My first Travelogue. A small Preamble before I start with the Travelogue proper....
My earliest memories of a National Park were of the Kanha National Park when I was all of 6 years. I must have visited the park on 5 to 6 occasions and the closest we came to sighting the elusive Cat was when we had a glimpse of its tail vanishing into the thicket. After Kanha though I could never again get a chance to visit any of the other parks what with me being admitted to a Sainik School and limited vacations and the horde of relatives to visit. After School, it was NDA followed by IMA and then the Commissioned Army life...Leave periods kept shortening and planning anything was just a fantasy...
Ranthambore Tiger reserve has been on my 'Must Do' list for quite some time now and a couple of weeks back I strengthened my resolve and asked for a long overdue leave. the result was a week long break from a breakneck speed of work. The biggest challenge for my wife and me was to manage our 7 month old Son. We decided to pack everythind under the Sun required for his comfort and go ahead with the trip. We were to have a stop over of 2 days at Jaipur and then proceed to RTR.
A few pics from the trip...Experiences follow subsequently...
D-Day was set on 30 Nov when we were to start from Delhi Cantt at around 10 AM and make quick ground to reach Jaipur by about Lunch time. But then one cannot actually 'Plan' when with Lady Wives. By the time I put my Car into the first gear it was well past afternoon. As expected there was humungous traffic after crossing the Gurgaon toll. Moreover with the work on widening of roads after crossing manesar, the pace of move was pretty damp.
After an uneventful journey, we reached Jaipur by 9 PM and stayed put at Jaipur Cantonment for 2 days. Wont be going into any details on that. Plan was to reach Ranthambore by Mid day 2 Dec and hence had to start latest by 8ish from Jaipur. As always it was a delayed start at 10 AM. The route which I took to Ranthambore was
Jaipur - Kothun - Lalsot - Sawai Madhopur
The road stretch till Kothun was good but the moment I took a left for Lalsot I felt as if I made a mistake in understanding the correct road. The initial stretch of close to 10 Km was atrocious to say the least. Time taken to cover these 10 Km was around 40 minutes! The road did start improving gradually and after crossing Lalsot it was an absolute pleasure to drive the remainder 70 odd km to RTR.
Reached our Resort by 2 PM and the promptness with which we were checked into our Tents was a delight. Full marks to the management and staff for having waited patiently for us to arrive and serve us a sumptuous Lunch. Since we were anyways not taking an afternoon Safari, we decided to settle down in our tent and visit the Ranthambore Fort in the evening. We were advised to start latest by 4 PM to be able to check out the Fort and be back before last light.
Our trip to the Fort was good barring the fact that my Car was just not suited to negotiate the kind of track that leads to the Fort from the Park entrance. more so because of the road repair that was going on. After a terrible 45 minutes we reached the Fort and realized that we were the last ones for the day. got a guide along more for company than for his expert commentary. All in all a good experience and we returned to our resort by 6 PM sharp.
Next Morning was going to be our first Attempt at sighting the Big Cat during our morning safari hence the night was restless and the excitement quite palpable. There was a very welcome Bonfire in the lawns prior to Dinner wherein there was a group of 9 as also a couple from Kota apart from us. All of us had a merry time sitting in the lawns over a couple of 'Old Monks' and swapping stories from each one's experiences. Had to retire early to bed as the next morrow was to be a long, tiring and hopefully interesting one.
Got up early and for once got lucky as my better half too arose without me having to sweat in that chilly morning. Got our Son ready and packed him up with all available warm clothing. By 6.30 we were ready to storm the gates of the Park but had to wait patiently for the Gypsy to arrive with our companions for the safari.
Our guide informed us that we were allotted Zone 5. I had read on numerous travelogues on RTR and found that Zone 5 was not very popular with tourists as Tiger sightings were pretty much rare as compared to other Zones. Unfazed and optimistic, we entered the gates with an optimistic mindset. Who knows what lady luck had in store for us?
The Sun was starting to peep through the trees and it promised to be a glorious day to be visiting the forest
As soon as we entered the particular Zone, our guide pointed out pugmarks of a Tiger made during the previous night and promised us that he would do his best to enable a sighting. But that was the closest we came to sighting the ELUSIVE CAT as the safari turned out to be an uneventful fare. We did spot a few antelopes during the course
More than halfway through the safari, we stopped for a loo break along witha couple more gypsies. The beautiful surroundings provided a perfect background for a photo op. Even the peacocks obliged and posed for the shutter bugs.
