Tiger Safari in Ranthambore National Park, India: A Complete Guide

Ranthambore National Park

Tiger Safari in Ranthambore National Park, India

If a tiger safari isn’t already on your bucket list, it should be! Truthfully, I didn’t even realize there were national parks that offered tiger safaris until I started looking into visiting India.

But after a thrilling safari experience in South Africa at Gondwana Game Reserve, I was eager for my next safari experience.

So when I joined a group trip to India, I was overjoyed to see the tiger safari at Ranthambore National Park included on the itinerary.

Ranthambore National Park

This gem of northern India is known for its Bengal tigers because here, you can see these majestic animals in their natural habitat. Ranthambore National Park was once the famous hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur but is now considered a major tourist destination for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 and declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973, Ranthambore became a national park in November, 1980.

Located in the Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, a safari can easily be added to a trip around India’s famous Golden Triangle route, which connects the three majors points of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

How To Get To Ranthambore National Park

Fortunately, Ranthambore is well-connected with all major cities in India, which makes traveling here simple enough! The nearest airport is in the city Jaipur.

But from any major Indian city, you can take a train to Sawai Madhopur Railway Station.

If you have a guided tour booked through India, it may be possible to add a safari onto your trip.

Speak with your guide or tour company to find our more about extending your trip to include a visit to Ranthambore National Park.

Safari Details

Safaris: Typically, excursions happen daily at 6:30am and 2:30pm. Each safari lasts for about three hours.
(Although from April 1st to May 15th it will be 6:00am & 3:00 PM)

Safari Vehicle Options:
1. 20 seater open top for large groups

2. 6 seater open top jeep

Each ride costs around INR 900 – 1400 per person of Indian Nationality or INR 2000 – 2500 for foreigners. (That’s about $26-$32 USD per safari for foreigners in 2019.)

Safari Zones

The park is divided into zones and each safari car is assigned a certain zones. Some zones are known to have better visibility and more tigers. Request to safari in Zone 1 or 3 ahead of time. We saw zero tigers in the zone we kept getting scheduled for because we didn’t know to book a good zone ahead of time. Tiger sightings can still be rare so plan to go on multiple safaris. Most people choose to go on at least 4 safaris.

Zones 1-6 are considered premium.

Pro tip: Request to safari in Zone 1 or 3 right when you book!

Zone 8 is the zone with the LEAST tiger sightings so avoid this zone entirely if possible.

When to visit?

The best times for tiger sightings at Ranthambhore National Park are between November and May.

How Many Tigers Are At the Park?

More than 60 wild tigers call Ranthambore Tiger Reserve home. But keep your eyes peeled for other animals as well. Plenty of wild and unique animals openly roam about the park.

Animals you might see on your safari:

• Leopards
• Striped Hyenas
• Sambar deer, Chital
• Nilgai
• Macaques
• Jackals
• Jungle cats
• Caracals
• Sloth bears
• Black bucks
• Indian Wild Boar
• Chinkara
• Common Palm Civets and more!

Where to Stay During Your Tiger Safari

A five star luxury resort might normally be out of your budget but in Ranthambore luxury comes at an affordable price! Most of these luxury, 5 star hotels (which even include your meals!) are under $100 a night.

There are a number of excellent places to stay. One of the most popular is Dev vilas Resorts. It is located closest to the entrance of the national park and has the options of a regular suite or a tented bungalow.

https://youtu.be/x9jiGAPkyL0

Other Excellent Luxury Accommodations:

• Puratan Qila Resort
• Dev Vilas
• Khem Villas
• Nahargarh Resort
• Anuraga Palace, Luxury Resort And Spa
• Juna Mahal Ranthambore
• The Tigress Resort Ranthambore

The Tigress

During our time in Ranthambore, we stayed at the stunning, luxurious resort The Tigress. From the moment we arrived, we received the highest quality of service. Welcome drinks, gorgeous rooms and lovely grounds to explore with shops, a pool and a fantastic restaurant.

Best of all? Rooms are frequently just $77 a night. If you’re backpacking or traveling long term, this might be more than you’re used to paying per night. But considering the quality of this resort, it’s worth a little splurge because you are getting an awesomely, luxurious stay for half the cost of an average hotel room in the USA.

