What does a person calling Kolkata home and working in the Northeast do when he gets a sudden and unexpected ten-day leave? Well, if it’s an intrepid traveller and wildlife/outdoor enthusiast like me, I first jump in joy high-fiving the air for a few minutes and then sit down for some lightning-speed planning to set up a date with the great wilderness of the eastern states and finally tick off the places which have been on my to-do travel list for a while.
After arriving in Kolkata and spending the customary day with family, the very next day finds me on a steamer lazily traversing the clear, green waters of the world’s largest river delta, the Sunderbans. Translated in Bengali as ‘Beautiful Jungle’, this watery UNESCO World Heritage site, with its remarkable biodiversity and semi-submerged mangrove forest is home to the 2,585 sq km Sunderbans Tiger Reserve. This reserve supports the supposedly single largest wild population of Royal Bengal tigers on the planet. Interestingly, the tigers here are unlike any other and have adapted to an ‘amphibious’ life and are capable of swimming long distances and even their diet is modelled on their environs and comprises fish, crabs and water lizards! While I was not fortunate enough to get a glimpse of the king of the jungle on this trip, the boat safari was still sublime. Cruising the broad waterways of the world’s biggest mangrove forest and watching the wildlife from the comfort of a sun-deck is really an unmatched experience. We saw spotted deer, wild boar, the nearly extinct river terrapin turtle and a huge crocodile motionless on a mud-flat, in addition to a large variety of birds, especially luminescent and brilliantly coloured kingfishers whizzing by our steamer.
Due to the difficulty in spotting wildlife in the thick mangroves, the reserve also has a tree-top level walkway and watchtowers with watering holes and clearings which greatly improved our viewing experience. Kudos to the forest department and local people for ensuring a plastic and trash-free Sunderbans which was heart-warming. The evenings sitting outside my waterfront cottage with a hot mug of tea and a plate of steaming pakoras, soaking in the magnificent sight of the sun’s reflection setting the water on fire as it dipped below the green horizon will truly stay with me.
After three days in the Sunderbans, it was time to wing back to the Northeast and set out for the next adventure in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. With saddle-bags, a tent and a sleeping bag secured on the rear seat of my Royal Enfield and a smile and a prayer on my lips, I set off on an overcast morning for a solo motorcycle trip from Nagaland to Nameri National Park in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. After a hard eight-hour ride through Assam, I arrived at the delightful Eco-Camp located in the Potasali village at the park entrance. A joint effort of the Assam Forest Department and the Assam Angling & Conservation Association, the camp offers luxury tents as well as a thatched roof dormitory in a wonderful jungle setting close to the banks of the Bharali river. After obtaining the requisite forest permits for the next day, I settled down to a well-deserved mug of beer and some good food in their atmospheric bamboo restaurant. After a good night's sleep I was up at the crack of dawn, I was excited to be going for what promised to be another amazing wildlife experience. A walking safari in a tiger reserve!
My forest guard-cum-guide Deep and I crossed the freezing river on a tiny row-boat and set off into the depths of the dark forest where wild animals could be lurking a few feet away with only Deep’s bolt-action .303 rifle for protection. This was thrilling stuff considering the park is home to tigers, leopards, elephants, wild boars and wild dogs. The walking trail covered a distance of approximately 8 kms with two watchtowers in between. It was an up-close and personal jungle experience without the usual noise and safety of tourist-laden jeeps that is the norm in other national parks and is not for the faint hearted.
My best sightings of the day were a great Indian hornbill in full flight and a pair of Malayan giant squirrels which were jet black and bigger than a cat, frolicking in a tree, all at close range.
For my last leg of the trip, I decided to visit the Mon district of Nagaland which is home to the Konyak tribe and truly one of the last frontiers of India, located at the junction of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Myanmar. Having heard about the Konyak Tea Retreat located in the remote interiors of Mon, I landed up at the doorstep of the feisty, always-smiling and multi-talented Phejin Konyak after lots of google-map-consulting.
Her family owns the sprawling land and started the first and now the largest tea garden in Nagaland. Phejin moved out of her parent’s home a few years ago and built herself a lovely house on a hill surrounded by greenery and the most mesmerising view. The small property has brightly coloured walls, ethnic paintings, pottery, handicrafts and books strewn all over and is an amazing place to get away from it all. Phejin and her sister are perfect hosts who swap travel stories, cook yummy home-style Naga food and give you company for a drink with the wind howling outside. No wonder she has visitors from all over India and the world in spite of the remote location and is highly recommended.
At the end of the 10 days, I went back to work happy to have answered the call of the eastern wild.
Arjun M is an avid traveller, biker and wildlife enthusiast who has travelled extensively in the Northeast