If you want to see Tigers in their natural environment, visit Ranthambore National Park in India

If you want to see Tigers in their natural environment

, visit Ranthambore National Park in India

India has a great variety of flora and fauna, and is home to several fabulous wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore National Park is located in Eastern Rajasthan and was once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur. Six manmade lakes are the central focus of the park and many permanent streams criss-cross the entire park, but have no link up with any river system, even though two rivers bound up the park's north and south side.

Ranthambore National Park got its name from the Ranthambore Fort, which sits on a rocky outcrop in the heart of the Park. The fort, which dates back to the 10th century, is probably the oldest existing fort in Rajasthan, and was a vital bastion for control of Central India and particularly the Malwa Plateau. The entry point to the Ranthambore National Park goes straight to the foot of the Fort.

Ranthambore National Park is famous for its Tigers, and the park is one of the best places in India to observe them.

Ranthambore Safari Packages

Ranges of Ranthambore Safari Packages are on offer through the official tourism department as well as private tour and travel agencies. Surrounding the park, there are several hotels, resorts and guesthouses to cater to the lodging needs of tourists.

The number of people who can enter the National Park a day is limited, so if you are not traveling as part of an arranged tour it is wise in advance to book entry to the sanctuary with a local agent to ensure access. Visits to the sanctuaries are in open air jeeps or open air buses, and morning as well as afternoon drives are available.

A personal experience

When my wife and I arrived at the lodge where we had booked a two nights stay, the first we asked about was when we could go on a jeep safari into the park. We were told that since we had not booked a time in advance, it would probably not be within the next week.

Great disappointment, we had come to Ranthambore to see the park, its wildlife and hopefully tigers. From the notice board in the reception we could furthermore read that sightings of tigers close up were not that common, all sightings were reported, and it was only once or maybe twice a week anyone came near a tiger.

In the evening on the day we arrived, a photographer, who had been photographing tigers in the park for the last 12 years, had been invited to show some of his pictures and to talk about the tigers in Ranthambore.

It was very interesting, so we stayed to talk with the photographer after the other attendants had left, and explained our disappointment not being able to go on a jeep safari into the park, because no one had told us about the necessity to book in advance.

The photographer advised us to show up at the morning drive next day; there might be a chance that there was room for us. He furthermore offered that he would try to arrange to go with us as guide for the afternoon drive.

The morning drive

We were lucky, although the lodge was only allowed two jeeps to go into the park, there was room for us.

It gets very hot during the day, but the mornings are quite chilly and since we had to drive for more than half an hour in the open jeep to get to the entrance, we wished that we had brought some warm clothes to put on for the drive.

When we got to the park, jeeps and a few open busses from other hotels and lodges were already there to sign in.

The drive itself was a little bit like driving in a caravan; at times it seemed very crowded. The guides communicated with each other through radio, and each time someone spotted footprints from a tiger, everyone knew, and all the cars went to that spot.

Needless to say that we did not see any tigers, but it was a nice jeep safari never the less.

The afternoon drive

We were of course very hopeful that the photographer from the night before would be there and he was.

He took us through a completely different entrance into the park, and no other jeeps or busses were to be seen.

We drove around listening to sounds from other animals that could indicate a tiger was around, and asking the guards at different posts if they had heard anything.

We had almost given up, when we spotted two tiger cubs about 12 months old lying in the bush. It was possible to get the jeep to a distance of about 5 meters (15 feet) from where the cubs were lying. In the distance we could hear the mother calling for the cubs now and again, the mother was out hunting for prey the photographer explained.

The cubs got up, walked around a bit before the settled down again. They were almost the size of a grown up tiger we thought.

Suddenly we could hear the mother close up, and the photographer said that now it was no longer us hunting tiger, but the tiger hunting us. He told the driver to get moving as fast as possible. This was just as well; when we got to the exit of the park, we were about half an hour late, although we had been driving so fast over rocks that the suspension of the jeep had broken.

Usually being late to exit the park will cost you or the guide a fine. When the driver explained to the guard what we had experienced, he decided that we had a plausible excuse, and decided to let us through without a fine. He furthermore showed us the exit reports for the last week, where all observations were written down, and no one had seen tigers.

The Kings

Back at the lodge, we reported what we had experienced, and for that we were pronounced Kings.

At dinner that night a special table was arranged and a waiter to serve us only, since we were the Kings.

What started out as a disappointment because we had not made any bookings in advance, ended out being an experience we shall never forget.

Wild Tigers

One could argue that to see a tiger in one of the National Parks is not like seeing a tiger in the wild, but today this is about as wild as you will ever see a tiger. Without the National Parks and the Sanctuaries there would probably not be any tigers left outside the zoos.

Even in the highly guarded National Parks the tigers are not safe and poaching is a great and increasing problem. There are National Parks in India where the last of the tigers living in the park have been killed by poachers; stories are that the guards have been bribed to look the other way.

Thanks to the National Parks you can still experience tigers in their natural environment, and Ranthambore can highly be recommended as one of the places to go to, if you want to see tigers.

POST COMMENT

Stop global warming & save environment Preparing a Witness for a Congressional Committee Hearing from "Testifying Before Congress" Why not start to meet with others across the country and save the environment Restoration Environmental Contractors REC Demolition is pleased to announce the appointment of David Bremner to the position of President Polaris Water Heaters saves Money and also the Environment Making your brand work in the physical environment – exhibitions, interiors and signage This Prada Handbags is environmental protection? Velour Seat Covers for Rich Environment Inside Your Car Garden Buildings: Environmental design Wendy Laymon says to manage your puppy's environment Why PEO's Help in an Uncertain Employment Environment Be Lean, Be Green: Johnny Londoff Chevrolet Cares for the Environment Let Fill Your Office Environment with Positive Vibes Installing Cozy Office Desks