Rajasthan part 4

Keoladeo Ghana National Park

By far the best time to visit this park (Indian/foreigner Rs 25/200, video Rs 200; 6am-6pm Apr-Sep, 6.30am-5pm Oct-Mar) is October to February, when you’ll see many migratory birds. At other times, it can be dry and relatively bird-free.

The best times for bird-spotting are either early morning or evening. Expect to see Saras cranes (and its spectacular courtship dance), herons, egrets, geese, owls, cormorants and kingfishers. Pythons are most commonly seen in the winter, when they come out from underground to sunbathe. The southern reaches are a web of deserted, tangled paths, and are officially closed, as a tigress is rumoured to roam the area.

The sanctuary was once a vast semiarid region, filling with water during the monsoon season but drying up afterwards. To prevent this, the maharaja of Bharatpur diverted water from a nearby irrigation canal and soon birds began to settle in vast numbers.

Yet in a 2006 report, Unesco urged that a permanent backup source of water for the park be established, as drought (along with unchecked cattle grazing) had caused serious damage. The previous year, a government attempt to divert water from the nearby Panchana dam came up against strong opposition from local villagers.

Admission entitles you to one entrance per day; if you want to spend the day inside, get your hotel to provide a packed lunch. Carry drinking water, as bird-watching is thirsty work.

One narrow road (no motorised ve­hicles permitted) runs through the park, with countless embankments leading off into the greenery. Only the government-authorised cycle-rickshaws (recognisable by the yellow plate bolted onto the front) are allowed inside. You don’t pay admission for the drivers, but they charge Rs 100 per hour. A guide costs Rs 150 per hour.

An excellent way to see the park is to hire a bike (around Rs 40 per day), either at the entrance or from your hotel.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009

Khuri

Khuri is a small village 40km southwest of Jaisalmer – an hour and a world away from the fort’s swarming trade. Khuri has its own desert sand dunes, and remains a peaceful place (apart from during holiday periods, as it’s popular with Indian holidaymakers), with houses of mud and straw decorated like the patterns on Persian carpets. There are plenty of camps of mud huts, and camel drivers eager to take you on the dunes, but no shop-lined streets or pancake restaurants. Once the excitement of sunset is over, you have desert solitude and the brilliant star-studded sky at night to look forward to.


Last updated: Feb 17, 2009