The best safari parks in Africa: where, why and how many? Elephant safari in Kaziranga National Park. How to look for rhinoceroses in swamp grass
- I take insect repellent for the body and for clothes, ointment after being bitten by someone, antibacterial wipes - several packs, a yellow fever vaccination certificate, malaria tablets, first aid medical care, binoculars, flashlight, hand sanitizing gel,” I reported to my husband when I was packing my suitcase for the trip. This unusual filling of the bag explained the essence of the trip - we are going to Africa!
My modest knowledge about this country was limited only to the equator, Somalia, Chukovsky’s poem about Aibolit and the cartoon “The Lion King”. Therefore, I wanted to be prepared for any surprises.
Kenya. Start of the safari
Kenya greeted us with cool weather and lush vegetation. The bright warm sun and rich green color hurt my eyes when I was unaccustomed to it. Forced squinting completely removed the signs of the Caucasian race from my face and made me a real Asian.
The air smelled of our Ural spring. We were driving through the Great African Rift - one of the most interesting places on the planet. It was formed as a result of the tectonic movement of the earth's plates millions of years ago. On the way, we looked at the animals in surprise: zebras, as if nothing had happened, were grazing in a common herd with goats, cows, and donkeys.
After checking into the hotel and leaving our things there, we went on an evening safari. Our driver Solomon, with red sclera eyes and speaking broken English with a Swahili accent, promised to show us something interesting on our first evening.
The entire territory of the national park is dissected by roads from which it is strictly forbidden to leave. All this is controlled by territory rangers and in case of violation of the rules, they are punished. Therefore, we drove along a predetermined route and the permitted speed.
By the way, on such safaris the driver must be obeyed and respected. How the trip will go depends only on him. Our jeep was equipped with a walkie-talkie, and thanks to this we were aware of when and where animals appeared.
Giraffes and pelicans
The raised roof of the jeep opened up ample opportunities for observation. A giraffe appeared behind the acacia tree. Glancing at us with disgust, he began to chew the leaves. Our presence did not bother him at all - tourists with their heads sticking out of cars have been a constant phenomenon for the fauna of Africa for the past 40 years.
All movements of the giraffe are leisurely, dignified, majestic, the gait is slow and smooth. With each step, he alternately raises both legs of each side, and rests on the legs of the opposite side. This type of movement is called an amble, and he uses it very well.
Finally we arrived at Lake Nakuru, home to the largest nesting site of pink flamingos on earth. They say that when they land on the water in thousands, the entire body of water is painted in the colors of the sunset. But since the lake was full at that time, and flamingos like to be smaller, these birds, without waiting for us, migrated to another place.
But we were lucky enough to see pink pelicans. The entire horizon glowed pink, and the lake literally boiled under their movements. Some took off, others dived and splashed loudly into the water, while others started “squabbles” among themselves. This process seemed endless to us, and we went to the hotel.
It got dark quickly. During the day, we noticed that the hotel area was not fenced in anything, and this fact was not conducive to long evening walks. Having closed all the windows (baboons were walking under the balcony), plugging all the cracks under the door (because the neighbors saw a small snake!), checking the house for mosquitoes, we climbed under the mosquito net (what if they were malarial?) and fell into sleep.
It was not possible to get enough sleep: mosquitoes were squealing somewhere nearby, and the African night was noisy outside the window. The incessant howl of buffaloes (who would have thought) rent the air, the voices of birds unknown to us echoed with them. It was creepy.
At 6 am, after quickly eating what the included breakfast sent us, we headed to another national park, taking a safari along the way. At the exit from the reserve there were gloomy rangers (as the aborigines call the caretakers) with machine guns at the ready. After examining our car and looking into everyone’s eyes, they finally allowed us to drive through.
The driver later explained that Kenya was on this moment is in a state of war with Somalia, so a special regime has been introduced in the country. Noting that this news did not reassure us at all, he added that this happens very often and there is no need to worry. If anything happens, my only hope is in Shoigu with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, I thought.
We've been driving for six hours now, fortunately on asphalt. Outside the window flash zebras, buffaloes... Africans in worn-out clothes. They are always on the move: constantly going somewhere. Many, not being able to use public transport, not to mention a personal car, are forced to move on their own. But I didn’t see a single fat person among them.
A village of the Maasai appeared ahead - an indigenous people who still live by their customs. But he respects dollars, preferably those issued after 2006. After some negotiations, they agreed to show us their way of life.
The entire adult population poured out of the outskirts, wrapped in red cloth. We, representatives of two worlds, stood and looked at each other. I think our thoughts were the same: how can one dress, look, live, etc. like that? Suddenly the women began to sing... in their throats. And the men, encouraged by these songs, began the “warrior dance” - jumping. Gradually they entered a trance: the jumps became higher, the voices became more hysterical. The “concert” ended after 20 minutes, and we were invited to enter the village itself.
The Maasai settlement is most often representatives of one family, and it can be very large, because each man is free to have several wives (up to 15). How many cows are enough? The standard price is 15 cows for a wife, but they can charge 25 for a beautiful one. Each lives in a separate dwelling, which she builds (sculpts) herself. In the village, women do everything except hunting: they carry water and firewood, get food, do laundry, and raise children. Men herd cattle and talk with each other.
The settlement itself consists of two circles: in the first there are houses adjacent to each other, in the second there is the most expensive thing - their cow and goat herds. The houses are low, squalid dwellings made of straw and cow dung. They consist of several tiny rooms: goats live at the entrance, the largest compartment is the kitchen, where 5-6 people can fit on a log, and there is a separate bedroom for the parents with something like a trestle bed covered with cow skin. They heat the house the black way: they light a fire inside, the smoke fills the entire room and comes out through a tiny slit window.
