Nestled in the Shivalik foothills at the northern
periphery of the State of Punjab, The Kikar Lodge is India’s first private
forest reserve. Spread over 1400 acres, this little known forest has an
abundance of flora and fauna. There are regular sightings of a resident male
Leopard and pug marks of a female her two cubs.
Though I am yet to see the Leopard, the twenty odd kms
walks through the forest brings up some interesting surprises. For example, during
a trip in October, we counted over a hundred parakeets who had nested on a vertical
rockface or the three spotted owlets huddled together in their next, watching every
move I made. A little further down, the calls of a Black Grongo brought
us face-to-face with a Short-toed Snake-Eagle.
In August, during the rains, navigating through the
forest becomes challenging due to the wet ground and numerous streams that
makes them difficult or even impossible to cross. But, this shouldn't deter you
from documenting the Weaver Bird, known for building its nests on the lower
branches of trees.
Getting to Kikar Lodge from Delhi is fairly straight
forward. Take the highway or the Shatabdi Express train to Chandigarh. From
Chandigarh, the drive takes you through rural Punjab, crossing vast expanses of
fertile farmland stretching across the horizon. Lush green fields, create a
picturesque landscape.
I always drive through rural Punjab, as I like to
smell the earthy scent of freshly ploughed soil
and the fragrance of blooming crops.
Along the narrow, winding roads, you will pass quaint
villages, where the pace of life seems slower. Farmers tending to their fields
and livestock and the occasional tractors blocking the narrow road reflects a
mix of traditional and modern agricultural practices.
The journey from Chandigarh to Kikar Lodge should not
take more than 90 minutes.
With its proximity to the Sutlej river, Kikar Lodge, is
a home to a large number of birds and grazers. Some of the regularly spotted
birds include Rose-ringed Parakeet, Common Tailorbird Oriental Magpie-Robin,
Brown Rock Chat, Rufous Treepie, White-throated Kingfisher, Greater Coucal,
Black Drongo, Spotted Owlet, Grey Francolin,
Red-rumped Swallow, Egyptian Vulture, Black Redstart, Purple Sun Bird,
Indian Grey Hornbill, Zitting Cisticola and the Shikra.
Of the mammals, there is the Indian grey mongoose,
Sambar, Rhesus macaque monkey, Langur, Nilgai and a host of butterflies,
dragonflies, darters whose names I don’t know. Thanks to Google, I can safely say that the Common Mormon,
Catopsilia pyranthe, Common Grass Yellow butterflies, Colotis and the Small
tortoiseshell (these names I got from the web) can be found in abundance.
Even if you chose not to venture into the forest, a
dip into one of the three pools or just sipping a chilled beer while having a
wood fire pizza or reading a book within one of Kikar’s luxury tents or
cottages, with wifi and full power back-up makes your holiday complete.
Spending time at Kikar is an experience and for this I
would give it a 9/10.
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