Tigers, Tigers Everywhere – But where to go on your India Wildlife Holiday
Published on: July 15, 2021
We are undoubtedly in a golden period for wild tigers in India. We can say that with more than 25 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 India wildlife tour?
Where is the best place to see tigers in India: the devil is in the detail
This is one of the most common questions we receive here at Wildlife Trails and there is no definitive answer. In addition, it is often followed by more questions/statements from the clients, such as, ‘I would prefer not to visit a tiger park that is too busy’, or ‘when is the best time of year to see tigers in India’. Let’s first make one thing very clear, you cannot visit the best place to see tigers in India and expect to have the park to yourself – those days are long gone. Please appreciate that many of these tigers in Ranthambhore, Bandhavgarh and Kanha, are now bonified ‘internet stars’ – some with their own Facebook pages – and to come and photograph them in the wild is on the wish lists of hundreds of thousands of photographers and tiger lovers around the world. So, please be realistic with your expectations and work with an individual or specialist wildlife travel company who has a real understanding of the complicated tiger park booking system and access to the best wildlife guides. Also, do not leave booking your India wildlife tour to the last minute, or you could end up being very disappointed. Lets now talk about the BIG 3 of Indias tiger reserves.
Ranthambhore tiger safaris: Ancient Forts, Palaces and a Tiger Queen of the Lake
It is not just because I saw my first wild tiger at Ranthambhore way back in February 1997 that it holds such a special place in my heart. It is the stunning ‘fusion’ of ancient crumbling forts and temples which nature is reclaiming, combined with beautiful palm dotted Lakes that are home to some of the most charismatic tigresses that have ever been photographed or filmed. The one thing tigers like Machli, Arrowhead and now Riddhi have in common is their territory resides next to the famous Padam Lake, an area rich in food sources and which provides some of the most iconoic backdrops to tiger photography in the world.
If you travel to Ranthambhore during the months of April and June you better bring plenty of meemory cards! During the summer months the female tigers with cubs need to stay close to the lakes and remaining waterholes and this means that as a photographer you can almost follow the story of a tiger family. Remember that the allocation of routes are currently given on a random basis (although change is constant in this national park) so you need to be booking a Ranthambhore tiger safari for a minimum of 1 week and include ten to fourteen jeep safaris. Check out this amazing Ranthambhore and Ramathra fort tiger safari which is a firm client favourite.
Allan’s top tips
Pay the extra for a private vehicle for all your Ranthambhore tiger safaris. There are now far roo many hotels in Ranthambhore and they are very spread out, so anyone sharing a jeep is going to be incredibly frustrated at how long it takes to gather all the occupants before starting your jeep safari inside Ranthambhore tiger reserve. You can easily arrive 30 minutes late for entry into the park and for morning safaris in particular this is a terrible waste at what is often the peak time for tiger movement.
Bandhavgarh Tiger Safari: Why professional photographers come here in the summer.
National Geographic printed some front covers back in the 90’s of some of Bandhavgarh’s iconic tigers, including the legendary male tiger known as ‘Charger’ and the beautiful female known as Sita. The internet was only in it’s infancy in those days and we rocked up to Bandhavgarh in the late 90’s as three of Charger’s sons ruled the roost. These were very special times for Bandhavgarh tiger reserve and through word of mouth it some became the place to some for tiger lovers and wildlife photographers from around the world.
Fast forward the best part of 25 years and a visit to Bandhavgarh tiger sanctuary still delivered some epic encounters for photographers, although there are a few more things to consider when planning the best time to see tigers at Bandhavgarh.
Allan top tips
Make sure you travel to, or away from Bandhavgarh, on the day the parks core area is closed; or include a buffer zone jeep safari inside Bandhavgarh national park on that day. The number of quality tiger encounters inside the buffer zones is increasing, as both females with cubs and males looking for new territories move outside of the 3 core areas of Tala, Khitauli and Magadhi.
We also try to avoid the key festival and holiday periods in India including Diwali and Holi as the crowds can be a little overwhelming and the noise levels a distration. Check out this amazing Bandhavgarh tiger safari which we can tailor to your specific requirements.
Tadoba Tiger Safari: Why I lost my heart to Maya, and which gate should you choose?
