Walking with the Bishnois

The love that the Bishnois have for other forms of life is the stuff legends are made of. So if you would like to be woken up early in the morning by the call of peafowl or open your eyes to find a chinkara staring right back, the Bishnoi villages near Jodhpur are a haven for you. A Bishnoi treats these animals as family. It is said that if you are a hunter, then the worst thing that could happen to you is to be caught hunting by a Bishnoi. It is because of their protection that, in Bishnoi-dominated areas, deer, bluebull, blackbuck, chinkara and chousingha are seen grazing peacefully in the fields.


A 40-minute drive from Jodhpur will take you to Khejarli village— where one actually comes to realise the true meaning of ‘loving wildlife.’ Khejarli is also where the Chipko movement originated as early as 1730. It is said that the ruler, Maharaja Abhay Singh, sent men to fell the khejri trees surrounding the village. Amrita Devi and her three daughters hugged the trees, saying, “Sir, santhe runkh raheb, toh bhi sastojaan (it is a small price to pay if, at the cost of my head, a tree can be saved).” By the time the news reached the king, 363 Bishnois had sacrificed their lives.

The village women are often seen cradling blackbuck fawns alongside their own children. Apart from the variety of deer and peafowl, many birds such as white-eared bulbuls, ibises, partridges, quails, demoiselle cranes and other migratory birds can be seen. Though Khejarli is a day trip from Jodhpur, do try and have a meal with the Bishnois—their warmth knows no bounds. The best time to be there is between October and March, summer is really hot.

For more details about: Budget Tour India and North India Tour

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Odisha’s World of Wonders

The Diversity and Richness of the Flora and Fauna of the State Attracts Eco-Tourists From Around the World.

Olive ridley turtles in millions, travelling thousands of miles to nest on its beaches...tigers that roam through the autumnal splendour of luxuriant and old sal forests...saw-toothed crocodiles and gharials whose home is the splenditerous Satkosia Gorge...dancing dolphins cavorting near Asia’s biggest brackish water lake...a fabulous mangrove eco-system waiting to be discovered afresh...horseshoe crabs, 480 km coastline and also a famous picnic spot at Chandipur beach, where one can witness an unforgettable feat of nature and can literally walk into the sea when the sea disappears for almost 5 kilometers two times a day as the tide ebbs and then slowly returns during high tide. Odisha has all this and many other allurements for intrepid eco-tourists looking for meaningful encounters with new worlds, the people and animals who inhabit them.

 The geographic narratives of Odisha’s coastal region and luxuriant forestlands are richly involved in the dissemination of the state’s cultural delights and wilderness heritage. Visitors come here to enjoy enriching experiences of its marine heritage and forest culture and in the process are exposed to the local economic activities, lifestyles, beliefs and customs of the villages shaped by their richly accoutred environs, be it waterfront or forest enclave living. Encounters with the land and the people make for a richer understanding of the dependences and emotional ties that bind the two, and in some small measure, through correct eco-tourism practices, visitors add their shared experiences to enhance the world of these communities.

Odisha’s Protected Area expanses (about 4.25 percent of its total geographical area) are best experienced by the ecotourist looking for a unique and learning-giving holiday. Its topography, a rich amalgam of sea and land, is delineated by the verdant Eastern Ghats and the floodplains of its roiling rivers and astonishing marine expanses. 

Bhitarkanika Sanctuary

Tikarpara Gharial Sanctuary (Satkosia Tiger Reserve) 

Chilika Lagoon 

Simlipal Tiger Reserve 

For more details about: North India Tour and Group Tour India

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