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A tiger safari in Ranthambore: A moment in time that changed my life for ever

It was a cold winter evening in the Lake District, and I was spending a few months with my parents before setting off on a ‘round the world’ trip in February 1997. After dinner we settled down around the TV in their cosey living room and found a wildlife documentary to watch together. I still remember vividly, a tiger walking out of the morning mist with a huge, ruined fort in the background and that was the first time I had heard about Ranthambore national park. One day later I changed by around the world ticket to start from Delhi (not Kathmandu) and that moment changed my life forever.

The Ultimate Guide to the Best Tiger Safaris in India: Discover the Top 5 Places to Spot Tigers!

India is home to 75% of the remaining wild tigers on this planet, so this is the place to come for a tiger safari holiday. For those with a passion for wildlife photography, mammal watching, or simply the thrill of seeing these majestic creatures in their natural habitat, a tiger safari in India is an experience of a lifetime. This expert guide explores the best 5 places to see tigers in India, complete with pro travel tips and personal experiences to help you plan your ultimate tiger safari adventure to India.

Tigers, Tigers Everywhere – But where to go on your India Wildlife Holiday

We are undoubtedly in a golden period for wild tigers in India. We can say that with more than 20 years of experience visiting India’s tiger parks and having seen our first wild tiger in Ranthambhore national park way back in February 1997. Every wildlife photographers Facebook page seems to be adorned with yet more photographs of tigers with their cubs and tiger sanctuaries like Ranthambhore, Tadoba and Bandhavgarh have ‘too many tigers’ to sustain within the core and buffer areas of the main national park – so what does this mean for you, if you are currently planning your tiger safari in India?

Your India tiger safari: The Four Most Common Mistakes people make

Every year we receive numerous emails from clients who have already booked flights and maybe part of an India tiger safari holiday; but did not prioritise booking the jeeps. They then realise when they try to book the game drives online that all of the main zones are sold out and they basically don’t have a viable option to enter the park.

Bera Leopard Safari: A mini Yala in untouched Rajasthan

It was way back in 2004 that I first heard about the wild leopards of Bera, Rajasthan. I had been visiting many of India’s best wildlife sanctuaries since 1997 and I had enjoyed plenty of luck when it came to seeing tigers in the wild, but a sighting of the elusive Asian Leopard had eluded me. This in part can be explained by the obvious fact that leopards are very cautious around tigers, so a sighting inside the best tiger parks, such as Ranthambhore or Bandhavgarh would be very lucky indeed. In addition, leopards are much more nocturnal in their behaviour – when compared to tigers – so the reality is you are leaving the national parks, just when leopards are starting to be more active

Walking in the Footsteps of Jim Corbett

There are probably fewer iconic parks in India than Corbett; named after the legendary English hunter – turned photographer and conservationist – Jim Corbett. One of the first national parks in India to be given Project Tiger status and a place with so much wildlife and human history wrapped up in its origins, that a visit here just to hear about Jim Corbett; let alone see the wildlife tigers he helped conserve, is both enriching and fascinating at the same time.

Best Time to see Leopards in Sri Lanka

Like the majority of big cats around the world, leopard sightings tend to increase in the hotter, drier months when only a few remaining water sources are available for the resident leopards. Not only does this allow wildlife photographers and guides to predict more accurately the daily movements of the leopards, but it also presents the rare opportunity to witness a leopard kill; as prey species such a grey langurs and spotted deer become slightly less cautious due to their need to visit the water bodies on a regular basis

Is Sri Lanka the Perfect Destination for a Beach and Wildlife Holiday?

Even full on Sri Lanka wildlife enthusiasts like to ‘build in’ a bit of chill out time at the end of their Sri Lanka safari and there are not many better places in Asia to make this type of holiday happen. Sri Lanka is a compact country, with a reasonable road network and some really excellent and friendly local drivers – who are also infact superb guides.

The Big 5 of Sri Lanka. What They are and Where to See Them.

In the mid-2000’s Sri Lanka tourism was trying to re-position to country to help it tap into the rapidly growing wildlife safari market. Up until then, Sri Lanka had been mainly known for its beach holidays; with charter aircraft full of holidaymakers looking to enjoy beautiful beaches, friendly locals and the chance to top up their tans with some winter sunshine. However wildlife entrepreneurs such as the famous author of bird book, Mr Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, had realised that the potential for wildlife safaris in Sri Lanka was much greater than the industry had realised and set about promoting this in publications such as the BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Sri Lanka Leopard Safari – 3 things I wish I had known before booking

We live in an age where we can simply click on a button and book a Sri Lanka safari to see Leopards within minutes – but what have we actually booked? Have we asked the right questions of the travel agents to ensure that our trip of a lifetime will live up to expectations? We have been organising leopard safaris in Sri Lanka since 2002 and have seen the popularity of the country explode in the last 9 years since the terrible civil war ended.

