How do these Root Bridges Come to Life?

Root Bridges grow from the roots of the rubber fig tree (ficus elsatica). Jainta and Khasi Art (both southern Meghalaya tribals) make these roots grow into a natural bridge to cross the river. Due to their organic material, these bridges get more solid and stable over the years. These bridges are able to maintain themselves for centuries if circumstances are right. Altogether a very fascinating process that shows how to live in unity with nature in a way only indigenous peoples are able to.

Ritymen Root Bridge in Tyrna bei Cherapunjee

There are several root bridges in and around Cherapunjee and in the Jainta Mountains. We visited the Ritymen Root Bridge.

You can reach Ritymen Root Bridge from the little village Tyrna from Cherapunjee (12 km, 30 min). We stayed in a hotel in Cherapunjee and like that reaching Tyrna was easy. You can also go there from the more popular Shillong (ca. 2 ½ hours). But you need a driver, you are far from all the big cities and should not rely on public transportation.

At first comes the Ritymen Root Bridge. If you continue descending, you reach a double root bridge called Umshiang Double Decker Bridge. Double means there are two natural bridges with on top of each other.

Descending the Ritymen Root Bridge

A sign at the entrance says “3 km to Double Bridge”. That is a bit of an understatement, it means 3 km of stairs. The descend is exhausting, we only walked to the first bridge, the single Ritymen Bridge.

Descending these stairs is still doable. We were there with a larger group of people, most of them athletes and fit. We had to walk down hundreds of stairs and that made all our thigh muscles shiver. But that was still ok.

There is a local tour guide who walks the group downstairs. At the entrance they rent bamboo sticks. Makes sense, of course there is no handrails at the stairs.

There are several smaller buildings every now and then that also sell beverages. Locals charge a small fee to see the bridge, 10 Rupees per person, 10 more for every camera. Close to nothing, even if they make you pay for every camera and phone you carry. Altogether it would still be less than 1 Euro (30 Rs about 45 cents).

Bridge and River With a Natural Pool

After a long, you finally reach the bridge with crystal clear water below where you can either swim or enjoy the sun while sitting on a rock. Swimming is only for men, I would discourage women from swimming here.

If you feel strong and energetic enough, you can continue your route to the double bridge. I cannot tell you anything about this. We were in a group of 9, nobody wanted to walk any further. The links at the bottom provide some more information about that.

Ascending From the Bridge

What stopped us from moving was the ascend that was waiting for us. We already had a 2000 steps descend, it’s supposedly another 1500 step to the double bridge.

I consider myself fit above average, I work out regularly and think I can do quite an amount of walking. There were marathon runners, football players and other athletes in our group. Yet, the way back was hard for all of us. It’s a steady 2000 steps ascend. It takes a long time and is exhausting. On the way back, we met several untrained but wealthy Indian families that had huge problems to walk back. Some of them were visibly suffering, looking quite unfortunate and only continued walking because there was no choice.

Our tour guide praised our fitness, said we were better in walking upstairs than the Indian tourists. How seriously you have to take this is another matter. Yet, you should know what you are getting into.

View from the Stairs and the Region’s Climate

In particular during descend,the view of the valley and the mountain is great: pristine nature that is indeed green and clean everywhere, for India very unusual.
The region is rather wet, Cherapunjee is called the “Wettest Place on Earth” (sometimes refered to as “Scottland of the East”).

It’s wetter and cooler than in the rest of India. Many Indians call it cold, but that’s a relative thing. To me, it still felt like summer, in particular around midday it was really warm. All those many steps don’t make it any better. It’s warm and the sun is burning. Definitely bring sunscreen and something to cover your head. We did not have any rain during our three days in Cherapunjee. Even the grass was partly brown and visibly dry.

How To Reach and Some Final Remarks

The root bridges are a spectacular play of nature, something totally different and new. The surrounding nature is nice, pristine, green and clean. All of this shows a very different face of India than the one in the big cities. Definitely worth a trip!

You reach Meghalaya from Assam. The best option is to fly from Delhi to Guwahati and take a driver from there (ca. 160 km, 5 hours). There are also public busses. From Guwahati, spend the night either in Shillong or Cherapunjee and make a day trip to the root bridges. We left it up to the drive how to reach the bridge that was the easiest way.

As usually in the Northeast, you are off the main tourist routes. Some Indians from other states spend their holidays here. We have not seen any other Europeans. Everything is relaxed, people are friendly and open. They let you be and don’t annoy you.

You can buy beverages everywhere, even Coke and other sweet sugar sodas. Yet, I would take a bottle of water just to be sure. But that is all you need, you don’t need to carry a bagpack full of water bottles with you.

