Ranthambore National Park – The Tiger’s Abode

Question: Why visit Ranthambore?

Answer: To see a Tiger.

Question: Did I see a Tiger?

Answer: Yes we did!!! We saw the beautiful and magnificent Tigress Noor.

Sawai Madhopur is a small city in Rajasthan famous for  the Ranthambore National Park and Ranthambore Fort which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. when you enter the city, you come onto one long road leading to the National Park . All hotels in Ramthambore  are on either side of this road , with some new hotels off the road. There are not much options to eat outside so it would be best to take a full board package from your hotel including all three major meals or at least two major meals .

All tickets for the jungle safari are sold and managed by the government so you can either book it directly with them or via a agent . You will need to give your name as on your passport or photo id proof while booking. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be transferred to someone else name. You can either book a seat on the Jeep (6 seats) or a Canter ( 20 seats). There are 10 zones. Zone 1-5 are the main core areas and Zone 6- 10 are the buffer zones. You cannot pick your zone , it is automatically allocated to you.

It is normally recommended to pre-book three safari’s at Ranthambore to increase your chances of a Tiger sighting. We had booked only two safari’s for ourselves as we were travelling in the month of June. It is very hot in North India in June and I did not see ourselves taking an afternoon open jeep safari in 45 degree Celsius with the sun burning down our heads. So we booked two-morning safari’s which were good for us.

Our first safari was long and exciting. We were allocated zone 4 for our first safari. My four-year-old was with us on the Safari, as she was very excited to see the peacocks, monkeys, wild deer, antelopes and some beautiful birds . As the safari continued,  we got a little tired as we didn’t know how much longer it would be and we had still not seen a Tiger. Our daughter had also lost interest and really just wanted to go back to the hotel. I think this was because it had started to get hot, she had been up really early and of course as we didn’t see a tiger. The driver did make one toilet break in the middle of the safari , so that was a good thing!!

On our first Safari, I also felt that our naturalist and driver already knew that there will be no tiger sightseeing on our journey and we were on a wild goose chase.  Why I say this is because, the naturalist who travels with you and the driver do this every day, twice a day. They know the jungle and the animals there. The safari ended in disappointment as we didn’t see the tiger and the excitement of everything else that we did see, faded away soon.

My observation was further confirmed on our second safari when we actually did see the tiger. Our driver knew where the tiger was and drove us straight to that point, there was driving around or chasing or looking or guessing. Our second safari was in Zone 2.

Tigress Noor was sleeping right next to the driving track. She was long and big and had the most beautiful curves. It was a beautiful sight and like no other I had ever seen. The feeling is simply fantastic when you actually see the wild beast right in front of you. Our day was made and the trip was successful so we just drove out of the national park back to our hotel for a relaxed day.

There is really nothing to do in Ranthambore. So pick a good hotel with a pool and a spa to keep you busy. If you are travelling with children, check if your hotel organises activities to keep your children busy. Our hotel did have cycles which guest could use at no extra cost, a children’s play area, a pool and a gymnasium and spa. The also organised magic show and live music and folk dance in the evenings.

Ranthambore is flooded with Peacocks and Peahens, I haven’t seen so many peacocks in one place, they are all over and you will be many of them while in Ranthambore. There is a lovely Fort in Ranthambore which you can visit during the day. It is a long way up to the fort but the walk is quite easy and comfortable. Be ready to meet lots of monkeys and peacocks on the way up.

We drove from Delhi to Ranthambore. It took us 9 hours but the drive was not too bad. We also enjoy driving through the countryside, so it was nice. To cut the journey short, you can travel to Ranthambore from Agra (5-6 hours drive) or Jaipur ( 3 hours drive). The other options to reach Ranthambore is by train- there are direct trains from Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai. You can also fly to Jaipur and drive to Ranthambore from there.

I visited Ranthambore in June 2017 for three nights which were needed considering it was a long drive away. The tourist season in Ranthambore is from October – March. However, the best time to sight a Tiger is from April-June when the temperature is hot and the Tigers come out to find water.  The national park closes from July – September and reopens each year on 1 October.