After what seemed like mere formality of killing the remainder of our time and finishing the route, we made our way to the Park exit. Silver lining being our remaining 2 safaris in the afternoon and the next morning. We parted ways with or companions on an optimistic note and went back to the resort to rest, recoup and ready ourselves for the afternoon sojourn
Having come back from the morning Safari, we treated ourselves to a hearty breakfast and a lazy sitting in the resort's beautiful lawn. The other two groups at the resort were much better off as both had a sighting in the morning. In fact the only sightings of the morning were in Zone 2 and Zone 4. There was this female in Zone 4 (Not aware of her details) who had given birth and was consistently being sighted in Zone 4.
My immediate concern though was to arrange ourselves a Gypsy Safari and that too in a favourable Zone. Here I would like to mention that since mine was a trip planned at a very short notice, none of my Safaris were pre booked. I managed the morning Gypsy courtesy field Director RTR and so it was to him that I rushed before the bookings opened for the afternoon Safari. He was an extremely courteous man and came across as a helpful citizen unlike many other govt servants that we encounter these days. He generously offered to take us along in his own Vehicle for the afternoon safari in a bid to guarantee us a sighting. Moreover, as he added, the vehicle is fitted with a wireless that keeps updating him on the sightings in different Zones and obviously the vehicle could hop from one Zone to another in a jiffy.
Armed with this great development, I went back to the resort, had a quick bite and started for the Park entrance in my own vehicle. I parked my car at the Entrance and hopped into the forest vehicle. This time though I was more or less certain of sighting the Big Cat as the scales were largely in our favour.
Thus began our Afternoon Safari in the forest vehicle accompanied by the Field Director. As we entered the Park, it was decided that we start with Zone 3 and then look to exploring Zone 2 & 4. It was an interesting ride as we interacted extensively with the forest official and clarified the many doubts that lingered on endlessly in our amateur minds.
Initially we crossed Padam Talao and circumvented Raj Bagh too and proceeded towards the boundary between Zones 3 & 4.
While we were exploring the other side of Raj Bagh, the wireless crackled and news of a sighting in Zone 3 sent waves of excitement through our spines. Apparently a Tiger was spotted in the gap between Padam Talao and Raj Bagh and was resting in some bushes.
Where is she???
Somewhere There ??
We immediately rushed to the spot and found that there were quite a few canters and gypsies already waiting patiently for the Tiger to come out of the bushes. We joined the waiting milieu without knowing where she was sitting and relaxing. The initial 15 odd minutes was quite funny as we all had our own theories of where the cat was resting and all of us were obviously way off the mark.
The Waiting Audience
Finally we saw some movement in the bushes and thus came to know the exact location. Thereafter it was a waiting game as we hoped desperately for her to give us a show. After about 30 minutes she got up and started moving towards Padam Talao. Immediately our driver identified her as T-19. The next 30 minutes was pure pleasure as T-19 gave us a memorable first sighting. As most of you would agree, nothing can match the joy and excitement of a first ever sighting. The same was the case with us as we were totally mesmerized by the magnificient animal that was giving us all such an excellent show. I will let the pictures do the talking
Finally after obliging us all for more than 30 minutes, she decided to spend some solitary time and moved off the track into the thicket towards the Jogi mahal.
Exhausted after sighting the Big Cat...My Son takes a energy drink
And now..He's ready to Cause havoc again..
The Field Director asked me whether we had enough for the day or wanted more. I obviously said ' Ye Dil Mange More'. So off we went to Jogi Mahal in a hope that T-19 would surely be somewhere near. Jogi Mahal was a great place too.
Too bad its not open to tourists any longer. At Jogi Mahal we were accompanied by the ACF, Mr Daulat Singh Shaktawat. He is the same forest official who was injured in attack by T-7 in Aug 2010. My wife asked him all about that particular incident and he very kindly explained the circumstances which led to the unfortunate incident. What was amazing is that even after such a huge shock he was back to Ranthambore and among Tigers. Such Passion is absolutely fantastic.
Mr Daulat Singh Shaktawat
View from Jogi Mahal
A Roofus Treepie at Jogi Mahal
After waiting for about 15 minutes it was concluded that T-19 was unlikely to show up and we decided to make a move from Jogi Mahal.
As we came out of Jogi Mahal, news came in that a Tiger had been sighted at Phoota banda. But as it was already 5 and was getting darker by the minute, we all thought it wise to make an exit from the Park.
Our afternoon safari was an absolutely memorable and out of the world experience. We could not thank the Field Director enough for giving us such a fabulous opportunity. But for him, we would have been unable to have experienced such Joy. We went back to our resort a happy and contended couple.
