Day 6: Bandhavgarh National Park

On our 4th and final day at Bandhavgarh we had one safari left. We set out early in the morning and within 15 minutes we spotted these two tiny tiger cubs peaking out from behind a rock. It was an amazing sight. Soon they left. It turns out these were the 4 month old cubs of the Amma Nallah Tigress. There are actually 3 cubs but we only saw two of them. This postcard moment was an amazing way to end our stay at Bandhavgarh.

After our tiger cub sighting, we saw the beautiful Green Bee-eater. Colorful bee-eaters are common in Asia and Africa. This is actually one of the less colorful ones.

As we left Bandhavgarh, we spotted a male and female Plum-headed Parakeet. These are the most colorful parakeets in India and we were thrilled to see them.

Bandhavgarh greatly surpassed our expectations. Our tiger sightings were unforgettable. We were told that if we returned in the summer dry season we were more likely to see Leopards and Sloth Bears. In the summer dry season, water becomes very scarce and tigers, leopards and bears can be seen near water holes. Again, no guarantees. Unlike the national parks in Africa where wildlife is really abundant, in India seeing the animals that make up the top of the food chain is no easy task. We were surprised to find Bandhavgarh relatively uncrowded. Unlike the famous man made monuments that get enormous numbers of tourists, India's national parks are fairly quiet. For a visitor this is nice but I also think that if more rich tourists visit, the more likely these parks and animals will be preserved for future generations. Next, we were ready to finish our trip by driving to the famous temples at Khajuraho.