Der Beitrag Root Bridges in Cherapunjee (Sohra) in Meghalaya’s South erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Most-Visited Beaches in Calangute and Baga to Siquerim Beach

Calangute is the most southern of all the North beaches. Calangute and Baga offer a big variety of water sport, mostly jet skiing but also kites. In the meantime, more and more casinos come to Goa, also in this area. Here, you find younger guests from India, European bag packers and a more price-conscious audience.

Infrastructure around these two beaches has become bigger: there are hotels, guest houses and restaurants. You also find chain restaurants like Pizza Hut and Dominos, a shopping mall and a wax museum. Even the big hotel chains have come here, in this case Novotel and Hyatt. Because these beaches can easily be reached from the airport, they are always busy. These are the most-frequented beaches in Goa. This shows in construction work, there is barely any empty space left.

The area is a bit crowded; you almost don’t see the step to Siquerim Beach. Siquerium Beach very prominently features the Taj Hotel. Right next to it, you find the Aguada Fort.

Anjuna: Hotspot for Hippies, Bag Packers and Flea Markets Visitors

Further north, you find Anjuna, the hippie Mecca and bag packers hot spot. If you come by bus, this is where you arrive. There are cheap, very simple guest houses and you have very little problem getting in touch with other travelers. The little village up the cliffs is pretty. They sell all kinds of things for tourists, but the view is amazing. Sitting in one of the bars or restaurants, enjoying the view to the ocean is one of the best things do to.

The Anjuna Flea Market every Wednesday is very popular. Also, the party scene likes to meet in Anjuna. If you like Yoga, you find many offers here.

Vagator and Chapora: Nice Landscape at the Chapora Fort

Further north, there are the two smaller beaches Vagator and Chapora. Both surround the Chapora Fort and create, in combination with its red stone cliffs and unique scenery. If you are looking for an entire apartment, you can find it here. Many permanent guests stay here, this is also how a party scene has come up.

Morjim, Mandrem and Arambol: Secluded Beaches or Bag Packers

The three most northern beaches Morjim, Mandrem and Arambol are separated from the rest of the land by the Chapora River.

Morjim Beach has a preserve area for breeding water turtles. Anyways, Morjim has some problems with dirt coming from the river and that is why its sand is a bit darker.
The beaches of Mandrem and Arambol are still not very crowded. Fun fact: in Mandrem, there beach and all the guest houses are separated from each other by a river. You walk on small bamboo bridges to get to the beach. Very far north, in Arambol, you again find beach shacks and cheaper ways to stay but no hotels, comparable to the beaches far in the South. Also, there are many Yoga offers here.

see also: The Beaches of South Goa

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The “Northern” Beaches Colva and Benaulim

The most northern beaches in South Goa are Colva and Benaulim. Both can be reached quickly from the airport and are always very much frequented. They mostly have smaller guest houses, not really hotels but simpler. Colva and Benaulim have very little differences: both are long-stretched, wide beaches and attract mainly national guests. If you are looking for cheaper and simpler places to stay, ask around in Colva. Things are not that noble and sophisticated here. Colva and Benaulim are mainly interesting because they can be reached so easily from the airport.

A bit north of Colva, there are Park Hyatt and Royal Orchid, two upscale hotel resorts at smaller beaches (Arossim and Utorda Beach).

Resort Hotels in South Goa: Varca, Cavelossim and Mobor Beach

At the southern end of Benaulim, all the hotel resorts start. They stretch from Varca Beach to Cavelossim Beach and Mobor Beach. The most beautiful spot here is for sure Mobor Beach with its beautiful Holiday Inn. Don’t get confused by the name Holiday Inn: it’s a five-star-hotel very chic, very high-class, not like in Europe middle-class.
Don’t expect a huge party, the hotel guests usually stay in their hotel zone and don’t go out.

In Cansaulim, Cavelossim and Mobor Beach you find all the big, high-standard hotels like:

• • Taj Exotica Resort in Benaulim Beach
  • Club Mahindra in Varca Beach
  • Zuri White Sands Resort in Varca
  • Redisson Blu in Cavelossim
  • Holiday Inn Resort in Mobor Beach
  • The Leela Goa in Mobor Beach

There are barely any differences between these hotels. They all are higher standard hotels, with an big hotel area including pools, big buffets, restaurants, bars, spa and everything else. This is usually what travel agencies offer you when you ask for Goa. It’s not much cheaper than anything in Germany but you do not have any problems when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness. When you want to be in a good hotel and spend your day at the beach or pool, this is the right place for you.

The “Southern” South Goa: Agonda, Palolem and Patnem

Even further south, you find Agonda, Palolem and Patnem Beach. These three beaches have a very different character. Five-Star-Hotels or hotesl in general cannot be found that much here. Smaller homestays and guest houses are characteristic for these southern beaches that are mostly visited by bag packers, also many from Europe.

