As a family, we've been visiting Ranthambhore every summer for nearly 20 years; it is our annual pilgrimage, a non-negotiable event that is eagerly awaited for months. And so, going back this June after 3 years seemed quite strange and very gratifying at the same time. Strange because the dynamics of the park's tigers had changed totally in the last couple of years and grateful for things returning to a state where we could make this trip. And as we arrived on a hot June morning from a blockbuster Bandhavgarh first leg, and the hunger of two missed seasons, expectations of Ranthambhore were sky high. Would it deliver?
We settled easily and quickly into the comfortable rooms at Hemraj's Meena's Tiger Home, happy to be back home and pampered by the lovely staff, Dhanraj, Vijay and Hansraj. Overseeing operations was Hemraj's son Dharmraj, a hotel management graduate himself. As we arrived, we met another big group coming back from their morning safari at Zone 10, with a lovely sighting of T-99 and her three cubs. As we shared the breakfast table with them, their bonhomie and easy banter gave us the impression that they were old friends (and keen wildlifers) on a trip, much like us. Almost immediately, they made us feel welcome and part of their group. Imagine our surprise when we found out that most of them had only just met a day ago. A great lesson in how getting along is not always contingent on how long you've known someone. And our trip just got elevated to a much higher level, just by being around this wonderful group of people.
The power of Shakti
And so, buoyed with these pleasant thoughts (and a super lunch) we set out on our first Ranthambhore safari in 3 years. It would be Zone 4, home to Shakti and her cubs and also holding out the tantalising prospect of seeing our old favourite, Queen Krishna. The wheel was in the capable hands of the legendary Ikram bhai but the icing on the cake was having Hemraj with us. He is my guru on all things tiger, and I owe everything I know to him. We agreed that we would focus on Shakti and her cubs. And set Ikram bhai on course, without any distractions. And found ourselves at Jamun deh, scene of a memorable sighting a few years earlier when Shakti was a cub with her mother Krishna and now a regular haunt of her family.
The cubs had been seen daily for three days (albeit without their mother) and we confidently made our way into the valley, expecting to see them any moment. The jungle though is a great leveller and we drew a total blank. No cubs. No Shakti. Mystified, we checked out their other favourite area Semli but herds of peacefully grazing deer ended any hope of tigers there. And so, we returned to Jamun deh to find a jeep right at the base of the slope, checking out something in a cave a fair distance away. It was the cubs! We'd missed them when we drove by but the other chaps had found them. Felt great to set eyes on the new bearers of the legendary Machali's bloodline. There was no sign of the mother and for a while it seemed that they had no plans other than snooze. Suddenly they sat upright and were out of the cave in a flash. Hemraj said 'Maa' and we drove further ahead to investigate. And there she was, the beautiful Shakti.
For the next half hour or so, we had the most incredible of sightings as the cubs first rushed over to their mother and greeted her with no little enthusiasm. They rubbed against her, nuzzled against her and then amazingly, she lay down and nursed them; and these are 12-14 months old and proper meat eaters. Hemraj explained that it was more a bonding ritual between mother and offspring. It was touching to see, even if they were mostly hidden behind a clump of grass! She then led the cubs into the pool for a quick drink and the family purposefully strode up the rock face, crossed the road and headed towards Semli. Given how quickly they walked, we thought mom had made a kill and had come to get her cubs. Anyways, that was it for the tigers and we headed to the shores of Malik Talab to spend a lovely hour watching birds and enjoying the sunset. What an incredible start to the trip!
Day 2 A spotty day indeed
It dawned with a trip to Zone 1, traditionally our bugbear zone. For this, we were joined by another of Ranthambhore's special naturalists and dear friend Rajesh Gujar. We scoured the area for two tigresses, Sultana and her mother Noor (who'd recently given birth to cubs at the grand old age of 14!) but we saw no sign of either of them. Noor's core territory was sensibly blocked off by the Forest Dept to ensure minimal disturbance to the family. We were entertained by some lively Indian Pittas and a beautiful Orange-headed Thrush, so the absence of stripes wasn't felt as acutely. And as a further make up, we managed to see a Sloth Bear reasonably up close near a water hole. All in all a very pleasant safari.
That afternoon took us to Zone 5, home to Bhakola, scene of one of my most prized tiger sightings. It was currently occupied by Siddhi, one of Arrowhead's daughters. We scoured that area with no luck and headed back to the Kachida area where we saw another Sloth Bear, walking down the hillside and then laying to rest for the afternoon. We stopped by at another waterhole to wait for tigress T102 who is occasionally seen in the area. That wait got us some lovely bird sightings - Crested Buntings, Pittas, Paradise Flycatchers and Painted Spurfowl. There still was something that was pricking Rajesh and he asked the driver to head forward. And about a kilometre ahead, we saw fresh pugmarks of a male tiger on the road. We followed them to a waterhole at the base of a little hill. And then we heard the tiger roar from behind the hill. We waited in vain for him to come out, but with no luck. On our way out and a stationery jeep further ahead seemed promising, especially when the occupant (a documentary cameraman) waved us to come closer. We assumed stripe, but instead got spots - a big male leopard emerged from the bush. He had an injury in his front foreleg and was limping. He turned towards us and gave us a baleful stare before settling under a bush, maybe to wonder why these strange creatures were so interested in his predicament. We let him be and headed out, to prepare for a full-day safari the next day.
