Bera - Jawai Bandh

Introduction

Bera is indeed a small village in Eastern part of Rajasthan state. It lies in Pali district of state, close from Udaipur city. Till 10 years back, it was unknown to the tourism world but when wildlife lovers, visited this region and noticed the presence of leopard at close proximity of human society, they get amazed and tried to study the reason and let the outer world, know more about this amazing place. It is basically considered as an extension of Kumbhalgarh national park, on Aravali ranges. Leopards reach this place, from Kumbhalgarh forest area due to its hill-connectivity and availability of sufficient water. It is just 125 kms from Udaipur city and 70 kms from Kumbhalgarh fort, well connected by road option. Bera is a remarkable example of co-existence of leopards with human society. River Jawai passes through this region on which dam has been constructed which ensures sufficient water supply to this region, nestles healthy crocodile population and thus forest area was flourishing due to ample supply of water, hillocks and less human population density. All this makes Bera, a destination where Leopard sighting is comparatively easy, close to human establishment, living with harmony. Presence of water also attracts migratory birds thus in winters, we can enjoy good bird-watching in this region. So we can categorize this destination as good for Leopard sighting and birding. Although their are many other national parks, good for leopard sighting like Nagarhole, Satpura national park, Panna national park but here probability of sighting is comparatively high, which makes it a special wildlife safari destination. Many people called it Bera Wildlife Sanctuary but technically it is not having status of Wildlife Sanctuary but called Jawai Leopard Conservation Zone.

History

If we go by the history of Bera, local people says that leopards are here since last 40 years. They are mainly reached this place from forest of nearby Kumbhalgarh national park, which is just 100 kms from this site. This migration doesn't happen in overnight but followed a gradual transition in which new generation of leopard spread over the region in search of new areas and slowly slowly they reached this place and find it ideal for their survival and thus settled here. Their population is approx. 30 in area of 10 kms radius. Here villagers are basically depends upon cattles. Agriculture possibility is poor so they are mainly dependent upon cattles, selling milk products etc.

Safari Timing

As it is not a wildlife sanctuary so their is no fixed safari timing in Bera. Here we can visit the destination from sunrise to sunset. Which means we can enjoy flexibility in safaris. Usually resorts maintains their safari schedule so we may go with their safari schedule also.

Jungle Safari

As Bera or Jawai Bandh is not a declared wildlife sanctuary thus their is no such specific rules & regulations for safari drives. Here one can visit anytime of the year still we advice to avoid summer period (Apr-May-June) months. Local experts says that animal sighting also drops in this period so no worth to take unnecessary pain by doing safaris in summer. During summers, due to excessive heat waves in this region, leopards remain inside their natural hideouts and comes out in early morning or late evening hours.  

Mammals

Here in Jawai Bandh, limited mammals are present, which can be seen during safari drives. Some of the commonly seen mammal species are Leopard, Nilgai (Blue bull), Hyena, Jungle cat, Sloth Bear etc.

Birds

Here Jawai Dam is made on Jawai river due to which large area was occupied by backwater, creating vast wetland. Presence of such a wetland in this region attracts large number of residential and migratory birds. Thus Jawai Bandh is the most popular place for birding and birds photography. Some of the commonly seen birds in Jawai Bandh are: Indian Robin, Asian Openbill Stork, Barheaded Goose, Demoiselle Crane, Black Pond Heron, Cuckoo Shrike, Flamingo, Jungle Babbler, Pelicans, Parakeets, Egret, Osprey, Shouldered Kite, Owls, Oriental Magpie Robin, Saurus Crane, Ruddy Shelduck, Siberian Cranes, Greylag Goose, Common Sandpiper, Grey Headed Canary Fly-catcher, Black Ibis, White Breasted Kingfisher etc.

How to reach

Bera or Jawai lies in eastern part of Rajasthan state, close to Jawai Bandh. It is well connected by road, from its near by towns and cities like Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh fort, jodhpur.

Nearest Railway Station: Here Jawai Bandh (JWB) is the popular railway station option to reach by train. It is well connected with Delhi, Haridwar, Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Gandhi Nagar, Vadodara, Surat, Mount Abu, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mumbai. It is approx. 25 kms or less from different resorts, as per their location. If you will not find your desired train connectivity, then consider Udaipur City station (UDZ) which is better connected from major cities and tourist destinations. You may also travel from Jaipur to Jawai Bandh station with some morning trains.

Nearest Airport: As already mentioned, Udaipur (150 kms) is the nearest large city so Udaipur Airport (UDR) is the best suitable air connectivity option for reaching Jawai Bandh or Bera. Further journey from Udaipur Airport to Jawai Bandh is possible by local cab or train. In between cab and train, go with cab option to save your time and energy.

Best time to visit

Here in Jawai, we can visit do leopard safaris as the main activity. But apart from this, tourists can also visit to local villages, temples and birding. In order to enjoy all this, best time to visit this place is from October to February in which climatic condition remains favorable thus tourists can enjoy their trip to Jawai Bandh

Accommodation

In recent years, Bera has gained popularity as a Leopard sighting area thus wildlife photographers are eager to visit this magnificent destination. It popularity has gained attraction of hoteliers also, considering the possible business in this region. Thus in last 10 years, many resorts came up and many more are likely to come in coming days.

Nearby Destinations

Jawai Bandh or Bera is located in Eastern part of Rajasthan state in which many popular tourist destinations are located. While planning for Jawai Bandh or Bera tour, it is important to know about these destinations so that visitors can plan their tour itinerary accordingly.