Tadoba (Feb 2023) - Tiger-central!

The forests of Central India, along with the Western Ghats are probably the last strongholds of the tiger, where this majestic feline not just hangs on, but actively thrives. Among the many spectacular National Parks that makes up this patchwork of paradise is Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in eastern Maharashtra. In my humble opinion, Tadoba (with Ranthambhore and Bandhavgarh) give you the best chance of seeing a tiger. And so, it was quite a surprise for me that I hadn't visited for nearly a decade, a fact that my friend and Tadoba guru Shalik Jogwe kept reminding me. It was time for a remedy and a dear friend's (rather delayed) 50th birthday celebrations provided the perfect occasion and weekend. 

A comfortable overnight train to Nagpur and we were picked up by Shalik himself in one of the cars that drove us to Tadoba. It was great to chat with him en route, learning and reacquainting myself with this wonderful forests and its tigers. We got off at the charming Irai resort, freshened up, fortified ourselves with a lovely meal and we were ready for the tigers. The first (of four) safaris would be in the Devada buffer zone, about 5 kms away from our hotel. Shalik connected us with our enthusiastic guide and driver and we entered, licking our lips.

Suffer in the buffer

The Devada buffer zone is a relatively new addition into Tadoba's safari network, but it has quickly become one of its most popular and not without reason. It is home to at 3 resident females and at least an equal number of males. We were told of a pair of tigers that were spotted in the morning near a waterbody and we headed there first. Finding no signs of them, our dynamic duo decided to head to another area, home to the tigress W and her cubs. There too, we drew a blank. Then they decided to take us to Junona lake on the fringes of the zone. It was quite the bone jarring ride, and seemingly without luck, for Junona lake was bare. A passing jeep got news of the tiger pair being spotted in the original spot, so we bone-jarred our way back, only to find that the couple had eloped. To add the proverbial salt, we got news that a tiger had emerged from the grass at Junona lake as soon as we left and so, guess what? We drove back there - don't ask about our bones. About a 100 metres out, we see a jeep coming the other way, full of tiger-feasted tourists (there is a typical look on people's faces when they've seen a tiger on a safari) 

Imagine our chagrin then, as we turned into the lake for our turn on the buffet and found that the main course, content to wallow in the water for an hour, decided now to slink into the grass and resume his afternoon siesta. All we saw was a shadowy figure and that too for a nano-second. And we were done- so when our driver suggested that we get might want a dekko at place 1, he was met with 5 vehement 'No's', including from my daughter and me, normally more than a little tiger crazy. We accepted defeat gracefully and decided to glide out without much more damage to our body parts and ego. At the gate, an excited Shalik asked for my camera to see photos and seemed quite nonplussed when I said there were none! Pretty much every vehicle (apart from guess which one?) had had super sightings of either the tiger pair or the male at the lake and he could not figure how we hadn't even seen a single tiger! Sometimes enthusiasm is too much of a good thing....

Scoring in the Core

Tadoba's core zone is unique in many ways, it has a tar road that runs through the middle like a spine with side roads spinning off like ribs. Among these ribs is the Teliya area, where I saw my first tiger cubs in Tadoba. One of these cubs, Sonam, is the dominant female in the Teliya area and we first made a beeline to look for her. The Queen was not in residence so we carried on to the territory of another of Tadoba's royalty - Queen Maya herself, easily the park's most photographed tigress. We drove through her favourite Pandharpauni area without any signs of her till a telltale swarm of jeeps gave her away... she was lying in the distance, accompanied by a large male, Rudra. it was all a bit strange because she'd just had a cub a few months ago so mating again was out of the question. Our guide then explained that she was with the male to keep him away from her cub. Time and again she would try and slink away and every time he would block her way. We felt sorry and not a bit anxious for her and her little cub. But that's nature and there was nothing we could do, apart from wish her well and leave her alone.

As we headed into the core zone for the afternoon safari with Shalik at the wheel this time, I realised that I'd not taken a single decent photo in two safaris. Unthinkable! Also, I was itching to use the Canon 300mm 2.8 lens that Shalik had so kindly lent me. A juvenile White-eyed Buzzard provided the first opportunity which I gratefully took. We drove to Maya but she had retreated further under the trees with the male, still bothered with his constant attention as some jeeps on the full day safari updated us.