All three beaches are beautiful bays, Palolem and Agonda bigger, Patnem rather small.
In particular in Palolem and Agonda, several beach shacks are constructed right after the monsoon. This is how, in the end, the entire coast line is fully covered with buildings that last for one season. You can book shacks from where you can look directly at the ocean. Some of these shacks only have one floor, others even two. The standard is low but good. The costs are not high: 20 Euro per night will get you far. Next to these beach shacks, there are, in particular in Palolem smaller hotels with 6 – 10 rooms that are located “in the third row” at the beach front. These are solid building with brick walls and all. You should pick you place according to what you prefer, all of them are good. All-Inclusive food or even food is not common in these hotels. Quite often, a beach restaurant and several beach shacks belong together. Most people have their meals at one of the beach restaurants.

You need to choose between the beach restaurants with ocean view tables and restaurants right at the beach and the ones a few meters inbound, off the beach. You can basically get all kinds of food. At the beach it’s a bit more expensive but compared to German prices, still reasonable.

A special feature of Palolem is the boat tours that are offered everywhere. You take a tour on the water, along the coast get to see dolphins and the world from the water. Quite nice, not more that but usually even quite cheap. Fun Fact: there are no machines; the boats are pulled in and out of the water simply by manpower.

More Information about Palolem Beach can be found here.

At the very South of Goa in Rajbagh, you again find a very fancy Five-Star-Place with Golf and Spa: the Lalit Gold and Spa Goa.

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Basilika St. Francis and Sé Cathedral

In its peak time between the 16th and 18th century, Old Goa was a big city with more residents than London. How powerful and influential this city was in this phase can be seen at the big churches that were built in those days. Even its Portuguese influence is still there. Due to a wave of malaria and cholera, the city had to be abandoned in the 18th century.

You find the Basilika St. Francis here, a very famous missionary from the east, whose deadly remains are buried here. The basilica dates back to 1594 and is more than 400 years old.

The second important building is Sé Cathedral, built between 1562 and 1619. Almost 80 meters in height, this is Asia’s biggest church. These two main buildings are really impressive and make something unusual: a Christian church that big in the middle of Asia.

Some more building are:

• the Church of Francis of Assisi
• a museum about Christian Art
• the Church of St. Cajetan
• the ruins of the old St. Augustine monastery
• the Church of Our Lady of the Mount” (at bit isolated, 2 km from everything else)

…and some more chapels, churches and ruins.

Some of the buildings are very well-preserved, other in decline. Anyways, the atmosphere and past meaning of the city becomes very clear.

Old Goa – How Do I Get There?

When you are in Panjim, you can easily reach Old Goa. There are busses but also rikschas are ready to take tourists there. Simply ask someone or wait until someone asks you. All of this should be rather cheap and cost you only a few Euros.

From all the beaches, you can find a driver who takes you around for the whole day. This is probably a bit more expensive but still doable. You book a driver and a car for the entire day, tell him where you want to go and find an agreement about a whole-day price. That depends on where you are, where you want to go and how long. You can for example do a day trip to the Panjim city center and Old Goa.

Old Goa – A Place to Recommend?

Yes, I do recommend it but (there is always a but you see churches. Speaking for myself: Churches are everywhere in Europe, some of them extremely gorgeous. When it comes to churches, I am quickly and easily bored, in general not interested that much and not enthusiastic. I wanted to see Old Goa anyways and do not regret it. You should know what you get: grand, beautiful churches in the middle of India. Neither the greatest nor the prettiest churches I have ever seen. Inside and outside are nice but not spectacular or outstanding. If you come from the US and do not know old buildings, this is the right place for you. But buildings like the dome in Cologne and the dome in Speyer are more sparkling than anything in Goa.

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Beach Shacks and Restaurants at the Bay

Palolem is mainly a collection of beach shacks and restaurants chained along the coastline and offering an ocean view. Wide parts of the beach are largely not built-up. You only find some boats here. Right after the beach line, right under palm trees, the line of shacks and restaurants starts. Even here, you are still walking on fine, white sand.

The first row of hats has an open sea view. Even the second and maybe the third row still offer a veritable view. Some of these wooden shacks have one floor, others even two.
The beach shacks are constructed for one season and get entirely removed during monsoon season. Considering this, their standard is very high. Most importantly, they have water closets and running water. They walls are only thin wooden panels, though. These beach shacks cannot be compared to hotels, they are rather simple hats.

Prices are reasonable even though they tend to vary strongly. For 20 Euro, you definitely find something here, much less in off-season.

A Maze of Hotels Further Inland

A few meters off the coastline you find the first real hotels that means solid buildings with walls and quite often an AC. Most of them are smaller, quite often only 3 – 6 rooms. Some of these hotels are 50 meters from the beach, others a bit farther. You can get good prices here too, 30 to 40 Euros per night.

