Thursday 26th Part 1 - On the Chambal

We have pre booked a couple of safari type trips for today. We were given our programme at dinner last night. First up is our Chambal River safari. This means being in breakfast at 7 sharp and on the road at 7.30. It is a misty, hazy morning. D takes a look out on the back verandah and sees an Indian Hare only a few feet away. Good start. Vinod drives and Bhoopendra travels with us as he is our guide today. We have a drive of about half an hour to the entrance to the Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary and not far inside we stop the car. B takes us for a walk up into the maze of gullies and ridges that make up the terrain.

We bag a few birds and return to the car. As we drive further into the Sanctuary we pass teams of camels laden with cut wood. The road runs out and we continue down to the river bank on a dusty track. There are the remains of a floating pontoon bridge here and a couple of boats acting as foot ferries. A train of camels is fording the river as we arrive. The Lodge has an outpost where its staff man small outboard motored boats. Along with Bhoopendra we climb in to one and the boatman heads upstream. 

This is the cleanest river that we have seen anywhere in India. We still wouldn't clean our teeth in it but you can see through the water to the vegetation on the riverbed. We soon see a Pied Kingfisher on the bank and then its mate, really beautiful birds. Next up is a big Marsh Crocodile, resting on the river bank. We get quite close and he just slides into the water. The real signature species for the Chambal are the long nose crocodile (Gharial), the river dolphins and a very distinctive bird called an Indian Skimmer. We soon get the first and last of these in close proximity on a sandbank projecting out into the river. R is showing a hitherto hidden talent as an ace croc spotter, some kind of survival instinct perhaps. These prehistoric looking beasts are quite fascinating to watch but they do detract from the Chambal's attractions as a bathing venue.

The cruise lasts about three hours and we are blessed with hazy cloud which keeps the temperature down and reduces the glare off the water. On the way back downstream we sea the Pied Kingfishers hovering above the river then diving vertically to catch fish. We also see turtles and a baby marsh crocodile peering out of a hole in the riverbank. The only thing that we miss out on are the dolphins. On the river bank near our landing stage a group of policemen are errecting some kind of tented pavilion. As we drive back to base we pass a procession of cars with flashing blue lights, one of which has a badge saying 'Judge'. Later we learn that all of this is to do with a Forest Workers' Family picnic and has nothing whatsoever to do with law and order.