Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Trip Duration:
2 game drives
October 2007
"Hikergal"Source: RealTravel |
Recently Added Review:
Once the zones are allocated and the vehicles are off there is no switching from one place to the next; it is a matter of one zone per drive and hoping that whichever zone you are awarded is the most likely to reveal a tiger or three.
Hikergal saw a Bengal tiger taking a rest under the shade of a tree on her first drive and on her second caught sight of not one, but three little cubs in the distance. Unfortunately they could not go very close since there was a divide between them and the other zone where the cubs appeared.
As dark approached the cubs moved out of the density of the bush a bit and could be seen in plain sight, making for a good end to a wonderful day in India…
 
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Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Trip Duration:
1 game drive
October 2007
Magee Clegg, USASource: TravelBlog |
After three previous jungle trips during Magee's extensive India holiday, he joined a tiger safari at Ranthambhore in the hope of improving his luck and finally see a cat.
It took more or less three hours worth of driving, for the group to spot five tigers cooling themselves at a stream in the park. Before long, one of the tigers got up and headed towards the jeep, with the rest of the pack following close behind.
The tigers were so used to the roar of the jeep's engine that they came within touching distance, although it is obviously not a good idea to actually reach out a hand to one of these great creatures…
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Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Accommodation & Booking Agent:
Tiger Safari Resort
Trip Duration:
2 game drives
June 2007
Sonny and Kathryn, UKSource: TravelBlog |
Sonny and Katherine ended their India tour with a tiger safari and they were not disappointed despite the heat (48°C).
Ten minutes into their 3-hour safari drive a beautiful tigress was spotted and she obliged them by walking up close to their vehicle and lying down as if posing for a photo session. Sonny says that her attention was caught by passing deer, but that she seemed uninterested in attacking. They were able to trail her for nearly half an hour before she headed back into the bush.
Their second drive was met by deer, peacocks and crocodiles while Sonny was the only one fortunate enough to sight a leopard to one side of the truck while the rest of the group were looking to the other side trying to spot her…
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Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Booking Agent:
Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) in Delhi
Trip Duration:
1 game drive
26 November 2006
Eric ShermanSource: Eric's personal blog |
As part of a 15-day India tour with a personal driver, Eric and Lisa visited Ranthambhore for a tiger safari. After getting up at 5:30, it took hours before Eric actually saw one. It wasn't until a monkey sounded a warning to the deer that they saw a tiger casually strolling along.
He says that they got quite close to the tiger but that the animal seemed entirely unfazed by their presence as it walked pass them at only about three metres away, paying them no attention on its way into the forest. Eric took a number of pictures of this truly great sight.
They also saw some owls and a few deer...
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Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Trip Duration:
2 game drives
November 2006
Jeremy and Suzanne vann Hansen, USASource: TravelPod |
Recently Added Review:
The early start to a tiger safari day is not everyone's cup of tea so be sure to go to bed early to make the 05:00 rise less difficult.
Jeremy and Suzanne chose driving in a cantor instead of a jeep since it was less expensive even if at the cost of comfort. A cantor can cater for twenty one passengers while in a jeep there is space for a lot less. Nevertheless, crowding was not their biggest concern, they just wanted to see some tigers.
Unfortunately their first trip out, in zone four of the park, proved unsuccessful. They decided to have a second go at it, this time in zone three and with much better luck. They sighted a female tiger first and only half an hour later a male.
On their way out of the park they encountered the same female, this time within a mere three metres of them, making it difficult even for their guide to contain his excitement at their good fortune…
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Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Trip Duration:
2 Days
17 April 2006
Anthony SheffieldSource: TravelBlog |
This National Park still contains an estimated 50 tigers but the odds of seeing one are reasonably low because they are so secretive. Anthony was one of the lucky ones. The first safari drive yielded a fresh tiger print and plenty of deer, water buffalo, monkey, great scenery but no sign of the mighty cat itself. The second drive also came up empty but on the third attempt, there it was... A magnificent tigress sleeping on a rock for a full ten minutes until all the attention from noisy humans drove her up to higher ground...
