Beginners’ Guide to Wildlife Safari in India

If you are given a chance to choose that one vacation type, what would it be? Trekking, rafting, camping, snorkeling or wildlife safari? Most of us in our lifetime would have surely experienced rafting, camping or trekking for that matter but wildlife safari has not been tried by many. So if you are looking forward to this exciting, fun-filled and thrilling experience, there are various factors that you need to be abreast with before starting This guide here is for the beginners who would like to take they are first-ever wildlife safari in India.

As a beginner, you need to learn about all the factors before actually starting with the journey. It is better to know what kind of excursion you are going to be on and what all it will include. Here are a few important things that you should have some knowledge of.

Let us learn what wildlife safari is?

• All those who don’t know what wildlife safari is and what exactly defines it, well, in simple terms it is a trip through the wilderness. Safari does not mean hunting but only to enjoy, view the natural beauty and be a part of it for some time.
• Wildlife Safari is all about thrilling and exciting activities such as driving through the jungle, sightseeing, experiencing rich flora and fauna followed by hiking and trekking. All this you can do by opting for jeep safari, canter safari, elephant safari or safari of other kinds.

If you do not really have much of idea about the jungle safari travel then before getting into the in-depth detail, why don’t you get some travel inspiration?

Now you must be wondering what this travel inspiration concept is. In simple terms, it is going through the real-life experience of other travelers. Yes, there are various blog posts of various travelers discussing their experience as to how thrilling and exciting was the entire jungle safari. How different was jeep safari from an elephant safari? Or, how it felt to see wild animals from a close distance? If after reading all this, the bug of taking jungle safari bites you then there is no stopping for you. We have compiled a list of tips on what to do before a jungle safari in India. Real life experience of jungle safari not only motivates you to go for the safari but also helps you avoid mistakes. The issues faced by the previous travellers or the mistakes committed by them will become a learning for you. Therefore, reading the travel inspiration blogs is important.

Where Exactly in India?

India has a lot of places to offer to wildlife lovers from around the globe. If you are one of those real wildlife safari enthusiasts then India is the right place for you. There are various places across the nation wherein you can go for a wildlife safari and all you have to do is to invest some time on research. After that whichever place suits your budget and other needs, just go for it! Let us list few of the popular wild life sanctuaries and national parks in India.

• Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan
• Kaziranga National Park, Assam
• Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand
• Bandipur National Park, Karnataka
• Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
• Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan
• Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Gir National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat
• Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra
• Sunderban Tiger Reserve, West Bengal

Apart from the above mentioned list, there are many other sanctuaries and wildlife parks in India. So once you have understood what wildlife safari is and chosen where you want to go, you must come down to the basics of planning. So, first and foremost step should be to choose the safari kind. Whether it is the booking of jeep or animal ride, the date for it should be mutually decided among your group for the further convenience and complete enjoyment of all. This also includes mutually deciding the budget for the same. The budget includes costs of various things which we have mentioned in the below pointers along with the mandatory wildlife safari planning strategy.

Planning

• Make sure that you find an experienced planner for wildlife safari. These days online government approved tourism portals are the most reliable source.
• Ensure your budget is flexible as many a times the cost fluctuates.
• Proper research and understanding about the equipment and clothes to carry along with its cost will prove to be helpful.
• Carrying your own supplies of food like glucose biscuits, energy bars will be a smart option as purchasing the same from the reserve may be expensive.
• The cost includes paying fee of the guide, type of safari and accommodation.

What to Carry?

The temperature keeps on fluctuating in woods, sometimes it can be very harsh, therefore to be on a safer side, it will be better if you carry extra pair of clothes. Here listed are the major type of clothes and things you must carry:

• Clothes suiting all weather condition of the destination Make sure that you carry a good quality camera along with the relevant lenses in order to capture your trip’s lovely memories. Do not forget carrying an extra set of batteries and memory cards.
• Carrying a medical kit should be on the top of the list of the priorities as walking across the woods might not be always pleasant. Therefore, don’t forget to carry your medical kit along with any particular kind of medicine that you are on.

Last but not the least is the major do’s and don’ts while or before going to a wildlife sanctuary.

Do’s:

• Some of the major tips before starting your journey is that it is always advised to plan the safari in the dry season as during rainy weather the chances of landslides and getting stuck with water are higher. Apart from it many of the wildlife reserves remain close for tourists in the monsoon season in India.
• Ensure that you have done an in-depth planning before actually starting off the journey which includes what to carry and what are things not to forget.
• The most important factor to be aware of is to never disturb the wild animals as they are not used to human interaction. Therefore to avoid unnecessary hassle make sure that you see them from a distance.
• Also, you can capture the beauty of the nature and animals in your camera. While you take the photos of the animals from an adequate distance, it is also advised to strictly follow the guidelines provided to you by the guide.

If you follow the guidelines well, chances of experiencing the best jungle safari are higher.

Dont’s:

While the do’s are many the list of dont’s is endless. Here we have tried to sum up majority of the dont’s in few words.

• While you are in a jungle and surrounded with wild animals, it is always advised not to break the silence as it might disturb the animals. Make sure you do not make much noise.
• As the jungle comprises of varied types and sizes of animals, it is advised that the vehicle should be run in a high speed as it may cause accidents with small animals.
• Most important factor to know and understand is not to try feeding the animals irrespective of their size. By trying to feed them you might just upset the animals.
• Some areas in the jungle are restricted and prohibited to tourists due to safety and security reasons. So never try to enter such areas as you might get into some serious trouble.
• Animals are not familiar to bright colours so wearing shiny and swanky shades might disturb them, instead you should try wearing dull green or khaki colour.
• Littering in the jungle is unhealthy for inhabiting animals, so do not litter and also do not pluck flowers or try touching the animals.
• You should not smoke in the jungle as slightest of the fire can lead to major accident in the woods and cause a lot of harm to the environment and the animals.

If you follow the above mentioned factors, the chances of committing mistakes will be less.

So before you start with the safari give yourself enough time as nature is not in a hurry. The more time you spend on planning, the more chances of seeing wildlife will come your way. Not to forget, strictly follow the rules and make sure you listen to your guide. If you are going to follow all the instructions and keep tips in your mind, the journey is surely going to be safe, exciting and fun filled.

One more thing before we wind up this blog; respect wildlife and do your bit to conserve and keep them safe.