Everything is very simple: no frills and no Italian furniture! And it is not clear which of us is truly happy? Our high-speed life is alien to them, they don’t need the Internet, they don’t worry about cholesterol, they probably haven’t even heard about the end of the world. Happy...
Elephants and lions
We keep driving and driving, but there is still no end and no edge to this savannah. Ahead, behind the clouds, the outlines of Mount Kilimanjaro began to be discerned. Oh, I wish I could see her famous snowy top! But as luck would have it, not a single breeze... And, apparently, to compensate for our disappointment, a family of elephants appeared in front of us. At the head of the herd, an old elephant walked slowly, younger individuals minced nearby, mothers walked behind, pushing and pulling the babies stuck in the ditch with their trunks. It was such an exciting and touching sight that tears involuntarily came to my eyes.
While we were touched and amazed at these tender relationships among animals, a real fight began nearby - two seasoned elephants were sorting things out. They pressed against each other with all their might, while shouting something loudly (probably their complaints), heavy tusks throwing off sparks under the blows. They then retreated, then converged again with all their strength, no one gave up. And finally, one of them weakened and retreated... The victorious rival loudly announced his victory to the savannah and, with his head held high, left to catch up with his family.
As the sun rose, we again began to plow the endless savannahs of Kenya. Our guide peered intensely into the distance. We were no longer interested in secretary birds wandering in the grass, striding ostriches, wildebeests, zebras - we longed for a more global spectacle. Finally, the two-hour wandering was rewarded: five meters from the road a lion and a lioness lay down - after a satisfying night, they dozed under the rays of the warming sun. Leaning against each other, they merged into a single whole and did not react to us in any way.
But the sharp sounds of cameras interrupted their morning sleep. The lioness woke up first and looked around our car. Finding no danger, she slowly and playfully walked around her male, who was already forced to wake up. What followed was a relationship that is usually prohibited for those under age to observe.
Tanzania: Volcano Crater National Park
At the Kenya-Tanzania border, we paid the customs fee and were handed over to another guide-driver. His name was Isaac. We were driving along a perfectly flat and straight road, without prohibitory signs, without oncoming traffic, without traffic police officers. The soul was eager to fly at the speed of the wind, but Isaac was driving only the permitted 80 km/h.
But the landscape outside the windows changed very quickly. Sun-dried fields gave way to thick grass, desert plains turned into cascading land, where the Maasai worked. Gradually we climbed the mountain. Rare trees turned into dense thickets, with strange plants hanging from them. The real jungle began, just like in the fairy tale about Mowgli. We climbed to Ngorongoro National Park at an altitude of 2380 km above sea level, which is located in the crater of an extinct volcano.
There was a short rain, and the mountain air, already clean, became fresher. I wanted to stretch my lungs and breathe for the year ahead.
We drove along the serpentine road for about twenty minutes. Stumbled upon lion family, which slowly headed into the shady forest. The wildebeest, sensing a predator, stood in a defensive position and nervously waited. The family apparently had a good hunt at night, so they walked imposingly past the food. The only inconvenience for them was our cars, of which there were more than a dozen by that time. Later we had to watch how the lioness deftly dispatched her prey (unfortunately, we missed the moment of the hunt). At a distance of several meters, hyenas were already “on duty”...
In general, in the Ngorongoro crater on an area of 246 square meters. m, almost all representatives of the African fauna are collected. It has formed its own habitat for many species of animals that do not have the opportunity to get out of the caldera. There they are born, live, reproduce and die. According to scientists, about 30 thousand of them live in the crater.
Last day of safari
We meet the dawn again in the car. Oh, how I want to get some sleep! We drive through a sparse forest, roe deer graze among the tall grass. Seeing our car, they jump off the road and run away. The head of the family, a handsome man with branchy horns, watches us closely and, if we don’t scare him, slowly turns around and leaves with a sense of his own dignity.
Gradually our car is filled with some flying and painfully biting insects. Afraid to hear the answer, I ask Isaac, what is this? - Tsetse. We quickly take out all the insect repellents and douse ourselves from head to toe. The chemical is enough for literally half an hour. I don’t really respect our Ural mosquitoes either, but here are flies with such a “bad reputation.”
We had three days ahead of us by the sea on the island of Zanzibar, so that evening we simply enjoyed the views of Africa: tall grass swaying in the wind, savannah black with millions of migrating zebras and wildebeest, a leopard reclining on a tree.
P.S. During the entire trip we changed 10 planes. The flora and fauna of Africa were not harmed. They arrived unharmed and happy. We want more.
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We offer you a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, sailing upstream from Victoria Falls. Cruise ships are equipped with comfortable seating, a bar, and snacks and drinks are served during the cruise. This is a unique river safari among the islands, small rapids on the Zambezi section in front of the waterfall. Elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and numerous birds against the backdrop of an African sunset make an unforgettable impression.
The comfortable pontoons offered for the cruise: Skimmer, David Livingstone, Kasambezi, Ra Ikane, can accommodate on board, depending on the class and technical characteristics, from 14 to 40 people, providing the necessary service.
Duration: about 2.5 hours, transfer time for lunch at 11-30 and for evening at 16-30.
Price: USD 70
Included: snacks and drinks, including alcoholic ones
SAFARI IN CHOBE RESERVE (BOTSWANA)
Early morning transfer to Chobe Nature Reserve in Botswana. The transfer includes a boat crossing across the Chobe River at a place where 4 African states border (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia). Safari in Botswana is considered one of the best in Africa. This is the most densely populated animal reserve. Today you will have two exciting safaris: river and land.