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Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park
Trip Duration:
2 Days
18 February 2006
Trish and KevinSource: TravelPod |
Trish and Kevin chose to go tiger tracking in a jeep rather than the canter truck which is more expensive but you get the individualized attention of the guide. And they were amazingly lucky to spot not one, but two tigers on only their second outing. The first glimpse was of the back-end of a tiger disappearing into the bush but later on they hit the jackpot. A 3 and a half year old female tiger at the waterhole who was only about 15 metres away and lay in the bushes watching them for awhile until she got too hot and went down to drink...
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Accommodation and Trip Operator:
Hotel Tiger Safari ResortDestination:
Ranthambhore National Park Trip Duration:
2 Days 07 January 2006
Shannon and Allison Source: TravelBlog
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Shannon and Allison had wanted to book a jeep for their tiger safari but their travel agent wrongly told them they couldn't book one in advance and when they got to the national park all the jeeps were taken. But just to prove that it is possible to see tigers in a canter (truck that carries 20 people), they managed to see three on the same trip. The first two were stalking deer and the third was sitting in the open by the lakeside as they rounded a bend in the road. One of the disadvantages of Ranthambhore National Park, as Shannon and Allison found out, is that if you do spot a tiger you will have to jostle for position with many other jeeps and canters, but they still managed to get excellent tiger sightings...
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Accommodation and Trip Operator:
Ranthambhore Bagh HotelDestination:
Ranthambhore National Park Trip Duration:
2 Days 30 November 2004
Brian McMorrow Source: Pbase
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Brian went on two three hour game drives a day where the likelihood of spotting a tiger is said to be about 30% and he had to settle for seeing tiger tracks. The magical cat remained elusive but there was plenty of other wildlife to see in the reserve. In Ranthambore National Park the best times for tiger safari viewing are the hot and dry months of March and April...
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Accommodation and Trip Operator:
Ranthambhore Bagh Hotel.Destination:
Ranthambhore National Park Trip Duration:
3 Days. 23 February 2004
Szabolcs Kokay Source: Kokay Website
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Szabolcs also tried for a jeep but they were booked solid two months in advance. He went on four three-hour tiger safari drives over two days with the only thing to show for it by way of anything feline was 10 minute old tiger footprints. But on the morning drive of the third day they saw 3 tigers on different occasions. One in a dried streambed, the second in tall grass and the third as they were leaving the park close to the road (8 metres away). How does old the saying go? If at first you don't succeed...
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Destination:
Bandhavgarh National Park
Trip Duration:
3 Days
09 March 2006
Bob FlemingSource: Ventbird |
In Bandhavgarh National Park tiger tracking is done by means of jeep and elephant. The pachyderms can go where even jeeps can't and watching Bengal tigers from the back of a swaying elephant is an unforgettable experience. Bob was to experience this on his very first morning in the park when a group of elephant scouts spotted a tiger family not to far from the driving track. After waiting their turn for an elephant ride they sauntered into the forest to view a tigress and her two nine month old cubs, one lying on a rock. As if that wasn't enough, a second tiger family was spotted and they made their way there to enjoy the regal presence of four 14 month siblings, one of them well up a flame tree. Eight tigers sighted in one day...
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Destination:
Bandhavgarh National Park
Trip Duration:
2 Days
05 January 2006
David HoddinottSource: Rockjumper |
Bandhavgarh National Park rightly has a reputation as one of the best places to spot Bengal tigers. David went on three elephant rides and saw an incredible total of seven of the large cats, which included views from only a few metres away...
