Forests are Far from the Rest.....

I have always been a forest lover and the silence of the woods, the fear of being watched, the fresh dwelling air and the cool within the trees have always attracted be. The best part which I like about jungle now-a-days, is the “forced exile” a jungle offers to you. Once you step out of the busy world for a leisure or a passion trip and hope that the 5 inch gadget in your pocket does not call out, does it really works; and at times you cannot even ignore the call and your leisure has the treat to be invaded by stress. But for a jungle, you have my guarantee mates, your phone can be used uninterrupted only as a camera and not a phone any more….till you are inside. Now thats what is the loveliest part I like…

My love for jungle started with Simplipal followed by Kuldiha and that so in the years of 2003-2008, I with my friends have covered almost all gates and spots the excellent tiger reserve had until it got closed due to the maoist turbulences in 2009. As any other human, the basic instinct to a pre forest trip, especially a tiger reserve, was TIGER TIGER TIGER TIGER….. But gradually when I started exploring forests the calmness of the forest, the patience of stalking and the damp earthy smell engulfed me I started being completely mesmerised by the feel. I carried back something new to feel and speak about each time i return from a forest trip.

"There is nothing like the thrill of walking through the jungle looking for a tiger and knowing they could be watching you already."Ashlan Gorse Cousteau

Pic taken in a DSLR (Nikon)

However, late 2007 and henceforth till the year 2014 life took over passion and I was completely no different to the crowd in gearing up myself to match the pace to the weird rat race of the professional and personal space. The passion for forest had not a strong enough pull to keep me away and all my friends of the group had likewise the same status…. We would meet plan and call to revolt but then it was uptill that, none of us could have called to stand to make it happen, circumstantial liabilities became priorities!! From 2016 the journey re-started again with Ranathambore National Park, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan followed by Sundarbans, Jim Corbett, Tadoba, Nagzira and so on…

I have always felt the statement deeper ......

"Do not call the forest that shelters you - a jungle."

I would want to share my experience of forest expeditions and also help the young forest lovers with some tips and tricks I learned which shall be helpful to shape a better trip and get a better sighting. 

Best time to visit a forest

Generally all forests and national parks are closed down from June to mid of October, in general, due to the monsoons. However, for different places there may be some slight variations in date. So if you plan your trip vis-a-vis to your holiday list, you will have to exclude your puja holidays from this scope. Winters and Summer are two different time suitable for a forest visit. However, each of them has their own pros and cons. I will throw some light upon the same as per my experience. 

WINTERS are comfortable and good for you if you are starting as a amateur. In the winters you will have a pleasant weather. Soft sun rays amongst the dense forest drive ways will not make your trip sweat-drenched. The cool breeze in winter pins through your skin and add more life to the mystery of the jungle. You would need to carry good winter garments and a wind-cheater on top of it is a must. The chances of sighting, agin is a luck….always!! However, early morning safaris, is what I would suggest for winters. The first half of the safari, you experience the dawn emerging in the forest to bring the jungle slowly to life. and in the second half of the trip when the sun is brighter but may be not on top of head, the cold blooded beasts come out to take the first ray of the sun. So your guide may set up stalking probable water sheds and open areas of the jungle where visibility is open ended to some extent and the chances of sighting is prominent. In winters the temperature within the forest may be as low as 10 degrees celsius or even lower especially in the early dawn and nights.

If you are a pro wild life lover and your purpose is photography and getting deep insight on the wildlife, SUMMER is the time for you. Animals tend to gather to the limited water reservoirs and sources to quench their thirst that is when you quench yours’ too, the thirst of spotting and capturing the unseen in the your cameras. In summers you get the scope of watching varied fauna base may be at one or two sighting sites within the jungle. However, though the word of sighting seems to be attractive and pushing, you must remember that the trip is quite rough. It is very hard to persist and carry your self in the scorching heat and humidity. It can be a dreadful experience of your lifetime if you are not very used to with such expeditions. In summer the temperature raises to as high as 45 degree celsius. 

