Day 6 |
Drive to Chambal.Overnight Lodge
The Chambal Safari is an endeavor to acquaint visitors with a land that has retained its unique landscapes, rugged charm and rare wildlife – The River Chambal and its awe inspiring ravines.
70kms southeast of Agra (home of the Taj Mahal) and 125 km from Bharatpur, the Chambal Valley is a world far removed from the chaotic madness of modern Indian cities.
In a land where myth, folklore, history and time merge effortlessly, the Chambal is said to have originated from the blood of cows sacrificed by an Aryan King in his quest for supremacy. Threatened by the King’s ambitions, the Brahmins placed a curse upon his head, and all that was associated with him, including the bloodied river. We have been unable to find out what happened to the King, but the curse on the river certainly worked; there are no temple towns along the course of this river. The Chambal is one of Northern India’s most pristine and unpolluted rivers, home to a remarkable variety of flora and fauna.
In 1979 a 400 km stretch of the river was designated the National Chambal Sanctuary and given protected area status. The Sanctuary currently boasts of 247 species of resident and migratory birds, marsh crocodiles (muggers), gharials (gavials), eight species of turtles, smooth coated otters and the endangered Gangetic dolphins. |
