We had a three-day weekend which I took advantage of and went to Jodhpur and a leopard safari.  Normally when I write about my adventures, I share chronologically but this time I will go by events and location.  Of course, I will begin with the safaris!

Located three hours south of Jodhpur, Perwa is lovely desert-ish location.  We stayed at this camp (glamping) which I highly recommend.  It is called Nirvana jawai and the website is nirvanajawai.com. The owner (a generational farmer) and his son own over 100 acres of land and two of the leopards we observed live on it.  Therefore, on one of our treks we were not surrounded by other jeeps, and the guide knew the leopards’ behaviors. 

On a side note, those who read my blog know that I travel with my tour guide Zeeshan. I realized today I never shared his contact information. Should you ever be in India or need to travel within India, I cannot recommend him highly enough. You can tell that all my travels within India have been excellent and it is due solely to Zeeshan. His email address is zeeshanbaba_taj@hotmail.com.

With us on the safari and staying at the hotel was a lovely young couple, Swarti and Rahul. Rahul took these nighttime photos. They really highlight the charm of this hotel.

The entrance to the compound has the amazing rock. The gate is always kept closed for one reason only: recently their dog was attacked by a leopard, so the gate is closed to keep the dog on the compound!

But let me begin with the first safari, which was early in the morning.  I exited my glam-tent to the sound of crickets. We headed out in darkness, feeling again like we were on the hunt.  We saw an adorable gray rabbit with his long ears sticking up.  He looked at us and we looked at him and then we both moved on.  The morning mist started clearing as we rode over gigantic rocks to where two cubs (teens really) were spotted: a male and female.  The excitement from the naturalist and all those around us was palpable as we saw the first leopard climb out of his cave and sit on the rock.  A while later his partner joined.  There was some communication between the two of them and then they both sat down and lounged.

What fascinated me (on top of observing these beautiful creatures) is how totally camouflaged they are when they sit on the rocks.  Even when pointed out by guide and looking straight at the correct location, it took a while to focus on the leopard.  It never occurred to me that black spots that are in direct contrast to the beige background of the fur is a powerful camouflage. 

After we satiated ourselves with these beauties, we drove off over the mountain of rocks to the top to see the views.  Stunning as you can see.  We had a snack with some chai and relished the view.  We joked that Happy’s job titles kept growing: driver, naturalist, photographer, waiter, bartender, and guide.  He is a wonderful young man and an exceptional driver whose company we enjoyed immensely.

I was fascinated by the patterns of the trees on the overflowing lake. I enjoyed taking photos of them and today, enjoyed doing some editing.

As this safari is on private land, there are no rules as to where you can and cannot drive. However, care of the land is a priority for everyone and set paths are followed. These photos give you a sense of how we drove directly on these huge rocks/mountains.

While looking at this village nestled between the mountains, we learned this is where Happy lives and it turns out a drive through the village was next on the itinerary.

We drove through the village as it woke up and everyone was starting their morning chores. 

As we were driving, I asked Happy to let me know when we pass his home so we could wave.  He did one better!  We stopped, met his family and got to see his home.

We drove to a few more scenic spots. On the way, we encountered herders wandering through town! Again, clear to see who has the right of way.

Morning chores include gathering food for the water buffalo.

As always, I was fascinated by the rock formations.

In the evening there was a second safari which was on the land owned by the hotel owners.  I will start with some photos of other animals we saw during the evening.

Two things of note in the photo below. First, the herder is holding a baby goat! The baby went out for a walk with all the other goals. Second, his turban. In Rajasthan turbans are for fashion culture and not a religious statement like with Sikhs. There is a lot of pride taken in how the turbans are tied and worn. They are also very functional, used for grabbing animals, heat protection, warmth, and even water gathering.

The location we were heading to is near this temple with its 200 steps to the top.

Before the light left us and while we were searching for the leopards, I enjoyed looking at the incredible rock formations.

We spotted the first leopard who was walking from the temple to the spot where we saw him.  There were times he was looking directly at us, challenging us to follow him.  I am not joking, it was a real challenge – because he totally tricked us later in the evening. 

We then heard a growl near us (!).  Happy quickly told Zeeshan to get out of the jeep and keep an eye on the leopard, so we don’t lose him.  He told Lynn and me to hold on tight as he sped off in the direction of the sounds.  We searched to no avail and returned, joking that we hoped Zeeshan was still alive!  He wasn’t upset but thrilled to be part of the safari (something he has never been asked before in all his years as a guide). 

There was evidence that the female was walking around here because this carcass, which we had seen a few minutes earlier, was moved!

We then saw the female join the male because in the dark we saw two sets of reflecting eyes.  They enjoyed each other’s company and as the sunlight faded, we continued to keep track of them by the reflections.  It was fascinating to hear them ‘fight’ with each other – the growls were pretty intense for a while.

Then my storytelling mind took over.   I decided the growling was when the male told the female to keep us occupied and she didn’t like the idea but agreed in the end as we focused on her eyes and searched for the other set of eyes.  Happy then saw or heard the male leopard near us. He knew the leopard was going for water and thus there were two possible locations: the stream near us or crossing the road to the lake. Happy realized the male was going to the lake.  He again told us to hold on tight as we speed off to the road.  Happy found the male walking (see the video) and this is where the leopard totally tricked us.  As we looked in the direction he was walking, Zeeshan noticed the leopard was crossing the road behind us.  I was able to catch the tail end of his run!  It was awesome to be fooled by this animal!

While watching these videos, keep your eyes focused on the flashlight.

The ride ended as we saw the moon rise, a perfect orange circle that mimicked the sun we saw set a little while ago and rise this morning. 

However, to our surprise the evening was not over.  The hotel hosted a campfire with music, drinks and snacks.  A lovely end to a wonderful day.