Hoping to Spot a Tiger in Ranthambore

Ranthambore National Park. There’s one reason people are here: hope of spotting a tiger in the wild. The park is one of the best spots to do so in India, and its accessibility makes it a popular choice. We were told it is currently home to about 30 tigers, as well as 17 new cubs. Other residents include leopard, fox, sloth bear and jackal, as well as wild boar and deer-like blue bull and sambar.

Project Tiger, a joint effort of government and the World Wildlife Fund has an office here, where they continue their work toward conservation. Some estimate that 97% of the tiger population has been lost since they were at their largest numbers at the end of the 19th century. A census is taken periodically, and recent numbers seem to be a little more encouraging, after years of continuous decline, poaching, public education and territory loss are ongoing challenges.

Sawai Madhopur as a Base

As with many single-draw towns, accommodation and food prices in the town of Sawai Madhopur are premium. You pay more for everything, and there aren’t many options. As far as the tiger-spotting safaris go, if you haven’t made a reservation for a seat online, you’re either at the mercy of what your hotel offers, or you can take your chances at the Park reservation hut early in the morning on the day you want to go. We ended up overpaying a bit at the hotel, but got a guaranteed seat and didn’t have to wait in line in the cold at 5 or 6 am. Our hotel was also kind enough to send us off with big, woolly blankets to wrap up in, since the morning air was freezing!

Tiger Safari

The vehicle we got was called a canter, and it seated about 20 in open-air seats, similar to a convertible bus. The group was a mix of domestic and foreign tourists, all excited for what we might see. The first animal spotted was a big antelope (blue bull), followed by lots of spotted deer. One way to track tigers, besides spotting a pugmark (pawprint) is to watch deer and other animals’ behavior: warning calls, etc. The deer we saw were peacefully strolling around munching breakfast, so no tigers here. Now and then there were small bands of langur monkeys, and lots and lots of peacocks. The prettiest bird we saw was a white breasted kingfisher.

Just as we were starting to give up hope, we spotted her under a tree: a female tiger. She was gorgeous, with a healthy, silky coat, beautiful markings and coloration. She lay there for a while, and it looked like she might be eating something. Soon, she got up and strolled away, disappearing for a few minutes, only to reemerge even closer. What a majestic animal, so powerful! You could see massive muscle beneath that coat of fur, and it made our hearts start beating faster. The tigress took it all in stride, casually grooming herself with a floppy pink tongue while showing off long, white canine teeth. It was an unforgettable experience, and we feel extremely lucky to have had it, especially after talking to others who had been out a number of times and has no tiger luck.

On the way back out of the park we saw a family of wild boars. The piglets were so small, adorable with their little razorbacks. The historic Ranthambore Fort (perhaps built in 944), located inside the park, is quite impressive as well, and there is an important shrine to Ganesh nearby.

Our visit to Ranthambore was well worth the detour! Tiger photos cam be viewed HERE.