Sand Dune Mountains

There are always times when we come across weird things in the weirdest of places. And some of these weird things can form some of the most interesting experiences of your travels. If you happen to be in Ladakh, such interesting experiences are bound to be ubiquitous. Ladakh’s magnetic hill is such a well known natural wonder. But, have you ever heard of a mountain that is made of sand dunes?


These interesting formations, such mountains can be seen in and around the town of Lamayuru in the Western Himalayas of Ladakh. They are quite a sight. But, if you next to these sand dunes and try jumping on it, you will find out that these sand dunes are in fact as hard as the mountain and very unlike the sand dunes that we see in the deserts. And this is in spite the fact that they look very much the same.

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In search of the Great Indian Bustard at the Desert National Park

Of days gone by...this January during my solo all India motorcycle journey…

Desert national park is located in the Thar Desert in south-west Rajasthan, near the border with Pakistan, spread over Jaisalmer and Barmer districts. The desert national park is an excellent example of the diverse life in the desert habitat.

An area of 3,162 sq km was declared a sanctuary in 1980 to preserve this fascinating and fragile habitat. There are 72 villages within the sanctuary. Some enclosures if barbed wire, with water holes, have been created where the villagers and their cattle are denied access to preserve the grasslands so that they can become wildlife enclaves. Sudashri is the most maintained of these enclaves, and the best place to see the fauna.


I was stationed at Khuri next to the sand dunes and this place was about 14 kms from the Desert National Park. Over 2 days, I went on 3 half day trips to explore the desert national park. I had already purchased my entry tickets while coming from Jaisalmer to Khuri. I would cross 2 beautiful sand dune stretches while riding from my mud house at Khuri to the entrance of the park. A couple of times my motorcycle got stuck, but it added to my excitement. I would park my motorcycle at the forest entrance of the park and along with my forest guide – Mohan Singh, we would explore the desert national park on foot.


As we started our walk into the national park, we spotted an Egyptian vulture basking in the early morning sun. Close ahead, we saw an Eastern Imperial Eagle and a long-billed vulture. It was a great beginning. Soon after, I spotted the rare Chinkara, one of the treasures of this national park.



Chinkara or gazella bennitti, is the smallest Asiatic antelope. It grows to a height of 65 cm and weighs 25 kg. Most males have very short horns, although some grow to a length of 25-30 cm. These gazelles are found in open woodlands and scrublands, which are quite suitable for them to move at high speeds.



I was personally thrilled to see a chinkara gallop in leaps. Their numbers have dwindled to a large extent and they feature on the endangered list. They can go without water for long periods and can even get sufficient fluids from plants and dew drops.


As my forest guide and I continued we spotted more terrestrial birds, the desert fox, the Indian fox and the desert hare.


It was only during my 2nd trip that my forest guide told me to look at the Houbara bustards flying in the distance. In earnest, we began following them. And, instead of spotting the Houbara, we ended up spotting the Great Indian Bustard. There were 4 Great Indian Bustards in the group and each one of them had an elegant look about them. From a distance, I felt like comparing them to 4 men with their chests out and head held high proudly.


The term bustard means slow bird, and in reality, bustards are slow as a consequence of their heavy build. Although they are strong fliers, they usually do not leave the ground. Earlier, bustards were widespread across the Indian subcontinent, but today, this species has all but disappeared from Pakistan and its population in India has reduced considerably. Now classified as endangered, the Great Indian Bustard has become extinct in almost 90 percent of its former range, as a result of loss of habitat and poaching. The Desert National Park was started to save the bustard.

I was extremely lucky during my trip to the Desert National Park or at least that’s what my forest guide told me. In total, I spotted 9 nos of Great Indian Bustard, 8 nos of Houbara Bustard, 1 Desert Fox, 8 nos of Indian Fox, 1 Desert Hare and a large number of chinkara.

In addition, I had witnessed amazing bird life here. Following are the names: White eared bulbul, Egyptian vulture, Houbara bustard, desert wheatear, black-bellied sandgrouse, orphean warbler, great grey shrike, long-billed vulture, eastern imperial eagle, common raven, blue rock pigeon, booted eagle, Great Indian Bustard, House sparrow and brown rock pipit.

To see India through the eyes of a motorcyclist’s lens, visit the album below.

my solo all-india motorcycle journey

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Waves and Curves of Sand Dunes at the Great Indian Thar Desert

Of days gone by...this January during my solo all India motorcycle journey…

After an excellent experience of salt desert, salt pans, flamingos, wild asses and migratory birds at the Little Rann of Kutch, I marched towards the sandy desert of Rajasthan. As I left Gujarat and entered the desert side of Rajasthan the roads and the surroundings became sparsely populated indicating the harsh living conditions. After a stopover at Barmer, I finally reached the sand dunes at the Khuri village, about 40 kms west of Jaisalmer.

 
I checked into mud houses that were next to the sand dunes. The view across the horizon was fabulous as it was open spaces all around.

 
After being treated to some traditional Rajasthani desert food of Kher Shangri and rotis, I climbed my ride for the evening – the camel – also known as the ship of the desert. After a not so comfortable ride for 20 minutes, I reached the sand dunes.


Unlike the pictures in my mind, the sand dunes were not 100% sand. Interspersed between sand dunes were various shrubs and thorny bushes. The waves and the curves of the dunes were a great sight and its changing colour on approaching sunset was even better.


I had decided in mind that I would watch sunset across the dunes, but I had close to an hour and half to kill. Luckily for me, I spotted a lot of beetles and decided to follow their trail and see what they were up to. Once I had gotten bored of the beetle, I decided to explore different sides of the sand dunes.

 
So, began my arduous climb across the dunes to reach dunes at a higher elevation. Upon reaching the top of a certain dune, I spotted small settlements in the middle of the slightly greener side of the dunes. On returning I found out that these were desert tribal settlements.


The sights across the sand dunes got prettier as it approached sunset time. The sunset was not spectacular here, but the golden glow from the sand dunes will possibly remain etched in my memory forever!!

To see India through the eyes of a motorcyclist’s lens, visit the album below.

my solo all-india motorcycle journey

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