Kanha National Park | Safari Permits and Charges

 

Kanha National Park Safaris

The updated safari charges and other rules for 2021 as on date (January 11th 2021) are given below:

Safari Permit bookings

All safaris except full day safaris can be booked on the official site  https://forest.mponline.gov.in/     . One has to register on tis site & after going to wild life section you need to fill details like name, age, gender, nationality, photo id proof numbers. For Indian nationals Aadhar card, passport, driving license, voter id etc are valid. For Non-Indians passport details & country is mandatory. Permits to enter the park must be booked on line prior to the date of visit. These permits get exhausted quickly so they should be booked well in advance. We had booked one month ahead. The cost of the permit of the full Gypsy (maximum six persons plus driver plus guide) is Rs 1550/-. 

Zones 

There are four core area zones in Kanha – Kanha, Kisli, Mukki and Sarhi.  There are also four buffer zones Khatia, Khapa, Sijora & Phen. There are two entry gates for all these zones Khatia and Mukki. The core areas are in great demand as sightings are usually better in the core area though tigers have been regularly seen in the buffer areas.  The vehicles permitted in each zone are given in the screenshot below.

Cost of Jeeps

The cost of hiring a jeep (gypsy) and driver at the park gates is Rs 2500/- per safari and usually from the hotels/lodges depending on the distance from the gate is around Rs 3000/- per safari. A maximum of six guests are allowed in each  jeep plus guide and driver.

Guide Fees

The forest department provides a guide with each jeep – cost of the guide is Rs 600 per safari. 

Single seat safari bookings

It is also possible to book single seat safaris on line – the cost for this is Rs 260 per person excluding jeep cost and guide. 

Khatia Night Safari at Kanha

Night Safari is organised at Khatia Zone in the buffer. The ride is in an open jeep from 7 pm to 10pm – only three vehicles are allowed and booking is on first come first serve basis one day before the safari. The cost of the full vehicle, permit, guide is presently around Rs 5000/- per night safari for six guests.

Full Day Safari

There is a provision for booking a full day safari at Kanha covering all the zones without restriction – this is often used by photographers and naturalists – there are six permitted in a jeep along with guide and driver. Charges are not quoted on the MP Tourism web site but can be are very high. Permission needs to be taken from the Field Director for the full day safaris.

For photographs from Kanha please do visit -

 https://www.sujoydas.com/Indian-Wildlife/Kanha-National-Park-India/ 

Udawalawe National Park | Sri Lanka

We recently spent two days in the Udawalawe National Park in southern Sri Lanka. While lacking the so called glamour of Yala - the signature park of Sri Lanka - this shrub land park offers a host of wildlife including possibly the best views of elephants at close quarters including many birds and other smaller mammals.

From Wikipedia
Udawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka. The national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir. The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land area and was established on 30 June 1972. Before the designation of the national park, the area was used for shifting cultivation (chena farming). The farmers were gradually removed once the national park was declared. The park is 165 kilometres (103 mi) from Colombo. Udawalawe is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. It is a popular tourist destination and the third most visited park in the country.

SAFARI COSTS
The cost of a jeep for a single half day safari will vary between LKR (Sri Lanka Rupees)  3500 to 5000 depending on the pick up and drop points. The jeep can take around 6 persons. The cost of the entry to the park per visit is given in this photo below:

Some photographs from our visit to the Park

The land monitor

The best park to see elephants in Sri Lanka

A peacock greets the morning sunshine

A storm brews over the reservoir

Elephants in a jeep jam trying to cross the road

The elephants are not afraid of the safari vehicles

An elephant crosses a river with painted storks on the bank

A toque macaque

A red wattled lapwing

A peacock waits for the rain

Elephant Trail Lodge | Udawalawe Sri Lanka

One of the nicest forest lodges where  we have stayed in recently is the Elephant Trail Lodge in Sri Lanka five minutes drive from the gates of Udawalawe National Park. Udawalawe is the third popular park in Sri Lanka after Yala and Wilpattu but it's well worth a visit and Elephant Trail is the ideal place to stay.

The lodge has around fifteen rooms with high ceilings, a well appointed large bathroom and a sit out overlooking the swimming pool. The best rooms are on the second floor with plenty of light and air.

For more information on the lodge please do visit  http://elephanttrail.lk/

Some photographs are given below:

The park is famous for elephants

The swimming pool and sit out area seen from the rooms

Relaxing by the swimming pool

A room at the lodge

Each room has an independent sit out area overlooking the swimming pool  

Nikon | Three New Lenses Announced July 2015

Nikon announced the introduction of three new lenses to be available from July 2015:


AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80 2.8-4 ED VR

  The AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR is constructed of 17 elements in 13 groups, and features a seven-blade diaphragm to create a circular, natural bokeh. It weighs in at 16.1 oz. / 480 grams. For fast, accurate and quiet AF performance, the 16-80mm also features Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology.  This lens will replace the ever popular 16-85 VR which was one of the much loved standard zooms for DX bodies. It will be available in July for a suggested retail price of $1,069.95 (USD).  Recommended for DX shooters looking for a light and fast  standard zoom.


AF-S Nikkor 500mm F4E ED VR

The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR super telephoto weighs 6.8 lbs./3090 grams and combines two fluorite elements and three Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements. It will also be available in mid-July for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $10,299.95 (USD). It measures 15.2 in. length (387.0 mm). The lens replaces the earlier 500 mm Nikkor. Both the 500mm and 600 mm below have a F4 aperture and VR so the decision between the two is the 100 mm extra on the 600, the weight and length of the lens and the price of the 600 vs the 500.




