Why is Ranthambore our favourite park in India?

By Hetal Shah

Our first jungle was in Ranthamore and we instantly fell in love with it. We are based in Mumbai and Ranthambore is also easily accessible to us. In fact, in greed to accommodate more safaris, we take the evening train to Sawai Madhupur and directly jump into the gypsy for our morning safari and take the last train late evening back home so we can finish our evening safari without any hurry and also have an early dinner.

Preferred stay

Ranthambore entry gate from the station is a mere 20 minutes drive and our most preferred hotel - Ranthambore Regency is also 10 minutes away. We always stay at this hotel and highly recommend it to all our guests who are visiting the park. Their service, food and location are impeccable and they will ensure all our needs are taken care of. The hotel has a policy of ‘Never say no’ which makes it the number one choice for most foreigners. You will be surprised to hear that the hotel has been serving repeat guests of up to 60% and is usually fully occupied even during monsoon when the core safari zones of the park are shut. The owner of the hotel Mr. Ravindra Jain is an omnipresent figure at the hotel and is one of the most helpful individuals we've met.

Humans of Ranthambore

Speaking a bit more about the humans of Ranthambore, we have had the pleasure of meeting innumerable locals who work as guides, drivers and forest officials and these are the most heart-warming, knowledgeable and enthusiastic individuals we have ever encountered. This is one of the main reasons why we keep visiting the park frequently.

Our favourite time to visit

Other than the easy accessibility and the humans of the park, Ranthambore has given us our unforgettable tiger sightings over the years and we make it a point to visit the park twice a year - a summer trip to celebrate my birthday and a winter trip which is usually in the month of November or December because the winter light is every photographers' delight. It is also our favourite time to experiment and hone our photography skills.

The average duration of our stay

Our visit to Ranthambore usually lasts for approximately around a week with 12-18 back-to-back safaris. And on each visit, we are blessed with about 15-25 tiger sightings. These sightings are a mix of tiger hunting and feasting, cubs playing, mating and anything the park can bless us. There have been times when we have been blessed with 21 tiger sightings on a full-day safari (this is rare!!) and there have been times when we have been on a winter visit to the park and for some weird unruly co-incidence it has rained and ruined our chances of seeing tigers but we got lucky to see sloth bears. (And you will find it hard to believe but it has happened to us 4 times until now). In such challenging conditions, we have made the best use of our time by improving and learning new photography skills.

Every time we book permits for the park, we will come up with a killer strategy that will not only ensure we see as many tigers as possible but also target those that we haven't seen or we want to see their next generation blooming. For example, our December 2023 trip was dedicated to seeing T124’s second litter of cubs. Trust me when i say this - a strategy is extremely important when we book permits and it has more often than not worked in our favour.

Why do we keep going back?

Ranthambore’s rich history of flora and fauna, its beautiful landscape and the humans who work tirelessly with so much dedication, zeal and passion make us want to visit the park as frequently as possible. The park also houses the majestic and almost. The Impregnable Ranthambore fort which stood the testament of the Mughal invaders and after India’s independence was returned to the Maharaja of Jaipur. The fort houses several water tanks, palaces, courts and places of worship with the most popular being the idol of Lord Ganesha on three sides. The fort was considered impregnable due to. It’s strategic location and built and it was surrounded on some sides with a deep trench full of crocodiles back in the day.

Since the increase in big cat population since the 1970s; leopards, tigers and even sloth bears often take a stroll of the fort. And let's not forget the many troops of langur monkeys that are always ready to snatch food from the visitors.

All of this and the unforgettable tiger sightings in this park have made us go back again and again and again. If you also want to experience this, then get in touch with us to plan your next trip to the Ranthambore.