My Visual Travel Experience: Sariska National Park

In December 2021, we had planned on visiting Goa during the Christmas and New Year's break, but with Omicron cases on the rise, we cancelled our Goa plan, and decided to do a relatively safer road trip instead. Having thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Ranthambore National Park just a couple of months earlier, we decided to visit Sariska National Park.

Sambar Deer Stag, Sariska National Park

The 165 km drive from our Gurgaon home to Sariska took a little less than 4 hours. I drove, and I had my wife, Kamalini, and our 7 year old son, Rehaan, for company. We took the Jaipur highway till Bhiwadi, then turned off towards Alwar, and finally made our way to Sariska. The road was good, and in stretches, I was able to drive at speeds of 90 kmph. Through the journey, we listened to music on my iPod, we ate at regular intervals (our super-efficient maid had packed "aalu bhaja" rolls, cheese and jam sandwiches, tea, and several other goodies for us), and we were entertained by Rehaan's non-stop jabber, and his renditions of Imagine Dragon's "Believer" and Bruno Mars' "Count On Me".

Herd of Spotted Deer,
Sariska National Park

In Sariska, we stayed at Sariska Palace, a huge property just outside the entrance to the park. We paid Rs 8,000 for a night's stay at the property - that wasn't bad, considering it included all three meals, plus evening high-tea for the three of us! The 19th century Sariska Palace was the hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Alwar. It was later converted into a heritage hotel. The property is set in the midst of huge lawns. The exterior is nothing short of being grand. The potential that the place has is unimaginable. However, it's unfortunately a little run down and not particularly well maintained. The staff was friendly, the food was good, but the management could certainly convert this into one of India's finest properties by putting in the required budgets, doing up the interiors and furnishings, renovating the guest rooms / the bathrooms / the dining area, and beautifying the lawns. It was charming to see monkeys, langoors, peacocks, hares, and even nilgai roaming about in the lawn of Sariska Palace!

Sariska Palace

Lawns, Sariska Palace

We went for an hour's drive outside the hotel, and we managed to spot a fair bit of wildlife on that drive. We saw sambar deer, wild boars, peacocks, and langoors! And all this was without entering the gates of the national park.

Monkey, Lawns of Sariska Palace

The next morning, we went on an early morning safari. We went in an open Gypsy, which had a driver, and a knowledgeable guide called Puran. The safari cost us Rs 7,500, but it was well worth it for the 3 hour adventure, which began at 7 a.m., and went on till 10 a.m., 3 hours that went by in the blink of an eye! Puran told us a lot of things, including the difference between deer and antelopes (the former have antlers with branches, and these antlers fall every year, with new ones growing; the latter have horns, and these come out only once in the animal's lifetime).

Open Gypsy, Sariska National Park

Sariska National Park covers an area of 881 sq km. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958, a tiger reserve in 1978, and a national park in 1982. Puran told us that the park currently has 23 tigers. In the early part of this century, the tiger population had become nil, thanks to illegal poaching. Tigers were, however, brought in from Ranthambore National Park, and over the years, the numbers had grown.

The path, Sariska National Park

For the first half hour, we saw no wildlife. The thick fog didn't help our case one bit. The dew on the seats of the Gypsy made our clothes a little moist. But as the morning progressed, the blanket of fog gradually lifted, and life started looking brighter! Though we didn't get to see any tigers, we had fantastic spottings of sambar deer, spotted deer, nilgai, wild boars, langoors, peacocks, storks, green pigeons, babblers, and even crocodiles. What was particularly impressive was that we saw most of these animals from very close. It was a fascinating experience! On one occasion, our driver sped the Gypsy like a Formula 1 driver would have along the bumpy dirt tracks, because he heard the alarm sound of a herd of deer. It could have meant the presence of a tiger nearby, but that alas was not meant to be!

Nilgai, Sariska National Park

Sambar Deer, Sariska National Park

Spotted Deer, Sariska National Park

Wild Boar, Sariska National Park

Langoor, Sariska National Park

Peacock, Sariska National Park

Green Pigeons, Sariska National Park

Stork, Sariska National Park

On our way back to Gurgaon, we decided to briefly stop in Alwar, barely 40 km away from Sariska. We visited the City Palace complex. Though the erstwhile palace is now occupied by government offices, it has the City Palace Museum, which has a fine collection of royal costumes, sculptures, weapons, thrones, and miniature paintings. I particularly liked the swords of Emperor Akbar, Emperor Jahangir, and the rules of Alwar. Right next to the City Palace, there's the magnificent Cenotaph of Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh, made of white marble and red sandstone, and topped by an ornate dome. There's an artificial lake adjoining the complex, and what adds to its beauty is the series of Rajasthani turrets around it. In he distance, one can spot Alwar Fort, perched up on a hill rising above the town.

Cenotaph of Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh, Alwar

Interior of Dome, Cenotaph of
Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh, Alwar

Talab, City Palace Complex, Alwar

City Palace, Alwar

Interior, City Palace Museum, Alwar

We got badly stuck in the congested lanes of Alwar as we tried to head out of the town. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but once we got out of town, it was smooth sailing, and we had a comfortable drive back to our home. We were back home before it became dark. Overall, an enjoyable outing for the three of us!