For me, few moments match seeing a big cat in
its natural home. A tiger moving through central India’s sal forests, a snow
leopard slipping into Himalayan cliffs, a lion roaring across the African
savannah — each sighting shows raw power and patient skill. Every encounter
felt like a lesson in survival and the close ties between people and place.

The
Monarchs of India
I began my journey at home in India. In Tadoba, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh, tigers
moved through dense forest with quiet authority. I watched them mark trails,
pause at waterholes, then melt back into the trees. In Gujarat’s Gir forest, I
tracked the last Asiatic lions, a small population living among dry teak.
Central and southern forests revealed leopards and, once, a black panther that
ghosted past at first light. High in Ladakh, I spent cold days scanning ridges.
One morning I finally saw a snow leopard — a faint shape on a rocky skyline
that vanished almost as soon as I noticed it.

The
Kings of the Savannah
Months later, I crossed the ocean to Africa. In the Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai
Mara, lions owned the plains. I rose before dawn to watch a pride move across
tall grass, mothers guiding cubs, males patrolling their range. Cheetahs
offered a different thrill. I watched one explode into a sprint and catch a
gazelle in seconds. Leopards stayed hidden, draped in acacia branches, eyes
fixed on the land below.

Two
Continents, One Connection
Walking those parks, I saw a common thread. The cats link lands and people
through shared challenges. Local communities live beside predators and shape
how places survive. Responsible travel can help, by creating income and
reinforcing reasons to protect wildlife. Safaris stop being a simple list of
species. They become a way to learn how whole ecosystems keep working.

A
Personal Path
One sunrise in the Mara still sits in my mind. The pride moved past our vehicle
with a confidence born of generations on those plains. Weeks earlier in Kanha,
I stood under a dense canopy and heard a tiger’s deep call ripple through the
trees. Those moments were not separate. They felt like chapters of the same
story, joined by a sense of place and the people who share it. It was this journey and these experiences
that inspired Krunal Patel to leave IT domain and start Big
Cats India and Big Cats Safari, allowing travellers to witness these
majestic animals while also supporting the people who protect them.

Supporting
Local Communities
Safaris are about people as much as animals. In Gir, I walked with guides who
know each lion by sight. In Ladakh, I joined trackers who spent weeks watching
empty slopes for subtle signs. Their knowledge matters. When tourism pays
wages, children attend school and families find new incomes. Villages begin to
value wildlife rather than fear it. Conservation gains local roots. Krunal Patel’s vision ensures that safaris
are not only about seeing big cats, but also about empowering local communities
and preserving ecosystems for generations.

The
Call of the Wild
Some images do not fade. The ground shaking under thousands of wildebeest
during the Great Migration. The hush of a Himalayan valley before dawn. In
those moments, I felt like a guest in older landscapes. Big cats told those
stories with a force I will not forget.

For anyone willing to follow their tracks — from
India’s forests and mountains to Africa’s open plains — the reward is more than
a sighting. It is a clearer sense of how people and nature can survive together,
guided by the passion and vision of individuals like Krunal Patel.