Jeep Safari in Chobe Game Reserve (3 hours) Land safari in open powerful cars. It will give you amazing encounters with zebras and antelopes different types, lions, hyenas, leopards, rare wild dogs and many other animals. This is followed by lunch at the restaurant of the Chobe Safari Lodge hotel, located on the shore, and then a short rest.
River safari on the Chobe River (3 hours) After lunch, during a river safari, you will see not only the animals living in it, but also the animals that come to the river to drink. Get ready to shoot huge herds of elephants, hippos and crocodiles. And also just a myriad of birds of various colors and sizes. Return to the hotel after 18:00.
Price: USD 160 for 1 person (minimum 2 people)
FISHING ON ZAMBEZI
The Zambezi River is famous for its tiger fish, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Fishing in the upper part of the river, where you will be asked to fish, is considered to be the luckiest. Here you can also catch fish species such as Tilapia, Catfish. To catch them, use a spinner and bait. Attention: all fish you catch must be released back into the river.
To catch the powerful, fast tiger fish, you will need great fishing skill and dexterity. However, the catch will not disappoint: the weight of these river predators exceeds 15 kilograms.
Tour duration: from 6 to 12 hours
Departure: daily at 07:00
Age limit: children over 12 years old are allowed
Included: Transfer, meals: lunch, cold drinks, tea, coffee, beer
Price: USD 130 for 1 person (6 hours)
Price: USD 270 for 1 person (12 hours)
TRAIN TRAVEL THE LIVINGSTONE EXPRESS
Take advantage of the opportunity to spend the evening by booking dinner on board the vintage Royal Livingston Express train. The Royal Livingston Express will take you back in time to the atmosphere of the early 20th century, you will immerse yourself in an environment of the highest comfort, which, combined with the elegance and luxury of Gold Rush style interiors, will turn your dinner into an unforgettable journey.
The train was built at the beginning of the 20th century, and once actually carried passengers. Quite recently it was restored. You will begin your journey through Zambia on a luxurious vintage train at 17:00. The express consists of five cars: two dining cars, a kitchen, a living room and an observation deck. During the journey, you will be treated to a sumptuous 4-course dinner accompanied by excellent South African wines. The train travels along the Mulobezi railway line along the Zambezi River, you will also pass Mosi-o-Tunya National Park and the majestic Victoria Falls, and from the open carriage of the train it is interesting to observe the real life of the African country.
Price: USD 189 for 1 person (minimum 2 people)
EXCURSION TO LIVINGSTON ISLAND, DEVIL'S POINT
Livingstone Island is a 10-minute boat ride on the Zambezi River, departing from the Royal Livingstone Hotel. It was from here that Dr. David Livingstone first saw the mighty Falls in 1855, which he named after his Queen.
You will be able to repeat the route of the expedition of the famous Englishman: sail by motor boat to the island, examine it, then get to the edge of the waterfall and end up in the Devil's Pool. This is a natural pool right at the edge of the waterfall, which is separated from the cascading water by a small partition. Leaning over it, you can look straight into the “boiling abyss”.
Morning visit: 07:30; 09:00; 10:30
Daytime visit: 12:30
Evening visit: 15:30
Price: from USD 120 for 1 person (minimum 2 people)
HELICOPTER FLIGHT OVER VICTORIA FALLS
Introducing unique opportunity see Victoria Falls from a bird's eye view. You will fly over the widest waterfall in the world and see this irresistible beauty of rising clouds of spray. The helicopter will take off from the hill above the Zambezi River and head towards the magnificent Victoria Falls and the park “Mosi oa Tunya” (Smoke that thunders). You will fly first along the left and then along the right side of the waterfall. You'll have plenty of opportunities for unparalleled views of the falls, spectacular photography and videography where you can capture the full width and height of the falls, and amazing nature around. You can choose a flight duration of 15 minutes or 25 minutes.
Flights are carried out both in wet and dry seasons and naturally the waterfall looks different.
Price: USD 170 for 1 person (12 min)
Price: USD 250 for 1 person (20 min)
Price: USD 300 for 1 person (25 min)
MOON RAINBOW OVER VICTORIA FALLS
The lunar rainbow is not a mythical image, but a real one a natural phenomenon. A lunar rainbow (also known as a night rainbow) is a rainbow created by the Moon. It differs from the sun only in lower brightness. You can see it only in a few places on Earth. One of them is Victoria Falls.
If you are lucky enough to be here between January and July during the full moon, do not miss the unique opportunity to see a real natural phenomenon. You will become one of the few people on Earth who have seen how moonlight, refracted through the streams of a waterfall, turns into a mysteriously beautiful night rainbow. Tour duration 2 hours from 19:00 to 21:00
Attention: excursion is only possible during the full moon +/- 2 days
Included: walk to views of the waterfall and lunar rainbow with an English-speaking guide
Price: USD 60 for 1 person
Extreme entertainment at altitude (short tour)
If you are not afraid of heights, we offer a combined tour that combines two types of extreme entertainment: abseiling and swinging. Absailing is rappelling from a cliff. The height of the descent is 53 meters. Swing - a jump from a cliff into an abyss of 50 meters and a gradual descent to the ground (used special equipment). In all entertainment, the main thing is to take the first step over the abyss. And then a lot of emotions and impressions indescribable in words are guaranteed. During the allotted time, you can repeat the entertainment you like several times. Refreshments and snacks are provided during the tour.
