parks it could be as many as 70.

Birds at the waterhole...
water is life here, literally.  Sitting still with patience at a waterhole is rewarding and allowed us to see many birds which we wouldn't otherwise  get a chance to see or photograph.  Of course it is important to respect the stress area of  these species driven to drink, despite what they perceive to be a risk to their lives.  The wild boar just would not drink while we were there, so we immediately moved away.  The naturalist with us, Erwin, is passionate about the local flora and fauna, apart from explaining what we see, he is very mindful of ensuring that we stay out of the circle of stress of the animals or birds.  Not only does he guide and protect us, but ensures we do not harm the fauna.  Reni Pani currently has a team of six naturalists.

As the sunsets over a waterhole
it is time to say goodbye to these wonderful denizens of the jungle.  While moving away from the waterholes too we saw many wonderful sights.
As the legendary photographer Ansel Adams said
“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder.”
this is one of those places where we truly felt that deep joy of just being there.