Searching for Tigers - Part Two – Ranthambore

Do you see the tiger in this photo?

Searching for tigers in the wild is tough business. If that quote sounds familiar it’s because I started part one of this post with the exact statement, I thought it prudent to reiterate. Our tiger safari crew was pumped-up heading into our fourth and second to last tiger spotting opportunity. We had just spent several days touring the countryside of India with stops at Khajuraho, Orchha, Agra and Karauli before pulling into Ranthambore on an early Monday afternoon. We’ve seen all the temples and forts we can handle and now we’re ready for the real reason we’re all here, tigers. Ranthambore National Park in the state of Rajasthan is possibly India’s most popular tiger spotting destination. Many safari vehicles line the main road of the town and everywhere you turn there is a sign advertising safari booking.

Our Tiger Crew with Yaddu in the front.

Waiting to get into Ranthambore National Park

Our 20 person cantor safari vehicle pulled-up to the Raj Palace hotel and all seven of us jumped-in and took our seats. Five more minutes and a group of 13 boarded the beast of a safari truck for a twenty minute ride into the park. First stop was some passport formalities and a surprise 400 Rupee ($8.50 USD) fee for using my video camera inside the park. Ranthambore is divided up into six different tourist zones totaling approximately 400 square kilometers. Your zone number is determined by random (supposedly) with some zones being distinctly better than others. We lucked out and were granted access to zone three, the supposed best zone of the park, our hopes were high and it seemed fate was on our side.

A crocodile in Ranthambore

Sixty minutes into the hot and bumpy ride our dust-filled eyes caught sight of fresh tiger tracks on the road. A big male heading one direction while a female heading in the opposite. You can tell the difference in the tracks by the toe length, a female tiger has a slightly longer toe. Along with the tracks we came upon some fresh, very fresh by the smell, tiger poop in the road. The driver followed the big male’s footprints up the winding dirt road through the foothills. At this point our adrenaline is pumping, any moment we can turn the corner and come face-to-face with a wild Bengal tiger.

We tracked the tiger until his tracks vanished into the thick brush. When his trail was no more our driver pulled the truck over and parked. We waited there for quite some time hoping the tiger might backtrack and make an appearance. I should also add that there were about six other safari trucks in the area, all jostling for position to spot the elusive tiger. Unfortunately fate was not on our side that day. The elusive tiger never reappeared and we spent our afternoon driving around the park looking at various types of deer, some birds and a few crocodiles. The crocodiles were the bright spot of the afternoon as we were pretty tired of seeing the deer and birds. Sunset came and we were out of the park by 6:00pm with an optimistic view for our 5^th and final safari the next morning.

Sunset in Ranthambore

Six o’clock the next morning came all too fast. Pamela and I jumped out of bed with four minutes to spare for our safari meet time. We threw our clothes on and ran outside expecting to see everyone waiting for us on the truck. Fortunately, or unfortunately, our safari truck that morning was at least 30 minutes late. When it finally showed-up our crew of seven was quickly ushered onto a relatively full cantor, most stuck in the very back, Pamela and I up front sharing a seat. Not only was the truck 30 minutes late but we also were given permission to visit zone one of the park, supposedly one of the worst zones. Fate was not on our side that morning.

Larege male deer in Ranthambore

One of the many langur monkeys in the park.

Thirty minutes into the ride things weren’t looking well, we stopped to look at many little birds and deer, all of which our crew could have done without. We were there to spot tigers, we didn’t want to spend 10 minutes staring at a little bird. We drove around for the next 90 minutes looking for any signs of a tiger but to no avail. We spent part of the time dodging other safari vehicles which always seemed to be going in the opposite direction as us on tiny little roads. Our safari truck was teeming with small children and hearing impaired adults, all of whom talk very-very loudly, any tiger in their right mind would have been catching the next train to Mumbai if they heard us coming.

Carol, Linda and Steph waiting patiently to go.

Our 5^th and final safari culminated in a 25 minute bathroom break, which we found very fitting. All the safari trucks stopped, the guides had some tea and discussed the mornings events or lack thereof, while our tiger crew waited ever so patiently in the truck. Our driver and guide eventually corralled the remainder of our trucks occupants and we drove back to the hotel with very dejected looks on our faces.

The only tiger we saw on this day.

Ranthambore may be a decent place to spot tigers but we felt like we had a much better chance in Bandhavgarh National Park. If we were to do this again, which we probably won’t, we’d definitely skip Ranthambore and spend more time in Bandhavgarh. In Ranthambore your chances of getting a poor zone (like we did with zone one) are pretty high and zone selection could make or break your safari. Not to mention the tiger density in Ranthambore is much less than Bandhavgarh. Ranthambore is reported to contain about 34 tigers spread out over 400 square kilometers where Bandhavgarh is reported to have 23 tigers spread out over 106 square kilometers.

Our tiger, from 30 meters in the near dark.

We came to India to see wild tigers and we succeeded in seeing one wild tiger in Bandhavgarh. We hoped to see many more but with a dwindling population I think we were fortunate to see just one, especially considering we were here just after monsoon season which as we know now, is the worst time to visit. a

Here is the video we managed to get of the only wild tiger we saw in India. Unfortunately the tiger was at some distance in the near dark so it's a little hard to see.

Along with our tiger spotting came many other positives from this portion of our honeymoon. First and foremost we met a new group of friends in our wonderful tiger safari crew. Second we visited many beautiful places in India, most of which I’d never even heard of before this trip and last but not least we had the opportunity to tour rural India and see how India lives outside of the large cities. We will forever cherish the memories of this trip and are so thankful to have the opportunity to come to such a place as India for a chance to view the highly endangered Bengal Tiger.

