India is a remarkable country and home to arguably the most iconic Big Cat in the world. Amidst almost daily reports of declining Tiger populations and reductions of national parks, it was with much interest that I visited the country to witness for myself just what a Tiger Safari in India is actually like. Jaisal and Anjali Singh were our hosts at their spectacular ‘Sher Bagh Tented Camp‘ next to the Ranthambore National Park.
Despite the wealth of cultural, historical and gastronomical experiences that this Relais and Chateaux camp offers, our goal was to see Tigers and lots of them! To do that we drove a short distance to Ranthambore National Park.
After a short drive from Sher Bagh, you reach the first ancient entrance that takes you into Ranthambore National Park. (see below the ancient entrance).Jaisal was optimistic. A veteran of Ranthambore, he first visited the park shortly after birth and saw his first wild tiger at the age of eight weeks. To say he has had a lifelong love affair with these mesmerising creatures is spot on. As a child he would spend months on end with his father who was making documentary films about the tigers. Years later, Jaisal pioneered the Tiger Safari experience at Ranthambore, by opening one of the first camps, Sher Bagh, in the now vibrant town just outside the park.
Within our first hour we discovered the first of many tigers in our experience. This young male tiger glanced over his shoulder as our vehicle softly rolled in and as his gaze caught ours, a sudden leap in excitement thumped through all of our chests. Tigers are enormous, powerful and incredible enthralling to be in the presence of. Soft fur is concealed between the mesmerising stripes and vibrant orange of their coats.
My first Tiger in the wild. This young male glanced over his shoulder to lock his gaze on our vehicle before standing up to face us.
A distinctive pink nose, piercing eyes and massive bulbous head are typical of the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Ears alert, nose twitching and a stare that leaves you with a sense of awe and raw fear are what makes the experience of viewing wild Tigers so primal.
An then there were two… The gaze left us as this young male’s brother soon appeared behind our vehicle and piqued his curiosity. Shortly after seeing him, this tiger walked straight past our vehicles to disappear into the wilderness with his counterpart.
The Tiger viewing is not the only thing which makes Ranthambore a spectacular place to safari. Personally I thought the scenery was incredible beautiful and not dissimilar to various parts of the Southern African wilderness that I have experienced. When the first pair of tigers left us, we drove further down the road to witness incredible vistas such as this one…
Ranthambore National Park. Below is the entrance:
Yet the view didn’t last long as Jaisal led us further into the wilderness, keenly searching for evidence of tiger activity that we could begin to track down. From the rocky hillsides into the riverine systems in the valley, we did not have to wait long as a single track indicated a large male tiger crossing the road to our west. Within minutes we had taken a road heading in this direction to discover an enormous male tiger resting on the side of the road.
What makes Ranthambore such an fantastic place to view wild tigers is both the growing population of the species as well as there habituation to the presence of vehicles full of tourists.
In a moment suspended in time, the entire bush fell silent as the tiger listened through the tranquility before gracefully rising without a sound and padding softly across the road.
After four decades in the safari industry, Dave Varty savours the experience of viewing his first wild tiger.
Just look at the muscle in the shoulder of this tiger.
This male then sharpened his claws against a tree and disappeared as the dusk settled in.
The following day our excitement was just as palpable and we made a concerted effort to visit a remote region of the reserve where a tigress had been heard calling. After a lengthy drive through more stunning terrain, we discovered this beautiful female.
Without the intimidating energy that are typical of male tigers, this female practically ignored us as we snapped away at her poses.
One of my favourite pics of the trip, this Tigress stands up to reveal a full portrait of her elegant form.
Padding to the waterhole she drank deeply and then wandered off into the wilderness.
Our sincere thanks to Jaisal and Anjali for giving us the most incredible introduction to Tiger Safaris in India. We shall return soon!
Written & Photographed by: Rich Laburn
Rich Laburn is filmmaker, photographer and writer who is based at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. Spending his time capturing scenes of the wild and communicating the beauty of the African bushveld, he runs the Londolozi Blog as a way to entertain and engage people wishing to visit these wild lands.
