INTO THE WILD

If you’re looking for a domestic holiday in the next few months as the situation improves, but with social distancing continuing to be the norm, these four wildlife lodges and homestays, run by conservation specialists and wildlife enthusiasts, could be your best bet

- Arti Dwarkadas

The tracks in the dust look fresh. I drop into a crouch, and let my palm hover a few inches above the red earth. Each pugmark is larger than my outstretched palm. A tiger has passed before us. The adrenaline kicks in, and our senses are on high alert. We continue on without saying a single word, and a few minutes later, come across fresh tiger droppings. The pile is still steaming; the tiger could be a few meters ahead of us. We stop dead in our tracks, and listen. In the forest, once a tiger disappears into the undergrowth, the only way to track it, is to listen for a call. Not from the tiger, but from his prey, who call to alert other animals in the area.

Directly ahead is a narrow uneven path with deep undergrowth, and a scattering of sal and teak trees. The forest is silent. And suddenly, in the distance, we hear a barking deer give an alarm call. We turn our heads towards the direction of the call, and almost as one, five binoculars are raised, and we scan the area for the black stripes and orange-yellow fur. As we continue looking, the alarm calls sound further away, and fainter. Time passes. It could be a few minutes; it could be half an hour.

Finally, Surya, the naturalist who has accompanied us on this walk, quietly says “he has gone”. The spell is broken.

We are on a walking safari in the Satpura Tiger Reserve — the only tiger reserve in India where walking in the core area is permitted.