Full-day or Folly-day?
Ranthambhore's full-day safari used to be a dream. It allowed you to explore the park's tourism zone at your discretion, between dawn and dusk. And that sense of freedom was truly liberating, nevermind the sightings. No longer, for the new rules require you to be in Zones 6-10 between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm - defeating the fundamental principle of choice. I still haven't got a convincing argument for this (not that anyone owes a tourist any explanation) We'd had an older booking (deferred due to COVID) else I'm not sure if we'd have actually done it.
Back to the day itself and we started off in Zone 4, in search of T124 (Riddhi), T19 (Krishna) and Shakti and her cubs. The whole area was silent and so we headed back to Zone 2 to try for Noorie and her cubs. No sign of her but we saw the cubs lying above a dried up nala, too far for any photos. We headed further up towards Guda for signs of T60 and T57, who'd been mating in the area, but they too proved elusive. Rajesh then decided to drive back and check Zone 3 where we just missed Riddhi by a few minutes. Our only hope now rested on Noorie. For a while there was nothing. And then, magically, there was a tiger right in front of us. It was Noorie and Rajesh's intuition was proved 100% right. She walked right behind us, giving us some grand photos, then crossed the road and walked alongside. And as the throng intensified, we drove out and anticipated her movement much further away. And, right on cue, she appeared out of the nala in front of us, heading towards her cubs. Normally, we would have had a super sighting of mother and her cubs. But this was the new normal - we had to leave her and drive towards Zone 6! You would not have wanted to hear some of the things that were said in that jeep!
Anyways, we made it within the 9:30 deadline and then spent a fruitless hour trying to track one of the resident tigers of the zone. We then got word that a male tiger was seen in Zone 7 that morning, so we drove all the way out of 6 and then the additional few kilometres into the Zone 7 gate. We met Hemraj and his guests and he told us where Rocky (T58), the resident hunk was lying down to pass the heat of the day. we reached the spot and got a few OKish photos of this handsome hunk and then realised we had nothing else to do upto 3:30. Zone 10, the previously rocking zone was totally dry. T99 and her cubs were playing extended hide and seek. So we fortified ourselves with some kachoris from Porwal's legendary outlet in Sawai Madhopur town and headed back to Zone 6. And waited for 3:30.
And exactly at the appointed hour, we crossed over into Zone 2 and headed towards Noorie. En route we checked on the mating pair, deep in the bush and saw an ear here and a nose there. What's worse, Noorie and cubs had also disappeared, leaving us with nothing. We then had a stroke of luck - a passing jeep told us about the resident male T101 (Badal) holed up behind the fort near the old step-well (Khemchakund) We headed there and saw him close, but in thick bush. He just didn't want to be photographed that day, maybe he was having a bad hair day or something. We left him too and went off to Zone 4 again to see of we could spot princess Riddhi. And we did, she was resting next to a little stream off Malik Talab. As our only real hope of a good sighting, we spent a couple of hours hoping she would get up and strut her stuff. But that only remained a hope as she steadfastly insisted on adopting a reclining pose. C'est la vie, we said and shrugged off what was easily the most disappointing full day safari. We'd glimpsed 8 tigers but save the Noorie catwalk, we'd had pretty much nothing. I might sound churlish, complaining after seeing 8 tigers, but it's not so much about what was, but more about what could (and should) have been. We still had 4 more safaris left and there was still a lot to look forward to.
Ganesh's booty
The next morning was in Zone 3, Ranthambhore's renowned Lakes area, also its smallest zone. It was now ruled by Riddhi (who we'd left in Zone 4) and her consort Ganesh (T120) Unlike other zones, there were no other tigers here. We spent the first hour praying as much as tracking, even as we scoured this small area. Then we joined other jeeps, praying at the border of Zones 3 &4, hoping for one of these tigers to come this way. And then, in the grass, on our side of the border, someone saw a tiger. At first we had no idea who it was, but when he stood up, we saw it was Ganesh. Now we hoped he wouldn't go towards Zone 4 to have a pow-wow with his lady love, Riddhi. Mercifully, he didn't and started walking our way. When he emerged from the grass, we saw that he had something in his mouth, It was a spotted deer carcass, basically just bones and skin, so old that it probably dated back to the previous millennium. But he purposefully carried it, stopped to gnaw at it a couple of times and then carried on walking. Once again, we had cause to marvel at Rajesh's skills. He abandoned the other jeeps and took us much further down, where he estimated the tiger would cross. And that is exactly how it played out, he was so close that we got an almighty whiff of that smelly carcass. Ganesh, obviously no connoisseur of fine food, grandly descended into a little valley with his precious cargo. And we, delighted at the sighting, considered our our breakfast with a little more interest. Some more excitement was kindly provided by a lady who nonchalantly tossed a plastic bottle out of her jeep and smiled through it with no remorse as her red-faced guide retrieved said offensive object. End of safari.
