Have You Treated Your Senses To The Pristine Waters, Migratory Birds Of Chambal Yet?

Amidst lush green forests, blue skies and beautifully flowing waterfalls, Chambal is an off beaten path one must take. Kunal Jain, founder of boutique travel agency ‘To travel with’ shared his travel diary with HerZindagiand says that 30kmsfrom the main city of Kota, lies the exquisite valley of Chambal, with its imposing rocky cliff and gorgeously flowing river. The river is a tributary of Yamuna river that flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The first time I saw the Rajasthan Tourism commercial (I think it was in 2015) of the horseshoe gorges and out of this worldview of a river, I couldn’t believe my eyes that this was in India! Ever since then I was hell-bent on finding out this location and visiting it and I finally did so in 2017.

The LOCATION of the Rajasthan Tourism commercial is near the Garadia Mahadev Temple near Kota, Rajasthan and as I like to draw comparisons often - I refer it to it as the Grand Canyon of the East! However, this viewpoint is just one of the many activities to be experienced in Kota which is why a stay of at least 3 nights in Kota is advisable to get a wholesome picture of not just the natural heritage the region has to offer but also it’s rich historical heritage. However, in this article, I will be focusing more on the natural heritage in and around Kota.

Most know Kota as the heartland of coaching institutes – bustling with kids aspiring to become doctors and engineers eager to achieve their and their family’s dreams. But not many know Kota for the rich biodiversity it supports thanks to the Chambal River that flows along it. I was keen to find out more about this ‘wild wild Kota’ and in November 2017 after doing some research and making a few calls I found myself on the highway to Kota. To stay, I picked a heritage property in the heart of Kota, run by an ex-cavalry officer and his wife.

I picked this specific property because it had spacious lawns with lots of greenery around and was managed directly by the owners. In my years as a wildlife tour operator and travel company owner, I find that I connect more with properties that are managed by owners as the level of attention you get is un-surmountable as compared to those that let’s just say are run more on commercial lines.

Upon arriving in at the property, I was welcomed by the owner and his wife over breakfast by the swimming pool. The garden was perfectly manicured, the breakfast delicious and the hosts very hospitable and knowledgeable. Within an hour, they planned my entire itinerary for me over the next 3 days. After getting a tour of the heritage hotel and learning about the family history I had a delicious lunch outdoors in one of the laws in the hotel. If I didn’t have an exciting post-lunch afternoon scheduled I would surely have taken a nap – the clear winter sun, fresh air and zero noise pollution were definitely telling my senses to hit the bed. Post lunch I met Mr Tomar, the sensei of the CHAMBAL RIVER SAFARI tours. Mr.Tomar has been running tours on the CHAMBAL RIVER for over 20 years and knows every bend on the river.

He personally took me on one of his boats for a 3-hour safari and I was amazed by his depth of knowledge on not just the fauna but also the flora of the region. He also gave me some great tips on photography, especially when on a boat. I saw several species of birds, many I had never seen before such as the Bonelli’s eagle, dusky eagle-owl, Indian eagle-owl, Indian vulture, Stork-billed kingfishers, marsh crocodiles, migratory birds and more. But most importantly I was stunned to see the amount of clean water in the Chambal and huge (at points over 150 feet high) rocky gorges on both sides.

As the sun was setting, the fading light made the gorges look mysterious and unearthly. I couldn’t believe that this river that also passes through several densely populated parts of India is so clean and supports such an array of wildlife. I was beyond ecstatic and requested Mr. Tomar for a round 2, the following morning. After an early cup of chai, I met him and we were back on the boat around 6:30 a.m. It was a bit chilly on the river but the sight of a sloth bear (albeit very short and not photograph worthy) was enough to make everyone forget about the cold. Back from a very eventful river safari I gorged on breakfast and went about processing the photos from the morning and previous day.

Post lunch, we set off to GARADIA MAHADEV TEMPLE and viewpoint about a 30-minute drive from Kota. This is the same image and video that got me hooked on to visiting Kota and the Chambal. Getting to this temple was like going on a jungle safari. The SHIVA TEMPLE and the viewpoint overlooking the entire horseshoe bend. The view of the river and the gorges were unbelievable and I sat for a good 15 minutes absorbing every bit of it.

Imagine the wear and tear that the river caused for millions of years resulting in the deep gorges several hundreds of feet below from where I was standing. Because there are no restaurants here (which is a great thing as there is no trash) we had packed our little picnic with chai, biscuits and cheese toast – very thoughtful of my hosts to put this all together. Dinner was a bar-be-que, followed by mouthwatering Rajasthani cuisine and dessert. As the next day was an early start as well I decided to call it a night. The next day, I was headed on river safaris but this time downstream towards Bhainsrorgarh and Rawatbhata.

After a longish drive to get to JAWAHAR SAGAR DAM which is where we got on the boat for the river safari – the first thing we saw were four different species of Kingfisher – all within 100 meters of each other. Stork Billed, Common, Pied and White-throated Kingfishers were busy gulping down fish around the river banks.

Again, the view of the early morning river and sunlight on the rocks were fascinating. A few clicks further down, the boat’s captain suddenly yelled – ‘Look there – Otters’! I had no clue there were otters on the Chambal, I’ve seen them before in the South on the Cauvery River. I saw two adults and a sub-adult swimming ahead of us near the banks. They saw us and continued on their daily chores – swimming, coming ashore to dry themselves by rolling in the mud, playing with each other and finally catching fish and eating it too! It was a visual delight to see them up-close and their communication/squeaks calling out to each other so one doesn’t get separated from the group.

Read More:5 Activities You Can Experience On A Long Weekend

The captain mentioned that earlier the same month he had seen a group of 27 otters in the same area! I knew immediately that I must come back more often. I loved it here, peaceful, fresh air, barely any human evasion to the land and the wildlife and most importantly the people I had met were passionate about conserving their natural heritage and strongly believed in responsible tourism!

The Chambal around Kota was heaven for wildlife and birding enthusiast like myself. Since then, I’ve been back a couple of times and have also sent my guests to experience the 'wild wild Kota'. All my guests have come back with the same reviews and feelings as I did – astonished that there is still such a clean river in the plains of North India with so much to see, learn and the stunning landscapes that leave behind memories of a lifetime!

Recommended Video