After our very special morning witnessing the sun rise over the Taj Mahal we left Agra and headed west to Samode, a little know village in Rajasthan that would be our home for the next 3 nights. On the way there we made a brief stop at the Keoladeo National Park (formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
The national park is a man-made and man-managed wetland that is about 29 km2 (11 sq mi) in size. The diverse habitats of the national park are home to 366 bird species, 379 floral species, 50 species of fish, 13 species of snakes, 5 species of lizards, 7 amphibian species,7 turtle species, and a variety of other invertebrates.
Upon our arrival we had 14 cycle rickshaws waiting to whisk us away into the park. It was a lot of fun. These rickshaw drivers are bird experts having done this for decades and were able to not only spot but identify various birds for us. I’ve visited many national parks in India but have never seen as much wildlife as I’ve seen here. What an amazing collection of wildlife. Here are photos from our adventure that afternoon.
14 cycle rickshaws were present to whisk us away into the sanctuary…
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We saw so much wildlife. It’s the most I’ve ever seen in all my visits to national parks in India
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Jackals devouring a carcass in the water…
These two flew all the way here from Mongolia for the winter…wow, what a flight that must have been.
Sarah and Robin pose with their charismatic rickshaw driver
Our lunch venue was fit for royalty…and so it should be as it was a former royal residence.
