“Bera? What/where is that?” If you too had this reaction, worry not, you are not alone and I take back what I said in my post last year on Jhalana that Bera is comparatively more well-known – at least going by my interactions with people pre and post my recent trip. However, while you may not have heard of Bera, you may be familiar with Jawai, which has also been made Instagram famous by Bollywood couples. Keeping strict technicalities to one side, Bera and Jawai can be used interchangeably – Bera is the name of the village where people live while Jawai refers to the larger surrounding area, which also includes the leopard reserve and the man-made Jawai dam. The leopard reserve spans approximately 50 sq. km and is home to approximately 65 leopards, making it one of the densest concentrations of leopards in India.
While I have been on several different safari trips in India (a couple of which you can read about here and here), Bera was a distinct experience – like Sunderbans – because of its unique landscape. Unlike a typical leafy jungle, the terrain here is of granite hills, cliffs, boulders and rocks with a system of inter-connected caves, interspersed with unexpected patches of lush green grass that suddenly appear from nowhere – a striking contrast. I found the caves, in particular, fascinating – the leopards stay inside these during the hot hours to stay cool! Add to this the surrounding villages, scrub forests and agricultural tracts owned by the residents, it’s all quite unique and perhaps, disconcerting at first. While mostly dry, there are a couple of small lakes and the prominent, Jawai dam, which is the source of water for all neighbouring villages. The dam is pretty large and a hotspot for migratory birds, crocodiles and (apparently) the occasional leopard.
In terms of logistics and important things to keep in mind:
- Bera is around 150 km from Udaipur airport and around 170 km from Jodhpur airport. So you can fly to either city and reach Bera by taxi in around 3-3.5 hours. Alternatively, you can take a train to either Jawai or Falna or even make a road trip out of it depending on where you are travelling from. You can also consider visiting the famous Ranakpur Jain Temple and/or the Kumbhalgarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (both covered here), which are less than 100 km from Bera, depending on how much time you have.
- The reserve is open throughout the year. Unlike other safaris in Rajasthan which can be booked online on the forest department’s website, one cannot book safaris in Bera on their own because Bera is not notified as a national park or sanctuary. Also, there are no zones and there is no restriction on the number of gypsys that are permitted at a given time.
- The safari timings vary as per season. The summer timings are 5:30 to around 9 am for the morning safari, and 4:30 to around 7:30 pm for the evening safari. Given the safari starts pretty late afternoon – unlike tigers, leopards come out more in the dark – you don’t feel that hot. Like with most other safaris, the morning safari – even in summer – can be cold so dress accordingly. The usual things to carry are sunscreen, a cap / wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and mosquito/insect repellant to be safe.
- A good camera and good binoculars are essential. While you could be lucky and have a sighting right on the cliff you are on (which would be amazing), it is better to assume that your sightings will be from quite a distance. While you will be able to clearly see the leopard with your naked eye and/or with good binos, it will be close to impossible to capture even decent pictures/videos from your phone.
- My friend and I stayed at Castle Bera, which is a heritage homestay. We had a good time here and my principal reason to recommend this place is that their gypsys are incredibly well equipped. Our driver – one of the best I have had in all my safari trips – had two amazing cameras + two amazing binoculars + a powerful flashlight + chilled water. We were told that all their jeeps are similarly equipped and they try to keep as many binos as the number of guests in the gypsy. We had no idea about this before we booked this place so this came as a super pleasant surprise and relief as we were far from well-equipped ourselves! The packages offered by Castle Bera include safaris and all meals – FYI, apart from the safaris, there is nothing much else to do in Bera. The staff was also kind to organise an evening of drinks and snacks under the stars, post our first evening safari, on the house. Transport to and from Bera is at an additional cost.
While I had heard about the unique landscape, actually getting to see leopards walk the edge off a cliff, or peeping in and out of caves, or just strolling on rocks, was a whole other thrill. I must also add that zooming up and down steep inclines was quite enjoyable! And of course, the gorgeous views, sunrises and sunsets with the Aravalli mountains in the distance were a beautiful icing on the cake.
The other memorable and new experience for me was being on a safari for a good amount of time in the pitch dark – the sunrise happened a good 45 mins or so after the morning safari started and our first morning safari blessed us with an outstanding sighting – Neeli walking on the edge of a cliff with her baby cubs in front and a near full moon in the backdrop (FYI: my trip was on the Holi long weekend and Holi falls on a full moon night – which I had forgotten (or didn’t know?) and was a pure fortunate coincidence). Similarly, the evening safaris ended at around 7 pm and on our first evening safari, we trailed a leopard in the dark using a flashlight and I, for the first time, got to witness a leopard’s eyes glow in the dark – it was captivating.
Apart from leopards, you can spot different species of birds, crocodiles and the elusive sloth bear – I was really looking forward to sighting a sloth bear and my hopes were quite high as our driver told us that several were being spotted every morning on a particular hill referred to as the ‘Grand Stand’. However, we were unlucky in both our morning safaris. Having said that, the trip to this hill, particularly in our second morning safari, was not a lost cause because we sighted a hyena, which is apparently quite rare, and we caught a gorgeous sun rise. Really, witnessing dawn break in a jungle is one of my most favourite experiences.
Since I struggle to write creatively, even though I have a lot more to say, this is all I can manage penning down about my trip to Bera – and in case it was not yet apparent, I would definitely recommend going!
FORUM HOPPING 