Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary

As the monsoons give way to autumn, as sunsets turn more and more fiery, as the appeal of nature gets stronger, what better place to be than an animal sanctuary? And they don’t come more unspoiled and charming than the Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary; Spread out over 56 sq km, Ratanmahal—on the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border—is the only exclusive slothbear sanctuary in Gujarat. And sloth bears are just part of the attraction: nature fulfils herself in many other ways. The River Panam criss-crosses beautiful small hamlets on the foothills of this sanctuary; lush green and thick woods full of natural goodness. And this is only the beginning point at Kanjeta village, about 60 kms from Dahod or Piplod or 45 km from Baria Taluka. The drive from Dahod or Godhra (90 km) village itself is captivating.

The tranquility begins working on you as you drive on the sole, narrow road towards your destination. It’s here that you realise how much fun driving could actually be, that you don't need to press the horn or work the clutch or wrestle with the brakes. And though the drive to Kanjeta takes an hour, this is one time you actually want the drive to be prolonged!

Kanjeta nestles at 230 metres above main sea level, offering a variety in terms of flora and fauna. Sloth bears (57 as per the latest census), panthers (9), large-size monkeys (900), langoors (800), jackals (100), antelopes (four) and hyenas (8), besides others numerous jungle cats, foxes, honey badgers, hare, porcupines and reptiles. To believe the beauty of flora and birds (120 species) you got to visit this place. And if you want to be on the hilltop—about 8 km from Kanjeta—you can do that as well, with the permission of the authorities. Here, you are in the lap of nature, a cliche but very true in this case. A small Shiva temple here only adds to the mystical beauty of the woods. Somewhere in your heart, you begin to thank the Creator for creating something like this (and maybe also thank the government agencies for preserving and protecting it). You just wish you could stay longer.

However, as with any other wildlife sanctuary, there are certain caveats to be noted. To begin with, you need permission to visit the sanctuary. Baroda forest circle conservator C N Pandey welcomes all visitors as long as they give prior information. Once there, you must wear sober clothes that mesh with the setting and are not alien to the natural colours; observe quiet, especially when walking in the woods; and allow the animals and birds to enjoy their privacy.

At Kanjeta, there is a three -suite rest house and a Wildlife Interpretation Centre to enlighten the visitor about the nature all around. At the hilltop, there is no rest house, but a dormitory and a resting resort.

Contact
Forst department Vadodara Circle, near Kothi building, Vadodara, Phone: 0265 - 429748.

DFO, Baria : 02678 - 20425 or Range Officer 02678 - 86329

Rooms in the resthouse are at around Ts 300 per night for visitors.