Sariska Tiger Reserve
Situated around 250 KM from Delhi, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar District of Rajasthan is a perfect get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Spread over 800 sq Km Sariska Tiger Reserve is an amazing blend of flora and fauna. Traveling through the dense forest various species of animals can be spotted. While Baboon, Peacock, Sambhar, Deer, Chinkara, Nilgai are common sights, Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard can be spotted too. In this chapter, we take a one day trip from Delhi to Sariska Tiger Reserve.
Start of Journey
We started our journey at 5 AM from Delhi on Delhi-Ajmer Expressway NH48. The journey to Sariska will take approximately 4 hours. The road is in good condition throughout apart from few patches on NH248A.
The best way to explore the area is taking a safari organized by the Government every two hours. Private vehicles are allowed in the reserve only on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Gate closes at 6 PM. You can also check the do’s and don’t list at the end of the chapter.
Hanuman Temple
The aura of this place will take over your mind as soon as you enter the gates. Our destination was Hanuman temple in Pandupol around 22 Km. The road was an amazing experience with the perfect view of animals grazing on a very pleasing landscape. One can see hundreds of peacocks, deer, chinkara and other similar species on the roadside. You can not stop anywhere on the way till temple.
On the way to temple, beware of groups of Baboons. They are nasty and they rule the jungle. A villager told us about a few instances where people trying to click pictures of Baboons sustained serious injuries. Take care of your belongings and some extra care while clicking or filming the route. The ride till temple is bumpy, dusty and rough, but isn’t that what Safari is all about.
Devotees from nearby areas visit the temple on Saturdays. The place is bit crowded. It was nothing short of fair with people singing hymns and rejoicing with families. There was a group of Sadhus discussing ‘Demonetization and God’, blazing chillums one after other. After spending some time at the temple it was time to head back before the gate closes. We stopped at a lake on the way back. The view is amazing and those who want to experiment and test their photography skills would love the frame.
It was time to say goodbye to Sariska, for this time only, with a hope to see and capture a Bengal Tiger on camera in the next visits.