Palolem has a kind of center and main access to the beach. This is usually where the cabs take you. You have to look for your hotel or shack yourself. That is why you see guests walking along the beach with their luggage all the time. The paths between these hotels are narrow; you can easily walk or use a scooter but not a car. In the beginning, this maze is a bit confusing.

In the center, there are some stores with all necessities but nothing more. Of course, they also sell all kinds of tourist stuff (silver jewelry, scarves, spices, T-shirts, clothes, bags). The quality in the stores is a bit higher than anything the beach hawkers offer.

Restaurants at the Coast

All the beach restaurants can in fact be recommended. All of them offer ocean view; you can sit in the shade and face the water. Quite often, they also have sun beds at the beach and also serve food there.

They offer a vast variety of food you can basically get anything here. There are no big, all-inclusive hotels. That is why all the guests go to these restaurants even for breakfast. You can go to a different place every day, the quality is good everywhere. Sometimes it’s even difficult to remember where you were the day before, these restaurants are all very much alike.

For Indian standard, these restaurants are not cheap but compared to German restaurants, prices are still reasonable.

In addition, there are several restaurants off the beach with all kinds of stuff. You can eat for less money here.

Boat Tours

In Palolem, boat tours are popular. There are small wooden boats at the beach with which you can take a trip on the ocean. These tours take place usually mostly for sunrise and sunset but any other time is possible. The sellers find you at the beach, offer their boat tour and how much you pay is part of a bargaining process. The boat takes you off the coast to the ocean. You see the coast from the water probably a dolphin and maybe they take you to a little island in front of Palolem (Canacona). Some more routes go to the river channel close by or a field trip to the “Butterfly Beach”, a beach almost inaccessible from the main land. All of these tours are nice little trips, don’t expect anything spectacular but rather enjoy the view and relax.

Fun Fact: The boats are pulled in and out of the water with pure manpower, there are no machines anywhere. Male beach visitors are often asked to help get the boat in or out.

Alternatives

If, in high season you feel Palolem is a bit too busy for you, you can go to the neighbor beach Patnem. Patnem also is a very beautiful beach with a similar crescent shape, similar restaurants and beach shacks but less busy and quieter. Further south of Patnem, there is a 5-star hotel resort for guests with high demands.

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Khecheopari Lake: a Sacred Place

The lake is scared for Hindus and Muslims. From the entrance, it’s another 200 meters to the lake. There are small paths on one side of the lake with several small buildings, temple and many unmissable, colorful prayer flags everywhere.

At the end of the hiking path, there is a prayer point close to the water of the lake. All in all, you walk about 500 meters along the lake. The place has its very own, very spiritual atmosphere. You can fell the sacredness of the lake.

Khecheopari Monastery: colorful magnificence of Buddhism

The monastery is on a hill, a bit off the lake. It’s a bit of a walk up the hill. This seems to be too much for many visitors, almost no one went up to the main building. The main building is an extremely colorful, shining and sparkling building where the monks still live.
After hesitating for a while, we came closer to the building. Because the monks just had a meeting, we did not want to enter or look inside. But the monks were signaling us several times to come and even offered us cookies. That is how we got the pics from the inside. We would not have done any of that without them telling us to enter.

The inside of the building is an extremely colorful collection of art and crafts. No matter where you look, there is always a new painting, a new colorful piece of cloth or a painted wall. Absolutely breathtaking and unique! Totally different from everything I have seen so far.

The main buildings’ outside is magnificent. There are artful sculptures everywhere, all of them in many colors and very well-kept. I could have spent hours just looking at things. A unique architecture.

Monks in Khecheopari

All the monks were very curious and friendly. They were standing around me in a group of 6, watched my pics on the camera and took pics of themselves. That is how the monk pics were made, we did not do it, they did it themselves. We also got an orange and a very warm welcome, even though there is not even a language we both share. How great having this experience!

The monastery was one of the Sikkim highlights. I would definitely recommend coming here.

see Sikkim Tour ###Link###
see Pelling ###Link###

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Darjeeling – A Village of World Reputation

Darjeeling – a word that sounds strangely familiar. Everyone has already heard the name. Darjeeling is very well-known ever since the English have started making tea here that gets exported it into the world. But: most people don’t neither know where locate it on the map or nor anything else about Darjeeling.

Here is some basic information about the little town:
Darjeeling has about 130,000 residents, In Europe that would count as a town, in India that is only a village. Darjeeling is on an elevation of 2000 meters in the state of Bengal (sometimes referred to as West-Bengal) at the foot of the Himalayans and usually serves as the gateway to the mountain area. Darjeeling is never really warm but mostly rainy. Its seasons are similar to the ones in Europe, June to August are the warmest time of the year, but temperature reach only 20 degrees on average. Winters are mild, temperatures don’t go below freezing point. The only real difference is the monsoon that makes summers usually wet.

