While browsing online some tiger reserve forests in India, my eyes stuck on Betla Forest also known as the Betla National Park, located in the Chota Nagpur Plateau of the Palamu district of the Indian state of Jharkhand, in India. Initially comprising the 1,026 km2 of the Palamau Tiger Reserve, an additional 226 km2 was added to the park in 1989 and 63 km2 of the Mahuadar wolf sanctuary. Betla was one of the first national parks in India to become a tiger reserve under Project Tiger. The park is under administration of the forest departments. I proposed a ride to the other members of my club. The ride was from December 2 to December 4, 2016.
Day 1 : Starting from Dankuni Toll at 6:30 a.m. sharp we first stopped at Adi Shefali Hotel to have our breakfast. After crossing Dhanbad at Topchanchi we took a break for half an hour. Then Mr. Ali’s bull had some technical issues so I stayed there with Mr. Anis and Mr. Pervez and asked the other riders to go to Barhi. There we met Mr. Mustakin along with Khattab and friends who helped us to move the bike to a transporting agency who will deliver it at our hometown later. It was 3:30 p.m. and we decided to reach Barhi by 5 p.m. and we made it. We had our lunch at Hotel Food Plaza, Barhi, Hazaribagh at evening and then met other co-riders at Aurangabad, Bihar. From there we left NH2 and took NH139 which is a single road highway. After riding for about half an hour Mr. Prabir and Mr. Suman’s fuel became low and me & Khattab took out gasoline from our bulls to give them to theirs as we were the last riders on road. It was dark then and all I could see was two bikes at my front. After riding for another 30 mins we found a fuel station where everyone filled their tanks full. It was pitch black all over and what I could see was a road with my bulls light on. Roads were bad and then Mr. Iftekar’s bull’s headlight came loose and we fixed it there and at last reached Daltonganj by 10:30 p.m. night. We had some tea there and ultimately reached Betla by 12:15 a.m.
Day 2 : Next day I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and found that it was too foggy. By 10:30 a.m. we went for sightseeing and had a great experience clicking photos and enjoying at a waterfall nearby. Mr. Mustakin and Mr. Iftekar left for Ranchi while visiting Netarhat on their way & reached Kolkata on the very next day. At 3 p.m. we had our lunch and by 4 p.m. we were ready to enter the Betla Reserve Forest. We went in by jeeps provided by forest officials. We saw deers, bisons, monkeys and different kinds of birds. We were there for 2 hours and it was an awesome experience. After that the bonfire at night was too interesting.
Day 3 : We woke up at early morning and started our bulls by 6:30 a.m. sharp and then stopped at Neelkamal Resturant for breakfast but what we ate was more than a breakfast. From there we took the route towards Hazaribagh where we had some tea. From there Mr. Anirban and Mr. Abishek left early as they had office at night. We took NH2 from Barhi and after riding for hours we stopped before Dhanbad to have some snacks. When we reached Durgapur Mr. Pervez, Mr. Suman and Mr. Pratik stopped at Dhanbad as Mr. Suman’s bull’s chain sprocket got damaged. They stayed at Dhanbad and reached Kolkata on the very next day. But we took a halt at Shaktigarh to eat langcha and reached Kolkata by 11:30 p.m.
About the Ride : The ride was adventurous and fast enough. Senior riders helped me to arrange the ride properly and the adrenaline rush of new riders gave me more interest in the ride. Mr. Pervez arranged the ride. Booking and accommodation was done by him. Mr. Suman was the ride captain and he along with his camera took awesome snaps. Mr. Anis and Mr. Ali were leading the riders and route selection was done by them. Khattab helped other riders with their minor and major technical issues on their way. And atlast me, just a ride captain for this ride was just a spectator. Mr. Faisal our chacha was the base contact of our ride at Kolkata.
Thing to be Noted
- Start early or else end up reaching the destination late.
- Check your bulls and carry tools.
- Fill the tank where you get the chance.
- Be sporty and enjoy the moment.
- While riding always keep in mind that riders are present before and after so need to ride accordingly.
- More the light more the visibility during night rides.
