Indian Safari: On The Trail Of Tigers
Well here’s something different, India without humidity. All of our memories of this country are of clothes drenched within half an hour and sultry cloying heat which saps the strength, but it’s not like that now, in December, where even in Delhi despite its ever present pollution there is an uncharacteristic freshness to the air. And as we are shortly to discover, it’s properly cold at 6:30 in the morning.
With Alwar now off the agenda and trains to our next destination at unfriendly times of day, we explore the cost of travel by road and find that, remarkably, an “inter-city Uber” will take us the 350 kilometres for only a fraction more than it would cost in petrol alone back home. The near 6-hour journey from Delhi to Sawai Madhopur on the edge of Ranthambore National Park reveals another element of India we haven’t seen before: a long, straight tolled freeway dotted with Western style service areas.
“Breakfast is from 9 till 11”, he tells us on arrival, “after the morning safari”. Part of how it works here at Ranthambore, where there are restrictions on entry times, restrictions on numbers of vehicles in each zone, and restrictions on the length of stay which is capped at 3 hours per ride. So the routine here at Shani Villas is meet at 6:30, explore a single designated zone in search of tigers, return for 10am breakfast, enjoy lunchtime sunshine then head out again around 1:30/2 for another 3-hour stint in a different zone. Ranthambore is a beautiful place full of attractive scenery, but, let’s face it, the real reason everyone comes here is to try and catch a glimpse of the elusive tiger.
Friday, 6:30am. Cold. Breath visible. Mist hanging over ponds. Even colder when the open top truck called a canter heads speedily down the Ranthambore Road towards our first entry point, the gateway to Zone 1. This is very different from an African safari: no open plains and easy spotting here, this is jungle safari where every living thing can hide in the dense forest. But as it turns out, it goes well….
Deer, monkeys, mongoose, wild boar and a whole host of colourful birds cross our path, including the “Rufus Treepie” which sounds more like a character from Roald Dahl or Rudyard Kipling than a bird. Suddenly, an hour or so into the ride, we’re instructed to be silent: the calls we can hear are, we’re told, the alarm cries of deer and monkeys, warning their fellow mammals that there’s a big cat somewhere in the vicinity. Time to be patient, and silent. We are, and it brings a huge reward: it may not be the secretive tiger which emerges from the trees, but out comes a prowling leopard ambling its way through the undergrowth and across the trail. Superb.
And if that first effort was good, then our afternoon sortie into Zone 4 is a massive wow of a success which we can scarcely believe. We came here with only vague hopes of really seeing a tiger – we know of several who have visited and failed – yet in this ride of all rides we see no fewer than three of these splendid animals, providing the opportunity for some wonderfully clear shots. It’s an altogether fabulous experience. Tigers in the wild. Beyond amazing. We seem to get lucky so often.
Our third tour in Zone 10 the following morning is unfruitful apart from some great kingfisher and peacock sightings – our reaction to this “failure” is simply to pinch ourselves that yesterday was so incredibly good. There are no guarantees with jungle safaris and we feel as if we hit a jackpot that many don’t get to hit.
Saturday afternoon, fourth adventure, change of tack. Rather than chase more animal sightings we head instead to Ranthambore Fort, but that will have to wait for the next post, there were far too many of Michaela’s wildlife photos to fit into this one to have space for that as well…..
.
35 Comments
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Well, that was worth the wait. I hope you enjoyed your blogging break.
Phil & Michaela
Wasn’t sure I’d get going again but it appears to have happened!
Steven Berger
Safaris are so exciting. Glad you got to see what you hoped for – and more. Our favorite is Kruger, in South Africa, because you get to drive yourself and can even see the big 5 in one day (if lucky).
Stay safe,
Steve
Phil & Michaela
Yep, sure are, though these Indian safaris are very different from the ones we did in Kenya and Botswana last year. Great to see the tigers though!
Marie
Imagine seeing a tiger – or three!!! What a privilege. And I love the birds …..
enjoy
Phil & Michaela
Great experience, Marie – we got lucky!
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Wow! What glorious photos, Phil! So fabulous that you saw a panther and tigers. I’ve been on safari in South Africa which I enjoyed very much but as you say yours was organised quite differently which definitely also worked well for you. Cheers.
Phil & Michaela
Yes, chalk and cheese from our African safaris last year, including cost wise!
restlessjo
They are fabulous photos, Michaela, with an ethereal feel to the earlier ones xx
Phil & Michaela
The lady says thank you 😁
Eha Carr
All I know to say is a huge and sincerely meant ‘thank you’! I had heard of the park but knew nothing about it. Am glad for your success in seeing what you hoped for . . . I am thrilled for us who have not been – these are some of the loveliest (birds) and most natural wildlife animal photos I remember seeing . . . what a delightful beginning for your Yuletide journey 🙂 !
Phil & Michaela
We were so pleased that we got lucky with the tigers, better than we dared hope for. Those kingfishers are pretty spectacular too!
Helen Devries
Super photographs…and what a thrill for you to see the tigers as well as the other wildlife.
Phil & Michaela
I think we got very lucky!
Lookoom
You are fortunate to see so many big cats on the first day. The photos of these elegant animals are well taken.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you – we definitely got lucky!
Monkey's Tale
Oh wow! Tigers and leopards! We didn’t make it to Ranthambore, now maybe I’m regretting that choice. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
Ha yes, being India, it’s nothing like an African safaris last year, organisation wise, I think we got extremely lucky on that first day.
Toonsarah
I’m so pleased you saw tigers, and even a leopard too! I love the bird photos too – pied kingfishers are among my favourites 😀
Phil & Michaela
I remembered that, about your liking for the pied kingfisher…isn’t the other one gorgeous too?! And yeah we got lucky with the cats 😄
Toonsarah
Absolutely – I do love all kingfishers but only the Pied one supports the Toon 😂
Phil & Michaela
Ah well, if you look very very closely, there’s a small ram motif on the kingfisher’s chest…..
Toonsarah
😂😂
grandmisadventures
Amazing that you saw the tiger so close. You certainly got some great pictures of the animals and the park!
Phil & Michaela
I think we got very lucky!
WanderingCanadians
Glad to hear your safari was a success and that you got to see a tiger, as well as some other birds and wildlife. Fabulous captures.
Phil & Michaela
Yep, I think we got lucky!
Alison
I did see some of these photos on Michaela’s Instagram and I mentioned that the birds were beautiful. Worth all that travelling in the end. You are definitely seasoned travellers being able to turn a near disaster into a triumph. The weather sounds like Hong Kong at this time of year.
Phil & Michaela
Funny you should say that….we’ll be spending a few days in Hong Kong in April. You are very definitely on my radar for guidance and advice!
Alison
Welcome any time .. Rugby sevens?
Phil & Michaela
Not intentionally, no… we’re making a stop in HK on the way home from New Zealand.
Alison
Already got the next trip planned!
Phil & Michaela
Naturally 😀
Annie Berger
SO happy that you were so lucky seeing so many examples of wildlife at the national park, Phil. I can almost feel your excitement when you captured pics of the elusive tiger, as well as animals I’d never heard of before. I remember being similarly excited when Steven and I saw the Big 5 in Kruger National Park in one day. It’s truly the luck of the draw, isn’t it?
Phil & Michaela
Yes it is…we do tend to get lucky with things like that though..it’s not the first time we’ve felt so!