Darjeeling – Home of the Famous Tea

Of course, first thing that comes to mind about Darjeeling is the famous black tea. Tea plantations are everywhere in and around Darjeeling. There are 150 tea plantations in Darjeeling, not all of them are open to public. You can do a tour on some or even book an overnight stay on others. We visited Happy Valley Tea Plantation. Happy Valley is right in Darjeeling, easy to reach and the best thing to do for a short tour. Full travel packages from the German travel agencies often include a visit to Glenburn Tea Estate. But there are many more tea estates to visit.

You can find a list here:
https://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_00008b.htm

Anyways, some of the plantations on the list are rather far from Darjeeling.
We did not do much planning in advance, we just asked the driver and that worked quite well.

At the market place (end of Mall Road, easy to find) there is a “Tea Tasting”: a tea shop with a café where you can try several kinds of tea. The shop owner is Golden Tips, you find all kinds of tea here (black, green, white tea) to buy but also to try.

Toy Train: Small Railway in the Mountains

The English have built are narrow-gauge railway in Darjeeling. This was a way to manage the areas ascends: the train moves in circles up the hill. This means no bridges and tunnel are necessary. Today, this narrow-gauge train is still a tourist attraction, a classic steam train that drives from Ghoom to Darjeeling.

We did not take the train but saw it in Ghoom and Batasia Loop. Batasia Loop is a viewpoint from which you can see quite nicely how the train moves up the mountain in a circle. The train makes quite some noise and leaves a huge steam cloud behind. I would definitely recommend visiting Batasia Loop but I think you don’t really need a ride on the train.

Tiger Hill Viewpoint

Another very famous spot is the Tiger Hill Viewpoint. You can already see the Kanchenjunga from here. Tiger Hill is 11 km from Darjeeling but you still need 30 minutes to reach. Sunrise is at 5 am, you need to leave at 4.30 am. We were unlucky: it was rainy and cloudy, no view to the mountains at all. The following day was better; we could see the mountains but have missed the sunrise. We saw that later in Pelling.

The view from Tiger Hill is very good and very nice. If you are in Darjeeling, definitely try to find and see Kanchenjunga. If you travel further to Sikkim, you will have another change. But in the mountains, always use any opportunity the weather permits.

Tibetian Refugee Center and Japanese Peace Pagoda

Two more interesting spots are the Tibetian Refugee Center and the Japanese Peace Pagoda. Driving to the Tibetian Refugee Center (from 1959) is a steady climb on a hill. This center has several exhibits about the history of Tibet, its art and craft. There is some wooden and woolen work available, as well as carpets and leather. You can buy all these products in a store which is much cheaper than anything you find in town. The Refugee Center is definitely worth a visit.

Japanese Peace Pagoda (also called Japanese Temple and Peace Pagoda) is a spiritual place on Jalapar Hill. The Buddhist monastery was built as a sign of peace for people all over the world, no matter which race, religion or color. It wants to remind of peace and friendship, there are several peace pagoda worldwide. Darjeeling’s Peace Pagoda has a very good view.

Darjeeling Ropeway and Mall Road (Chowrasta)

There is a ropeway from Darjeeling to the valley. The rope did not work for us, because it was cloudy with no view at all. I’m sure the view to the valley is great on a good day. You can go down to a lower stop and visit a tea plantation.

Mall Road is Darjeeling’s center. Here, you find stores and restaurants the area is mostly blocked for cars and only open to walking traffic. There is a CCD (if you don’t know, that stands for Café Coffee Day, the Indian equivalent to Starbucks) with a very good valley view. A few steps further, you find the Golden Tipps tea store I mentioned above.

Traffic in Darjeeling

If you have ever been to India, you know the big mess traffic is there. Take all this mess, put it into a little mountain village with narrow streets and you have Darjeeling. Plus, there is a lot of walking traffic. Residents from Darjeeling quite often simply walk, and there are many kids in school uniforms walking around. Everything else, “typically Indian” is also there: rikschas, shared jeeps, busses, cars and scooters. Darjeeling has become a popular holiday destination for Indians that means many tourist cars (usually Toyota Innova) are everywhere. The toy train also drives every now. Parts of its tracks are on the street that means everyone needs to share the road with the train as well. As soon as the toy train comes, the entire traffic stops and collapses. But even without the toy train, traffic is very slow and you get stuck in traffic a lot, and only move very, very slowly.

How To Reach Darjeeling

Darjeeling does not have an airport. The closest airport is Bagdhora. You can reach Bagdhora easily with all Indian carriers. In Bagdhora, you should take a driver. There are no busses to Darjeeling and everything else is too exhausting and takes too long. There is a tourist counter at Darjeeling airport that was very helpful in organizing a driver and a tour. The drivers already wait at the airport. That is what we did, everything worked quite well.

