2007 Central and
While doing my first
Last year I covered only Anshi Wildlife
Sanctuary (Karnataka) but this time I included all the major National Parks in
Central and
Planning and preparation
Plenty of planning went into making
these two routes to get maximum exposure of the country. Breaks in-between,
highlight/lowlight areas, a mixture of visiting spots in right proportion were
important to keep this long trip alive. Also the travel factors were kept in
mind. Overnight stoppage (distances between halts), number of overnights in a
city, local tours, food, Hotels, communication (phone and Net facilities), safe
parking and security for Gypsy, unsafe areas to travel, money and my own
health-care.
Road Maps in
The accompanied baggage contained my
suitcase with clothing and a heavy-duty Aluminum Case for electronics/Photo
equipments. Besides these, came First-Aid box, vehicle emergency Tool-Kit,
20Ltr Jerry-Can, Mineral Water, Toilet papers, Heavy-duty Nylon and Rubber
belts, electric chargers 220Volt/12Volt/USB for Gypsy. From over 270 items
listed on my Travel Checklist (which contains almost everything from a pin to a
sub-zero heavy winter Jacket), I selected about 150 key items for this trip.
The Route
My total route came out to be
ca.12500kms (at planning level) in about 3 months with an average of about
140kms a day (or 280kms if I stayed for 2 nights at a place). On paper it
looked quite comfortable but in reality I knew that this rate can take a heavy
toll on my body and mind when I do it for 3 months. Besides driving, I was also
to look after my own health, finding a hotel for a proper overnight, looking
after Gypsy and its safety, safe driving, proper nutritious food, sightseeings,
photography, finances, packing and unpacking every other day and above all,
enjoy doing it.
This route crossed my last year’s
coastal
Being such a long journey I divided this
trip in 4 phases giving me a better oversight of the entire trip and also
easier to manage. The 1st phase showed about 3500kms and other
phases varied around 2500kms.
Jeep Maruti Gypsy 4x4
Gypsy was serviced (20k kms service).
Odometer at 19906km. BG additive were thrown in for engine, gear as well as
differential oils. No other additional work was done. Since it was standing for
3 months, tyre pressure (for first 500kms) was increased from 20psi to 24psi
(Goodyear Wrangler M+S Tubeless 215/75 instead of regular 205/70) for first
500kms. A/C cooling was a bit low because of 3 months inaction but I ignored
it.
Each and every baggage was tied by Nylon
heavy-duty belts with tightners on the floor to avoid swaying during the drive
as well as to keep the CG (Centre of Gravity) as low as possible. The vehicle
was in top-condition and ready to go.
4 Phases (Please refer Logbook for other details)
1st Phase
Delhi – Agra – Gwalior
– Jhansi – Orchha – Khajuraho – Panna NP –
Bandhavgarh NP – Kanha NP – Jabalpur – Bhedaghat –
Pench NP – Nagpur – Amravati (Maharashtra) – Wardha – Nizamabad
– Hyderabad – Warangel - Palampet – Kurnool - Alampur –
Nagarjunasager – Amravathi (Andra Pradesh) – Vijaywada –
Vizag.
2nd Phase Vizag to Ooty from 2nd
Jan’08 to 20th Jan’08
Vizag – Rajamundry –
Vijaywada – Nellore – Tirupati – Chennai – Mahabalipuram
– Kanchipuram – Bangalore – Kodaikanal – Periyar NP
– Marayoor - Anaimudi Shola WLS – Chinnar WLS - Coimbatore –
Ooty.
3rd Phase Ooty to
Ooty – Masungudi - Bandipur NP
– Mudumalai NP – Mysore – Rangantittu Bird Sanctuary -
Seringapatam – Madikeri – Wayanad WLS - Nagarhole NP – Hassan
– Sravanbelgola – Belur – Halebidu – Chikmaglur –
Bhadra WLS – Hospet – Hampi – Aihole – Pattadakal - Mahakuta-
Badami – Hubli - Dandeli WLS – Palolem(Goa) – Panjim(Goa).
4th Phase Goa to
Panjim(Goa) - Belgaum –
Bijapur – Solapur – Aurangabad – Ajanta – Daulatabad -
Ellora – Khuldabad - Indore – Ujjain – Mandu - Sanchi –
Udaigiri – Vidisha – Bhopal - Pachmarhi – Satpura NP –
Orchha – Delhi.
A Logbook in form of a Table shows
distances and details of travel alongwith vehicle data and consumptions.
I was never sick on the tour and the
Jeep also didn’t need any attention. Being alone, in some areas, I was
happy to have Gypsy for its amazing reliability in very tough situations. I
would not have the same assurance in any other vehicle.
My Garmin 60CS functioned flawlessly
without which I could not have made this trip. On this trip, only twice I asked
for the way, otherwise, I could identify almost entire route on the map and
never felt the need to ask anybody. Within the city I had to ask a few times
especially when I reserved the Hotel in advance and needed to locate it (like
in
In Bandhavgarh and Kanha I shot (pics) 7
tigers in two days. And in Dandeli WLS, it seems that I am the first person to
have seen 2 black panthers together….Wow, that was great sighting!!
I could get Internet access (GPRS with
Airtel) everywhere except some of the National Parks. Also electricity was not
an issue on the entire trip. I did require my torch though in some places.
Mosquito spray was this time very handy and a great
help.
There is so much to write that it
becomes beyond the scope of this Website, so I think that these pictures should
tell it all. Out of many thousand pictures, I have selected some 228 images
which more or less cover the entire trip. All the pics are Geocoded meaning you
can locate their exact time and location on Google Earth. In all I covered at
least 14 National Parks and over 50 Tourist spots.
On the whole, it was a great experience
and a pleasure to wander through this great country.
©Ajay Narayan
Wednesday, 14th May, 2008, Zürich
www.ajaynarayan.com