What should you carry when you visit a jungle:

• Lesser clothes and just basics. You wont appreciate if a tiger or an elephant comes near you to appreciate your dressing intel!!
• No bright and shiny colours for your dresses. Deep/moderately deep colours like green, brown, beige, mat blues etc are good to go. Red is big NO!! Even whites should be avoided. GREEN is the BEST. “My favorite color is jungle green. At least, that's what it said on the side of my favorite crayon in first grade. I don't know if it's an official color.” Mike Posner
• Sports shoes, typical sturdy woodlands with high ankles if you are used to them. whatever foot wear that makes to comfortable enough to stay for a long time should be good. Sandals/loafers/hawais etc open wears are a big NO!!
• For winters good winter clothes must be carried and a wind-cheater on top of it is a MUST to save the pinching heat pierce your skin. Also it is important that whatever winter wears you wear wear them on top of your basics. Most people wear thermals below the shirt/T-shirts and later they cannot remove it when the day raises during the trip and it gets a bit hotter. 
• For winters, also carry a face cover, a muffler for your throat OR you can have those smart face ski-mask sort of things. Even if you forget to carry one, you will get these accessories in the locality…or near the gates sometimes. 
• For summers, shoes do not change…dresses as lighter as possible. Something like a very light T Shirt in beige, ash or grey. No deep colours and lesser greens even as they absorb more heat and light. All cotton wears more likely. Carry more T shirts and under wears and less trousers in your luggage. For T-Shirts I always recommend full sleeves…
• Carry a lot of handkerchiefs. I personally recommend the towel ones. Another important thing are the socks. Always use cotton socks with your footwear either winter or summer. Other materials may tend to sweat and carry bad smell…..
• Especially in the summers carry a small back-pack when in safari trip and fill it with one pair of socks, atleast 4-5 handkerchieves and 2 T-shirts as a back up. Also carry a at least 2-3 bottles of water per head or may be more.
• For winters, one bottle of water in the safari trip is good enough to carry. The rest you will all have on you!!
• GLASSES for your eyes are are must. Either Sunglasses or Clear glasses! A Face cover and a CAP is also a must for both summer and winters. 
• Further to this, your gadgets….call for your choice!! Just do not forget to charge them every night and if you have back to back safaris for a day, you may also carry extra batteries or a good power-bank to charge your stuffs. 
• Many tourists and visitors I have seem prefer shorts and knee length capris for forests. Definitely it looks cool but its not safe for beginners and even veterans….we are not bear grills guys, please remember. In a jungle, you never know what happens and how, so you will have to be ready for adverses. So like I said shoes should be comfortable for long spent, similarly dresses too. Comfortable cotton wears are recommended. I personally recommend full sleeves and full trousers which covers most of your body. Jeans are best, i Love being in them, Chinos and cotton multi-pockets also look good and are practical to give you space to carry stuffs. Do not carry formal wears for the jungles. I have seen people coming with those formal trousers and black boots in safari…..I would say a NO to them…
  

Photography & Videography for amateurs:

I am not a or photographer as I am a traveller or a forest lover. It may sound surprising but somehow I am an exception. I always used to think that let me first see it myself, what is the use of capturing it when I am free to come as I wish. But gradually when the frequency of my trips became distant and chances became dim, I realised it would have been wiser to get some pics. Though lately I have started feeling so, I have never got any good device for myself yet. I always use my i-phone and I always have some company with me who has a DSLR!! Have been lucky yet… 

Captured in an i-phone 6s with 3x zoom

There are certain very specific tips you need for a “Wildlife” photography which is quite different from a landscape photography or a portrait photography. I am not the very right person to comment on that, but if you are interested to now more about photography and accessories to carry, I will take that up with some professional and addicted wildlife explorers I know as friends and acquaintances. So please comment and I will get back with specifics.

Captured in Samsung Galaxy note 2

However, as a basic, which I have been using, a good phone with a selfie stick is good if you are lucky enough to get a sighting in a space of 20-30 feet. As a amateur focus on taking videos and not pics. Because once you have a video you can extract pics from that, as the best pick, later using any editing softwares. So as starters, get more of videos. The very important part in a forest, if you want to capture the memories, is when to start the camera and the videos. Posted here are some pics and videos taken from my i-phone which i hope shall give you the idea… However, DSLRs with high zoom and tele-lenses are always pro and best!!

