The best way to experience Rajasthan is undoubtedly on the back of a horse. A holiday on horseback is one of the best means of sampling the flavour of India's old world hospitality and charm in original ethnic surroundings. Just by opting to ride off the beaten track on an organised horse safari, with any of a growing number of aristocrat entrepreneurs belonging to the erstwhile Royal families of Rajputana, a person can revel in the heady feeling of belonging to a different age, in a timeless and ancient land.
The winter season is one of the best times to visit India, as the swamps and springs in the Park are the only water sources for miles around. During February and March, we experience daytime temperatures of about 30 degrees centigrade, so the water is a huge attraction for birds and mammals, for both drinking and cooling off in the heat of the day. Large breeding herds of elephant spend most of their day half-submerged in the mud and water, as well as buffalo and hippo. The plains game also favours grazing within reach of this water, and huge numbers of zebra, gazelle and wildebeest can be seen daily.
The most exciting game moment of our safari was being able to spot and spend time with a female lioness and her three adolescent cubs. The lions were tracked by Patrick and Kim early one morning, and were finally spotted near the Kiturua Gate, just inside Gir National Park. It was wonderful to be in close proximity to the lions whilst on horseback, and even better that the lions were in an open area and happy to observe us from afar!
The breeding herds of elephant were another highlight, with herds of up to 200 being found together at this time of year. The elephant in gir are getting more and more accustomed to seeing the horses, and we can now ride close to cows, calves and bulls without causing stress to the elephants or the horses.
Back in the Gir Lodge guests have also been enjoying some fantastic horse riding, with about 80 riders coming to the stables this month.
Due to the dry conditions, many eland and oryx are in the woodland around the stables at this time of year, as well as giraffe, warthog and impala. Large troops of baboon and black-faced vervet monkeys also spend a lot of time close to Gir Lodge’s waterholes at this time of year, and there are plenty of ostrich, gazelle and zebra out on the plains. Due to the large numbers of gazelle, there are also quite a few cheetahs in residence this month, and riders have been lucky enough to see the cheetah several times a week.
Towards the end of this month, the heat has been building to an intensity that we recognize as a sign of the imminent rains. In the last few days, several millimeters of rain have fallen, and a few thunder storms have started brewing along the top of the Gir Hills, with great forks of lightning flashing to the west, near Mount Kandala. We hope that the rains will soon arrive, and look forward to telling you all about it next month.
