Ranthambore

On arrival at our lodgings at Tiger Den, adjacent to Ranthambore National Park, we were rushed into the Jeep and sped off into the bush. Tigers had been sighted and we were late!

Tigers are one of the species I was yet to see in the wild, so my level of expectancy was high. However, I am also a realist. Ranthambore is vast and, with only forty tigers reported to live in this section of the reserve, I was under no illusions about seeing one. I have spoken to many fellow travelers who had not seen a tiger when visiting Ranthambore.

We booked four separate trips to the reserve traveling by private jeep. It is essential to book months in advance and payment is also required at the same time to guarantee entry to the reserve. The reserve is split up into four zones and each vehicle is allocated a zone when they enter the park. Your zone is selected by random with a computer, so, if you get a zone where tigers have not been seen, and may not be there, you just have to hope something else will come along.

On our first trip into the reserve we headed off to a spot where two tigers had made a kill and were still feeding off the carcass. We travelled through the reserve on dusty tracks only to be confronted by a traffic jam of jeeps, Chanters and other vehicles all trying to see a tiger.

This image should give you an indication of what happens when everybody heads for the same spot!



I managed to get a glimpse of a tiger in the bush and get a couple of pictures, not to my liking, but I saw the tiger.

Over the following two days, we had success in seeing two more tigers together and managed to get a few shots feeding on a carcass. The last morning, we were directed into a zone where tigers had not been seen. So, with an open mind, we spent our time visiting various locations of the reserve. WOW what a place. We travelled through the reserve past lakes, wetlands, scrub, seeing the most wonderful scenes populated by Samba deer, Chittal deer, amazing bird life and Black-face monkeys, running around the ramparts of the fort.

The following images should give you an indication of the diversity of wildlife that inhabits the reserve, as well as the tigers.

Tiger emerging from the bush


I did not get my ‘perfect’ tiger picture, but I have never achieved my perfect picture in Africa and elsewhere. One day I will return to India and see if I can get my ‘Perfect’ picture. Until then, enjoy the pictures.
Tiger feeding on the buffalo carcass


View over the lake


Snake eagle


Samba male deer tangling horns


Black face monkeys


Chittal deer


Mongoose


Ranthambore fort


Our jeep with Devendra, our guide