I've visited India four times. Each time I am most excited about the exotic wildlife. Monkeys abound. Camels and elephants seem to be part of everyday life. Whenever we go on safaris, we are told. Don't count on seeing a tiger. So when we went to Periyar National Park I accepted it. When we went to Wyanad, I accepted it.
This year, I decided that we would go to Gujarat and try to see the Asiatic lions there at Gir National Park. I was tired of accepting not seeing a tiger.
Well, plans changed and we ended up going to Ranthambore National Park near Jaipur.
Planning trips in India is tricky. The tips on seeing wildlife abound and they are always accompanied with the caveat, "Don't count on seeing a tiger". One of the tips was to get your park pass in advance because the lines are super long. They were accompanied with stories of folks queuing up at 5 and 6 AM. The more I read, the more overwhelmed I got. As luck would have it, getting overwhelmed dissuaded me from going through the online process (which was equally discouraging). I just figured I would wing it. I probably wasn't going to see a tiger anyway, right?
When we made our reservations for Ranthambore, I pondered whether to stay at the considerably more expensive "tiger safari resorts" which mentioned their proximity to the park, their ability to book jeeps and canters for safaris and their luxurious rooms. But, as luck would have it, I decided to save some cash and stay at the Hotel Aditya, advertised as the best "budget" hotel in Ranthambore.
Once we arrived, I asked Shawn, our host, if he could arrange a couple tiger safaris for us. I figured, we might have more luck if we went twice. But, upon arriving and realizing that the only interesting thing about Ranthambore was tiger safaris, I decided to cancel one of the trips and leave a day early, because I probably wasn't going to see a tiger anyway.
When I asked Shawn what time of day it was best to see a tiger, he suggested afternoon, which surprised me because I felt like I had read that mornings were better. But I took Shawn's advice, since I probably wouldn't see a tiger anyway. Shawn told me the price for the jeep safari, which was 3500 rupees per person, which is pretty steep in India. (we were paying 950 for our hotel room). It's about $45 per person. But after some grappling in my head about how I'm probably not going to see a tiger anyway, I decided to splurge on the unlikely chance that, maybe, I would see one.
Another guest at the Hotel, Neil, from Australia, was equally interested and decided to join us. We chatted together for a while and concurred that we probably wouldn't see a tiger anyway.
The next day, our jeep arrived. And, as luck would have it, the other passengers were an Italian couple and their personal and experienced Indian guide, who also happened to speak excellent English and happened to know that zone 10 was THE ZONE for tiger sightings this year. As luck would have it, T42, was hanging around that zone ever since (according to Shawn) his mate was poisoned by the natives and T42 refused to leave for days as he mourned over her body. The narrative was moving, but we all agreed that it was unlikely that we would see him.
It was a long day of everyone carefully scanning the woods. The guides suggested that we not stop to look at deer or other wildlife until the ride back to increase the opportunities to see a tiger, to which we all heartily agreed.
The ride seemed endless. At one point we stopped and observed a tiger feeding ground. We could see old bones of deer and other animals that had been eaten months earlier. We saw tiger paw prints on the road. These things are an exciting reminder that the tigers are there...even though we probably wouldn't see one. There was a ridge around the feeding ground that we almost drove along, but I think our guides were reluctant to risk it since it would be a precarious fall if he veered too far left or right.
The sun was just starting to set and it looked like our day had ended. I accepted our fate and acknowledged it was worth a try.
Suddenly another guide was waving to us. He was up on the ridge. Although, I couldn't understand his words, his eyes and arms screamed tiger. In seconds we were braving the ridge and there he was, T42. He was huge. He was so regal, just napping in the shade. We were climbing all over the jeep trying to get a different angle as the others jockied for a view. T42 looked right at us. He yawned. He stood up and stretched. He was completely indifferent to our presence. Our guide pointed out his kill from earlier that day. He was full of food and napping off his full stomach. It was even exciting to watch him take a dump. His coat was shiny and he had none of the qualities I have seen in caged tigers. This was his realm, we were guests in his house.
Within minutes, five jeeps were lined up behind us, yelling for us to move and give them a view. I was selfishly grateful for our guide's insistence on lingering
We finally gave up our spot for the others, but I selfishly wished I could have stayed all evening watching him. It was such an honor and a privilege. The drive home was rich with jubilation. To think that I even wondered about spending $50 on such an amazing experience. Every 10 minutes or so, one of us would say, "We saw a tiger!" And then an animated conversation about it.