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Accommodation and Trip Operator:
Maharaja Royal Retreat, BirdingtoursDestination:
Bandhavgarh National Park Trip Duration:
4 Days 11 February 2005
Krishna Karki Source: Birdnet
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Krishna was on a birding tour of India but didn't want to pass up the chance of seeing the magnificent cat in the wild in Bandhavgarh while getting in some serious bird watching too. He was very fortunate to have an encounter with one of the biggest tigers in the park known as B2. He was resting under a bamboo clump about 20 metres away cleaning his huge paws and yawning periodically. Every now and then he would stare directly at Krishna with his yellow eyes. A magical moment. They also managed to see two tiger cubs who were waiting for their mother to come back from a hunting expedition...
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Accommodation and Trip Operator:
Tiger Trails Resort, Indian Adventures (Delores Verma)Destination:
Bandhavgarh National Park Trip Duration:
4 Days February 2005
Beverley Olsen Source: Funkymunky
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With the highest density of Bengal tigers of any national park in India (about 120 tigers in a 105 km area), Bandhavgarh is a great place to go big cat watching. The very first safari trip into the park delivers a tiger sunbathing on a rock high above a waterhole and they watch her for about half an hour as she dozes, stretches and cleans herself just like a house cat. The second sighting the next day makes a trip on the back of the elephant necessary and takes them directly to a tigers den where there is one cub outside chewing on the remains of a kill and about three siblings inside the den itself...
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Accommodation and Trip Operator:
Hiawatha Resorts
Destination:
Kanha National Park
Trip Duration:
2 Days
12 March 2005
Renuka SaneSource: NYX |
Renuka went on a 2 day tiger safari to Kanha but in hindsight says that one should really plan on at least four rides into the jungle if you are serious about seeing tigers. They booked a gypsy (open topped jeep) to drive around in but when a tiger was sighted they relied on a trusty elephant to get them to the right spot in the forest. The huge tiger only gave them a passing glance when they arrived, shrugged its shoulders and went back to sleep while they looked on awestruck by the beauty of this amazing animal...
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Destination:
Corbett National Park
Accommodation:
Camp Forktail
December 2007
The Druce family, AustraliaSource: Personal blog |
The Druce family found the tranquillity at Camp Forktail absolutely amazing. They only regretted not staying longer to enjoy the fantastic food and remarkable service.
They explored the forest on a guided walk and later went on a jeep tiger safari. Although they spent a great amount of time tracking prints and signs, the tigers seemed to have been hiding away that day, so they did not see any.
They do however find that it was worth it nonetheless and ended their stay with an elephant ride through the forest…
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Destination:
Corbett National Park
Alaka Yeravadekar, IndiaSource: BootsnAll |
Alaka's group were riding elephants with the assistance of mahouts (Hindi term for elephant driver) on a tiger safari in the jungle at Corbett and they were not disappointed.
Looking down from the back of the elephant she was on, she expected to see the tiger that was spotted by one of the mahouts, but it was only when she glanced to her side that she saw what all the fuss was about, a three-year old male tiger standing, not on the ground, but on a branch that matched her height on the elephant's back, staring her straight in the eye from only about five metres away.
She says that the tiger did not seem happy with their presence in his domain, as he exposed his teeth at them and moved up and down the branch as though deciding whether or not to pounce. The mahouts decided it might be safest to move along and leave the fierce animal in peace…
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Accommodation:
Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge
April 2008
Audrey GonzalezSource: Audrey's blog |
Recently Added Review:
Audrey made the quest for the royal Bengal tiger riding an elephant through the jungle. Having a fascination with these great animals it was already a thrill to have such close encounters with elephants but seeing a tiger was a must for Audrey, and so she was thrilled when two hours into their tiger safari anticipation turned into excitement.
The tiger was almost completely camouflaged in the tall grass right in front of them, making it difficult for her to spot him at first, but he quickly came into full view much to everyone's delight.
Unfortunately Audrey's camera died before she could capture the incredible moment, but for her it was enough only to have seen him, a sight that made for what she labels the greatest adventure of her life…
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