Bera Leopard Safari: A mini Yala in untouched Rajasthan
Published on: July 15, 2021

It was way back in 2004 that I first heard about the wild leopards of Bera, Rajasthan. I had been enjoying India tiger safaris since my first 3 month India wildlife holiday taken in 1997 and I had enjoyed plenty of luck when it came to seeing tigers in the wild; but a quality sighting of the elusive Asian Leopard had eluded me. This in part can be explained by the fact that leopards are very cautious around tigers, so a good sighting inside the best places to see tigers in India – such as Ranthambhore or Bandhavgarh – would be quite rare indeed. In addition, leopards are much more nocturnal in their behaviour compared to tigers, so the reality is you are leaving the India national parks, just when leopards are starting to be more active.

Leopard Safari in India: What’s so special about Bera?
Back in 2004, all I knew was that there was an owner of a hotel taking clients in his 1960’s antique jeep (complete with a front windscreen that folded down!) to an arid, rocky area, close to the Jawai dam crocodile sanctuary. There is very little natural prey for the leopards in this area, so they survive by living close to the villages of the killing goats and dogs. I was fascinated by this big cat living in such close proximity to local villagers; whose main income was from grazing large herds of goats amongst the weathered rock formations. It is common to see a Rabari tribesman walking through prime leopard habitat with his substantial herd. It is important to note, that most of this area is simply village lands and government degraded forests and has no protection for the leopards and other resident wildlife, although this is being discussed.
On a return visit just before the Covid Lockdown I was watching a female leopard and her two cubs when another photographer arrived to set up his equipment. He turns out to be an officier from one of the nearby parks and he also was researching the chance to see if this area could be given the status of a wildlife sanctuary. This would not afford full protection to the Bera Leopards, but it would be a step in the right direction.

My first Bera Leopard sighting: Ooops, don’t forget to read your video manual
On our very first night time drive in this remote and little visited location, we saw a female leopard resting on top of a large boulder. As we watched, a local dog from the nearby village barked at a perceived danger and the female leopards entire alert body and gaze was ‘locked onto’ this call. She was truly beautiful and although photographs were difficult to take, we drove back to the hotel with the memory of her fierce stare and the knowledge that when we left her, the hunt was about the start.
The following day we were even luckier, as from some distance (approximately 400M) we spotted 3 different leopards together on the ridge of a massive rock face. We then spent the entire morning watching them. One was obviously a mating pair; which made the presence of the other younger female within 100 metres of the pair, fairly unusual. We were rewarded with a mating roar, which reverberated around the entire mountain, before heading back to the hotel for a much needed large breakfast.
The following day our luck continued and we came across the mating pair again but this time the male Bera Leopard was lying on a lower ledge while the female ‘kept an eye on him’ from above. We watched them both for around 20 minutes before the excitement levels increased, as the female jumped down from her position to move closer to the male. Our vehicle was positioned some distance away so our guide proposed I walk to the forest infront of the rocks and take up a good position for video footage with cover provided by the trees. I followed his advice and managed to get some video of the male sniffing around the female but not immediation ‘action’
After a few minutes pause the female initiated mating and it had the whole sequence clear in the view finder and was utterly amazed at the intensity of the mating and the roars after, which echoed around the hilly terrain. The two leopards moved out of sight and I rushed back to the vehicle to show the video to the guide, as well as my travelling companion. Yes, we could see the initial scent checking by the male but then the video stopped. What I had not realised about this new video recorder was it had an auto power off setting after a few minutes of not using and all I was seeing was the live view throught the screen, but it had not been recording. ‘Gutted’ does not come close to describing my immense disappointment at missing out on a video of a lifetime but as with all passions and hobbies in the early stages, it was a lesson well learnt.
A Leopard Safari in India: Why not have the best of both worlds?
Discovering the Bera Leopards back in 2004 at a time when most of our clients were only interested in India tiger safaris was a real revelation. I had taken a Sri Lanka leopard safari in 2002 as our India wildlife holidays started to become very popular and some of our clients were looking for new wildlife safari experiences. The huge male leopards I had seen on my Sri Lanka wildlife holiday had been very impressive but I was keen to try and put together a combined tiger and leopard safari in the same country and Bera gave me that opportunity.

Best wildlife lodges in Bera, Rajasthan
All our recommendations for your wildlife lodges in India are based on our personal stays at the property and location, food and of course, good quality wildlife guides to accompany you on your leopard safari in Rajasthan; are much more important than ostentatious luxury. When I stayed in the very basic hotel back in 2004, I encouraged the owner to think about building a semi-permanent tented camp in the Bera region. He never followed by advice, but now a couple of young Indian entrepreneurs – with a deep connection with the local region – have set up camps and are offering some fantastic values leopard safaris in Jawai. Check out our personal videos of Varawal Tented Camp and Godwad Leopard Camp.

How to organise your leopard safari in India?
If like us you would like to see Leopards in Bera, then why not look at adding it into your Rajasthan cultural tour. As already mentioned, it is very easy to include as an extension from Udaipur, or Jodhpur and many of our clients combine a tiger safari in Ranthambhore with a leopard safari in Bera. Check our one of our clients favourites – 5 day India Leopard safari in the Bera region . Anytime of year is good for seeing Leopards in Rajasthan; but be prepared for very cold early morning safaris from December to February. This is also a great time to see migratory birds stopping off at the various water bodies in this mainly arid region.