Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 1 Part I - Reaching Dudhwa

←Dudhwa : Some Basic Info 

Day 1 Part II - The Evening Safari→

Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 1 Part I - Reaching Dudhwa

   So on the given Friday morning, we excitedly started for Dudhwa, with hope in our hearts. Our progress on road was delayed due to a longish stop at a Gud (jaggery) making village workshop. More on that later.

   We also saw this lady selling parakeets...😔

   Chalo, at least different species are kept in different cages...

   Soon, we crossed the town of Palia, crossed over the Sharda on the new road bridge. Last time when I had come here, some 24 and 1/2 yrs back as a kid, the road and rail used to share the same bridge. Back then, The Bridge upon the River Sharda used to be one long level crossing, the gates were closed before the passage of train, and after the passage of The Train to Dudhwa, the gates were thrown back open for the road traffic again.

The Train to Dudhwa over The Bridge upon the River Sharda

(circa summer of 94)

After the train crossed, the bridge went back to being a road bridge

   And soon we were about to enter the hallowed promised land after crossing over the Nakauwa stream. 

Bridge over the Nakauwa stream

   And there are these well placed boards which remind you just in time that you are in the wild now.

   And so we sighted our first wildlife, a monkey teaching us the rules using visual aids...😊

   And when we reached on top of bridge, the scene on either side was really beautiful. And rather unexpectedly, we saw a crocodile basking right there by the stream side even before we had entered the forests. By jove, the caution boards by the road side were actually damn true!

Sun Basking Croc

   Time for some info about these guys

   -   Bhartiya Magarmach: Mugger crocodile/ Indian Marsh Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris = Crocodile of the Marshes)

   -   A medium sized crocodile, one of the three species found in India.

   -   Is said to have the broadest snout among living crocodilians

   -   Adult males can grow up to 4-5 mtrs in length.

   -   They are cold-blooded, so they bask in the sun for hours to regulate their temperature.

   -   A female lays her eggs in a hole she digs on the sandy banks, and aggressively protect them.

   -   Females can choose the sex of their offspring by varying the temperature inside the nest.

   -   IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable (Threatened) since 1982

   -   Current global wild population is estimated at 5,700 to 8,700 non-hatchlings

   -   Range: Endemic to Indian Subcontinent and Southern Iran

Range of Mugger Crocodile, courtesy IUCN

   So with the live demo, it was important to take note of the cautions earnestly.

   Reproducing them below for your benefit

      Caution
      -   Do not throw plastic or other materials in to the water

      -   Do not climb down and try to approach the basking crocodiles.
      -   Do not shout or throw stones at the basking animals.

   And crossing the bridge, we were officially welcomed by this gate into Dudhwa

Welcome to Dudhwa   

   The pride of Dudhwa are:
      -   Its Magnificent Trio of Barasingha, Tiger and Rhino
      -   The Alligator
      -   The Bengal Florican

The Pride of Dudhwa

   And after about 2 and a 1/2 km of lovely forest drive, we arrived at this imaginative tiger striped check post complete with the tiger mounted barrier.

The Delightful Barrier

   The road straight leads to Nepalese town of Dhangadi via the Indian Border of Gauri Phanta, on the right lies the tourist complex of Dudhwa, and the road on right leads to Chandan Chowki and the Tharu tribal villages. We too to were excited to visit Nepal, but the road was reported to be under repair and fit only for two wheelers / trucks at that moment.

   Here is a rather informative map of Dudhwa, filled with information including species specific areas

Map of Dudhwa National Park

   And we drove up to our wonderful stay so as to quickly unload and gobble up the lunch before the evening safari.

Our 'brave-heart' Alto at the lovely Dudhwa Tourist Complex 

   We quickly freshened up in our room

Our room in Dudhwa

   

   Notice the two cameras, one for the elder one and the Birding Book.

   And wow, the jungle starts just behind our room, as can be seen in this view from the bathroom, pardon the dirty glasses.

The jungle starts behind, view from the room

   We quickly hurried to the 'canteen' for lunch, in spite of our hurry we could not help but notice the lovely sit out veranda, where we were sure that we will end up having some tea.

   Caution: Be on the lookout and extremely cautious for the raiding monkeys, the complex seems to be plagued by them. Always be sure to lock the outer gate to the veranda and do not step out with eatables in your hand unless you want to be scared by a surprise attack.

The lovely sit out veranda

   The canteen for meals, the timings are
      Breakfast:   10 to 11 AM
      Lunch:         12 to 3 PM
      Dinner:        8.30 to 10.30 PM

Dudhwa Canteen

   Its rare that kids enjoy the food. The food was pretty homely...

Enjoying the Lunch at the Dudhwa Canteen

  The on paper exhaustive menu of Canteen, in reality I guess only the set buffet menu is available.

   As we waited for our ride, were really tempted to click around the beautiful Dudhwa Complex in its beautiful surroundings.

The canteen building exterior

The vintage forest rest house as seen from canteen

The new 'huts', we were staying in one of them

The sun kissed lawns

Tasteful

And we were delighted on seeing this line up of steeds in the stable

   Must say that these Tata Xenons are pretty nicely modified for Safari. But I wonder what are the wooden racks in front for...😕

Perhaps the wait was over and this vehicle was for us...

   Hope you enjoyed going though this post. Request continue following and sharing our pics, posts and logs to motivate us keep posting...Love and regards

#dudhwa #Mugger #crocodile #nikond7200 #vulnerable #endemic #dudhwanationalpark #dudhwatigerreserve #upforestdepartment #travel #wildlife #incredibleindia #upecotourism

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←Dudhwa : Some Basic Info

 Day 1 Part II - The Evening Safari→