I LOVE WILDLIFE, and I love big cats. The biggest cat of all is the tiger. I had asked online about visiting India’s famous Jim Corbett National Park, and was instead told, nah mate, tigers- try Ranthambore. Located in Rajastan state, the park covers 1344 sq km of dry deciduous dhok forest. Of that less than half is open for visitors, and divided into 10 strictly regulated zones. As well as the 62 tigers which call the park home, there are 40 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, 40 reptile, 50 butterfly, and 300 plant species. However, there was really only one species which brought me there: Panthera tigris tigris Royal Bengal Tiger. Trains from several directions can drop you in Sawai Madhopur, the base for safari companies and hotels. From there, you need luck on your side.
Sawai Madhopur is a railway junction town which serves tourist visiting one of India's premier tiger reserves, Ranthambore National Park. Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur are all reasonably close, but we arrived via the Golden Temple Mail.
This was our first experience of small town, rural India, so we had a good poke around the bazaar.
There was plenty of fresh food in the market and roadside vendors serving up fried and probably unhealthy snacks.
While the town wasn't much too sing about, we did see a few people dancing in the streets.
For a town which sees a steady stream of short term tourists, folks were friendly- and photogenic.
Entry to the park must be booked on official vehicles, either jeep open truck. You can't just turn up in your own tractor, no matter how floraltastic it is.
The safari business underpins the economy, but others pursue more humble trades, like thong-bung repairman. Why is he never there when you need him?
We pre-booked 4 safaris (jeep) through a budget hotel, Tiger Regency Resort, and everything was locked in for us.
It is -in theory- possible to book things yourself, online, direct with the park. I did try, but opted to outsource my strees, and relax.
You may be able to get a place on a truck without booking, but jeep places would be extremely unlikely. Don't (langar) monkey about.
Tigers are notoriously difficult to find. Our first jeep was shared with a couple on the third and last safari, and they left without a sighting.
Although the focus is squarely on tigers, enjoy the other wildlife that you see, like this peacock getting totally blanked by Mrs Pea.
Less than half the park is open, and that is divided into 10 zones, and each vehicle is designated a zone. Tigers are territorial, so they too stick to their "zones."
Besides spotted deer and peacocks, we also saw langar monkeys, leopard and black bear. Of our 4 safaris, 2 were misses, and 2 led to 3 tiger sightings
Any tiger sighting is lucky. Any photo is even luckier, and a clear, open shot is the jackpot. But this is Noor, the queen of Ranthambore. We also saw her daughter. Bless them both!
