When I thought of visiting India two things instantly came to mind, the Taj Mahal and tigers, the latter I planned to find at Ranthambore National Park. Last year, I read The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, a story I’ve always enjoyed via the Disney animated classic. The book is a tad bit different, but I was excited to see the land of Mowgli’s story and maybe find his animal cohorts. I was not let down during my visit to Ranthambore.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see any tigers on any of the three safaris I took. However, there was much evidence of them including paw prints and scat. Also, I was able to see the more elusive leopard, a.k.a. Bagheera. The guides said it is much rarer to see leopards, and they were all so excited we found one. We actually found it lying on the ground near some trees in the distant. Many other jeeps were there too. I asked for the jeep to move before a swarm of approaching bees got any closer. As we were heading down the main road on the other side of the hill where the leopard was resting we saw it now walking a stone’s throw from the jeep! We followed it along as it climbed the ridge and walked along the roadway for a couple hundred meters making a wonderful experience before heading back to town.
Another major player from Mowgli’s adventures that we saw was Baloo, the sloth bear. It was a very big bear we saw trundling through the scrub ahead of us. We weren’t, however, in a good position to get a decent picture of it even after searching and searching to find it again.
We didn’t get to find the famed tigers of Ranthambore, but we did have absolutely wonderful experiences exploring the jungles of India. Now, these jungles weren’t as green as one might expect, but they were rather dry and arid being the end of winter. I could only imagine what they must look like in autumn just after a couple of months of heavy monsoons. It must be spectacular.
Along our safaris we found langurs, spotted deer, nilgai, sambar deer, chinkara (Indian gazelles), peacocks, crocodiles, kingfishers, and many other lovely birds, plants, and settings.
Historically, Ranthambore was the favored hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur. There are remnants of this royal past including a mountain top fort, walls, gates, and other infrastructure. There isn’t much to see other than the national park, other than regular life in the surrounding villages.
You must be with a jeep safari to enter and experience the park. With numerous hotels, resorts, and safari companies this is relatively easy to do. We went with the six-seat jeeps rather than the big bus-type jeeps. It was more maneuverable and personal. We also got to know our fellow safari goers as we were hunting for wildlife for a couple hours each time.