My earliest memories of a National Park were of the Kanha National Park when I was all of 6 years. I must have visited the park on 5 to 6 occasions and the closest we came to sighting the elusive Cat was when we had a glimpse of its tail vanishing into the thicket. After Kanha though I could never again get a chance to visit any of the other parks what with me being admitted to a Sainik School and limited vacations and the horde of relatives to visit. After School, it was NDA followed by IMA and then the Commissioned Army life...Leave periods kept shortening and planning anything was just a fantasy...
Ranthambore Tiger reserve has been on my 'Must Do' list for quite some time now and a couple of weeks back I strengthened my resolve and asked for a long overdue leave. the result was a week long break from a breakneck speed of work. The biggest challenge for my wife and me was to manage our 7 month old Son. We decided to pack everythind under the Sun required for his comfort and go ahead with the trip. We were to have a stop over of 2 days at Jaipur and then proceed to RTR.
A few pics from the trip...Experiences follow subsequently...
D-Day was set on 30 Nov when we were to start from Delhi Cantt at around 10 AM and make quick ground to reach Jaipur by about Lunch time. But then one cannot actually 'Plan' when with Lady Wives. By the time I put my Car into the first gear it was well past afternoon. As expected there was humungous traffic after crossing the Gurgaon toll. Moreover with the work on widening of roads after crossing manesar, the pace of move was pretty damp.
After an uneventful journey, we reached Jaipur by 9 PM and stayed put at Jaipur Cantonment for 2 days. Wont be going into any details on that. Plan was to reach Ranthambore by Mid day 2 Dec and hence had to start latest by 8ish from Jaipur. As always it was a delayed start at 10 AM. The route which I took to Ranthambore was
Jaipur - Kothun - Lalsot - Sawai Madhopur
The road stretch till Kothun was good but the moment I took a left for Lalsot I felt as if I made a mistake in understanding the correct road. The initial stretch of close to 10 Km was atrocious to say the least. Time taken to cover these 10 Km was around 40 minutes! The road did start improving gradually and after crossing Lalsot it was an absolute pleasure to drive the remainder 70 odd km to RTR.
Reached our Resort by 2 PM and the promptness with which we were checked into our Tents was a delight. Full marks to the management and staff for having waited patiently for us to arrive and serve us a sumptuous Lunch. Since we were anyways not taking an afternoon Safari, we decided to settle down in our tent and visit the Ranthambore Fort in the evening. We were advised to start latest by 4 PM to be able to check out the Fort and be back before last light.
Our trip to the Fort was good barring the fact that my Car was just not suited to negotiate the kind of track that leads to the Fort from the Park entrance. more so because of the road repair that was going on. After a terrible 45 minutes we reached the Fort and realized that we were the last ones for the day. got a guide along more for company than for his expert commentary. All in all a good experience and we returned to our resort by 6 PM sharp.
Next Morning was going to be our first Attempt at sighting the Big Cat during our morning safari hence the night was restless and the excitement quite palpable. There was a very welcome Bonfire in the lawns prior to Dinner wherein there was a group of 9 as also a couple from Kota apart from us. All of us had a merry time sitting in the lawns over a couple of 'Old Monks' and swapping stories from each one's experiences. Had to retire early to bed as the next morrow was to be a long, tiring and hopefully interesting one.
Got up early and for once got lucky as my better half too arose without me having to sweat in that chilly morning. Got our Son ready and packed him up with all available warm clothing. By 6.30 we were ready to storm the gates of the Park but had to wait patiently for the Gypsy to arrive with our companions for the safari.
Our guide informed us that we were allotted Zone 5. I had read on numerous travelogues on RTR and found that Zone 5 was not very popular with tourists as Tiger sightings were pretty much rare as compared to other Zones. Unfazed and optimistic, we entered the gates with an optimistic mindset. Who knows what lady luck had in store for us?
The Sun was starting to peep through the trees and it promised to be a glorious day to be visiting the forest
As soon as we entered the particular Zone, our guide pointed out pugmarks of a Tiger made during the previous night and promised us that he would do his best to enable a sighting. But that was the closest we came to sighting the ELUSIVE CAT as the safari turned out to be an uneventful fare. We did spot a few antelopes during the course
More than halfway through the safari, we stopped for a loo break along witha couple more gypsies. The beautiful surroundings provided a perfect background for a photo op. Even the peacocks obliged and posed for the shutter bugs.
