March 3, 2015, Tuesday, Ranthambore National Park

We started early on our game drive in the canter.  It is much like a safari vehicle but holds 18 people and does not have a roof and is called a canter.  The ride is just as bumpy, however.

We drove past the area where they started the hike to the fort and entered the park.  We took track 3.  We were told this was the best one because it went by several lakes.  Your vehicle is assigned a track. Well right away we heard of a tiger kill up the road.  First we saw two cubs sitting in the bushes just sunning themselves.  One other was nearby hidden by the bushes.  The guides know the diferent tigers by their territories.  

So after the cubs, which looked like full grown tigers, but were only 1 year old, went into the brush, we moved on to the area of the kill.  All the canters were parked at this tree looking into the tall grass, but nothing was happening.  We went ahead a while and came back and the mother came out from the grass and started heading towards the cubs.  She was making a low growl which they said was to call the cubs.  She lets the cubs eat first.  We watched her make her way along the shore to the cubs.  I got a short movie of her walking and growling.  It is in the post with links to the movies.

We were really lucky to see tigers.  The groups before us and after us did not see any.  Happy days!

 Later we watched all four tigers walking back towards the grass and the tree.  They appeared at intervals as they passed the shoreline.  The female is named Krishna.  The cubs do not have a name yet.  Only when they get their own territory do they get one.

We saw a lot of other wildlife in the park.

forget the name of this beautiful bird

peacocks and parrots

huge tree

tiger food

Rathambore Fort

OAT brochure:

March 2, 2015, Day 8

After breakfast, we leave Jaipu and drive through the rural country-side and into the low Vindhya mountain range.  The drive is about five hours in length along bumpy roads.  Our destination is Ranthambore National Park.  Located near the town of Sawai Madhopur, the park is one of the eleven sites chosen for Project Tiger, India's national tiger conservation program, the largest such effort in the world.  The park comprises more than a hundred square miles of deciduous forrest and several large lakes, and until 1970 it was a hunting preserve of the maharajas.  After our visit, we arrive at the hotel in time for lunch.  In the afternoon, you can join an optional tour to the Ranthambore Fort, a spectacular fortress built more than 1,000 years ago on a rocky outcrop with stunning views.  Today it sits in the middle of the Ranthambore sanctuary.  You'll ride in an open four-wheel drive vehicle known as a canter, and then hike to the fort, a huge structure with a fascinating history and fine craftsmanship in its interiors.

Day 9, March 3, 2015 Game-viewing in Ranthambore National Park

In the early morning, when nocturnal animals may still be active, we head out for game-viewing before breakfast in the canter.  We may see all the great Indian species:  sambar, nilgai, the shy chinkier and chital, and the Langur monkey.  We return to the hotel for breakfast and rest of morning at leisure.  After lunch we have a 2nd safari.  Though it is rare, we may see the Royal Bengal tiger, usually sleeping by day in the tall grass.  A recent census showed 26 tigers (they told us 50 some now).  The lakes hold crocodiles and a wide variety of water birds, from crested serpent eagles to painted storks.