Price: USD 160 for 1 person (minimum 2 people)
ETHNIC BOMA DINNER
Boma dinner is not only a dinner, but also a unique evening of getting to know the traditions and culture of the hospitable people of Zimbabwe, who will delight you with fiery African dances performed by a local dance group.
Boma Restaurant is open 365 days a year from 19-00. Here you can taste very tasty cooked wild boar and “check in” by trying Mopane worms. The dinner menu also includes a variety of African dishes using local culinary recipes and spices; wild game meat is cooked on a spit over a fire.
Price: USD 70 for 1 person (minimum 2 people)
Air safari over four countries and the Chobe Nature Reserve (flight 30 min)
After lunch, enjoy an unforgettable pre-sunset safari over the reserve and along the Chobe River. You will fly over the vast expanses of Chobe National Park on a 5-seater airliner. More than 50,000 elephants, countless antelopes and prides of predators captured on your camera will become a worthy photo from your African trip! You will also see the meeting place of four countries - Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana.
Price: USD 195 for 1 person (minimum 2 people)
Article text updated: 01/27/2019
In May 2012, we rented a car and drove 1,200 km through the cities and villages of Sri Lanka. One of the most memorable excursions during our independent travel around the island was a trip to the city of Tissamaharama. There we bought a ticket for a photo safari to the Yala National Park and in a few hours of wandering in a jeep along the dusty roads of the park we saw natural conditions hundreds of different reptiles, animals and birds: monitor lizards and crocodiles, peacocks and marabou, mongooses, jackals, deer, buffalos, leopards and wild elephants. And so, preparing for a holiday in India, I made for myself unexpected discovery: It turns out that despite the fact that this country has a population of more than a billion, there are dozens of nature reserves with untouched nature, where you can also go on safari. There was no doubt: we must definitely include a visit to one of the national parks in our vacation plan on the Hindustan Peninsula.
Seriously . The first one used to be called the “Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary” and you can rent a bike there and ride around all day long, observing the life of the inhabitants, but it was located away from our route. The second two are reserves for Bengal tigers; according to independent tourists, the chances of seeing them are slightly less than 50%, and therefore it is better to go there for a few days.
Therefore, we chose the last option, where we are guaranteed to see those we wanted: indian rhinos. True, the Kaziranga National Park is located in the middle of nowhere: on the banks of the sacred Brahmaputra River in the northeastern state of Assam. And tourists have two options here: Elephant Safari - this is when you sit astride an elephant early in the morning and ride through a swamp overgrown with two-meter-high sedge, trying to spot the one-horned giant in the impenetrable fog, accompanied by the cries of tropical birds; or Game drives - you throw your things into a jeep and rush along the roads, along the swampy banks of the river and through the jungle, also hoping to get the cherished shots with Indian rhinoceros (that’s what the main stars of the reserve are called in English). Of course, there are plenty of other animals here: buffalos, elephants, deer, parrots, pelicans, geese and others.
How to get to Kaziranga National Park on your own
There are three sections of the reserve: Western, Central and Eastern. The ticket counter for the elephant safari is located in a small village called Kohora, located halfway from Guwahati to Jorhat in Assam. There are several ways to get here.
PHOTO 2 MAP
You can travel by bus from Gauhati (the largest metropolis in North-East India) - a distance of 220 kilometers (5.5 hours journey, ticket price 500 rupees) or from Jorhat mentioned above (96 km, 70 rupees). Another city nearby is Tezpur, 75 kilometers away (50 rupees is the price of a minibus ticket).
If you get to Kaziranga National Park by plane, the easiest way is to fly to Guwahati, as there are many flights from Delhi and Kolkata (the capital of West Bengal).
The next option is to take the train. The nearest railway station is located in the city of Furkating, 80 kilometers from the village of Kohora we need. There is, however, a stop even closer (40 km) - Jakhalabandha, but the train goes there only once a week. It is clear that the easiest way to get to the Guwahati Junction railway station (since the city is large), and from there by bus, as described above, get to Kaziranga.
After all the pros and cons were weighed, the final itinerary for a trip to India as a savage was formed, we decided that the plan for visiting Kaziranga National Park would look like this:
The first day . We take a minibus jeep from Darjeeling to New Jalpaiguri, and then take the 15910 Avadh Assam Express train and go to Ferkating (tickets purchased in advance in Yekaterinburg via the Internet). Departure at 18:15, arrival at 10 am the next day. In Furkating we try to take a bus or, if that doesn’t work, take a taxi to the village of Kohora. We check into some guesthouse and in the evening at 19:00 we buy tickets for the elephant safari at the administration of the Kaziranga Nature Reserve. There are two shifts for elephant photography safaris: from 5:15 to 6:15 and from 6:15 to 7:15. Experienced tourists advise in winter time book a trip in the second place, since the sun will not rise yet in the first place and it will be difficult to see the rhinoceroses in the continuous fog.
Second day . We get up at 5 am, drive to the entrance to Kaziranga National Park by car and go for a ride on elephants in Central part. Upon completion, we return to the village and buy a ticket for a jeep safari in Western zone. After lunch, we are looking for a way to get to Guwahati (we were supposed to take a bus or taxi to the town of Tezpur, from which there are many flights to Guwahati), from where on the morning of the third day we fly to Delhi, and then to Moscow.
How to organize an elephant safari in Kaziranga National Park and how much tickets cost
The jeep safari tour is available from 7:30 to 9:30 and from 14:00 to 15:30. We didn't notice any shortage of jeeps there. But photo hunting for rhinoceroses from the back of an elephant is more difficult to organize.
- You come at 19:00 to the administration of the Kaziranga National Park (the owner of our guesthouse advised us to come early to be guaranteed to buy tickets at 18:30) and pay for the tickets. Your data is recorded in a thick barn book. Have your passport with you.
- These ticket offices are located 1 km from the highway. But 1.5 km in the other direction is the entrance to the park or, more correctly, a parking lot for elephants. You need to come here at your reserved time the next morning: by 5:15 or 6:15. The cashier and the hotel owner advised us to take a walk. We would have done this if we had more time to visit Kaziranga. And I didn’t want to be nervous and look in the morning darkness for where the entrance to the reserve was - in case we were late, and there wouldn’t be another chance to see rhinoceroses. Therefore, we agreed with the owner of the guesthouse that for 400 rupees he would take us by car in the morning, wait for us and take us back.
The price of tickets for a photo safari is calculated according to some cunning scheme. We paid for the elephant ride - 2000 rupees per person, for the jeep ride - 2100 per car.
How we got to the Kaziranga Nature Reserve
From the previous part of the report on independent travel in India, you know that Katya and I successfully traveled by jeep minibus from the tea capital of Darjeeling to New Jalpaiguri (NJP, New Jalpaiguri) and in the evening boarded a train to Ferkating, where we were supposed to get there the next morning. Our fellow travelers in our compartment were two young Indians: brothers traveling home to Guwahati after the Diwali weekend.
The eldest turned out to be very talkative, and we chatted until late at night. He admired that we were not afraid to travel around the country alone and was surprised that I had no idea how I would get from Fercatig to the reserve. To this I replied that the language will take me to Kyiv, and if not, money for a taxi will help. The Indian said that he works at a state bank; in order to get a job there, he had to go through a multi-stage selection process. And at the beginning of the interview, the competition was 60,000 people per place.
He earns a little more than me, however, prices for housing and cars are also a little more expensive than in Yekaterinburg. The bank pays for transport to nearby countries such as Sri Lanka or Singapore, and once every 4 years you can fly to anywhere on the planet. But he doesn’t travel abroad, since it’s simply not accepted in India: “I can’t imagine how you can take a night train somewhere in Russia, like you and your wife are doing now.”
I also asked him about security in Assam, as I read that this region is one of the seven North-Eastern states (“Seven Sisters”: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura), which can be compared with our Caucasus: perennial guerrilla warfare, terrorist attacks, tourists almost never visit these places. The interlocutor said that 10 years ago it was completely turbulent, but in the last 5 years the government has managed to suppress the rebels and now it is peaceful here. And the confrontation was mainly with government troops or it was pogroms by the local population of guest workers from neighboring Bangladesh. However, he did not recommend walking around at night: “Sir, you know that darkness is the friend of all evil spirits. About eight years ago, I arrived at 3 am in Guwahati. Although I was advised not to leave the station until dawn, I decided to go to the hotel. Immediately on the station square, fellows with pistols jumped up and took away all the money. We're lucky to be left alive! Follow your route, don’t deviate anywhere and everything will be fine..."
In the morning, when we woke up, there were no more fellow travelers - we left for Guwahati. The carriage was half empty, and not a single soul spoke English, so we had a hard time figuring out whether our train was on schedule and when we should get off. An alarm bell in the soul... It’s good that they bought an Indian SIM card in Darjeeling and now had the opportunity to go to the website (http://railenquiry.in), where by train number you can see the current status and list of stops (in the first part of the report I wrote, that Indian carriages do not have such a list).
Furkating Junction Station is a small stop on the outskirts of the city. We got off the train. We look around hesitantly. The passengers, of whom there were not so many, quietly disappeared somewhere. We are surrounded by a small gaggle of taxi drivers, none of whom speak English. It’s no good to bargain directly on the platform; you need to go out into the city.
But there is nothing like a stop within sight, only some bicycle workshops and slums. We are trying to discuss with the most persistent taxi driver how much he wants for taking us to Kokhora. It seems that he is asking for 1500 rupees, but we are not sure that he understood that we need Kohora and even reacts inappropriately to the phrase “Kaziranga National Park”.
And so, at the moment when we were almost ready to agree, providence happened: a young guy comes up and stammers, almost syllable by syllable, asks:
- Sir, hello! Do you want to drive to Kohora, where is the entrance to Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary?
- Yes, sir. Let's go there.
- Then come with me to that minibus, 10 rupees.
- And where will we end up? Are you sure you understand that we need to get to Kaziranga National Park? We want to see rhinos there...
— You will come to the center. There you can take the bus.
We look at the saddened taxi driver and agree to follow our new guide. The minibus is very small - our huge suitcase can barely fit, the conductor shows with signs that he will take two more tickets for the luggage.
After 25 minutes (ten of which we were stuck in traffic jams) we find ourselves at the final stop of minibuses, from where our new “friend” takes us to the big station. Judging by the navigator, this is the city of Golaghat. Here, of course, not a single soul speaks English, stern men chew betel and the entire territory is covered with red spittle. The guy buys tickets for us (65 rupees per person), explains that the village of Kokhora is 90 km away, which we will travel for about 2 hours (from 12:20 to 14:20) and advises us not to worry, since he warned the conductor and driver . Our luggage was taken into the cargo compartment under the bus.
I offer him 200 rupees for his help, but he doesn’t take it: “I just do it from the bottom of my heart!” Bon Voyage! Enjoy Assam!”
