Wednesday, 28 February 2018

A surfeit of tigers in Ranthambhore but will we see one ?

this is where we saw the tigress 
  Bharatpur to Ranthambore
Date
Time
Mileage
Distance
villages passed
21/11
8 am
187142

Naya Gaon Magi / Mahwa / Mehndipur Balaji


1.10 pm
187381
239
Arrived Sher Garh Ranthambore



The Bombay Natural History Society BNHS has been arranging camps and trips to various nature reserves for many years. I was with them on the Chambal, Bharatpur and Ranthambore camp. We arrived here from Bharatpur Bird sanctuary. A long tiring drive.




There are many hotels. Most of them have the word "sher” in them; so it gets very confusing. Try and stay near the entry for zones 1 to 5 as it’s easier in the early mornings when you have to go at 6.00 am.


Enough has been written about Ranthambore. Suffice it to say that tigers are aplenty but it all depends upon luck. 
If you have time and money, hire a jeep. Takes six pax. Cost Rs 30,000 for half day, Rs 60,000 for full day. Advantage is you can go to any zone. Chances of seeing a tiger(s) shoot up.



If you are in a group or want to go on the standard tour, you are forced to take the zone allotted to you. You can change the zone if the allotment is repeated. You can also request a zone... it all depends upon how you treat the concerned officer. 


Ranthambore 1700 sq kms; 20% open for visitors; 10 zones. 1 to 5 in one area near our hotel and the most popular. Other zones # 6 to 10 about 13 kms away. 



During our stay, we had three safaris and I stayed on so I got an extra one – we were in zones 1,2,4 and 6.

 We had many birders in the group and the main birds I recall are:
Rufus tree pike
Black tailed godwit
Greater spotted eagle
Spotted owlet
Comb bill duck  
Guides Pradip Sharma Zone 3 and Vijay Singh zone 4 were excellent.


































































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Text and photographs are copyright of the author. No part of any article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com