Jawai

The Jawai hills are outcrops of weathered granite rising from farmland and scrub around a reservoir in southern Rajasthan, riddled with caves, and a substantial leopard population lives in them within a few hundred metres of Rabari shepherd villages whose flocks graze the same ground. The coexistence is the notable part: attacks on people are close to unheard of here, and the community treats the animals as belonging to the hill temples, which has kept them tolerated rather than persecuted. There is no fenced park; sightings are from jeeps on village tracks. Crocodiles live in the reservoir and flamingos visit it.

What you actually see

• The leopards - cave-dwelling cats on granite outcrops beside villages.
• The Rabari shepherds - herders whose flocks share the same hills.
• The granite hills - weathered domes and caves rising from farmland.
• The reservoir - crocodiles and wintering birds on Jawai Bandh.

When to go

October to March for comfortable weather and reliable sightings; summer is very hot though cats concentrate near water. The area is not a park and has no closed season.

Honest expectations

This is not a protected reserve, so safari conduct varies and some operators crowd animals. Lodges range from very expensive to basic with a wide quality gap. Sightings are good but not guaranteed.

Nearby

Ranakpur lies southeast; Jodhpur is north.