Ranthambore National Park Tour

Wilderness, enchantment, adventure - these three words govern my wildlife-obsessed heart. And the bait of enchanting wildlife was enough for me to take the Ranthambore National Park Tour once again. I can never have enough of wildlife which makes me visit wildlife destinations of India time and again. With my friend Vaidehi I visited this Park with some expectations in my heart.

Ranthambore National Park Tour

We were booked in the heritage Hotel Nahargarh Fort Ranthambore which is located just a few km from the National Park. The hotel is fashioned like a traditional hunting lodge. We liked the old-world charm of the hotel and mesmerizing interiors. One of my friends had told me about this wonderful heritage hotel of Sawai Madhopur district. We had reached here at night and after gorging on traditional Rajasthani cuisine we retired to bed dreaming about the wildlife we would soon get to see.

The next morning I woke up to the melodious chirping of birds and cool breeze which was no less than some movie scene for me. What a pleasant beginning of the day it was! We had our morning tea and left for a jeep safari to Ranthambore National Park.

As we entered the Park we got overwhelmed by its sweet fragrance and soothing hues. Everything was so beautiful and admirable. Every now and then different beautiful birds would pass over us and we would try to catch a glimpse of them. Our guide could recognize some of the birds.  

Ranthambore National Park is a famous wildlife destination of Rajasthan where wildlife enthusiasts come from all over the world. Located in Sawai Madhapur district, the Park sprawls over an area of 392 sq km. This Tiger Reserve remains open from October to June. Rich in bio-diversity, the Park has three lakes namely Raj Bagh, Malik Talab and Padam Talab.

While exploring the Park we came across several wonderful creatures of nature such as Sloth bear, Marsh crocodile, jungle cat, sambhar, deer, Indian hare, nilgai, mongoose, porcupine and Monitor lizard. It was so good to see these creatures. We did have a desire to sight a tiger but his absence in our list of ‘wildlife sighted’ didn’t dampen our spirit. It is purely a matter of luck. So telling ourselves ‘better luck next time’ we moved to the Ranthambore Fort. Built in the 10^th century, it is one of the oldest forts of Rajasthan. We were amazed to see the huge Banyan tree in the fort. It is the second largest Banyan tree in India. Many monkeys were jumping from one branch to another as if flaunting their fitness. Overall experience of the Ranthambore Park was a good one. We left the Park with a desire to come back soon to enjoy its wilderness.

While coming back from the Park I and Vaidehi were discussing the tiger issue in India. The future of this enchanting creature is gloomy and the word endangered seems to be inseparable from the word tiger. It is so sad to know that now only 1411 tigers are left in India. I wonder is it the same India which was once the home of thousands of tigers. These enchanting creates of Mother nature are very much a part of the heritage of India which we must save with the best of our efforts.