Captured in i-phone 6s

BUT Yes of-course if you are a phone photographer, you need to have the luck to be as nearer as possible....!!! You should be utterly attentive with hands and eyes steady to capture the right click at the right position. 

This picture below is a pic taken in Pench National park and is taken in an iphone 6s in the live photo mode.

An i-Phone live photo which is used to capture further stills. Taken in i-phone 6s

Medical Assistances and Your Medi-Kit:

When we talk of jungles, assume that you will not get any “good” medication facilities within the sheer near vicinity. The immediate aid is first aid. So please carry a medial kit with you. Your medical kits must contain:

• A “PRO” antiseptic cream like BOROLINE
• A bottle of Dettol and good amount of cotton
• Antiacids like Gelusil MPS/Digine and Digestives Enzyme syrups like Carmozymes
• Anti Allergic: Carry strong ones like Avil and also the mid Variants like Levo Ctrizine etc. These are must for insect bites, weather changes etc etc
• PPIs like Pantoprazoles (PAN)/ Es-Omeprazoles (ESOMEZ)/ Omeprazoles (OMEZ) etc etc
• I personally Love to Carry “Pudin Hara” soft Tabs. Beyound their medic offerings, they give you the mint taste and also take you away if you feel sleepy!!
• Band Aids (water proofs)
• Anti Vomitting - Domperidones (Domstal, Domperi etc)
• Anit Inflamatory Drugs for pain reliefs like Ibrufen, Zerodol etc…
• Paracetamol 500 and 650. (Coz you may have a body ache after the safari and especially in winters you may also feel feverish!!)
• Decongestants and Cough Syrups/Tabs like Nasivion Sprays, Ascoril/Solvin Tabs etc for immediate relief for cough and cold.

Further, you are recommended to consult your house physician for advice and guidance to the excat brand and type of medicines. Just remember, you would need to take care of digestion issues, cough and cold, any allergies you have, pains and nausea and vomits. 

IMPORTANT: If you have a dust allergy, please do consult your. physician to take good care and precaution before you step inside. You must have your inhalers and all recommended medications always with you and even in the safari back pack.

The DOs and DONTs:

Your forest guide willl guide you on the DOs and I better be specific on the donts which are most important for cosmopolitan beings…

• NO CIGARETTES inside the jungle. Like for me, being a chain smoker, I use unflavoured VAPEs when inside the jungle.
• No cooked food, raw meat, canned foods etc inside the jungle. Only dry food, nuts, biscuits etc are OK
• Do not throw trash inside the jungle premises bottles, plastic packets, wastes, diapers, sanitary pads etc
• DO NOT GET DOWN FROM YOUR SAFARI GYPSY without the permission from your guide
• Do NOT PEE anywhere in the jungle. The habitants there can a judge smell more stronger than you do!!
• Do not irritate your guide, even if you do not get a sighting. Remember, he is the only hope in there you have and his job is to get you a good spotting. However, always his instincts may not work..
• Do not primarily focus n sighting, make your mind and pre concieve to enjoy the ambiance of the jungle…I assure, you won’t be dissapointed
• Do Not assume that YOU ARE IN A ZOO!! You are in a open jungle and life OR Rather beasts are moving and not captive. So you may not see and notice that you are being watched. So stay absolutely calm and QUIET. NO shouting and noise making….
• Always rely on your guides instincts…it seldom fails….
• Try to book more safari trips and forget leisure and rest…this increases the probability of sighting
• DO NOT FEED wild animals. I have seen people feeding monkeys with biscuits inside the JUNGLE. Don’t do it. You are not in city, these are jungly monkeys and the next visitor who comes in will face a snatch as you have developed a habit in them…
• When you sight, do not make noise and express your enthusiasm, keep it cool

Always remember when you are inside a jungle, you are invading someones home…so you need to abide by their rules and not impose yours. Just think of someone invading your house and levy a set of new rules on you…won’t you kick him out!!

In my next blog I would detail you on what are the other tips and researches which you need to do way ahead before you plan a jungle trip. Any jungle has different gates and entry points which takes you to different zones. As an amateur, your primary insight and interest will be on a good sighting and that needs a bit of research. Keep yourself tuned and follow my next blog for the same……as that in itself is a subject to read and know…..

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