All the photos from our Tiger Safaris can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/SearchingForTigers?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave

Searching for Tigers - Part One - Bandhavgarh

On the way to our first safari

Searching for tigers in the wild is tough business. A tigers stripes and color patterns make it one of the most perfectly camouflaged animals on the planet. Have you ever visited a tiger cage at a zoo and had a hard time spotting the tiger right away, even if you were standing still for a minute? A tiger can blend in so well with its surroundings, even in a zoo enclosure, that spotting them can be really hard. Searching for wild tigers here in India is kinda like that, except the tiger can be anywhere through a dense jungle and you’re sitting on the back of a jeep going 10 to 20 kilometers an hour.

So very hectic waiting to get into the park

We started our quest for tigers at the Bandhavgarh National Park in the Indian state of Manesh Pradesh. Bandhavgarh park is said to have the highest population density of wild tigers in the world and therefore the best place in the world to spot them. The main area of the park is 106 square kilometers and per park rangers (and some fact checking) is said to contain 23 tigers. This is approximately one tiger per every 5 square kilometers, really-really good numbers.

Sunset from the back of our jeep

Our first of three jeep safaris picked us up at our resort at 2:30pm on a Monday afternoon. The jeeps hold up to six guests and have spots for a driver and guide. From the resort you drive to the park entrance, fill out some paperwork, pick up an official ranger/guide, and you’re on your way. This process can take up to an hour so as with anything in India, bring your patience. After the formalities are done you’re on your way through the park with eyes wide open hoping to spot the elusive tiger. While searching for the tiger you’ll come along all sorts of deer, monkeys, wild boar and birds. It’s nice to stop and take a couple photos of the deer but in the end you’re here for tigers so you don’t stop for long.

One of the many Spotted Deer you'll see in the park.

One of the many Langur Monkeys, Two of our jeepmates got urinated on by one of these from a tree.

Next thing you know you’re whizzing along in the jeep and the guide will suddenly tell the driver to stop. It’s a tiger track, and a fresh one at that! We sit for several minutes and listen to the langur monkeys shout their alarm calls (meaning a tiger is moving nearby) and we wait. Our pulse is on the rise, maybe the hair on the back of your neck is standing-up and we’re so excited because we think we’re about to see one of the most endangered big cats on the planet. Five minutes of excitement turn into 10 minutes of disappointment when your guide tells the driver to continue on. The monkeys have stopped alarming and the tiger is gone.

Hoping to see tigers.

We left the official park disappointed after our first jeep safari, all feeling a bit down from not spotting a tiger. As we’re driving down the main road towards the town we see a large commotion ahead. Many jeeps are parked along the road and staring at something in the trees to the left. Our driver slams on the gas and races up to the commotion, nearly colliding with other jeeps to get the best vantage point. We look to our left and there he is, the elusive Bengal Tiger!! We found one and are so very excited, the whole reason we’ve come to India is to spot the tiger and we’ve done it!! Unfortunately the tiger, a big male, is so well camouflaged that we can just make out his head and body behind some bushes and trees at a distance of 25 meters. Still our cameras are snapping, people are yelling, jeeps are posturing for position, and more and more people are coming to watch. Even the locals driving by stop to have a look. After about 5 minutes the tiger decided he had enough of the commotion, got up (boy he was massive) and walked back into the thicker jungle. He was gone in second, the elusive Bengal Tiger!! Unfortunately the visibility was too poor for any of the photos to come out but we did manage to get the tiger on video which we’ll be able to publish in time for part two of this article.

We took two more jeep safaris at the Bandhavgarh park, one early AM safari, leaving the hotel at 5:30am and one more afternoon safari. Unfortunately neither of the safaris turned out a tiger sighting, we got close to a couple of tigers but never laid eyes on them. The lack of a sighting on these safaris was a bit disappointing, I even tried the old rally cap method but even that didn’t work. We were fortunate enough to see one wild tiger while at the park and that’s more than most people will ever see in their lives.

This is the sign you see as you're leaving the park. Very fitting.

Getting to Bandhavgarh
It’s not easy, not easy at all. From Delhi we boarded an overnight train to the city of Katni. The train left Delhi at 3:30pm and arrived in Katni 14 hours later at 5:30am. Overnight on the train we slept in 3^rd class A/C cabins on three tier bunks, Pamela in the middle bunk and me (DW) on the top bunk. If doing it again we would definately pay for a more expensive train ticket and go at least 2^nd class. We didn’t feel all that safe in our carriage and had to sleep on our backpacks to ensure their safety. From Katni we took a jeep for three hours, some over a very very bumpy road, to the park area. Our older model 4WD car’s suspension didn’t make the bumps any easier either!

While in Bandhavgarh we stayed at Mogli’s Jungle Resort. The resort was really nice, staff very friendly, cabins were cozy, food was really good, but there was no hot water. The second night we used an electric water heater and basically showered using the bucket method. I poured warm water over Pamela while she washed and vice versa, it was pretty funny. We found out later that the hot water wasn’t working because the resort had just opened for the season and the boiler was in need of repair. In any case we’d recommend the resort for anyone coming to the Bandhavgarh area.

Wrapping this long article up…It was a bit disappointing that we only saw one tiger in Bandhavgarh but then we could have just as easily seen no tigers so in the end we are very grateful for the experience. Stay tuned for part two of this article where we travel to Ranthambore National Park in the hopes of spotting even more tigers.

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave