Dudhwa Tiger Reserve: The Terai heaven
Dudhwa tiger reserve is located on the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh approximately 200 km from Lucknow. Dudhwa National Park, together with Kishanpur and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuaries, represent the best natural forests and grasslands left in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh.
The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in northern India and southern Nepal that lies south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scrub savannah, sal forests and clay-rich swamps. Terai is one of the most productive and fertile regions.
I did 5 safaris in this region, 2 in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, 2 in Kishanpur Tiger Reserve, and 1 in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. All of them have different kinds of vistas to offer.
The closest airport is in Lucknow where you should reach before 8 am if you want to do the evening safari. My journey started a little early though. I took a 3 am flight from Pune airport and reached Lucknow at 5 am. I was staying at the resort of Nikhil Pal in Mailani which is equidistant from Kishanpur and Dudhwa, making it a perfect place to stay at. Morning drives in winter can get a little tricky in the northern regions, the fog was so much that the visibility was barely 50 feet, what should have taken less than 2 hours took us almost 4 hours. You will cross a city called Lakhimpur, do take a stop there and taste the Malai Makkhan there, it is like ice cream but better.
We reached the resort and the property was so beautiful, surrounded by forests and farms, so many birds, there are a couple of owls who live at the property, making it great wildlife photography start for my trip. The food here was so homely and so delicious, I might have put on a few kgs in the 4 days I was staying here.
First evening safari in Dudhwa. On the way to the gate of the forest you cross a river, where you can see a lot of crocodiles, I was fortunate enough to see a bunch of them sunbathing.
The forest is so picturesque, so calming. You can also do an Elephant safari here in Dudhwa and see the one-horned Rhinoceros up close, you get to see these Rhinos only in Assam and Dudhwa. As of now, the Elephant safari is closed due to covid restrictions but it will start on the 1st of April. My jeep safari started at around 3, I just fell in love with the tall Sal trees and the straight forest roads, so gorgeous, so green. It was freezing cold.
We heard a few alarm calls, saw a few jackals who were running scared, we were tracking their movements when we saw a huge male Tiger sitting in the woods, the eye contact was so thrilling, and then he disappeared like a ghost.
Came back to the resort after the safari, a little rest, a lovely dinner and we started tracking jackals who roam near the property at night, this was the first time I photographed a Jackal at night, they are super photogenic.
On day 2 we did morning and evening safari in the Kishanpur Tiger reserve, which is also a part of the Dudhwa sector. Here you get to see a different side of the Tarai forest which is equally beautiful. Since I did this in winters, there was a lot of fog which added to the beauty of the forest, it felt like a mythical forest. Due to the mist, tracking tigers became a little difficult, we could hear alarm calls but visibility was low.
It was freezing cold, thanks to Nikhil who carried tea with him and we enjoyed a little tea in the cold and fog waiting for some movement or some alarm call in the grasslands.
One thing to remember, do not get disheartened if you don't get to see a big cat that day, enjoy the forest, mother nature always wants you to feel peaceful, observe other animals and birds, every day you learn something new in the forest.
At night again after a delicious dinner we went off in the nearby forest area to track Jackals, and yes we found a few, they look adorable but their howls are terrifying, like a protracted and eerie combination of screaming and yelping, it has an ominous vibe to it, kind of thrilling right?
On day 3 we did the morning safari in Dudhwa again, temperatures dropped suddenly, and it was insane cold even after wearing 3 layers on my body, fog always tends to increase the magical effect forests have, feels like another world altogether.
In the afternoon we decided to go to Pilibhit tiger reserve which was just about an hour and a half away from Mailani, another beautiful part of the Terai region, the trees here have maintained a little distance between them which makes it easier to see deep into the forest.
We got to see Burmese Python and Porcupines, which were a first for me in the wild.
We got a good rest that night, and the next day early morning we left for Lucknow. I'm definitely going to visit Dudhwa again in winters, yes, tiger sightings can get a little tricky because of the fog in winters, but the forest just takes your breath away, it's pure magic.
I would like to thank Nikhil for being a lovely host, and for arranging such a lovely trip and excellent homely food. If you plan to visit Dudhwa, do contact him.
Stay tuned for my upcoming adventures, do check my Instagram profile for more pictures.
Thank you for reading.
