The gates of Ranthambhore are no less than an entry into
paradise for me. This amazing tiger forest has given me memories to last a
lifetime and then some. As always, the annual summer trip was planned with care
and virtually, the entire clan was present along with dear friends Dr Srikantan and Mukundan with their families plus Sriram, the reliable!
For such a large group, being together was a priority, so we
chose to be in a canter, not normally our first choice. The trip began with a
relatively uneventful safari in Zone 4, where we missed a male tiger by a few
minutes. He had just descended into a nullah when we got to the spot and we
could hear a volley of alarm cal ls as he walked on, but never got a glimpse. That
apart, the highlight (if you can call it that) was the bone jarring journey on
Ranthambhore’s impossibly bumpy roads. Probably the only sore spot in paradise.
Over breakfast, Hemraj assured us of sightings in the
afternoon, he’d booked us in Zone 3, home to T19 and her 3 cubs. And, as we
rounded the beautiful Rajbagh lake, a queue of vehicle indicated – Tiger! It
was one of T19’s sub-adult cubs resting by the road. Even as we watched, she
shook herself awake and walked down to a pond for a drink, passing within 15
feet of our vehicle. Post her drink, she disappeared into the tall grass behind
the pond, presumably to resume her siesta. We then played hide and seek with
her and her 2 siblings as they made fleeting appearances, only to disappear
back into the grasses.
That would be the theme for the next day; we spent most of
our time with T19’s family. A full 6 hours of tiger watching, but nothing
really eventful happened. The mother was on the lookout for a kill; she half
heartedly stalked a few chitals but nothing really serious. For me personally,
it was a great day since I got a few more lifers on my birding list - a lull in
the morning proceedings gave Hemraj the opportunity to take us to the beautiful
Malik Talao (lake) where I saw a Pied Kingfisher, my first Crested Buntings and at the tiger
sightings, we were visited by a Large Cuckooshrike, White Browed Fantail and a
few Large Grey Babblers plus kingfishers, orioles and treepies. So, other
tourists were subjected to this ‘unusual’ sight of a person clicking birds when
3 tigers lay right in front of them. No doubt they thought the heat had gotten
to me!
That sighting would come on our 5th safari. This
time we were in gypsies, headed to Zone 1, home to the beautiful T39 (Noor) and
her 2 sub adult male cubs. Her consort, T24 (Ustaad) was the centre of much
controversy a few weeks earlier for having killed a forest guard. He was taken
away to a zoo and with that ended my chances of seeing this magnificent male
tiger. Damn!
Back to Zone 1 and we arrived at a water hole called Kaala
Pani (black water) a shady little pocket, surrounded by hills on all sides.
After a comfortable drive in, we were all a little lazy and slightly switched
off . Almost immediately, the harsh alarm call of a sambhar from the opposite
hills changed all of that. Sambhar calls are usually the most accurate
indicator of a predator, almost always a tiger. We scanned the hills for any
sign of movement but that movement came from behind us. From a thicket behind
the water hole emerged Queen Noor. She quickly and purposefully walked past us
towards the hill and climbed out of sight. Hemraj’s theory was that she had
stashed away a kill which could have attracted a leopard or jackal, prompting
the sambhar to call. And Noor headed there to safeguard her kill. But where
were her cubs?
Drink over, the brothers headed into the thicket behind the
waterhole for their snooze and we headed back to the gate, fully sated with the
‘magical’ Ranthambhore safari. For the good doctors and their families, it was
their first really special sighting and helped put Rantambhore firmly top of
their wildlife destination check-list. Before the trip, we’d promised them a
special trip and as always, this amazing place delivered. And how!
It wasn’t done yet, for our last safari that afternoon we headed
to the distant Zone 9 or Kwalji area, home to male tiger T42 (Fateh) and his
consort who were seen mating that morning. A 45 km drive in baking heat in an
open gypsy certainly took its toll. Kwalji itself was a completely different
area to the main Ranthambhore forest, sandy soil and thick bush completely
contrasting with the park’s dry deciduous forest. We drove along the main track
with thick, impenetrable bush on both sides till we reached a tiny gap in the
bush. In the shadow behind the bushes lay a large male tiger. A little further
were a paw and a tail. The female. Both resting after their recent exertions,
no doubt.
