India - There We Went

So, our epic Indian quest is over, with a high degree of success, tempered by one or two epic failures. I've finally managed to see a tiger - four of them in fact - but missed out on snow leopard and Pallas's cats.

Still, hundreds of new birds have been added to the list and I've discovered that I can indeed survive at 14,000ft, even if it's a bloody struggle.

The link to the trip report - with some photos - is on the right and the usual published book version will be coming along very soon.

India - Here We Go!

Well, we're nearly ready to go again. So much has happened in the last three months that, all things considered, it was touch-and-go whether I would cancel this trip at more than one point. In the end though, Dad would have wanted me to go, no matter what happened and that's what I've decided to do. There might even be a little bit of my usual nervousness having been responsible for my doubts along the way.

It's tricky, when everyone around you is either telling you that India is wonderful or that India is terrible, to come to your own view without actually going and seeing for yourself. I only have my travelling companions to truly rely on in this regard. Fred has consistently repeated, time and time again, that he really doesn't like India, for a number of reasons. However, he keeps coming up with an excuse to go back, meaning that there must be something really worthwhile to draw him, despite his reservations.

This time, that was a set of photos on a trip report made by some of his friends on Trip Advisor. All he had to do was show them to me as well and I was hooked. While the main focus of this trip might be those huge striped cats, there does really seem to be so much more to be seen.

Our trip will be a little bird-heavy. Sometimes this is a complaint, especially when it is in a place that you've visited before, but India's birds will be mostly new to me and that's just fine. I've called "Jungle Fowl" in almost every country in Africa, only to be consistently told that the roadside chickens aren't native. Now's my big chance to tick it off the list once and for all. That's probably also true for peacocks and pheasants.

So, I have my passport, I have my Visa and I have my yellow fever card. Cameras have been checked, new batteries have been purchased - at great expense - and my laptop has been cleared for the influx of photographs. I'm as ready as I'll ever be to experience India on my own terms and I'm ready!

Safari 2025 - Technically Not!

There's a pretty strong argument that the word Safari, although meaning a journey to hunt for wild animals, should be solely associated with doing so in Africa. Over time, of course, this definition has loosened considerably and I'm pretty happy to call this upcoming trip a Safari.

I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone this time. Twice - at least - my friends have planned trips here and I've declined on both occasions. The first time, I simply couldn't afford to go, but the second time I felt that it just wasn't a country I wanted to actually visit. Fred, in particular, keeps going back but constantly tells me that he doesn't like the place and there have been many pronouncements of "Never Again" over the years.

And, where is this place? India.

Now, India is a very big country and, as always, our time will be limited. This calls for careful planning and considerable sacrifice. Here's the basic plan for our trip:

• Fly out from Heathrow on February 25th to Delhi
• Overnight in Delhi
• Drive to Agra for two nights to see Taj Mahal, etc
• Boat Trip on Chambal River - looking for crocodiles and gharial
• Haiderpur Wetlands - Lots of birds
• Three lodges in and around Jim Corbett National Park -  six days looking for Tigers!!!
• Manila and Sattal in the Himalaya Foothills around Nanda Devi - scenery and more birds
• Drive back to Delhi for one night
• Fly to Leh in Ladakh
• Six days to explore:
• Khardung La and Tanglung La - High road mountain passes above 17,000 feet!
• Tso Kar - High mountain lake for rare birds
• Hanle - Possible to see a Pallas's Cat
• Plenty of time to look for Snow Leopard, Tibetan Fox, Wolf, Lynx, Red Fox, etc.
• Back to Delhi for one more night
• Return to Heathrow and then home on March 23rd

So, Agra is as far south as we get, but primarily this is Northern India in the extreme. For me, the highlight will, of course, be Corbett. In some ways, tigers are the only thing that make me want to go to India enough to finally do so.

Having said that, there's plenty more to be seen. This is the Himalayas. Nanda Devi is the highest mountain entirely in India and then we head even deeper into the mountains by going to Ladakh.

Leh, at more than 11,000 feet is our starting point. This is technically the low point between the western end of the Himalayas and the Karakoram range to the north, the valley of the Indus River. As we land, we might glimpse the summit of K2 at more than 28,000 feet. We'll head out wherever the roads are open. I've no real expectation of seeing either the snow leopard or Pallas's cat, but there is hope always.

That Elephant Encounter - Video

One of the things that I never - well almost never - manage is to take any video while I'm on safari. Once in a while I'll remember that I have my phone in my pocket and even more rarely I'll remember that video is a thing.

I'm just not a videographer. Photos are what work for me and I don't even have to think about taking them, it is just automatic. And that applies whether it is reaching for the big camera, the compact camera or the phone - indeed it is sometimes a case of reaching for all three to capture as much information and variety of shots as possible.

The point is, for the most part, I have to rely on others to capture video for me and, luckily, Emmy is often there to pick up the slack. Here is his short clip from our first proper elephant encounter from Akagera in Rwanda.