Wind back to May 2017 and I had put together a joint Tiger and Leopard safari visiting India and Sri Lanka. My choice for the tiger safari in India was Tadoba National Park and our group was incredibly privilaged to witness the mating of the Queen and King of Tadoba tiger reserve, Maya and Matakasur. My admiration for this most beautiful of female tigers was amplified when I heard the story for a resident wildlife guide as how she was protecting her future cubs. Maya was mating with multiple male tigers including Matakasur so they would all think that they were the fathers and therefore offer the cubs protection rather than killing them. She also had two sub-adult cubs which she left in a remote area of the park far from the males. Not only did she go back and bring them food on occasion she was careful in protecting them from aggression by the same male tigers – she truely was the Queen of Tadoba and is missed by all those privilaged to see her.
Allans top tips
Tadoba national park has multiple entrance gates and it is normal for Tadoba wildlife lodges to be built not too far from these access points to the tiger reserve. One of the most popular lodges called Svasara is located a short distance from Kolara Gate. Although this is good for the lodge there are now many other lodges in this area and availability of jeeps is very limited so our recommendation is to stay on the other side of Tadoba national park close to Moharli Gate. We have personally checked out several of the properties and can put together a bespoke Tadoba tiger safari for you away from the crowds.
I want a chance to see a Wild Tiger, but would prefer to avoid the crowds
The key here is the phrase ‘the chance’ to see one. This comes from a client who really understands that wildlife is wildlife and there are no guarantees that you will see a tiger when you visit India; or any of the other apex predators. We are lucky to have many such clients contact Wildlife Trails with these type of requests and we really enjoy putting together a bespoke tiger safari for them.
Our approach is to design an itinerary with visits to at least two Indian wildlife sanctuaries. One of them would be a location like Satpura National Park, where the chance to see tigers is less and the amount of jeeps allowed inside the park is strictly controlled – thus ensuring a calmer, less ‘tiger centric’ experience. Satpura would then be ‘paired’ with a tiger park that is known as one of the best places to see tigers in India; such as Bandhavgarh, Tadoba and Ranthambhore tiger sanctuaries. An example of such an approach is shown here, with an India wildlife holiday visiting Panna and Bandhavgarh.
Where can I see tigers in India – best place, best time, just tigers please?
So, of course we also have clients who are crazy about tigers and just want to spend quality time in the best Indian national parks to see tigers. Again, we need to look at the small details of their request and make sure we match them with the best choice. Firstly, we explain that serious wildlife photographers and tiger ‘fanatics’ wait until the Indian summer to visit the tiger sanctuaries, as the months of April, May and June (rains can arrive in late June!) are the best months to see tigers. Not just to see tigers, but potentially to follow the ‘story of a tiger’ from day to day – especially with a tigress and her cubs. The simple reason for this is that the tigress must stay close to a water source inside the park – only a few remain by April – to ensure the health and vitality of her cubs. In addition, other wildlife, including prey species such as Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer and Grey Langurs have to use the same waterholes and it is not that uncommon to witness a kill in the vicinity of these life giving water bodies.
With this type of enquiry, we would encourage longer stays at the tiger sanctuaries; well, we pretty much do that with all our clients, as longer stays are more ethical and allow clients to relax more and not panic when they don’t see tigers on their very first game drive inside the park – you would be surprised! Then, depending on how long they have available for their India wildlife holiday, we would suggest a week long stay in a national park like Ranthambhore, or a two park combination like Bandhavgarh and Kanha.
How to plan your perfect tiger safari in India
Book early – many of the online jeep reservation systems for the various tiger sanctuaries now open between 3 to 9 months before the date of safari, so booking last minute will only lead to stress and likely disappointment. Your India wildlife holiday should be your dream trip and something to look forward to for many months so we would advise you start the planning process with a company like Wildlife Trails around 12 months before departure.
Is it all about tigers – if so, choose your park and dedicate quality time with a top local wildlife guide to ensure you get the dream tiger encounters and photos you hoped for. We have been working with the same park guides for more than 20 years so these are personal relationships based on trust and friendshop. You will never just be a number with Wildlife Trails and the amount of clients who have booked two or more India wildlife holidays with us clearly shows that they are as equally fascinated with this amazing country as we are.
Avoid the crowds – we will always give it to you straight and tell you the facts. It is not easy to follow the path less travelled these days in India when taking a tiger safari in world famous wildlife sanctuaries like Ranthambhore national park. However, if you contact the experts like Wildlife Trails, they will micro-manage your India tiger holiday to give you the best possible experience. This means avoiding key festival periods like Diwali and Holi, as well as the main Indian school holidays – for example early May – when there is huge demands for tiger safaris in easy to access national parks, such as Corbett, Ranthambore and Tadoba. Some of the tiger parks are also closed for the afternoon game drives on certain week days, so we make sure our clients are travelling between parks on those days.