It’s only 70 km from Bagdhora to Darjeeling but it takes 2 ½ hours. Driving along the mountains makes a nice road tour. You should stop every now and then to enjoy the view.
If you feel uncomfortable like this, you can book a driver in advance through your travel agency. You will not have a different driver, but maybe you have more security or feel you have more.

If you dare and have the nerves to do so, book when you are there. It’s not a problem at all, that is how things are done in India and you can trust it. It’s definitely much cheaper than anything you get from your travel agency.

Sightseeing in Darjeeling

The driver took us around and showed us everything that is important in Darjeeling. That was the right thing to do, without him we would not have seen that much. There is basically no parking anywhere. The drivers stop at the roadside, somehow turn around (I don’t know how they do it in these narrow streets.) and wait at the car. Things are such a mess; you need to leave these kind of things up to locals.

How to Combine Things:

You can go to Ghoom, on the way you pass Batasia Loop. The Samten Choling Monastery is right next to it. Tiger Hill Viewpoint is a bit further, also reachable via Ghoom.
At the other end of Darjeeling, there are Happy Valley Tea Estate, the Zoo and the Mountaineering Institute.

Resume Darjeeling

If you only know India’s large cities, you will see an entirely new and different India here. It’s colder, you are at the Himalaya outskirts and things are somehow, much more relaxed. People are very friendly, a bit of a chaos is there, but the mood is good and friendly. Even the street dogs look healthier and fitter. I have never seen any landscape that can be compared to Darjeeling. Tea Plantations are everywhere on steady mountains. There are thousands of visible power lines, but no bridges or tunnel. Definitely an extraordinary place and a good starting point for tours to the Himalaya Mountains.

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Animal Conversation Projects and Diversity of Species in Kaziranga

Kaziranga Nationalpark has had some great success in the last years and decades in terms of protecting the one-horned rhino. About two thirds of its worldwide population can be found here. After being threatened by extinction for years, its population has now recovered.

Apart from the rhino, the park also has wild Asian elephants and wild water buffaloes. There are also several deer species and three spectacular wildcats in the park: the Bengal tiger, the Indian leopard and the clouded leopard. Last but not least several smaller species of monkeys. This list is incomplete, the park has many more mammals and reptiles.

The park is also known for its vast number of bird species: water birds, swamp birds, birds of prey and many more. Even India’s national animal, the kingfisher lives here.

More information about Kaziranga’s animals can be found here:

http://www.kaziranga.co.in/mammals.php (list of mammals)
http://www.kaziranga.co.in/reptiles.php (list of reptiles)
http://www.kaziranga.co.in/birds.php (list of birds)
http://www.kaziranga-national-park.com/wildlife-in-kaziranga-national-park.shtml

Which of These Animals Will I Really See?

During our safaris, we saw many wild elephants. The rhino was everywhere and we could see the water buffalo on several occasions and spots.

The safari takes place on a private jeep. You drive on an unpaved road and can see several animals simply by looking look left and right. Several jeeps take a tour, everyone on a slightly different route; you don’t meet the other jeeps a lot. But the tours are fixed the jeeps take a pre-determined tour. All the animals know the vehicles and do not feel disturbed. For example a rhino was sleeping right next t o the street. A group of elephants was walking with all their baby elephants close to the road. The jeeps stop as soon as there is something to see and wait.

I would not expect to see a tiger. Tigers a shy and prefer to be alone. They don’t live in herds. Tigers usually walk away as soon as humans appear. At one of these tours, all the jeeps stopped because allegedly there was a tiger somewhere. But that either was not the case of the tiger long gone. You need to be very lucky to see a tiger.

Entrances to Kaziranga Nationalpark

There are three entrances to the national park:

• the main entrance in Mihimukh, Kohora
• at the West in Baori
• at the East in Agartoli

Kohora is the touristic center of the national park. Here, you find some hotels, shops and souvenir stores. It’s the park’s main entrance.

There is a second, smaller entrance in Agartoli. This is where we had our first safari because our hotel was only 5 minutes from the gate. This area is not busy at all; we had our best safari here.

Agartoli in the east is particularly important to see many species of birds. For everything else, you can also take one of the other two gates.

We decided to do the west and main gate. Agartoli was too far from the hotel. You can reach all the gates on road 715 at the same time southern boundary of the park.

Taking a Safari Tour

There are many full packages available online. I think you don’t really need it. A hotel is enough; you can book a safari here. That is how we did it and it worked quite well.
In India, a car usually has a driver and an owner. Drivers a usually not well-off, rather poor, making little money and do not speak English (or very, very little). The safaris were not sold out at all. We had a jeep for 6 with only the two of us. Accordingly, the tour was a bit expensive, because we had to pay for the entire jeep. But it was a good thing to be alone on the jeep, not get disturbed and we could see very well in all directions, no one blocking our view.

