Every time you search for best weekend gateway from Delhi , each time you will find Keoladeo national park on the top of your search list. Being staying in Gurgaon I was always dreaming of going to Keoladeo National Park once at least.But never succeeded due to many reasons.Finally the day had arrived. It was 15th of August and a long weekend. The day before 15th on 14th evening I was just wondering about my 15th plan. All of a sudden I decided a road trip to Rajasthan in my RE thunderbird. But completely precarious regarding the spot. After so many hurdles I finally came up with a decision to visit Bharatpur National Park i.e Keoladeo National Park. Though it was a off season to visit the national park in August but the greed of a long road trip subjugated my ramified mind and focused my intention towards the National Park which was 190km from my home, gurgaon.
It was 4:30am in the morning of independence day. I and my friend decided to left for Bharatpur as soon as possible to avoid traffics. I started my bike. It was completely dark. The thumping sound of my RE in the silence of darkness was driving me crazy for the adventurous trip. I picked up my friend from sohna road, gurgaon and we both marched towards Bharatpur. We decided to go via Palwal-Mathura highway instead of the Yamuna Express, which was extra 40km for us, though we were travelling from gurgaon. I will say, if you are driving from gurgaon to bharatpur, prefer Palwal-Mathura highway to save time and money.
Before hitting into the gorgeous high speed KMP highway I preferred to fueled up my RE tank. If you want to unleash the high speed monster beneath you , ride on KMP Expressway. It is a six lane super express connecting Sohna road to Palwal-Mathura High way. It is a 27km stretch completely barren and hassle free. But I must say one must be very careful while driving in this road and prefer not to ride in night time. I hardly took 20 min odd to cross the KMP expressway and soon touched down to Palwal-Mathura highway(NH44).
Now it was a one way affair. Go straight 85km on NH44. By the time we touched NH44, sun had already come upon. Due to previous day rain, the effect of sun was minimized and ride was getting joyous in the UP highways. Road was fully constructed ,though one will find little over bridge construction on the way.
By the time we reached Bharatpur Market, 1.4km before the national park, we were very much hungry. We stopped at a sweet shop to take our breakfast.
We ordered kachodi and samosa. Those were pure authentic rajashtani type. Very delicious and mouth watering. I couldn't control my temptation and ordered one more extra kachodi. It was 9am in the morning and finally we reached the National Park.I parked my bike safely in the parking.We were very much excited to explore the park.
The best way to explore the park is hire a cycle for Rs 80 per hour otherwise hire a rickshaw. The rickshaw charges 400 rupees for 3 hours. We hired a rickshaw and started our journey into the park. Lush green, vast field spread in many acres was a treat to eye. It was looking like a creation from an artist brush. So enviable and picturesque.
As we were piercing more into the park, the surrounding view was getting more and more poetic. The rickshaw puller was so keen to introduce about the variety of park,its flora and fauna. He was a maestro in recognizing the migratory birds sitting far distance from the shore.
The must visit place inside the park is the turtle pond. You will find hundred of turtles inside the pond, trying to reach the shore just to grab their wheat cake. The view was so mesmerizing, witnessing such a beautiful creature so far.
One will encounter a lot of dragon lizards roaming in the park freely. As per the rickshaw puller our so called guide, they are very poisonous. So one need to be very alert while walking on the Park.
If you are a bird lover or naturalist ,passionate about migratory birds then Keoladeo Nationl Park is a paradise for .If you are a travelling freak ,want a escape from city life then this is also a perfect answer for you. On the whole keoladeo national park offers a complete package to all those who wants piece and relax from day to day life and wants to look into the life in a different angle. It is a must visit place. I am hoping to visit this place in perfect season like in winter.