In general, my wife and I decided that this was a savior angel, and the situation was very reminiscent of that episode in the film “The Diamond Arm,” when Andrei Mironov’s hero found himself on the island, asked for help, and a boy came collecting fry: “Uncle, what are you doing?” are you screaming?
The nature in Assam is very beautiful. I was reminded of the landscapes of the flat part of Sri Lanka: palm trees, swamps, rice fields... A couple of hours later, with one rest stop in the middle, we arrived at the village of Kohora we needed. We were dropped off at a huge gate with the inscription “Kaziranga National Park” and two life-size rhino monuments. There is a mini market and a couple of cafes where we later came for dinner and lunch. In general, there were many hotels along the route at the entrance to the reserve. But we decided that we would stay right opposite the park administration, so that in the evening it would be convenient to buy tickets for the elephant safari.
A kilometer-long path paved with paving slabs leads from the highway to the ticket offices. Jeeps drive by from time to time, but we don’t stop them: we save money and roll our huge suitcase on wheels behind us. There are tea plantations all around, monkeys are jumping in the trees, and the ubiquitous Indian cows are rummaging in the bushes.
At the central estate of Kaziranga Park we find ticket offices for jeep safari and a place where they sell tickets, but the guesthouses, judging by the signs, are located a little further. And now, another problem! In most hotels there is no one: neither guests, nor owners... You just walk into the open doors, call and call (Is anybody here?), no one comes. In others there was someone, but with gestures he showed that everything was booked (although not a single tourist was visible)…
In general, the search for where to live probably took half an hour or an hour. We settled in... I forgot, my friends. It was written down in my folder good review at Rhino Guest House, but now in my hands is a business card of “Kaziranga Wildlife Society”. And I can't remember where I got it from. In short, the guesthouse where we lived was located directly opposite the Jeep Safari Booking Center, if you look at Google Maps. Only there is an expensive hotel nearby, and our mini-hotel is located at a crossroads. The owner flatly refused to bargain, as was written in my notes before my vacation in India - 800 rupees for a room without hot water, 1200 Rs – with flow-through heater. You can order vegetarian food, but we needed meat. So we headed back to the highway to look for a cafe.
Here in the state of Assam, some other tea grows: the leaves are not as dark as in Darjeeling. They are very reminiscent of the tea plantations that we saw in the mountains of Sri Lanka, in the Nuwara Eliya region.
We had dinner. On the advice of the hotel owner, we came to the ticket office early (at 18:30), where there was no one yet. But by 19:00 about 20 people had gathered, among whom were several more Europeans and the rest - it was clear that they were guides or hotel owners buying safari permits for their guests. They asked us for our passport, which shift we wanted to go on (we preferred at 6:15, because we were afraid that at 5:15 it would still be too dark and foggy) and gave us tickets with a recommendation to walk. As I already said, we didn’t want to wander around at night in a reserve infested with tigers - we agreed for 400 rupees with our guesthouse that they would pick us up from the hotel at 5:45 and take us back after the photo safari.
Elephant safari in Kaziranga National Park. How to look for rhinoceroses in swamp grass. Reviews from tourists
In the morning quite a lot of people showed up for the safari (some came on foot, others were brought, like us). We stood in front of the barrier until 6 am and waited for the guards to let us through.
Finally, we approached the “elephant station” and began to wait for the return of the first batch of “rhino hunters”. They gracefully emerged from the foggy darkness.
Boarding and disembarking from an elephant is as follows: climb onto the platform, and from it you step on the back of the animal. You see marks on the counter - these are marks showing how the sacred Brahmaputra River, on the banks of which the Kaziranga National Park reserve is located, overflowed in different years.
Those who have saddled their elephant move aside and wait for the rest of the safari participants to take their places.
Finally, smoothly swaying on the backs of our giants, we set off along a small path through the jungle into the swamp.
As soon as we got out into the swamp, our group divided into several crews, and we began to comb the tall sedge (half the height of an elephant) in search of rhinoceroses.
For the first 20 minutes we just wandered around the sedge, listened to the cries of birds and saw no one. It already seemed that it was in vain that we had taken so long to get to the middle of nowhere and that we would leave with a slurp.
Finally, luck came to us: hidden in a green thicket at dawn, a one-horned rhinoceros was peacefully nibbling grass at dawn.
He didn't stay there very long. He raised his head, trying to see the danger with myopic eyes. But these animals do not see well at all, but they hear well. He heard us and went into the swamp. We went to look for other representatives of Rhinocerotidae.
And soon they discovered a couple more rhinoceroses.
The contact lasts very quickly - literally, several tens of seconds. I suspect that our driver was trying not to anger them. After all, a rhinoceros is one of the most dangerous animals; its attack will cause harm.
So, from one giant to another, we wandered on a quiet Indian morning through the savannah in the floodplain of the sacred Brahmaputra River. By the way, its other names are Matsang and Yarlung-Tsangpo in Tibet, Siang in the Himalayas and Jamuna in Bangladesh. Translated from Sanskrit it means “Son of Brahma”.
Interspersed with rhinoceroses, we tried to see other animals. But because of the tall grass, this is not easy to do: as soon as I saw someone, he immediately ran into the bushes!
The rhinoceros looks like it is covered in armor. Although these are folds of his thick skin.
A herd of wild elephants grazes nearby. When I was already collecting information on the reserve to prepare this report, I learned that tourists periodically die here: apparently, about 10 years ago they were allowed to walk and at least two elderly Europeans approached the elephants, they became enraged, caught up and trampled to death...
