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The rustling of the dead leaves falling on the trail
The chirping of the birds
Rare sightings of the leopard
Even rarer sightings of the wolf
Where a wagtail will lead you throughout

Forests can literally talk in Chhattisgarh. This is not an exaggeration. The state has recently been touted as the ‘best emerging domestic tourism destination’ by Lonely Planet India. You have to visit here to feel the enigmatic yet untouched charm of wildlife that the state throws. Try giving the usual and crowded forest circuits of India such as Ranthambore, Bandavgarh and Jim Corbett a break and visit the offbeat, quiet and rivetingly charming Barnawapara sanctuary.
Barnawapara sanctuary lies about 120 km from Raipur, capital city of Chhattisgarh in central India. This wildlife zone is flanked by the historical town of Sirpur which is roughly 40 kms from the entrance gate of the park. A drive of about two and a half hours from Raipur brings you comfortably to this sanctuary. This makes Barnawapara a perfect weekend getaway from Raipur.
You can check in at advance in the Hareli Eco-resort at Barnawapara through the website of Chhattisgarh Tourism Board. The resort boasts of individual and spacious 12 cottages with a separate restaurant and basic fundamental amenities. The price is reasonably tagged at Rs. 2500 per night on a double sharing basis.
Wake up at dawn to venture into the unknown, to catch the rare sightings of the wolf or the Indian Bison and the Leopard. Quite hesitantly, we got off our bed at 5 in the morning, had a morning cup of tea and got on to the safari jeep provided by the resort.
We slowly proceeded inside the forest, expecting something bigger and better to unfold in front of our eyes. A peacock basking under the glinting rays of the sun besides a water body. A herd of spotted deer, a couple of langoors jumping from one branch to the other and a huge group of bison, which seemed as if they waited for us. They were in a group of 10 to 12 and occupied the road slowly munching up grass on their way. We stopped our jeep and witnessed their collective group as it cleared our path.
Barnawapara hosts around 150 different species of birds and we couldn’t miss this opportunity to witness the avian paradise. Patiently, we moved ahead and veered towards the Pakshi Vihar (Birds’ Park), a massive shallow marshland with dried trees and a heaven for a bird lover. Black Ibis, greater racket tailed drongo, green bee-eater, egret, eagle – all were here.