The driver picked us up at the hotel, was in time and took us to the western entrance. One of us had to go to the park administration there we had to pay a second time and a ranger got in the car. A very unusual thing, from a German point of view was the fact that he was carrying a loaded rifle. In India, this kind of means we take care of our guests’ safety. From my point of view, there animals were not dangerous at all. The ranger tells the driver which road to take and they stop on several occasions.

At the end of the tour, the ranger left at the national park gate and the driver took us back to the hotel. There were demanding tip, demanding is too weak. They insisted on getting tip! As far as I know, India is not a “tip-country” (like e.g. the US). Claiming tip that strongly is unusual.

How To Reach Kaziranga

Kaziranga is a bit difficult to reach. You can go by plane to Guwahati, Assam’s capital. From here, it is another 4-hour-drive to Kaziranga, even though it’s only 200 km. Shortly after Guwahati, you need to drive up a mountain; these things are always rather slow in India. You need to plan an entire day to reach.

How Much Should I Book in Advance?

A basic rule is: you can do many things spontaneously and short-term in India. If it makes you feel better, book a hotel. But even that is not really necessary. You can easily organize the safaris when you are there. That’s what I would do. Traffic in India is unpredictable; you never know when exactly you reach.

Kaziranga – India’s Most Beautiful Nationalpark

Kaziranga was, to me, the most beautiful national I have seen in India. It was rather quiet, not too crowded and most importantly, we did indeed see animals. I never really expected to see a tiger. Our hotel room neighbors saw one, but that one was very far away and only became visible on the photo because of the big camera lens. For that, they were on the road for 12 hours straight with nothing but a short lunch break. I would not have made it twelve hours on that bumpy road and jeep.

One thing is very obvious: you are off the main routes, an area that is of no interest for all the big travel agencies. There were no travel groups from Europe of the US, there were rarely any other white people, but many well-off Indians on a holiday trip in their own country. This made everything more relaxed, friendlier, everyone was nice and open to foreigners.

Der Beitrag The Kaziranga Nationalpark in Assam: a Park at the Brahmaputra River in India’s Northeastern State erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Cozumel – How to Reach by Ferry and Else

From the mainland you reach Cozumel by Ferry. There are several ferry companies: the two well-established ones are Mexiko Water Jets and Ultramar. The latest addition is called Barcos Caribe. A single trip is 6 to 8 Euro; there is no reason to book tickets in advance or by a roundtrip right away. I would even advice against it. Some of the companies only offer trips every other hour. But there is always a ferry from another company in between. The best way to do this is to go to the ferry port, find out which ferry is the next to leave and buy a ticket for that one. There is always one ticket counter open, the one has the next tour.

The ferry takes 30 to 45 minutes to Cozumel. Usually, this was pretty smooth. On a few days, the sea was rough and the ride gets bumpy. On these days, there was a band on board playing music; the band was not there any other time.

By ferry, you reach San Miguel de Cozumel, capital and center of the island.
Cozumel also has an airport which can be found north of the capital. This is a good way to reach the island directly. Some American airlines have non-stop flight to Cozumel.
Another way to reach Cozumel is on a cruise ship. A bit south of the regular ferry port, Cozumel has a cruise port. In particular in winter, many big cruise ships stop here. Some of them come early in the morning at around 6, other later in the middle of the day. Most of them leave early, at around 4 to 5 pm.

How These Cruise Ships Affect Cozumel’s Daily Life

These cruise ships stay at their own port. Sometimes only one ship sometimes five or even seven. That’s always different and people from Cozumel can always tell you about that. Cozumel has a new shopping mall right at the cruise port, here you find the Hard Rock Café. Most products are made for one-day-visitors: jewelry, tequila, hot sauces and restaurants. This place is quite nice but not one of the island’s highlights.

The cruise ships appear on the horizon in the mornings, the closer they get, the more obvious their sheer size becomes. They look more like a skyscraper. I was surprise to see that many people indeed don’t get off the ship. Of course, that can always change. Some of these ships have as much as 5000 to 7000 passengers: several times really only a few of them left the ship and came to the island. I really wasn’t expecting this.

In the mornings, the cruise guests are not around, most of the time they come between 10 and 11 and usually only till 3 or 4 pm. Of course, there are busy days with 5 to 6 ships around. Anyways, most cruise guests don’t make it far on the island. Standard would be the cruise port, town of San Miguel (9 km north) and the Chakanaab Park.

San Miguel de Cozumel

When you go to Cozumel by ferry, the first thing you see is San Miguel de Cozumel. The promenade at the coast is quite fancy, many stores and restaurants, all of them made for tourists.

