We paid about £90 for a safari tour of the Panna Tiger Reserve, which included the jeep drive over a distance of 25 kms to the Reserve gate at Madla. We spent nearly 2 hours hanging about before the safari started, having to show our passports on numerous occasions; this was because “there are cheaters” (not cheetahs) trying to get in for nothing. The scenery was glorious and we DID see a tiger (its name is P161) and it has recently given birth to 3 cubs including an enormous male given the name “Mister India”. Sadly the tiger was perhaps 200 metres away and even through the guide’s binoculars it was merely a yellow and black stripe in the distance. We didn’t want to walk into the forest to get a closer look, although the guide said it is not a man-eater.We also saw a leopard (at least its tail) up a tree, and lots of deer and monkeys. They have a symbiotic relationship because the deer like to eat plums and the monkeys climb plum trees and throw the fruit down. They also look out for tigers and make warning calls to alert the deer. We stopped for 5 minutes to watch a deer which had its tail sticking up, a sign that it was in a state of alert having evidently heard or smelt something frightening. I can’t say I wanted to see the deer being eaten. We also saw antelopes, gazelles, a wild boar, a kingfisher and many beautiful peacocks. A most enjoyable experience. There are 84 tigers in the reserve including 12 in the section open to the public, so we were lucky to see one.
Crocodile at the end of the island
The River Ken
A gazelle
kingfisher
3 thoughts on “Day 33 (28th February) Panna”