This year, I decided that we would go to Gujarat and try to see the Asiatic lions there at Gir National Park. I was tired of accepting not seeing a tiger.
Well, plans changed and we ended up going to Ranthambore National Park near Jaipur.
Planning trips in India is tricky. The tips on seeing wildlife abound and they are always accompanied with the caveat, "Don't count on seeing a tiger". One of the tips was to get your park pass in advance because the lines are super long. They were accompanied with stories of folks queuing up at 5 and 6 AM. The more I read, the more overwhelmed I got. As luck would have it, getting overwhelmed dissuaded me from going through the online process (which was equally discouraging). I just figured I would wing it. I probably wasn't going to see a tiger anyway, right?
When we made our reservations for Ranthambore, I pondered whether to stay at the considerably more expensive "tiger safari resorts" which mentioned their proximity to the park, their ability to book jeeps and canters for safaris and their luxurious rooms. But, as luck would have it, I decided to save some cash and stay at the Hotel Aditya, advertised as the best "budget" hotel in Ranthambore.
Once we arrived, I asked Shawn, our host, if he could arrange a couple tiger safaris for us. I figured, we might have more luck if we went twice. But, upon arriving and realizing that the only interesting thing about Ranthambore was tiger safaris, I decided to cancel one of the trips and leave a day early, because I probably wasn't going to see a tiger anyway.
When I asked Shawn what time of day it was best to see a tiger, he suggested afternoon, which surprised me because I felt like I had read that mornings were better. But I took Shawn's advice, since I probably wouldn't see a tiger anyway. Shawn told me the price for the jeep safari, which was 3500 rupees per person, which is pretty steep in India. (we were paying 950 for our hotel room). It's about $45 per person. But after some grappling in my head about how I'm probably not going to see a tiger anyway, I decided to splurge on the unlikely chance that, maybe, I would see one.
Another guest at the Hotel, Neil, from Australia, was equally interested and decided to join us. We chatted together for a while and concurred that we probably wouldn't see a tiger anyway.
The next day, our jeep arrived. And, as luck would have it, the other passengers were an Italian couple and their personal and experienced Indian guide, who also happened to speak excellent English and happened to know that zone 10 was THE ZONE for tiger sightings this year. As luck would have it, T42, was hanging around that zone ever since (according to Shawn) his mate was poisoned by the natives and T42 refused to leave for days as he mourned over her body. The narrative was moving, but we all agreed that it was unlikely that we would see him.
It was a long day of everyone carefully scanning the woods. The guides suggested that we not stop to look at deer or other wildlife until the ride back to increase the opportunities to see a tiger, to which we all heartily agreed.
The ride seemed endless. At one point we stopped and observed a tiger feeding ground. We could see old bones of deer and other animals that had been eaten months earlier. We saw tiger paw prints on the road. These things are an exciting reminder that the tigers are there...even though we probably wouldn't see one. There was a ridge around the feeding ground that we almost drove along, but I think our guides were reluctant to risk it since it would be a precarious fall if he veered too far left or right.
The sun was just starting to set and it looked like our day had ended. I accepted our fate and acknowledged it was worth a try.
Suddenly another guide was waving to us. He was up on the ridge. Although, I couldn't understand his words, his eyes and arms screamed tiger. In seconds we were braving the ridge and there he was, T42. He was huge. He was so regal, just napping in the shade. We were climbing all over the jeep trying to get a different angle as the others jockied for a view. T42 looked right at us. He yawned. He stood up and stretched. He was completely indifferent to our presence. Our guide pointed out his kill from earlier that day. He was full of food and napping off his full stomach. It was even exciting to watch him take a dump. His coat was shiny and he had none of the qualities I have seen in caged tigers. This was his realm, we were guests in his house.
Within minutes, five jeeps were lined up behind us, yelling for us to move and give them a view. I was selfishly grateful for our guide's insistence on lingering
We finally gave up our spot for the others, but I selfishly wished I could have stayed all evening watching him. It was such an honor and a privilege. The drive home was rich with jubilation. To think that I even wondered about spending $50 on such an amazing experience. Every 10 minutes or so, one of us would say, "We saw a tiger!" And then an animated conversation about it.
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