Check. Mate
We were back Zone 2 that afternoon, the most happening area of the park with 9 tigers resident there. We'd decided to prioritise the mating pair. And that's where we headed, making sure were were one of the first jeeps at the gate. We reached the spot to find Lord 57 sitting under a tree, with the female lying under its roots. There were already a couple of full day jeeps hogging prime positions, and we were soon joined by many other vehicles, so we decided to take a chance with one angle and stay put. The stage was set. The audience was agog. The hero was willing and eager. But the heroine didn't care a hoot. She slept blissfully under all the attention, especially from her anxious suitor. Time and again he would go to her and try almost every trick - coax, cajole, nudge and even threaten. But she would have none of it. He was getting restless and so was the audience... vehicles jostled to get at least a photo of him and tempers frayed. He showed her his annoyance at holding up his starring role, but she stayed impervious to all of this. And so did we, the only jeep to hold our place and stay put.
He tried a new trick, went closer to her, showed off his physique, then dropped his face almost to hers and bared his fangs while making low, guttural sounds. Whatever it was, it finally worked. Maybe he wore her down, maybe she felt sorry for him (and us!) but she suddenly got up and walked alongside the tree and settled down invitingly. And he followed her, drawn magnetically to her form as they mated under the roots of the tree... their bodies were only half visible (preserving their modesty no doubt) and we were pretty much the only vehicle that got a decent sighter. There was foliage in the way of a good photo, but we saw them clearly as they mated and then as she snarled at him to get off. She came forth and settled down again, he got interested, she brutally put him down with a snarl of sheer fury that said "Enough!" He got the message but bared his fangs belatedly as if to show his dominance. He failed. His audience saw who was the real boss and His Lordship sheepishly settled down at his Ladyship's bedside. We decided we'd had enough and extricated ourselves from the crowd, got a quick glimpse of a sleeping Noorie and a cub, and legged it back home.
We weren't done though! We exited the gate and then drove alongside the buffer area that adjoins the main road. And at one point we saw some vehicles parked and staring into the distant hillside. Only when the thing moved did we realise that they were watching a leopard! He walked the catwalk a bit and then disappeared. And here we were, spots and stripes in the same safari! And we still weren't done with being spoilt. That night we had dinner at the wonderful Ranthambhore Regency, always the benchmark for hospitality in Ranthambhore and a place where we enjoyed many many trips over the years. It was wonderful to walk through the place and be hosted by the ever-gracious Ravindra Jain.
The finale
The last day dawned much like the previous one - hot and steamy. With one difference; we'd traded a regular safari for a half-day, just greed I suppose. The chance to see Krishna again, Arrowhead perhaps and maybe T99 and her cubs. And oh, a decent sighting of Noorie's cubs.. whatever the motivation, we just went and did it. And again, we started in Zone 4, briefly saw Riddhi and Ganesh in courtship far away in the anicut near Malik Talao before seeking Krishna and Shakti, but in vain. We returned to what we thought was Riddhi, only to be told by someone from another jeep that it was Arrowhead. A look through the binocs did confirm that. Here she was, way out of her territory, exactly where her daughter Riddhi was the previous evening, mating with Ganesh. What was going on? They were too far to ask, so we decided to let them be and make a dash into Zone 2.
And as we neared Noorie's territory, we ran into a wall of traffic. Mom and cubs were in the same nala as before but we had to get through a phalanx of massive 20-seater canters to reach them. And that wasn't going to be easy. A laggard canter though told us that they'd seen Riddhi at the Nalghati waterhole behind; in Arrowhead's territory. So that morning, Arrowhead was deep into Riddhi's territory and Riddhi was in Arrowhead's!! And we decided to take this chance. But as we drew near, another vehicle told us that she'd moved up into the hillside under the old fort. Our spirits dropped a bit but not Rajesh's, as he navigated through the route she could have taken. Even when we drew a blank, he did not pause for a minute. He asked the driver to go around and approach the hillside from the other end. And as we drove through the bush, a pair of peafowl suddenly rose up in the air. Rajesh immediately said 'The tiger has come here'. And sure enough, we round a bend and there is Princess Riddhi in the flesh!
