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Wadhwana Wetlands : Gujarat

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When we were planning our drive from Velavadar to Jambughoda, we were excited to learn we could include Wadhwana Wetlands in our route. It’s a water reservoir which attracts thousands of migratory and many resident birds. An important birding area, it is also a beautiful place to unwind, surounded by green agricultural fields.

“This irrigation reservoir and wetland located 10 kms from Dabhoi & 20 kms from the Jambughoda village, is the water source for 25 nearby villages, and a popular birdwatching site for species including stork, tern, ibis, and spoonbill. To get here you will have to rent a vehicle from Dabhoi, taking the Nanderi Gate road. Apart from being a wetland, it also has an eco tourism campsite. The best time to visit the wetland is from October to March cause that is the main migratory seasons for birds which migrate here from all over the world.” There isn’t any decent place to stay nearby. We stayed at the Jambughoda Palace which is about 25km from here. The Wadhwana Wetlands are home to many birds like the Indian River Terns, Openbills, Grey Lag Geese, Rudy Shell Ducks, Common Pochards, Ferruginous Pochards, Tufted Pochards, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, Common Teals, Garganey, Eurasian Wegions, Lesser Whistling Teals, Spoonbill Ducks, Cotton Teals, Comb Ducks, Common Coots, Indian Cormorants, Herons, Black headed Ibis, Black Ibis, Egrets, Purple Moorhens, Osprey, Pied Kingfishers, Wire Tailed Swallows, Ashy Crowned Sparrow Larks, Bulbuls, Green Bee Eaters, and many others. I am not sure about the mammals but I am sue there are various kind of mongooses, amongst others.

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Joy! The Wadhwana Wetlands!

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Mumbai – Velavadar – Sasan Gir : Road Tripping

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We had been planning for a long time to visit the Blackbuck National Park in Velavadar, Gujarat. And when we finally found some time, the summers were beginning to set in, and we decided to make a quick trip. We drove from Mumbai to Velavadar via NH8, and stayed a night at the Khaliar Bhavan, Blackbuck National Park. There is a beautiful but tiny grasslands National Park at Velavadar which houses a few blackbucks, wolves, hyenas and many birds. April was a good time to spot the large mammals, but post monsoons, this place is a must visit for the Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus), a highly endangered bird. The next day after a brief safari at the Blackbuck National Park, we moved ahead towards Sasan Gir. The roads were generally nice and not too crowded, and passed through beautiful farms on either side. We passed through Sihor, an ancient city which has a hill fort as well, but we didn’t have the time to stop for a visit. We like to keep stopping for photos or for a decent looking place for food/chai or snacks. And we found plenty of such opportunities. We stayed for about two nights at Sasan Gir, at a place we will not recommend. From Sasan Gir, we went back to Blackbuck National Park, spent a night there, and then went via Wadwana Wetlands to JambuGhoda, a delightful little palace in a sanctuary, and a world heritage site at Champaner – Pavagad. So our journey was: Mumbai – Velavadar – Sasan Gir – Velavadar – Wadwana – Jambughoda – Mumbai. The roads are generally good throughtout.    

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Dry mud flats on either side of the road right outside of the Blackbuck National Park.
Approaching Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar.
Approaching Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar.
In Sihor, we went to take an inquisitive look at an old colonial building, now housing for government department.
In Sihor, we went to take an inquisitive look at an old colonial building, now housing for government department.

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Jambhulpada : A Quiet Little Village Near Mumbai

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On a recent drive, I happened to ‘discover’ Jambhulpada. It is a quiet little village, off the Mumbai – Pune Highway, tucked amidst tall trees, on the banks of the river Amba, off the state highway near Khopoli.

There is an old age ashram, the Anand Dham, a small hotel with a restaurant called ‘Rest In The Forest’ and practically not much else. It seems to be an old village with a few remaining old style houses. And thank god for it. The quaintness is the charm of this village.

AnandDham was setup in 1997. It is said to be a nice place for senior citizens to retire to, and has adequate provisions for their needs. The Dikshit Bhojanalay is run by a a lady called Mrs Smita Sadashiv Dixit and one can find a very good meal here. There are some temples here like the Mahalaxmi Mandir, Hanuman Mandir, and the Sidhha Laxmi Dashbhuja Ganapati Mandir.

Since it’s so close to Mumbai, a day’s getaway would be completely possible. Jambhulpada near Khopoli is barely some 120km from Mumbai.

Way to Jambhulpada
On the way.

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Karwar : A Beautiful Estuary

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In our Mumbai to Coorg roadtrip, we stopped over at Karwar, a beautiful town in North Karnataka. Karwar is situated at the point river Kali meets the the Arabian Sea. This estuary is a rich nutrient source and as such has a high bio-diversity.

We spent an evening photographing landscapes and birds at Karwar.

As fishermen bring their catch, a lot of the fish is sadly destroyed and mutilated. This cannot be sold and is thrown back into the water, attracting these Pariah Kites.
As fishermen bring their catch, a lot of the fish is sadly destroyed and mutilated. This cannot be sold and is thrown back into the water, attracting these Pariah Kites.

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As you walk deeper towards the River Kali, a certain serenity engulfs you. So do the mangroves.

