I met a widely travelled wildlife enthusiast from South Africa who happenned to be visiting Kabini -Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary in South India  last week We got talking and I asked him what drew him to India and he replied that it was the unique biodiversity . We discussed wildlife destinations in India and here was his pick on the top three wildlife national parks in the country

1.Corbett National Park – Named after the legendary Jim Corbett, this is not just a wildlife national park, but the very heart of Terai landscape. Located in North India, in the Garhwal district of Uttranchal it is one of the oldest tiger reserves in the country and is home to 600 species of birds . You can also spot the  endangered gharial , leopards , elephants, marsh crocodiles among others.

There are several places to stay in and around the park and New Delhi is your closest airport, while Ramnagar is one of the closest rail heads  and there are trains connecting them. You can also drive down from Delhi.  Best time to visit will be from November to April, while the open season starts from October to mid June.

2.Kanha national park –The sal and  bamboo forests coupled with the open grasslands  inspired none other than Rudyard Kipling who created his Jungle Book  in these forests. . While Kanha is mostly about tiger tourism, most tourists forget  to enjoy the very experience of being in a forest .Look for the barasingha, leopards, sloth bears , wild dogs or dholes , gaur , chowsingha, Indian pangolin among many other mammals. For birders, one can sight more than 120 species in just a single day.

Located in central India in Madhya Pradesh, the closest aiport is in Jabalpur and it takes about four hours from road fom  there to the park. Best season is from October to June.

3.Kabini -Nagarhole National Park – Finally, Kabini won over many other parks across the country. Kabini is actually a river that flows between the two moist deciduous forests – Bandipur and Nagarhole, creating an entire ecosystem on its banks. Come summer and this becomes Asia’s largest congregation of elephants as they come over to feed in the lush green forests.

Boat safaris and jeep safaris are available for tourists . Leopards, tigers, dholes, gaurs are some of the large mammals you would find here. The backwaters of the river is a great place for birding as several migratory birds flock here during winters.

Located in the Southern state of  Karnataka, Kabini is located close to Bangalore and Mysore, where the airports are located . It is great to visit throughout the year

This post is written by Lakshmi aka Indian backpacker, who blogs at A Travel Blog of an Indian Backpacker forAffordableCallingCards.net, which offers different long distance calling cards, such as cheap phone cards to India

I am in the forests of South India , gazing at the banks of the river Kabini . The river wedges the forests , Nagarhole and Bandipur and the banks are known to attract elephants.While Kabini is filled with wildlife enthusiasts and tourists narrating their escapades and encounters with tigers and tuskers , I am happy with my lot of birds .For an amateur birder like me, Kabini is full of surprises. While the elusive leopard or tiger may always be difficult to sight, the feathered species never disappoint. There are raptors, migratory birds, water birds, waders, forest birds and every time , the forests and the river greets me with a new story.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

I saw my first peregrine falcon here in Kabini during winter , when it showed me what speed was all about. It was perched for a moment on one of the dry branches sticking out of the waters and the next moment, it shot right across the river. During one boat ride, I was lucky enough to see four different species of the kingfisher, starting from the uncommon common kingfisher, the regular white breasted kingfisher , the stork billed variety and the black and white pied kingfisher looking for their next meal in the waters.

I saw more Malabar pied hornbills than cormorants as they created a racket while flying into the forest.. Keeping the cormorants company was a darter , posing for me with his wings spread out. The painted storks created pretty picture , looking at their reflections in the water. They were surrounded by the w asian openbills, Eurasian spoonbills and the woolly necked stork among several water birds.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

The crested serpent eagle is a regular bird in these forests, but the drama that accompanied me during the sighting was not all that regular. A drongo and an Indian roller were together chasing the eagle away until it flew away into the trees. We chanced upon a peacock trying to impress a peahen with his dance, but she just walked away as we saw the spectacle. Meanwhile, a scarlet minivet seemed to enjoy his moment , as the female yellow bird followed him into the foliage of the trees.
Everyday there is drama in these forests and while most of it is lost within the verdant greenery, it is up to us to look a little deeper and enjoy these moments.

This post is written by Indian backpacker for AffordableCallingCards.net, which offers different long distance calling cards, such as cheap phone cards to India