The last safari was in Zone 2 again. We went back to search for the mating couple but initially saw neither of them. A couple of alarm calls told us a tiger was on the move and the lady T60 emerged for a soak and a drink in the nearby waterhole. Her mate was nowhere to be found, evidently their whirlwind romantic encounter was at end at least for now. We're all hoping for some 'good news' in a few months, fingers crossed. With Noorie and cubs too missing, we were entertained by a beautiful Brown Fish Owl who first posed and then came down for a drink. Probably the first time I'd seen an owl drink water. Rajesh then decided that the piece du jour would be a big male sighting.
And we headed to the back of the old fort where we'd seen T101 on the full day. And there he was, exactly at the same place. We held back for a bit and then he evidently decided it was time to put on a show. He walked on the road for a bit, and then suddenly started roaring as he made his way down the hillside. He was calling to Arrowhead, the co-owner of that area and one of his mates. Getting no response (she was obviously a few miles away with another male!) his roars got louder and louder, reverberating across the rocks. Again, we saw more evidence of Rajesh's brilliance. He had the driver go all the way down the valley and wait a fair distance away in a clearing. And sure enough, the tiger arrived, roaring all the way, giving us some pictures through the trees. He came broadside, stopped and looked up at us, showing us what a handsome chap he was. Photoshoot over, he made his way, still seeking Arrowhead. Had he, in some strange feline way, sensed her transgression? For her sake and that of their domestic bliss, I fervently hoped not.
And there ended a monumental return to Ranthambhore. The number of tigers didn't matter (though it did) nor the quality of sightings (they were incredible) What mattered was just being back home. And hoping that we never go through another year without missing our annual pilgrimage.
The tiger gods really obliged us as always, but this time the trip was about something non-tiger, that was as special. Meeting a wonderful new set of friends and sharing stories with them. People who made us feel even more at home though we were already at home. Whose generosity of spirit and love for wildlife is incredibly infectious. Here's hoping for more trips with them!
Postscript - So what was Arrowhead doing so far from her base territory? We asked a couple of our resident experts for their view and they both said that she was managing her risks. Her territory lay bang in the overlap zone for T120 and T101's areas and she was mating with both of them to protect her future cubs. Both of them would assume that her next litter was fathered by them. Smart, eh?!
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 17:10 and reaches SWM the next morning at 05:30) and on the way back it leaves SWM at 20:45 and gets into Mumbai at 9:45 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 hour journey on largely good roads.
Stay
Ranthambhore has it all. From budget hotels to home stays to mid range to full-on opulence, you can get the whole nine yards.
For those who prefer a home-like ambience, the best is Tiger Home, an 8 room place (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, Hemraj's experiences are incredible and you could well hear all about his stories with Ranthambhore's amazing tigers.
At the mid-level, the Ranthambhore Regency is a superb option. It is comfortable, offers facilities like a pool and a bar and has some awesome food. And the hospitality of the Jains is incomparable.(ranthambhor.com). Their new place Sawai Vilas (sawaivilas.com) is exquisite and a must-consider if you're looking for a luxury stay
Other luxury options include Taj Hotels' Sawai Madhopur Lodge, Oberoi Vanyavilas and Amanbagh.
Safaris
Ranthambhore offers two types of safaris - gypsy (6 seats) and canter (approx 20 seats) Unlike most other parks, here the bookings are on a seat basis, so you can book individual gypsy or canter seats without having to pay for the whole vehicle. All bookings need to be made on the website (https://fmdss.forest.rajasthan.gov.in/)
Please do book well in advance, especially if you need gypsy bookings. And always carry your ID proof with you, since there might be some checking at the entry gates.
In addition to morning and afternoon safaris, you can also do half and full days in the forest, though it is restricted to very few vehicles. The rules are more cumbersome now, but they still give you advantages that the regular safaris don't - like being able to choose which zones you want to go to (at least for part of the day)
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.
There are village visits and homestays - Hemraj's village Bhuri Pahari is an example where there are some comfortable stay options. You can explore and experience village life and also spot some interesting birds, especially in winter.
Other Tips
Ranthambhore can get really hot in summer, so sunscreen, comfortable clothes and headgear are a must. It can get equally cold in winter, so carry a thick jacket for sure.
If you are doing a full or half day safari, please carry a bag or haversack with sun-block, adequate water and also some dry snacks or fruit if you get peckish during the day.
While a gypsy can take 6 people, it's advisable for a full-day (or half day) safari to have no more than four people. 6 is a tight squeeze and manageable for a 3 hour safari, but to spend 6 or 13 hours like that is not recommended, definitely for your sanity!
Another factor is the dust, so if you're troubled or allergic, a face mask will come in handy.
Fabulous Narration
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