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Jawhar, Maharashtra : Celebrating Dussera With The Tribals

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Jawhar is a dusty little town in the Thane disctrict of Maharashtra. There is nothing much in the town itself, but we were pleasantly surprised to discover their Tribal Dussera Celebrations. Many tribes from the region get together at the town square in an all night dance and celebration in true tribal dress, music and … Read more

Todgarh Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary

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The drive to Todgarh Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary was like a Safari in itself, passing through amazing Aravalli Hills, dry scrub land, degraded hill slopes and many a hairpin bend. At the village Todgarh, we called Gopal Ji, the caretaker at the forest rest house, to check what was cooked for dinner. He didn’t have much, … Read more

The Story of Todgarh

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Nihal Mathur at Todgarh.
Nihal Mathur at Todgarh.

A guest post by the wonderful Nihal Mathur, the original travel writer, film maker, researcher, a great friend and a personal icon.

Todgarh is named after a British Lieutenant Colonel James Tod – who was born in Scotland in 1782. In 1799 he enrolled with the British East India Company and the following year – 1800 – he came to India as a Marine at an early age of 18. In 1801, he was selected as a survey officer. His great service was the scrupulous care with which he documented and mapped the entire regions now comprising Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
But it was his long lasting relationship with Rajputana that earned him immortality. This country of Rajput Princes became in his own words “home of my adoption,” as he affectionately called it. And indeed, the best part of his life was enthusiastically and usefully devoted in Rajasthan where Tod collected materials on the history of the Rajput clans who ruled most of the area at that time. Tod’s work drew on local archives, Rajput traditional sources, and monuments and edicts.
In 1818 he was appointed political agent for the states of western Rajputana, where he conciliated the chieftains and settled their mutual feuds. As the Resident British officer in the state of Rajpotana he approached this task with sympathy and understanding for the Rajput princes, many of who remained his admirers and friends.
1819 In appreciation of his work in the Merwara Region, the Maharana of Udaipur renamed Barsawada, a village in his monarchy, as ‘Todgarh’. The name comes down to us today.

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Velavadar Blackbuck National Park

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I could see the horizon as a cool evening breeze hurriedly chilled my chai. Sitting on a chair outside the forest rest house, the expanse of the Blackbuck National Park with hundreds of its natural residents filled me with imaginations of what the world must have been like before modern humans took over. The Blackbuck … Read more

Nandur Madhyameshwar : A Little Known Birding Haven

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We had heard of Nandur Madhyameshwar, and had been wanting to visit this Important Birding Area (IBA) for a very long time. And we ended up visiting twice in one year.

Our first trip was in the monsoons. As expected, the lake was full of water, the surroundings lush. However, monsoons are not a great time for birding. We did spot a lot of resident birds like Terns, various Bush Chats etc, but no migratory birds. Winters, however, are a different story altogether. Tens of thousands of migratory birds make these wetlands their winter home. The area is pretty much a flat land and hence approaching birds for photography is difficult.

From the Maharashtra Forest Department website: “Nearly 24 species of fishes have been recorded in the reservior including Ompok Maculatus, Puntius Gawa Mullya. So far more than 230 species of birds are recorded from this area out of which 80 species are migratory.

Migratory: White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbills, Flamigo, Goose Brahminy Duck, Pintails, Mallard, Wigeon, Gargenery Shoveller, Pochards, Cranes Shanks, Curlews, Small Pratincoles, Wagtails, Godwits, Weavers etc.

Resident: Black Ibis, Spotbills, Teals, Little Grebe, Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Stork, Kites, Vultures, Buzzards, Harriers, Osprey, Quails, Patridges, Eagles, Waterhens, Sandpipers, Swifts, Grey Hornbills, Peafowls etc.

Animals: Ottar, Palm Civet, Fishing Cat, Jackal, Mangoose, Wolves and many species of snakes etc are available.”

We drove from here to discover the fabulous Karanjgaon, Pink Village Of Maharashtra.

Nandur Madhyameshwar in the monsoons. The metal structure is the dam.
Nandur Madhyameshwar in the monsoons. The metal structure is the dam.

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Mumbai – Goa – Coonoor – Mumbai : An Epic Roadtrip

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Road trips are always fun, and when you combine the sea with the mountains, it’s something else! End of December, 2014, we had some work in Goa, and after much pondering, we decided to leave. It was already 2pm and I never like to drive at night, but work is work! We took the NH4 … Read more

Amban Heritage Home : A Great Place To Stay In Kannur, Kerala

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We were driving from Goa to Kochi and picked on Kannur in Kerala, as a mid way stop over for the night. After some searching around, we discovered Amban Heritage Home. And boy, did we love it!

Amban Heritage Home was built in 1904. The rooms are small, very affordable, but very clean and so are the bathrooms. The property is run by the family and the food is excellent. We had some awesome prawns, fish, rice, chutneys, veggies etc, all true Kannur traditional style.

We changed our plans of driving to Kochi, Kerala, because of the terrible traffic on NH17, and decided of going to Kotagiri in Tamil Nadu instead. Suresh was kind enough to suggest an absolutely beautiful drive to Coonoor, something our mapping devices could never think of. Thank you Suresh!

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Suresh and Sudha own and run this beautiful 104 year old property with their family.

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