We made haste to another area and encountered another jeep who had just seen a tigress cross the road. She was Roma, one of Shalik's favourites and he had anticipated her movement that afternoon. No wonder he was upset at having just missed her. He wasn't himself for the next half an hour and even my attempt to unruffle feathers was futile. We drove back towards Moharli gate and he decided to take a chance at Teliya. We drive into the grassland and a convoy of jeeps tell us that there's a tiger somewhere around. And sure enough, we see one on the far side of the lake. It was Sonam. She gave us a decent if somewhat distant sighting and sent us on our way for the evening, making Shalik feel a little better.

Magic at last!

The last safari and if history were to repeat itself, usually our best. This time there was only Navya and I from our party, the others all unable to make it for one or other reason. Shalik was also in the jeep, but as a passenger this time, not driving. And he proved to be the calming agent for our enthusiastic driver and guide combo. Yes it was them again, but thanks to him being around, we weren't haring around like fowl without their crowns. We drove in to find fresh pug marks of a male tiger and we followed it till they cut into the bush. We went to where we thought he'd emerge but there was no sign, so we retraced our path. And found fresher tracks, on top of our tyre marks. A couple of jeeps told us that they'd seen him on the road and he'd just stepped into the undergrowth. Bummer! Shalik was not one to give up, he thought through where the tiger could go and we dipped into a narrow side path with a couple of other vehicles. And as if on cue, a huge male tiger crossed the road in front of us, it was Taru, one of the big resident males. He headed towards the main road and we followed, hoping he would emerge. But he evidently got held up on the way, maybe met an old friend for breakfast.

We headed back into the forest, only to find that a tigress (Chhoti Madhu) had crossed the path and was headed to that same main road. So once again, we headed to the main road and waited. Then Shalik decided to track her along one of her favourite routes on the other side. As we waited, a flurry of vehicles arrived. - the tigress was on the move! We all expected her to come near the lake but she turned up behind us in the forest instead. She crossed right behind us, and our enthu driver nearly had me on the forest floor as he attempted to turn around and go behind her. Shalik again calmed him down with some sage advice and we slowly went much further ahead and waited at a place along the lake shore, where she was likely to emerge. And emerge she did, like the queen she is; walked regally across the shore and into the forest. It was a thrilling sighting in excellent light and a fantastic way to end our trip.

Great coming back to Tadoba, seeing this wonderful forest and also spending time with the inimitable Shalik Jogwe, his passion and commitment to all things tiger (and Tadoba) is truly exemplary.

Tadoba Trip Guide

Getting there

Tadoba is one of the easiest tiger reserves to access. Chandrapur (40 kms away) is the nearest town and rail-head, on the Delhi-South India line, so has some great connections if you're coming in from there.

The nearest big city, airport and major rail head is Nagpur (~145 kms) A 3 ½ hour drive, very comfortable, on excellent roads for most of the time.

Stay

There are a reasonable number of hotels across categories, though not at the scale of say a Ranthambhore or even Pench. Irai, Svasara and Pugdundee safaris' Waghoba are three at the top end and Suez Akram's lovely Serai should always be in the mix. 

Please look at your safari gate before you choose your property, distances between the gates are huge and you don't want to spend significant time driving to and fro.

Safaris

You need to check availability and book safaris on https://booking.mytadoba.org/safari. Please do not plan the other elements (hotel, travel) without checking safari availability

To access the best jeeps and guides, Shalik Jogwe (+91 95959 36369 or tadobatiger@gmail.com) is the best person to arrange everything – he has his own gypsies, will get you the best guide and is a phenomenal storehouse of information on Tadoba. He’s very committed to Tadoba’s conservation and his Tadoba facebook page (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is created specially as a forum for Tadoba lovers. He also arranges tours, so do get in touch if you're interested.

Other Tips

Tadoba is also open in the monsoon, albeit restricted areas. So you could take a shot at seeing a tiger in the rain.

It can get really hot in the summer and very cold in winters. So please check the weather and pack accordingly.

Dust, like with most other Indian forests, is a constant companion. So please do factor that if it bothers you.