We moved further away to give them an undisturbed
opportunity to mate. Who knows, they might even come onto the road? Only to
watch in dismay as 10 other vehicles drove up to that very clearing and lined
up to view the tigers, with the tourists making an almighty ruckus. Our driver
and guide tried telling them to leave some space for the animals to come out,
in vain. So in disgust, we drove away to
try our luck with another male who was supposed to be in the area. We heard a
couple of alarm calls but nothing else. And as we neared a waterhole the guide
said ‘we could see caracal here’. Now that gorgeous little cat is at the top of
my wish list, having seen it only once before. We waited for any signs of
movement and then, resigned to fate, drove back to the tigers.
The circus (and I do not exaggerate) had now grown to more
than 15 vehicles with people were
yelling and jostling for space. Amazingly, the tigers were still asleep despite
all this drama. We drove a little further and waited for the crowds to
disperse. And as a few vehicles got impatient and left, there still seemed some
hope. We then got glimpses of the tigers mating (a first for me!) but no
pictures. But the sounds echoed around the area and still reverberate in my
ears. Hope this dalliance will result in a new family in the Kwalji area. More
power to these wonderful tigers.
And with that the sun came down, not just on this safari but
on a spectacular 3 days in one of the finest tiger havens on the planet.
Magical Ranthambhore.
Ranthambhore Trip Guide
Ranthambhore Trip Guide
Getting there
Ranthambhore is arguably the 'most easy to access' Tiger Reserve. Sawai Madhopur (SWM), the adjoining town is a major junction on the Mumbai to Delhi/Jaipur trunk line hence train connectivity is excellent. From Mumbai, the Delhi August Kranti Rajdhani is the best option (leaves Mumbai at 17:40 and reaches SWM the next morning at 06:30) and on the way back it leaves SWM at 20:45 and gets into Mumbai at 10:15 the next morning. There are a number of options to Delhi, including the August Kranti.
Jaipur (140 kms) is the nearest big city and airport, a comfortable 3 1/2 hour journey on excellent roads.
Stay
Ranthambhore has it all. From budget hotels to home stays to mid range to complete opulence, you can get the whole nine yards.
The luxury options include Taj Hotels' Sawai Madhopur Lodge, Oberoi Vanyavilas and Amanbagh.
Safaris
Other Tips
For those who prefer a home-like ambience, there is none better than Tiger Home (www.ranthambhoretigerhome.com) built by Hemraj Meena, a local who is one of the park's finest naturalists. A personal friend, Hemraj's dream had always been to have a place of his own where he can host wildlife lovers. And Tiger Home does exactly that. It's a really comfortable 8 room house with air-conditioned rooms and all the mod cons. Excellent home cooked food and very helpful staff make you feel genuinely like you're at home. And the best part is the company, you could hear all about his stories with Ranthambhore's amazing tigers. You can reach Hemraj at hemraj2000@yahoo.com or +91 9414030850.
At the mid-level, two of Ranthambhore's best options are the Ranthambhore Regency (www.ranthambhor.com) and Aditya Singh's Ranthambhore Bagh (www.ranthambhore.com)
Ranthambhore offers two types of safaris - gypsy (6 seats) and canter (approx 25-30 seats) Unlike most other parks, here the bookings are on a seat basis, so you can book 2 gypsy or canter seats without having to pay for the whole vehicle. All bookings need to be made on the website (www.rajasthanwildlife.com)
Please do book well in advance, especially if you need gypsy bookings. And always carry your ID proof with you, since there is invariably some checking at the entry gates.
Other attractions
Ranthambhore Fort and the Ganesh Temple - one of Ranthambhore's most distinctive features is the huge fort that looms over the park. This medieval fort also has Rajasthan's oldest Ganesh temple, which attracts thousands of visitors, especially on Wednesdays.
In addition to the core area of the National Park, the adjoining Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary is also very pretty. Open even in the monsoon, this forest has beautiful high mountains and lots of flowing streams. There are tigers here as well as leopards and hyenas. Certainly worth a visit.
Ranthambhore can get really hot in summer, so sunscreen and comfortable clothes and headgear is important. It can get equally cold in winter, so a thick jacket is a definite requirement.
Another factor is the dust, so if you're troubled or allergic, a face mask will come in handy.
And come prepared for the bumpy roads, Ranthambhore's only downside is that the roads on some routes (especially Zone 4) are really bad.
And come prepared for the bumpy roads, Ranthambhore's only downside is that the roads on some routes (especially Zone 4) are really bad.
Crested Bunting |
Great Thick-knee |
Large Cuckoo-shrike |
Pied Kingfisher |
Checkered Keelback |
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