This was going to be a highlight of our trip to India. The possibility of seeing a Bengal tiger, in the wild, in Rathambore National Park. It had been the former royal hunting ground for many centuries and was also home to a 1000 year old fort. The estimate was that there are 85 tigers there and we were desperate to see a few!
We did our research before we went. The park is divided into ten zones. Tickets are available for three hour morning or afternoon safaris. You are allocated a zone on a random basis and you are restricted to your named zone. This can be great or terrible because there may be several or no tigers in that zone on that day. Many visitors have been more than 10 times and have not caught a glimpse of a single stripe.
However we discovered that it was possible to book a 1/2 day private safari. It was not cheap but it doubled your time in the park to six hours. More importantly, your driver got a golden key, which allowed access to all ten zones. This would substantially increase our chances of a sighting. We dug deep into our pockets. It was a once in a lifetime experience. If we managed to see a Bengal tiger – surely it would be worth every penny?
We set of at 6am with our driver and guide. The road to the park was very busy as jeep, Gypsies and trucks raced to be first inside when the gates opened at 6.30am. Once through all the checks, we set off in a giant, vehicle convoy. It was not what we had expected. I couldn’t imagine how we were ever going to see a tiger. However, we soon peeled of down a track towards a barrier. Our driver jumped out and with a beaming smile, brandished the golden key. He unlocked the barrier and we were through. It was like being characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Our first sighting was through binoculars. Two tigers lounged in the grass on the other side of the valley. they were clearly visible but very far away. It was still thrilling! There was a lot more driving as we moved from sone to zone in search of more tigers and we weren’t disappointed.
At 9.30am, all the vehicles on morning safari passes had to leave the park. We had another 3 hours left. This was undoubtedly the best part. We saw sic tigers over the next wee while and got to within 4 metres of one. it was absolutely amazing.
they are such magnificent creatures – unbelievably beautiful but menacing at the same time. Our faces were sore from grinning. It was a fabulous morning that far exceeded our hopes and expectations. And yes….it was worth every penny!
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