For many travellers, a tiger safari in India offers a chance to witness one of the world’s most elusive big cats in the wild. But for Exodus customer, Richard Kitzinger, it was much more than a safari, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, thanks to the expertise of our local leader, Krishna Kumar. With decades of expertise and an infectious passion for wildlife, Krishna transformed every game drive and guided cultural tour into something truly special. Whether he was expertly tracking tigers, sharing insight into India’s rich cultural history, or handling the unexpected with grace and wit, Krishna ensured his group experienced the true magic of India. Read on to hear more about Richard’s experience on our India Tiger Safari.
“India is one of the Earth’s most vibrant countries. Temples, saris, food, festivals and smiles light up this diverse land in all colours of the rainbow. It is also one of the most confronting of countries where opulence sits cheek-by-jowl with squalor and poverty. It is definitely a place where you could use a friend.
Fortunately, in Krishna, it was clear from the outset that we had not only a guide but a friend. His opening greeting to the newly assembled group in Delhi began with “Friends,” in the manner that a teacher might tell their class, “Now, listen”. Krishna’s simple yet clever introduction welcomes everyone wherever they come from, garners their attention and conveys that special warmth of camaraderie. It’s a given that everyone on an Indian Tiger Safari is keen to see the biggest cat of all in the wild but, by the end of the meeting, Krishna had asked and mentally noted what else each of his new friends were hoping for from the trip.
Krishna is from Bharatpur in Rajasthan. He grew up with Keoladeo National Park on his doorstep, a haven for bird enthusiasts. Aged 13, Krishna and a school friend were intrigued by the number of tourists heading into the park so they took their bicycles, paid ₹1 (one rupee) entry fee and set about finding out what the fuss was about. His friend’s father encouraged them with the gift of their first bird book to help identify the species. One day they were stopped by a park ranger who challenged them as to what they were doing there. The boys produced their tickets and explained that they liked to see the birds. The ranger took them to his office, pointed to pictures of birds on the wall and asked them to identify the birds.
‘We named painted stork, spoonbill, Indian rollers…’ recalls Krishna. ‘He opened a drawer and took out two pairs of binoculars which he gave to us. He also gave us a passbook to cover our entrance, so long as we promised never to bunk off school.’ This act of kindness fuelled a lifelong passion for both boys. They each went on to study ornithology in university, putting their lessons to practical use by acting as a guide from the age of 19. From there, it was a natural step to begin guiding for Exodus, with whom Krishna has worked since 2004.
‘I’m lucky that my work is my hobby’, says Krishna. Sure, he gets to spend a great many working hours in nature, locating wildlife for his groups, but there is a lot more to his skill set. In the course of our two-week tour, he sorted out luggage issues, put in complex group drinks orders, helped with specific shopping missions, taught us basic Hindi phrases, recounted amusing anecdotes, took control of health and dietary concerns, provided historical and cultural contexts and much more besides. Indian native fauna might be his passion but he proved himself as a great group leader in all aspects of the role.
I’m fortunate enough to have been on safari and to have spotted wildlife many times in different parts of Africa. To an extent, it was helpful to have some appreciation of the patience required for a successful game drive and an expectation that there would be plenty of bumping and jolting at the back of a jeep on uneven tracks. Otherwise, it’s not helpful at all to compare a safari in an African reserve with an Indian Tiger Safari in Madhya Pradesh. This is India – and things will be done the Indian way.
For a start, there is no self-drive option. All visitors need to apply in advance for a permit for each drive (something Exodus does on behalf of its guests) and are allocated to a jeep with a driver who doubles as a tracker. At the entrance gate of the reserve, a local guide will hop aboard too. It’s highly unlikely you’ll have the same guide more than once and there’s no guarantee of their quality. Some will be excellent – alert and on their feet, listening for tell-tale signs of a big cat through alarm calls, scanning the vegetation and the horizon and looking at the tracks for paw prints (or pug marks as they are known in India). Others may not be so eager to provide that special once-in-a-lifetime tiger-spotting moment for their groups. We had one young park guide who spent a lot of the drive on her mobile phone, listening to her playlist, adding very little to our wildlife-viewing experience.
This would have been frustrating had it not been for Krishna. Our party was split between two jeeps, Krishna alternating between the two, translating explanations from the park guides alongside sharing his own tracking skills knowledge. Having Krishna on board enhanced the experience for everyone in our party. It’s no exaggeration to say that he is where the value lies in this tour. One morning in Kanha Tiger Reserve, for example, he was on his feet listening for alarm calls every time we stopped. I watched him as he waited for a repeat call to confirm that there was an agitated animal or bird and the direction from where it came. Then he had a brief exchange with the driver who fired the ignition and set off towards the sounds whilst Krishna remained scouting for movement, shadows and other giveaways as to the tiger’s location.
On this occasion, we were followed by a dozen other jeeps and we were on the right track as there were recent pug marks in the sand. We staked the area out for a while but the tiger was hidden in dense forest. Leaving the other jeeps behind, we set off for a new target and this time, with no other jeeps to spoil our view, Krishna found us Sunaima, a tigress who walked out of the wild basil foliage towards us, crossed the track behind our jeep and disappeared into the undergrowth beyond. It was two minutes of heart-in-the-mouth, adrenaline-filled, camera-clicking activity that was the product not only of an hour and a half’s considered use of his experience and expertise in the bush but also of over two decades of building his safari guiding skill set.
Even though the local guides and drivers defer to him, there is no arrogance to Krishna’s expertise. ‘I’m a beginner every day,’ he says, ‘I want to know everything and the learning process never stops so I’m always trying to update and polish my skills.’ Humility is clearly another of his qualities. When asked about the sacrifices he makes in being away from home so much – on one day in Pench Tiger Reserve he mentioned that it was his wedding anniversary – he turned the question around and thanked his wife for her understanding that the work he does is seasonal and requires his absence. He could, he points out, have taken an office job inputting data about bird sightings and populations. Instead, his workplace is Pench, Kanha or Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve one day and the Taj Mahal the next.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to tracking tigers in the wild, Krishna urges, is to remember that, “It is wildlife. You’re not in a zoo. It’s a real experience and the guides and drivers will use their skills to give the best opportunities but everybody needs to be patient.” Patience was certainly a requirement of my Indian Tiger Safari and it was rewarded; we saw seven tigers across the three reserves as well as three leopards and many other birds and animals. That did mean that there were several unsuccessful drives (all bar one being ones when Krishna was not on our vehicle) but it underlines how important it is to be patient, to maximise the skills of those present and also to have luck. What can be said for certain, is that Krishna takes deep pride in delivering a great experience for travellers visiting India.”
If Richard’s fascinating experience in India has you inspired to track one of the world’s most elusive animals, take a look at our India Tiger Safari trip, or browse our other extraordinary India adventures.