After what seemed like mere formality of killing the remainder of our time and finishing the route, we made our way to the Park exit. Silver lining being our remaining 2 safaris in the afternoon and the next morning. We parted ways with or companions on an optimistic note and went back to the resort to rest, recoup and ready ourselves for the afternoon sojourn
Having come back from the morning Safari, we treated ourselves to a hearty breakfast and a lazy sitting in the resort's beautiful lawn. The other two groups at the resort were much better off as both had a sighting in the morning. In fact the only sightings of the morning were in Zone 2 and Zone 4. There was this female in Zone 4 (Not aware of her details) who had given birth and was consistently being sighted in Zone 4.
My immediate concern though was to arrange ourselves a Gypsy Safari and that too in a favourable Zone. Here I would like to mention that since mine was a trip planned at a very short notice, none of my Safaris were pre booked. I managed the morning Gypsy courtesy field Director RTR and so it was to him that I rushed before the bookings opened for the afternoon Safari. He was an extremely courteous man and came across as a helpful citizen unlike many other govt servants that we encounter these days. He generously offered to take us along in his own Vehicle for the afternoon safari in a bid to guarantee us a sighting. Moreover, as he added, the vehicle is fitted with a wireless that keeps updating him on the sightings in different Zones and obviously the vehicle could hop from one Zone to another in a jiffy.
Armed with this great development, I went back to the resort, had a quick bite and started for the Park entrance in my own vehicle. I parked my car at the Entrance and hopped into the forest vehicle. This time though I was more or less certain of sighting the Big Cat as the scales were largely in our favour.
Thus began our Afternoon Safari in the forest vehicle accompanied by the Field Director. As we entered the Park, it was decided that we start with Zone 3 and then look to exploring Zone 2 & 4. It was an interesting ride as we interacted extensively with the forest official and clarified the many doubts that lingered on endlessly in our amateur minds.
Initially we crossed Padam Talao and circumvented Raj Bagh too and proceeded towards the boundary between Zones 3 & 4.
While we were exploring the other side of Raj Bagh, the wireless crackled and news of a sighting in Zone 3 sent waves of excitement through our spines. Apparently a Tiger was spotted in the gap between Padam Talao and Raj Bagh and was resting in some bushes.
Where is she???
Somewhere There ??
We immediately rushed to the spot and found that there were quite a few canters and gypsies already waiting patiently for the Tiger to come out of the bushes. We joined the waiting milieu without knowing where she was sitting and relaxing. The initial 15 odd minutes was quite funny as we all had our own theories of where the cat was resting and all of us were obviously way off the mark.
The Waiting Audience
Finally we saw some movement in the bushes and thus came to know the exact location. Thereafter it was a waiting game as we hoped desperately for her to give us a show. After about 30 minutes she got up and started moving towards Padam Talao. Immediately our driver identified her as T-19. The next 30 minutes was pure pleasure as T-19 gave us a memorable first sighting. As most of you would agree, nothing can match the joy and excitement of a first ever sighting. The same was the case with us as we were totally mesmerized by the magnificient animal that was giving us all such an excellent show. I will let the pictures do the talking
Finally after obliging us all for more than 30 minutes, she decided to spend some solitary time and moved off the track into the thicket towards the Jogi mahal.
Exhausted after sighting the Big Cat...My Son takes a energy drink
And now..He's ready to Cause havoc again..
The Field Director asked me whether we had enough for the day or wanted more. I obviously said ' Ye Dil Mange More'. So off we went to Jogi Mahal in a hope that T-19 would surely be somewhere near. Jogi Mahal was a great place too.
Too bad its not open to tourists any longer. At Jogi Mahal we were accompanied by the ACF, Mr Daulat Singh Shaktawat. He is the same forest official who was injured in attack by T-7 in Aug 2010. My wife asked him all about that particular incident and he very kindly explained the circumstances which led to the unfortunate incident. What was amazing is that even after such a huge shock he was back to Ranthambore and among Tigers. Such Passion is absolutely fantastic.
Mr Daulat Singh Shaktawat
View from Jogi Mahal
A Roofus Treepie at Jogi Mahal
After waiting for about 15 minutes it was concluded that T-19 was unlikely to show up and we decided to make a move from Jogi Mahal.
As we came out of Jogi Mahal, news came in that a Tiger had been sighted at Phoota banda. But as it was already 5 and was getting darker by the minute, we all thought it wise to make an exit from the Park.
Our afternoon safari was an absolutely memorable and out of the world experience. We could not thank the Field Director enough for giving us such a fabulous opportunity. But for him, we would have been unable to have experienced such Joy. We went back to our resort a happy and contended couple.
