For all the adrenaline junkies and cyclists out there, the second edition of ‘Pedal to Jungle’ will be organized on November 29, 2018. The event is organized by Rajasthan Forest Department – Wildlife circle Udaipur in collaboration with Le Tour De India. This three-day cycling tour event will provide all the cyclist with a thrilling jungle experience.
With more than 35 participants from all across the country, the event will begin from Baghdara Natural Park, passing through Jaisamand, Dhariyawad, Sitamata Sanctuary, and Dam Dama forest. Treks to Ruthi Rani Palace, Jagat temples and similar places will also be organized along with campfires in evenings. The total trip of the cycling would be around 220 km. Out of this distance, 150 km will be the off-road treks and 35 km will be the jungle with no specified trail.
The entire path of the event has been finalized keeping several factors in mind from untraced paths, area-specific flora, and fauna, hardship levels, adventure, accommodation, Knowledge sharing, places of historical and archaeological importance, tourist attractions, etc. The event is organized with a view to promoting Wildlife-Eco-Responsible tourism in the city.
It is also said that the participants need to be fit to be a part of the event and the forest department will do a health check of participants before allowing them. The fees for participating in the event is Rs. 9000/-
Sitamata sanctuary is a visual treat for all the nature lovers and bird watchers. It is situated at a distance of about 165 km from Udaipur in the Pratapgadh district. As far as the Biota is concerned, Sitamata is one of the richest Sanctuary. It includes mammals of 50 different species and birds of 325 species which includes Herons, egrets, storks, spoonbills, partridge, quail, crane, peafowls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, sparrows, robins, etc. It’s not that the flora and fauna in here are any less. It has somewhere around 100 varieties of medicinal plants and trees like peepal, bad, neem, kachnar, babool, amaltas, ashok, khejdi, semal, bamboo etc.
Undoubtedly this wildlife sanctuary is the treasure for those seeking adventure into the wild. However, if you do not have proper directions, information, and guidance, it might be possible that you cannot get the most out of it. To prevent such situations, there are several agencies that organize birding tours that include exploration of all the natural aspects of the sanctuary. Below are two organizations which help the tourists explore the beauty of the sanctuary through their birding tours.
Source: Udaipur Times
Rajasthan Adventure and Safari tours
It conducts a 5-day birding tour which covers Parks, Lakes, and sanctuary of around Udaipur and Chittorgarh. It provides meals that is breakfast, lunch, and dinner, transportation facilities which include either Innova, Swift Dzire or Etios and a knowledgeable English speaking guide.
Source: Pinterest
Day 1 where you might get to see Greater Flamingo, White-Tailed Lapwing, Pelican, Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Green Sandpiper, Wood sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Common Crane, Bar Headed Goose etc.
Day 2 covers Bathera Kalan and Ghasa Lake which is around 40 km from Udaipur. You can view birds like Common Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier, Little Grebe, Cormorants, Black-headed Ibis, Woolly-necked Stork, Water Tern, Indian Roller, Wagtails, Plain and Ashy Prinia, White-throated,Common and Pied Kingfisher, Egrets, Eurasian Coot, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Pond Heron, Cotton Pygmy Goose etc.
Day 3 will lead you towards Chittorgarh from Udaipur where you may witness several birds like Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Olive-backed Pipit, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Large Cuckooshrike, Small Minivet, Red-vented Bulbul, Common Iora, Long-tailed Shrike, Southern Grey-Shrike, Common Woodshrike, White-browed Fantail, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Black Redstart, Pied Bushchat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Common Babbler, Large Grey Babbler, etc.
Source: Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary 1
On Day 4, you will explore the exquisite Sitamata bird sanctuary. It consists of some very old trees. It has plenty of wild animals and birds.
On day 5, you will reach the Bassi Bird Sanctuary, where, by the time of sunrise, you would be able to see birds like Lesser Whitethroat, Orphean Warbler, Great Tit, Purple Sunbird, Crested Bunting, Red-Headed Bunting, House Sparrow, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Rock myna, Indian, etc.
Day 6 – departure
Contact: +91 9784724226
Address: Office no. 108. 1st floor I/s. Surajpol, behind police station, Amal ka Kanta, Udaipur-313001
Source: Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary
India Birding
It offers two types of birding tours. One is entirely dedicated to Sitamata Sanctuary and the other one covers places in and around Udaipur and Chittorgarh. These birding tours can be conducted at any time of the year except when there is heavy rainfall, from July to August. It can be customized as per your requirement. There is a one day tour which costs around 12000 including breakfast and lunch, birding guide and one binocular with a tripod. The team size would be 4 and the vehicle would be SUV. In the 2 day tour, the cost would be 20,000, and the team size would be 4. The animals and the birds you would be able to see would vary according to the season of the year.
Source: Oh My Rajasthan!
Another tour includes a visit to Mangalwar and Menar, Bathera Kalan, and Ghasa Lake. It is a two-day tour and will cost you around 20,000 which includes transportation from Udaipur hotel, breakfast, lunch and knowledgeable English speaking birding guide. The team would consist of minimum 2 to maximum 6 people and the vehicle will be SUV.
If you think we have missed something here, please feel free to share it with us in the comment section below or you can write to me at juhee@udaipurblog.com.
