Ranthambore National Park is located about 130 kms from Jaipur in the South Eastern Rajasthan. The forest comes under the Sawai Madhopur district. It was known to be the favorite hunting grounds for the Maharajas and the sport continued during the British rule of India. The ancient Fort high above over looks the forest which even today is a major tourist attraction.
This national park is known for it’s variety of wildlife and birds, but people from all over the world descend here and go on safari to photograph and see the tiger in what I call, probably, the best habitat in India.
One can get to Ranthambore by train from Delhi which is very convenient. You get off at Sawai Madhopur station and head straight to your resort which would not be more than 20-30 mins away. The other option would be to fly into Jaipur and take a taxi which is a 3 hour drive.
Ranthambore has two safari ‘Systems’ .
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Morning and evening safaris – You leave early morning for a safari and get back to your hotel in time for breakfast. Your afternoon safari starts after lunch and you are back before sunset. (One should check safari timings as summer and winter have different times for the park)
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Full day safaris – This is a new feature and very much more expensive than one above. In this case you would have permission to spend the full day inside the forest.
Ranthambore does have different pricing for Indians and foreigners. Even one foreigner in your vehicle would mean that every one in that vehicle pays the foreigner rates as the vehicle is booked under a different category.
Ideally a 5 day trip with full safaris is good, but one could also start with a 3 day visit if there in the right season. Summers are very hot, but the best time for tiger sightings as they all show up at the few water holes in the forest. The park is usually closed to public during the monsoons which is end June through end September.