Ranthambore

Ranthambore National Park spreads over an area of 392 sq.kms of dry deciduous and tropical thorn forest.

Once this forest is used as a pleasure hunting ground for the Royal families and their guests. The park is jewelled with the ruins of such hunting palaces which is now are the shelters for the many wild animals and some time for the king of the Jungle “Tiger”.

Ranthambore National Park is one of the world’s best known wilderness areas and is offers some of the finest opportunities for sighting the magnificent tiger in its natural habitat. It is located 14 kilometers from Sawai Madhopur and at the junction of some of the geologically oldest mountain ranges – the Aravallis and Vindyas. A mix of rolling hills and crags, and meadows, lakes and rivulets, this dry-deciduous forest system is home to an incredible variety of flora and fauna. Apart from the tiger, one can also spot sloth bear, leopard, caracal, jackal, fox, hyena and mongoose at Ranthambore. The elusive Indian wolf too, has been spotted here occasionally. The dainty chital, sambhar deer, the blue bull antelope or nilgai, rhesus macaque, langur and an incredible variety of birds amidst a setting of dhok, fig and banyan trees makes a visit to this park a delight – for tourists and naturalists alike. Basking crocodiles, king vulture on a snag, the scream of the serpent eagle, the alarm call of spotted deer are some sights and sounds that make this a safari experience like none other. The landscape is dominated by the 10th century fortress of Ranthambore which stand on the hillock and manifest its historical saga.

The valleys have adorned with numerous cenotaphs, ruins and abandoned settlements overcome by nature – testament to battles and romances of an era long gone.

Besides wildlife safari in Ranthambore National Park, you can visit the other nearby tourist attractions like Ranthambore Fort, Jogi Mahal, Village Women Craft, Ranthambore School of Art and more.

Ranthambore Safari Timing

The Safari Timings in Ranthambore National Park for both the entry & exit varies according to the season, whether it is the summer season or the winter season. During the winters, the daylight hours are shorter while during the summers, the daylight hours are longer. The entry timings in the park begin a little later during the summers, and same is the case with exit timings. The morning safaris are conducted from 7: AM to 10:30 AM, while the evening safaris are conducted from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM. The timings may vary a little depending on the particular season. Further details are available on the chart below

Wildlife safari in Ranthambore

Visitors to Ranthambore National Park can enjoy two types of safaris: Jeep & Canter Safaris.

Canter is a 20 seater vehicle.

Canter Safari is ideal for those who are visiting in large groups. Last minute booking options are also available. Cater Safari is available between 1st October & 30th June.

The Jeep is a 6 seater vehicle.

You can either book the 6 seater Jeep or select a Sharing Jeep Safari.

Jeeps should be booked 90 days in advance, although last minute bookings are available. Jeep safaris are available between 1st October & 30th June. A wildlife safari lasts for around 3 hours in Ranthambore. The safari will be a guided tour so you get the best wildlife spotting experience.

Best time to Visit

The popular wildlife destination in India, Ranthambore National Park remains open between October and June. The winter season between October and March is considered the best time to visit Ranthambore National Park due to the pleasant weather condition when the temperature ranges between comfortable 10℃ and 30℃. During this season, animals can be seen in the broad daylight basking under the sun.

In the months between April and June (summer season), Ranthambore experiences hot and humid weather with mercury rising up to 40℃. The month of April is still comfortable with temperatures not exceeding more than 30 – 35℃. However, May and June are extremely hot months. During the summers though, one has more chances of sighting tigers and other animals that frequently have to visit the water holes to keep themselves hydrated.

In the monsoon season between July and September, many of the zones of Ranthambore National Park remain closed for the visitors. The core of the national park with Gates 1 to 5 remain closed in the monsoon; the buffer zone with Gate 6 to 10 remain open in this season.

Photography in Ranthambore

With its diverse landscape, relatively easy tiger sighting, and good light, Ranthambore National Park makes one of the best wildlife photography destinations in India. In this popular national park, there is great opportunity of taking shots of a variety of animals and birds against a beautiful backdrop. There are forts, palaces, and ruins inside the park along with lakes that are an asset for wildlife photography. Also, a plethora of bird species make Ranthambore one of the best places for bird photography as well.

Wild Animals in Ranthambore

Ranthambore boasts being home to a large number of mammals, reptile, 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, 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 includes Tigers, Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Sambar deer, Chital, Nilgai, Common or Hanuman langurs, Macaques, Jackals, Jungle cats, Caracals, Sloth bears, Black bucks, Rufoustailed Hare, Indian Wild Boar, Chinkara, Common Palm Civets or Toddy cat, Coomon Yellow Bats, Desert Cats, Fivestriped Palm Squirels, 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.