Well, here are the dirty buffalo - the same symbol of India as the elephant or the tiger. Among hunters, the concept of the “big five” is common: elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and leopard. To date, I have collected a collection of photographs of four of them, photographing them for the first time: buffaloes in China, elephants in Thailand, rhinoceroses in India, I did not photograph leopards, since the lens was short focal length, but I saw it with my eyes – in Sri Lanka. Once I go to Africa on a safari and photograph a lion, I can say that I have “collected the Grand Slam”.
Also, I read in the news that the Kaziranga Nature Reserve is surrounded on all sides by densely populated villages and tigers often attack livestock, which angers the peasants. I was surprised by a pig calmly walking not far from the “elephant station”...
The safari is coming to an end. We go down to the ground to spend some more time with the elephants, waiting for those lagging behind.
We are going back to the guesthouse to buy tickets for the jeep safari: we wanted to try and compare both excursions. Along the way I photograph this scene.
Jeep safari in Kaziranga Game Reserve. Self-guided excursions while on holiday in India
We returned to the central square, where there is a booth with ticket offices selling tickets for jeeps. Since we had already seen the Central part, we decided to go to the Western part. Paid. Go.
I forgot to mention that when we rode the elephants, we were accompanied by several rangers with large-caliber guns. During a jeep safari, security is also required - at the checkpoint, a guy with a weapon sat next to the driver.
The sun had already risen high and was quite hot. There are noticeably fewer animals in the Kaziranga Nature Reserve. And now I understand the advantage of an elephant safari: you see a rhinoceros and go directly to him. And when you drive a jeep, you can only move along designated paths and admire the animals from afar. In addition, animals are almost not afraid of elephants, and they are wary of cars.
In the swamps there is an unimaginable din created by hundreds of birds various types– there are pelicans, and geese, and marabou...
If you compare safaris in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka and in Kaziranga National Park, in India it is more difficult to see animals, since in the Brahmaputra floodplain the grass grows taller than human height. Even if you manage to drive close to a deer, it immediately jumps into the thickets.
In harsh daylight the jungle doesn't look so beautiful. It's time to get ready to go home.
In conclusion, I would like to dwell a little on the issue of security in the reserve. I found this video on the Internet: a tiger jumps out of the thicket and attacks tourists sitting on an elephant.
The description says that this incident took place in Kaziranga in 2004. But somehow it seems to me that this is video editing. I tried to find news reports about these events - silence. There are reports that about five years ago, a tigress and her cub attacked an elephant with tourists, but the rangers drove them away with shots in the air. I have already mentioned that 2 visitors from Europe died under the feet of angry wild elephants - apparently due to safety violations and because they went to the ground.
Still, the main problem in the reserve is people. Many people believe that rhinoceros horn is a powerful aphrodisiac and pay enormous amounts of money for it. If there is demand, there are also poachers. The Indian government has authorized rangers to shoot to kill, without warning, anyone found carrying a weapon in Kaziranga Park. However, only from January to March 2016, 4 graceful animals were killed here. The bandits cut off the horn, but the carcass remains... And the world's largest rhino population is gradually decreasing.
How we traveled from Kohora to Guwahati
After the safari we returned to the guesthouse, picked up our suitcase and headed to the highway to Gauhati. We had a snack at a roadside cafe and started looking for a stop. Then a guy comes up and offers to take him to Guwahati in a shared taxi for 700 rupees - i.e. by car, but with the ability to pick up passengers. It seemed to me that a bus ticket would cost about 400 rupees for two, but the ride would take 5.5 hours in the heat. I tried to discuss in detail that this money included both luggage and travel for two – everything was confirmed. Okay, let's go!
The guy called the driver, waited 15 minutes, and a brand new Suzuki arrived. Once again I’m trying to get confirmation from the driver that the fare will be 700 rupees - I was afraid of being scammed by the taxi driver upon arrival. He doesn't speak English, but he nods his head...
The road to Guwahati is of excellent quality. The views are magnificent! As we drove about 10 kilometers from Kokhora, the road went straight along the Brahmaputra, with a dozen rhinoceroses grazing on its banks. Cars parked on the side of the road, and their passengers poured out to take selfies in front of the one-horned giants.
The driver took us to the outskirts of the city and picked up a guy along the way. He charged us 700 rupees, as agreed. wished Bon Voyage and went back. We are standing on a large square - the final stop for autorickshaws and buses (of which there are dozens). We have no idea where to look for a hotel.
We decided that it would be better if we spent the night in the part of Gauhati that is closer to the airport (judging by the signs, it is 37 km away). We looked on the Internet at the center of the metropolis - Paltan Bazaar street, around which hotels and transport routes are concentrated. We walked around 10 tuk-tukers, no one agreed to go for less than 300 rupees. Hmm... We drove 4.5 hours in a car for 700 Rs, and here from one end of the city to the other they are asking for 300...
The conductors are shouting from the buses, excitedly inviting us. We tried to ask if the bus goes to Polton Bazaar. It seems to be going... Let's sit down. Ticket price is 15 rupees. We spend a long time in traffic jams, dragging ourselves somewhere. Judging by the navigator, we are moving in the right direction. When we almost reached Paltan Bazaar, we began to carefully look around and got off at a stop, next to which there were several hotels.
What a disaster! We went around 6 hotels, and only one had room. And no haggling - 2000 rupees. What does a big city mean...
Guwahati is another place in India where I have had incredibly delicious food. There was a Chinese restaurant in our hotel. And I have already said more than once that China is a celebration of the belly!
