The journey to Gujerat was reversed and we travelled for many hours by jeep, car and eventually plane back to Mumbai. The usual Indian traffic was negotiated, daily life and traditional methods observed, with stops en route for a leg stretch and to meet and chat with villagers.
After an overnight stay in Mumbai, it was time to hit the skies and roads once again as we journeyed towards Madhya Pradesh in Central India.
Driving through the forest gave ample opportunity to spot birds, gaur (the impressively horned Indian bison), deer, monkeys, wild dogs. We searched and searched for tigers (they cover vast areas) but, whilst there was some evidence of their presence, they remained out of sight.
One afternoon, after driving in the jeep for maybe 10 minutes, a leopard suddenly came into view, emerging from the bushes, just ahead of us on the track.
Our tracker advised they are elusive creatures and spotted only fleetingly, high up in trees or on top of rocks or up in the hills in the distance before disappearing from view.
This one was uncharacteristically sociable, keeping us company for about 90 minutes, just chilling, pooing, grooming. Oh, for a cuddle.
It was a lucky day.
But. The main aim of the trip was to see a tiger..........