AF-S Nikkor 600mm F4 ED VR

 The AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR super telephoto weighs 8.3 lbs. /3810 grams and features two fluorite lens elements and four ED elements. It will be available in mid-July with a suggested retail price of $12,299.95 (USD). It measures 17 in. length (432.0 mm). This lens replaces the earlier 600 mm lens and it targeted at wild life and sports shooters.





For more information on these new lenses do visit
https://photographylife.com/nikon-500mm-f4e-vr-and-600mm-f4e-vr-announcements

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/16-80mm.htm

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/07/02/nikon-announces-faster-focusing-lighter-500mm-600mm-f-4-lenses

The Nikon F2.8 Zoom Lenses

Nikon has a number of fast F2.8 zooms covering wide angle, normal and telephoto. These are the so-called "pro series" of lenses and have excellent optical and build quality though can be frightfully expensive and heavy!. These lenses can be used on DX bodies as well though I feel that other than the tele zooms, there are better DX options at a lower cost - e.g. the Nikon 12-24 f4 for the wide angle zoom and the 17-55 2.8 DX for a normal zoom. This post looks at some of these top of the line lenses:

The Wide Angle Zooms

Nikon 14-24 F2.8G New USD 1950-2100 970 grams

The 14-24 is rated as the best wide angle zoom ever made by Nikon and beats the performance of even some of Nikon's prime lenses. On the flip side it is heavy, expensive  and does not accept filters in the front of the lens. This is the lens you want to buy  if quality is paramount. For a review please do visit http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/447-nikkor_afs_1424_28_ff




Nikon 17-35 F2.8 Used USD 850-1200 745 g

This lens was the undisputed leader before the 14-24, but covers a longer range than the 14-24 on the top end! It is often used by landscape photographers and is still an extremely popular lens. Available used at half the price of  a new 14-24 it is still an excellent choice. and it is lighter.  For a review please visit http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/672-nikkorafs173528ff





Nikon 20-35 F2.8 Used USD 400-600 640 g

This was the standard wide angle high speed zoom in the film days and it still holds its own on digital bodies. It covers four important focal lengths i.e. 20mm, 24mm, 28 mm and 35mm and with a fast 2.8 aperture can relly deliver stunning results in low light conditions. On the used market it has a very good price as well!  For a review please do visit http://bythom.com/2035lens.htm. 





The Normal Zoom Lenses

Nikon 24-70F2.8G New  USD 1880-2000 900 g

The Nikon 24-70 f2.8 G is probably the gold standard for normal zoom lenses for full frame DSLRs. It is fast, sharp and effective. On the minus side the lens does not have VR, is heavy and expensive. For a review please visit  http://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-24-70mm-f2-8g

Nikon 28-70 F2.8 Used USD 800-950 935 g

This is  an almost  forgotten lens and hardly used nowadays but still very good. At around half the price of the 24-70, it is still a good choice if you can manage without 24mm! Built like a tank, it can stand a  lot of abuse in the field!  For a review please do visit  http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/2870afs.htm

Nikon 35-70 F2.8 Used USD 250-500 665 g

This is another of Nikon's classics , way back from the film days! Smaller and lighter than the other zooms, it is capable of very good results but loses out to the 24-70  as it lacks 24mm and 28mm focal lengths! For a review of this lens please visit http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/121

The Telephoto Zooms

Nikon 70-200 F2.8G VR New 2375-2500 1460 g

This is again the gold standard in this range of tele zooms. There are two versions of this lens the new one is with VRII. With the fast aperture and VR it delivers outstanding performance again rivalling many prime lenses in the same focal length. For a review please see http://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8g-vr-ii

Nikon 80-200 F2.8 ED AFS Used 750-1000 1450g

There are three versions of this lens and the best one is the two ring design with a tripod collar shown here. This was without doubt  the king in this focal length range  before the 70-200! The one touch versions are available for around USD 300-500 used  and are also very good value for money though I prefer the two ring version! Unlike the 70-200 it does not have VR.  For a review please visit  http://www.bythom.com/nikkor-80-200-lens.htm



In another post to come soon I will review the F4 Nikon zooms so do stay  connected!


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White Throated Kingfisher

These are some photographs of a white throated kingfisher found in my garden in Calcutta!

White breasted Kingfisher in Calcutta

Happy Holi to everyone! I have spent most of this Holi morning trying to shoot a pair of white breasted kingfishers who are making a nest in our garden wall. After a lot of effort and numerous failed shots, I managed to get this photograph. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to shoot both the kingfishers in the same frame. However, as they are nesting here I am sure that I will get many more chances! It is heartening to find that in this concrete jungle that is Calcutta, kingfishers still choose to nest! ( Nikon D90, 70-300 VR lens at 300 mm, ISO 800 1/125 sec at f 6.3 ev -0.3 processed in Capture NX2).

Kaziranga Photos

I  was in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India in the last week of December 2011. Thanks to Tarun Gogoi of Wild Grass Resort I had some excellent wildlife sightings at the park. Some of the photographs are in this post below while the full collection is on my web site  Kaziranga Photos

Indian One Horned Rhino on the Kaziranga grasslands 

Elephant Safari Kaziranga

Hog deer Kaziranga

Adjutant Stork 

Elephant and calf cross the road in front of our jeep

Wild Grass Kaziranga

I recently had the pleasure of spending four days at the Wild Grass Resort , Kaziranga National Park. The resort had amazingly good food, excellent service, beautiful ambience and warm, comfortable rooms! The resort run by Manju Barua and his team is one of the oldest in the area. Tarun Gogoi was an excellent guide and a treasure trove of information on the birds of the park. To contact Wild Grass please e-mail wildgrasskaziranga@gmail.com  Some photographs  of Wild Grass are below: