FACE OFF WITH TIGERS AT RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK

The enthralling exploration of Ranthambore National Park is an experience to remember forever. Sighting the tigers in this popular national park of India is without any doubt the top activity. Amongst other things to do in Ranthambore National Park are jeep safari and canter safari which promise the best wildlife sighting experience.

Ranthambore National Park enjoys a scenic and historical setting with several places to visit. The popular national park in India is primarily famous for its star attraction – Royal Bengal Tiger. The Ranthambore National Park is regarded as the most suitable place for wildlife photography in the world. Here you can capture the tiger in its various moods and moments.

Places to visit in Ranthambore include Ranthambore Fort, Padam Talao, Malik Talao, Raj Bagh Talao, Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum, Kachida Valley, Dastkar Ranthambore, Ranthambore School of Art, Wild Dragon Adventure Park, Raj Bagh Ruins and many more.

Deriving its name from the pictorial fort inside, the Ranthambore National Park is one of India’s most renowned national parks. Located where the Aravali Range and the plateau of the Vindhyas meet, Ranthambore National Park was once where the royals of Jaipur hunted. The national park is also considered a prominent heritage site due to the ancient ruins found inside.

The town of Sawai Madhopur is the gateway to the national park with a thriving biodiversity set among ancient religious structures, several man-made lakes, and aesthetically-crumbling cenotaphs.

Although flanked by the Banas River to the north and the Chambal River to the south, the many lakes inside are not fed by either of the rivers’ waters. Having been declared a national park in 1980 with a focus on the protection of the endangered tiger, adjacent forests were merged with the Ranthambore National Park a little more than a decade later. The Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Kaldevi Sanctuary became part of the tiger reserve, making the national park at Ranthambore one of India’s largest.

You are bound to be enthralled to watch the splendid tiger roam about in its natural habitat, in the wild! Alternating between dry deciduous forests and swathes of grasslands, the Ranthambore National Park is recognized as one of the best places in the country to spot tigers. Today, sprawling across a little more than 1300 square kilometers including the core and buffer area, the Ranthambore National Park is every wildlife enthusiast, photographer, and spirited traveler’s haven.

Ranthambore boasts of being home to a large number of mammals, reptiles, and bird species. The national park in Rajasthan is primarily known as the home to Royal Bengal Tigers. Other than this, the national park also has a rich population of leopards, sloth bears, and several deer species like chital (spotted deer), marsh crocodile, palm civet, jackal, desert fox, serpent eagle, waterfowl that along with others make 40 species of mammals, 35 species of reptiles and 320 species of birds.

The popular wild animals in Ranthambore include Tigers, Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Sambar deer, Chital, Nilgai, Common or Hanuman langurs, Macaques, Jackals, Jungle cats, Caracals, Sloth bears, Black bucks, Rufous-tailed Hare, Indian Wild Boar, Chinkara, Common Palm Civets or Toddy cat, Coomon Yellow Bats, Desert Cats, Five striped Palm Squirrels, Indian False Vampires, Indian Flying Foxes, Indian Foxes, Indian Gerbilles, Indian Mole Rats, Indian Porcupines, Longeared Hedgehogs, Ratels, Small Indian Mongoose, Small Indian Civets, and Common mongoose.

The park also has a large number of marsh crocs Reptiles, Snub Nosed Marsh Crocodiles, Desert Monitor Lizards, Tortoise, Banded Kraits, Cobras, Common Kraits, Ganga Soft Shelled Turtles, Indian Pythons, North Indian Flap Shelled Turtles, Rat Snakes, Russel’s Vipers, Saw-scaled Vipers, and the Indian Chamaeleon.

Along with a rich variety of fauna, Ranthambore is also home to a large number of birds making it an important birding destination in India. The most important birds in Ranthambore include Graylag Goose, Woodpeckers, Indian Gray Hornbills, Common Kingfishers, Bee Eaters, Cuckoos, Parakeets, Asian Palm Swift, Owl, Nightjars, Pigeon, Dove, Crakes, Snipes, Sandpipers, Gulls, Terns, Great Crested Grebe, Eagles, Darters, Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Bitterns, Flamingos, Ibis, Pelicans, Storks, Pittas, Shrikes, Treepies, Crows, Orioles, Cuckoo-Shrikes, Minivets, Drongos, Flycatchers, Ioras, Wood Shrikes, Pipits, Bayas, Sparrows, Finches, Wagtails, Munias, Bulbul, Mynas, Falcons, etc.

Jeep Safari is the best way to enjoy wildlife sighting in Ranthambore National Park. At one time, 20 jeeps are allowed in Ranthambore. Gypsies are registered under Forest Department and are perfect for a small group. Jeep Safari is ideal for tiger sighting, birdwatching, and photography in Ranthambore.

Canter Safari in Ranthambore National Park is conducted in a 20-seater open bus that operates in some of the safari zones.

S.No    Month Timing

1          From 1st Oct to 31st Oct        06.30 am – 10.00 am & 02.30 pm – 06.00 pm

2          From 1st Nov to 31st Jan        07.00 am – 10.30 am & 02.00 pm to 05.30 pm

3          From 1st Feb to 31st march   06.30 am – 10.00 am & 02.30 pm to 06.00 pm

4          From 1st April to 15th May    06.00 am – 09.30 am & 03.00 pm to 06.30 pm

5          From 16th May to 30th June  06.00 am – 09.30 am & 03.30 pm to 07.00 pm

Sanganer Airport is the nearest airport and is located in Jaipur. The distance from Jaipur to Ranthambore is about 180 km. Regular flights are available for Jaipur from all major cities of India so tourists can land at this place smoothly. Tourists from Sanganer Airport can take a taxi or bus to reach the place comfortably. The charges of the bus are affordable in range.

Sawai Madhopur is the nearest railway station located at a distance of 10 km. The Sawai Madhopur railway station is well connected to all major cities and towns so tourists can take the train from anywhere to reach the place smoothly. From outside the railway station, the tourists can take the local bus, taxi, or cab to reach the RNP smoothly.

Ranthambore is well connected to all major cities and towns through the state bus service so that people can easily take a bus from the nearby residents to reach the place comfortably. Apart from the state bus service, tourists also have a choice to take the buses of local, luxury, and private operators. All these buses help tourists to visit the place comfortably. Jaipur (157km), Delhi (417km), Ahmedabad (657km) Ajmer (274km), and Jodhpur (450km) can be traveled via road from Ranthambore. The availability of State-owned and private buses solves the purpose of how to reach Ranthambore. However, the road conditions from the Agra/Bharatpur side are very bad. The road from Tonk is in decent condition.

Summer Season in Ranthambore

The weather in Ranthambore during the summer is very hot. The highest temperature reaches 46°C and a minimum of 23°C. The hot climate of the place makes tourists feel stressed but it is the perfect time to spot the tigers of Ranthambore National Park. It is not the best time to visit Ranthambore for those who cannot handle the heat.

Monsoon Season in Ranthambore

The monsoon season at this place starts in July and stays till September. The month of July and august experience heavy rainfall at the place which makes the surroundings more beautiful and worth visiting. The temperature of the place gets down during the summer season. The core area of the park is shut in the monsoon.

Winter Season in Ranthambore

The winter season strikes here in November and it remains cool till February. The chilly atmosphere at the place can be felt by the tourists during December. The minimum temperature at the place is about 4°C and the maximum goes to 32°C. Tourists at this place will enjoy themselves to the fullest during this season.

Events / Festivals in Ranthambore

The common and most popular festivals of India get celebrated in Ranthambore. The famous festivals of the place are Saraswathi Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, and Diwali. All these festivals of the place get celebrated with enormous enthusiasm. The Ganesh temple on Ranthambore fort is very popular and sees heavy local movement.