If you have a Cozumel hotel, you are most likely somewhere in this area (a bit further north or south of the town, along to coast road). When you go a bit intown, off the coastline, the town’s appearance changes drastically: It’s less clean; things are less polished and less shiny, no more fancy roads and stores. But, in the end, this off-the-main routes area is more real, authentic less artificial. But there isn’t much to see or do.

Along the Coast Road Quintana Roo C1 in the Island’s West: Cruise Port and Going to Chakanaab on the Small Road

At the ferry port, go south. You can see several stores and restaurants; this is the tourist center of the island.

The first interesting spot is the cruise port (mentioned above). On this 4 km route, the town barely ends, apart from restaurants and shops there are mostly diver stores and stores that sell day tours for divers, snorkelers and everything else about the ocean.
Until you reach the cruise port, you need to share the road with cars, residents and regular traffic. At the cruise port, the main road goes a bit inland. There is a smaller road for scooter and cyclists right at the coast, here you can drive easily even if you feel a bit unsure about your scooter and you don’t disturb all the other traffic.

Next interesting stop is the Chakanaab Beach Adventure Park (10 km from the ferry port, 20 km or 15 min from the cruise port). This is a little adventure park. The route is very easy you can go by scooter or take a cab. These 10 km are always busy; it’s the main tourist route of the island.

This is part 1 – The article continues here..

Der Beitrag Taking a Tour in Cozumel: A Day Trip Around the Island Part 1 from San Miguel to Chakanaab erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Snorkeling – Loading the Boat

The Cozumels Reefs are world famous, a paradise for snorkeling and diving. There are several tour option some of them longer, other shorter.

We stayed on the island and could book for the following day. There are shorter tours, mostly for cruise guests with less time and longer tours to the world famous coral reefs in front of Cozumel. These reefs also attract many divers. We did one of the longer tours and could see the Palancar Reef. Some more examples of Cozumel Reefs are Columbia and Cielo Reef.

We did stay relatively far north, the boat stops at a small hotel where the tour agent took us. Several more people got in the boat. The boat goes along the island and picks up more guests until it’s really full.

Bags and bagpacks go in a net on the roof. There is no space on the floor because all the seats are taken. This is how you go to the reef. Snorkel, goggles and fins are provided, a life-vest is compulsory. As soon as everyone has all the equipment, people jump into the water one after another. The boss asked if someone is a first-time-snorkeler and if there is anyone who feels insecure. He did take special care of these people.

Palancar Reef in Cozumel

The tour guides are also in the water. The make sure that the group stays close and together. This is of particularly important. Everyone snorkels along the water; some hold their breath and dive a bit. One of the tour guides did dive a bit deeper but also without help only by holding his breath.

What you get to see is breathtaking: a reef of never ending colorful fish, much life, general bustle and everything absolutely stunning! We could see a stingray somewhere down. I have never seen anything like this, absolutely beautiful and fascinating!

Of course the reefs are busy: we did not see another snorkeling group. But a diving group was around, of course much deeper down.

As a snorkeler, you basically are stuck at surface of this little world. Yet, the view was great, the water crystal-clear and we could see everything. It’s difficult to say how far from the reef we really were.

The currents are there and make everyone move. Because everyone is looking down in the water, you sometimes crash into someone or someone crashes into you. After a while, I was really exhausted, really very exhausted and then the tour was over soon. Everyone goes back to the boat, the tour guides swims and dives close to the boat’s ladder and takes everyone’s fins off. After this, the tour is over. There is a small restroom on boat. At first I though that is a bit unnecessary, but you really need it on the way back.

Going Back

On the way back they serve cold drinks (Mexican beer and Coke). The tour guides did not have any they had another tour in the afternoon. Things are a bit Americanized: during the entire boat ride, they play music. This seems to be adjusted to American preferences. They take you back to the coast and we get off in opposite order.

Some Advice on How to Organise Yourself

You sit in the boat for a while, go snorkeling and go back to the boat wet. If you don’t feel like sitting in a bikini or swim trunks, you can take a beach cloth with you. Men can simply put a t-shirt on. Because of the strong sun, you should take some clothes with you. Also, addressed to mostly women, it feels better to sit in the boat with more than just a bikini.
Booking these tours is very simple: agencies are everywhere in Cozumel, all of them sell snorkeling tours. All you need to know is how much time you have, if you want to see a particular reef and how much money you are willing to spend. You book the tour and they tell you everything else (like when and where to leave). English is fine, they all know enough English. You can often book for the same day. Booking for the following day is definitely not a problem.

The tour was not cheap. I forgot the price. But we hesitated because of it. Anyways, I definitely recommend these tours. It was a totally unique experience!

Der Beitrag A Snorkeling Trip in Cozumel: Colourful Underwater Worlds at the Palancar Reef erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.