Tiger Safari
The Indian Tiger is indeed the jewel in the crown of the rich Indian Legacy".
Every traveler who visits India dreams to catch a glimpse of the Indian Tiger. Not many tigers are left in India, perhaps 4,000, although many conservationists say that their numbers may be less than 3,000, due to recently increased poaching. This is still an increase over the situation in 1973, when Project Tiger was started. At the time, the population was down to 1,800 animals.
Accepted wisdom seems to be that three parks provide the best chance of seeing tigers: Corbett (in the Himalayan foothills of northern Uttar Pradesh), Kanha (in Madhya Pradesh state) and Ranthambhore (in Rajasthan).
The grasslands, however, are not natural occurrences: they mark the former sites of villages that were moved out of the park some 20 years ago. Because of its elevation, between 450 and 900 metres above sea level, it can get quite chilly at night in the winter months, and every morning that I was there, in early February, there were patches of frost on the ground.Gir National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park
Corbett National Park
Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary
Sundarbans National Park
Every traveler who visits India dreams to catch a glimpse of the Indian Tiger. Not many tigers are left in India, perhaps 4,000, although many conservationists say that their numbers may be less than 3,000, due to recently increased poaching. This is still an increase over the situation in 1973, when Project Tiger was started. At the time, the population was down to 1,800 animals.
Discover the Wild Inhabitants
India's tigers are scattered across the country, and though some national parks have plenty of tigers (the Sunderbans has an estimated population of 270, and Kanha has 102), it's extremely difficult to catch a glimpse of these solitary, nocturnal animals. Only a few parks offer a realistic chance of seeing tigers, either because park officials track the tigers daily, or because some tigers have become habituated to tourists in 4-wheel drives.Accepted wisdom seems to be that three parks provide the best chance of seeing tigers: Corbett (in the Himalayan foothills of northern Uttar Pradesh), Kanha (in Madhya Pradesh state) and Ranthambhore (in Rajasthan).
In the Wild Arena
The wild Indian landscape is varied: dense hardwood sal forest, patches of bamboo forest higher up on the hillsides, and large tracts of open grassland that make wildlife viewing here so pleasurable, as the wide-open spaces make it easy to spot lots of animals.The grasslands, however, are not natural occurrences: they mark the former sites of villages that were moved out of the park some 20 years ago. Because of its elevation, between 450 and 900 metres above sea level, it can get quite chilly at night in the winter months, and every morning that I was there, in early February, there were patches of frost on the ground.