Birding in Ranthambore

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 national park in Rajasthan which is popular for being a natural habitat for Royal Bengal Tiger is also home to around 320 species of birds that include serpent eagle, waterfowl, cormorant, painted spurfowl, sarus crane, bronzed-winged jacana, sandpiper, kingfisher, nightjar, painted sandgrouse, and great-horned owl. A large number of migratory birds in the winter season also make Ranthambore and its wetlands their home giving bird lovers and orinthologists reasons enough to visit the national park. Most of the birds inhabit the areas around the three large lakes – Padam Talao, Malik Talao and Rajbagh Talao.

The most important birds in Ranthambore includes 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.

Best time for birding in Ranthambore.

The winter season between October and March is the best time for birding in Ranthambore. During this season, plenty of migratory birds including the Sarus Crane arrive at the national park.

The best place for birding in Ranthambore.

Malik Talao, Padam Talao, Rajbagh Talao, Ranthambore Fort, and Jhalra Region and Kachida Valley are the best locations for birdwatching in Ranthambore.

Zones in Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore National Park is divided into 10 safari zones: Zones 1-10. Although the park initially had just 5 Zones, the other 5 were added as it grew in popularity. The zones 1-5 are believed to be the best for spotting tigers, Zones 6-10 also offer sufficient opportunities for tiger sighting. Among these, Zone 2, dotted with numerous water holes, is the most important zone in the park where several animals are regularly spotted, including leopards. Zone 6 Kundal is different from all the other zones, both in terms of its landscape & the opportunities for spotting birds, including the endangered Red Headed Vultures.

• Zone 1: The entry to the zone through Singh Dwar. This zone is more of a buffer zone which is home to T-39 and T-57. This zone has been very popular due to return of Noor (T-39) along with her 3 cubs and numerous sightings have been reported during end of 2016 and early 2017. Other places where you can spot a big cat in this zone are: Tuti ka Nalla, Amreshwar Dang, Sultanpur, Peela Pani and Gada Dub.
• Zone 2: This zone is one of the most important zone and a good number of sightings are reported from this zone. The fact that it has water holes and the cats in this zone T19, T22, T72, T57, T28, T60, T39. The important points in this point where there are sightings are: Jogi Mahal, Phuta Kot, Phuta Bandha, Lahpur Tiraha, Nal Ghati. Sightings of leopard from this zone are reported too.
• Zone 3: Jogi Mahal, Padam Talab, High Point, Raj Bagh and Mandook. Are primary points where there are sightings reported. Padam Talab is one of the vantage points where the you can wait to see some big cat action from T-19 and T-28 are seen in this zone.
• Zone 4: This zone has lots of places where the shy cats come out, this also used to be home of the most famous tigress of Ranthambore – Machli. After here, the other cats which can be seen in this zone are T-28, T-64, T-19, T-75, T-41 and T-25. The important points in this point where there are sightings are: Singh Dwar, Malik Talab, Lakkad Da, Adidaant, Lambi, Tamakhan and berda.
• Zone 5: The entry to this zone is same as zone 4 and has a few common spots for sighting. The points are Singhdwar, Anatpur, Jokha, Dhakda, Kachida,Baghda and Bakola. The big cats spotted in this zone are T-25, T-28, T-17, T-74 and T-75.
• Zone 6-10 were added later to the sanctuary and access to these zones is at exact opposite end as that of from 1-5. To enter these zones the gypsies and canters go through the old city.
• Zone 6 (Kundal): Shares its boundaries with zone 1 and there are high chances of spotting T-39 (Noor) with her cubs here too. Landscape of this zone is quite different from zone 1-5 and has more open grasslands with huge mountains in the backdrop. You can spot the indian gazelle and have opportunity to spot birds too. (Including the endangered Red headed Vultures)
  The points where the tigers have been spotted in this zone are: Kala Pani,Saran Ka Pattha, Patwa Ki Baori,Khabli and Soleshwar.
  The other Tigers in this one seen are: T-34, T-39, T-57 and T-8.
  Since this zone is close to village, cattle do go astray and reports of Kumbha (T-34) killing and feeding on the cattle have been reported.
• Zone 7 (Chidikho): This zone has a fewer points compared to the rest, the big cats have been spotted at Chidikho, Jamoda, Kushalipura, Rajbagh Naka. T-8 and T-34 have been spotted in this zone.
• Zone 8 (Balas): The tigers spotted here are same as the ones in zone 7 (T-8 and T-34). The spots where they were spotted at are: Balas, Kherai,Kali,Neemli Dang, Bhat,Mahakho.
• Zone 9 (Kuwal ji): This zone is about 45 minutes away from the Tiger reserve and is located at the banks of river Chakal river. This is home to T-42 (Fateh), an aggressive male who is known to chase the forest department vehicles and has been captured on trap cams killing a sloth bear too! Other than T-42, T-59 can be spotted too. This zone is also home to Caracals, Sloth bears and aquatic birds.
• Zone 10 (Aantri): In this zone other than Birds the tigers can be spotted at Aantri , Kushalipura , Bodal , Halonda and Banskhori. Tigers in this zone spotted are: T-13, T-42 and T-43.