Our journey is coming to an end. The next morning we took a taxi for 600 rupees and got to the airport (it turned out to be quite a long drive). Here we met a girl from the USA. She works as a teacher and for the last 10 years she has been coming to India for six months, since everyone in the country speaks English and the medicine is of very high quality and at the same time cheap. She traveled all over Hindustan, but this was her first time in Darjeeling and then in the North-East. I was returning from the state of Meghalaya, where there are living bridges made from the roots of Cherrapunjee or Charrapunji trees and the incredibly beautiful, one of the highest in the country, Nohkalikai Falls. Warmly recommends this place: “There are very friendly people, delicious food, wild, untouched natural beauty. This - the best place in India!" Another region she recommends getting to is the Parvati Valley in the foothills of the Himalayas.
I have heard and read the same rave reviews from other travelers. Therefore, if we happen to get to India again, then Parvati, Cherrapunji and Nohkalikai will definitely be on our route. And with this, I declare the report of 11 chapters on the adventures on the Hindustan Peninsula in November 2015 finished...
Elephant Safari Park in Bali is a unique nursery park where 31 elephants live. The park area is huge, so there is enough space for everyone. Elephants in the park in Bali were brought mainly from Sumatra, but there are also calves that have already been born in the nursery.
Every day the park receives hundreds of guests to interact with the elephants, walk, feed them or bathe them. This is the most famous and largest Elephant Park in Bali.
Also on the territory of the Safari Park there is a cafe and a souvenir shop - just a godsend for fans of elephants; there is everything for the most sophisticated connoisseurs, from figurines and other interior items to hairpins and clothes with elephants.
Elephant Safari Park opening hours: from 8 am to 6 pm.
Price:
Elephant Park Tour + Safari: $86 (including lunch and transfer from hotel and back);
Tour without elephant trekking: $65 (includes lunch and transfer from hotel and back);
If you come to the park on your own, the entrance ticket for adults will cost $20, for children under 5 years old - $5, the cost of access to the park along with skating is $65 (prices without lunch and transfer).
Photos printed on paper/T-shirt – for an additional fee.
Bali Adventure Tours also organizes cycling and rafting tours, for example, you can combine a tour with a visit to the Elephant Park and Safari, you get a program for 1 day, such combined tours are cheaper in price than if you book them on separate days , starting from $120.
You can buy a tour at any agency in Bali, including at the hotel. If you order and pay for a tour on the company’s website, there is an additional 10% discount.
All tours include lunch in a cafe and transfer.
Elephant Safari Park is located here: -8.392201, 115.284447
Transfer from Kuta/Seminyak/Jimbaran will take 1.5 hours one way, from Sanur – 50 minutes, from Ubud – 20 minutes.
If you are in Bali and want to ride, feed or buy elephants in the lake, or surprise your significant other with an original surprise, be sure to check out this park!
P.S. Have you ridden elephants? Where? How does it feel?
KENYA. The most popular African safari destination. High season- August-October, when the Great Migration takes place in the Masai Mara reserve. Other interesting national parks: Amboseli ( best views on Kilimanjaro, there are many elephants in the park), Tsavo, Samburu, Nakuru, Naivasha, Shimba Hills. Excursions to the Maasai village are widely practiced. TANZANIA. The Great Migration begins here in July. national park Serengeti, to then move to Kenya. A visit to the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve leaves a vivid impression, where almost all types of large African fauna are collected on the territory of a huge crater of an ancient volcano. The Olduvai Gorge is famous for its archaeological excavations and, together with the Kenyan Ol Njorowa Gorge, claims to be the “cradle of humanity”. MALAWI. Lake Malawi is the home of all aquarium cichlid fish, 600 species of which have already been discovered here, and several hundred more are expected to be discovered. The lake looks like a sea thanks to the surf and storms. Divers love exploring the underwater cliffs, while nature lovers appreciate the bird watching opportunities, baobab tree scenery and incredible sunsets. UGANDA. Bwindi National Park is home to almost half of the world's mountain gorilla population. And also chimpanzees and a huge number of other animals. Water rafting through rapids of varying difficulty is popular. You just need to keep in mind that children under 15 years old are prohibited from entering the territory where monkeys are found. SOUTH AFRICA. Best country for family safaris. A wide variety of animals, stunningly beautiful nature, exotic tribes accessible to visit. All this is combined with the benefits of civilization, which you will not have to give up. Zuzuland's parks are home to pink pelicans, crocodiles and hippos. Rhinos are often seen in the Kruger Park. BOTSWANA. In the Okavango Delta, you can watch animals directly from a boat carved from a whole mokoro tree trunk. Chobe Park is home to elephants and many other African animals. You can meet bushmen hunters, whose visits are specially organized for tourists. NAMIBIA. The world's oldest Namib Desert will amaze you with the height of its dunes. They reach 300 meters and are in constant motion. The desert is also home to animals that have adapted to live in difficult conditions. In Etosha Park you can see elephants, lions, zebras, cheetahs, giraffes, antelopes, and rhinoceroses. ZIMBABWE. All representatives of the “Big Five” live in Hwange Park, giraffes walk near the baobab trees. There are hyenas and antelopes, and also the world's largest population of wild dogs. The ruins of ancient Great Zimbabwe can be seen on the way to Mana Pools Park. One of the main excursions is to Victoria Falls. ZAMBIA. If you want a walking safaris, come to South Luangwa Park. There are leopards, wild boars, antelopes, elephants, lions and rhinoceroses. GABON. There are not many tourists in Loango Park, but in vain. Here you can take part in a combi safari: in one day you will see the savannah and elephants, the jungle and chimpanzees, the ocean and whales.
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