Best Place in India to See Tigers. Top 5 Tiger Reserves in India

Best place in India to see Tigers – Top 5 Tiger Reserves in India. India is blessed to be in a ‘golden period’ of tiger safari tourism; with more and more tiger reserves being run in a more professional manner and the number of tiger sightings increasing year on year. Here at Wildlife Trails we are lovers of all wildlife and like to encourage you to visit some of the Indian national parks which are ‘off the beaten track’.

Tiger and Leopard Safari in India and Sri Lanka – Which Parks to Visit?

Sadly when we first visited Sri Lanka back in 2002, the civil war that had torn the country apart for decades was still very much ongoing and national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the North of the island were very much off-limits. While travelling around Sri Lanka I spoke directly with naturalists and leopard researchers who told be about the ‘golden days’ of Wilpattu national park; when it was the ‘go to’ place for seeing the biggest leopards in Asia.

Snow Leopard Tour in Ladakh India

It’s minus 20 degrees Celsius outside and I slip on my fleece lined North Face slippers and venture out. I am greeted by a Tolkienesque type scene outside our simple Ladakh homestay. A half-circle of mountains surrounds us and snow envelopes the hill sides like newly washed linen.

Sri Lanka Leopard Safari – Should All Vehicles in Yala Have Speed Limiters Fitted?

Blog about a Leopard Safari in Yala and the problems with excessive vehicle speed in Yala National Park. Can we continue to allow jeeps to travel at excessive speeds in Yala National Park, while their occupants ‘chase’ Leopards without showing any respect for the wildlife they are visiting? Is this type of Sri Lanka Leopard Safari good for visitors or wildlife?

India Wildlife Tour – So Much More than Just Tigers

India Wildlife Tour - is a car and your own driver the best way to see India? After enjoying my first tiger safari in Ranthambhore way back in 1997, I can fully understand how this wonderous animal attracts so many people to take an India wildlife holiday.

India Tiger Safari, Ranthambhore – Is This the Best Park for Tigers?

Is Ranthambhore the best place for a tiger safari on your India wildlife holiday? One of the most common questions we get asked here at Wildlife Trails from people planning their India wildlife tour is ‘which is the best tiger sanctuary to visit?’.

Sri Lanka Safari with Leopard Safari in Yala

Sri Lanka Safari - Visit this wildlife jewel of an island to enjoy a private Leopard Safari in Yala National Park and Blue Whale Watching from Mirissa. The owners of Wildlife Trails first visited Sri Lanka way back in 2002; as for the first time we looked beyond the delights of India and opened our eyes to this beautiful ‘teardrop’ of an island located of the SE coast of its massive neighbour.

My First Ever Tiger Safari in India!

Rewind to January 1997. I was 26 years old. My ‘round the world trip ticket ‘had been paid for, I was flying out to Nepal to attempt the Everest Base Camp Trek before flying on to Thailand to start my Padi diving course on the beautiful Island of Koh Samui; after that Lao, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Bali and a working visa in Australia.

Best Borneo Rainforest Lodges To Stay In

Many clients when planning their Borneo Tour want to build an itinerary around the best Borneo Rainforest Lodges; which because of their locations and reputation for good guides attract wildlife enthusiasts and photographers alike.

How to See the Komodo Dragons in an Ethical Fashion

Komodo Dragons have fascinated visitors to the beautiful islands of Komodo and Rinca for hundreds of years, but now for the first time, we are faced with a 'tourism threat' to the largest lizards on the planet and any ethical tour operator needs to be careful in how they both promote and organise Komodo and Rinca tours.

Do We Act Back Home, On What We See on Holiday?

When we first sent James on his Borneo Safari back in 2003 our whole focus was on maximising the wildlife potential of his time in this beautiful country. However, despite the amazing pictures he took in the Danum Valley and along the Kinabatangan River of Probosis Monkeys and Wild Orangutans, what I remember most is the stories of clear cut or burnt rainforest and huge monospecific plantations appearing in once prime forest.