This night bus turned out to be 90 mins late. Jagdesh was kind enough to keep me informed by phone as to the situation because no one spoke English at the bus station. When it did arrive, it looked like it had already been in a crash, and I was bundled aboard into the top bunk (coffin) as the bus was moving. It was just as uncomfortable and cold, with broken windows as all the others. I did not get any sleep again.


At 4 .00am, I was woken up by a huge pot hole only to find the bus empty and just me and the crew. It was freezing and just stood in the aisle and waited for the stop. We arrived in Ahore, a little after 5.00am and I was signalled to by the driver that this was where I had to get off. Ahore was cold, black and quiet, but as the bus pulled away a car flashed its lights and there was Abimanyu, as promised too collect me. I was back in Rajasthan.


Two months ago in Kohima, Bala had recommended I come to this area of Rajasthan to continue my quest to photograph a Leopard. On the recommendations of Jugal and Chhortoram in Salawas I had been put in touch with Abimanyu Singh of Ravla Bhenswara. Bala felt that this area around Bera is the best area for Leopard spotting in India. However there was one downside and that is that here the options for budget travel are somewhat limited. There are a total of four places to stay in and around Bera . One is a tented village aka African style at super luxury prices and the other three are heritage hotels. The two heritage hotels located around the town of Bera bait Leopards, a practice I don't agree with, so that left Ravla Bhenswara, a heritage hotel run by the Singh family.


Abimanyu or Abi (as he is also known) is a super friendly aristocrat. In his early thirties he runs the family hotel whilst his brother Shivadad who specialises in the safari side of the business. The country estate was glorious and nestled right in the centre of the small farming village of Bhenswara. The Singh family has been the “local Dukes” for many centuries and pride themselves in not only looking after the poor farming community of Bhenswara and its neighbouring villages, but also the small Leopard population that lives on the two rocky outcrops, just about 10 kms west.


For me this was ideal . The heritage hotel was a luxurious treat complete with vast bedroom, hot showers, all mod cons and a swimming pool. But the real reason was the afternoon and night safari leaving at five o’clock for three hours hoping to glimpse the Leopard. What I was quite unprepared for was the fascinating Shepherd culture they have around the village of Bhenswara.


Every morning the men of the village either leave with their animals or congregate in town for tea and a smoke. Dressed in flowing white robes, they all wore a coloured turban. Mostly these were a dramatic blood red colour but some wore other shades and patterns. This made them (in my opinion) some of the best dressed shepherds I have ever seen. Not only that, but all of them were super friendly and only too happy for me to poke my camera at them.


Back to the safaris, and at five every afternoon, Abi, his guide plus myself would drive past the shepherds to these local rocky outcrops. For the past two years I have tried in vain to capture a Leopard on film. However in over twenty attempts, the only one I have seen was the one in Botswana and I was unable to photograph that one due to bad light. This time I had my fingers crossed.


On the way we drove through the sandy scrub land which harbours many antelope, deer, the occasional wild pig, vultures and eagles . But it was the Leopards that I had come for, so we just drove past what we spotted just briefly acknowledging their presence. The approach road to the best view point was past some waterholes and on that dusty road that the returning shepherd drive their flocks back to their village. The sight was magnificent. This mountainous area of Rajasthan is stunning with these huge boulder littered jagged mountains beautifully lit by the setting sun. Abi drive us in his Jeep straight to a hill overlooking a mountain side dominated by large boulders and we crept up to the top overlooking some of these giant stones. Within minutes I heard an unmistakable cry for a large cat, or more precisely a kitten. “Cubs,” said Abi and added “they maybe without their mother and are calling for her, if thats the case, more than likely she is out hunting.”  We waited.


The waiting continued as the sunset and darkness enveloped the landscape. It was extraordinary being so close to the cubs (Abi said there were two) and not being able to see them. They were no more than thirty meters away I estimated. However as the evening progressed there was no sign of mum.


After several alarm calls by Gazelles to our left we moved and chased these animals around the hilly sandy country in the Jeep. By now it was pitch black and the guide was using a spotlight, but again we saw nothing . Eventually we returned to the rocky area and there the guide immediately spotted something with his torch. Yes! two fully grown adult leopards were moving high up on a different area to where we had heard the cub noises earlier. These two majestic animals caught in the powerful torch light were picking their way slowly down the rocky side of the mountain. In the torch light they initially froze, giving us a good view, but alas too far for any small chance of a picture. We watched for a full twenty minutes before they sought sanctuary behind the boulders out of view.


After some minutes we moved back to the original viewpoint and on arrival caught a short glimpse of one of the cubs out of the cave. Startled by the torch he immediately disappeared but it was a thrill to see a cub, especially after hearing them so close for so long. But that was not the last sighting as on the way back to the village we stumbled on a solitary Stripped Hyena. This is a very rare sighting and we chased it through the scrub. The animal was just as ungainly as those I had seen in Africa, but just considerably smaller. “Hyenas are the reasons the Leopards are so cautious,” added Abi who then told me of a sighting a few days before my arrival of a Hyena fighting the female Leopard. They will take a Leopard cub if they get any opportunity and this is why the cats are nervous and why they live high up on this rock face where the Hyenas cannot get to them.


It was the presence of the Hyena that put paid to any photographic success over the next two days. Each time we arrived at 5.00pm at the vantage point and could easily hear the cubs, but no sightings. Each night we remained in the cold watching with the spotlight, but nothing. Not even that solitary Hyena turned up. Having said that I had a great time at Ravla Bhenswara. It was relaxing, friendly and I was left alone if I wanted. On the final night Abi’s brother Shivadad arrived and promptly offered me a complimentary safari in the morning, so I could catch the cubs in the morning light. However as Abi predicted, we saw nothing and heard everything.


I was now resigned to just my collection of shepherd pictures. Shivadad kindly dropped me at the bus stop after that safari and I caught the local bus up north to Salawas.