Book a room here.

The Tigress has won a wide range of awards from “Best forest Property Of The Year” to “Leading Wildlife Resort In South Asia” and “Leading Eco-Friendly Resort”.

Just look at this beautiful resort!

If the photos of the layout & design of The Tigress don’t entice you, then consider the amenities and shops around the resort!

You can purchase hand-made tailored clothing and sarees or beautiful one-of-a-kind art from a local, on-site artist.

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Tiger Safari Packing Guide

Your safari is booked and your accommodation is set. Now you’re just wondering what to pack… It depends what month you are visiting because weather in northern India varies wildly from scorching hot in the summer to freezing cold in the winter months.

April, May & June: These months are extremely hot. Plan for nonstop, blistering heat. Pack light-weight, breathable clothing and plenty of sunscreen. Even a t-shirt will feel hot under the blazing sun. You’ll definitely want a hat and dark sunglasses for protection as well.

It helps to have a string on your sun hat so it doesn’t fly off when your safari jeep speeds after a tiger!

Summer Essentials:

• Sun hat with string
• Lightweight, breathable clothing
• Sandals
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses

November, December, January & February: While India is hot in the summer months, norther India is exactly the opposite! Morning drives are freezing cold. You will want layers upon layers. During the afternoon, a light jacket or sweatshirt may be enough. But in the evenings, it will get COLD. A jacket, warm socks and proper shoes will be a must!

Especially if you plan to be taking photos in the early morning, you’ll want a pair of gloves that provide enough warmth but still allow you to operate your camera.

Winter Essentials:

• Gloves
• Warm shoes
• Jacket
• Long sleeves for layering
• Comfortable pants

If I could recommend one thing to pack for your safari, I’d say to bring a scarf! The roads get dusty, particularly as you drive from the resorts through town to the park entrance. If you don’t want to be swallowing dust for the whole drive, do yourself a favor and have a scarf handy!

Ladies, you might want to pack a sports bra.

You will be jostled all around the hills of Ranthambore as you pursue tigers. Cruising over rocks, splashing through shallow water and speeding around the forest will have you bouncing every which way. You’ll be more comfortable if you wear a supportive, comfortable bra.

I recommend this one because it’s suited for high impact, has no wire for added comfort and is breathable with the mesh back!

For India in general, be sure to always travel with Imodium and Pepto Bismol to avoid “Delhi Belly” or traveler’s diarrhea. Even though the resorts near the park have an excellent standard of food, suddenly switching to a diet of all Indian cuisine can be tough on even the strongest of stomachs.

Packing Guide For Any Season:

• Scarf to block out dust
• Sports bra for ladies
• Imodium & Pepto Bismol
• Bug Spray
• Day bag with water bottle
• Camera & LensPen

When you arrive at the gates of the park, there will sometimes be locals selling safari hats or tiger scarfs for about $5. We were happy to support the locals and bought both hats and scarves! The hats had the park’s logo and served as a great souvenir but also kept the sun out of our eyes. The scarves were extremely useful when it came to keeping the dust out of our nose and mouths.

Camera Gear

If you’re lucky enough to have good tiger sightings, you’ll want to be ready with the right gear! I recommend having a DSLR camera and a zoom lens. With all the jostling in the jeep and dust flying up in the air, it will be difficult to be switching your lenses back and forth.

DSLR & Zoom Lens

My Camera: Canon 80D

LensPen

In addition to not swapping out your lens due to dust and dirt flying, you’ll want to have something to keep your camera lens clean! I recommend the LensPen for easy cleaning while on a safari.

Your Quick Guide to Ranthambore National Park

(Screenshot for later!)

Important to Note!

We loved our stay at The Tigress & Ranthambore National Park is certainly enchanting. Our group felt frustrated when we were repeatedly scheduled to safari zones where tigers sighting were known to be minimal or nearly nonexistent.

So make sure you do yourself a favor and book the premium zones ahead of time. Clarify which zones you have been assigned with your travel agent, hotel staff or through the reservation process itself. This was our main regret!

It was frustrating to repeatedly safari in the same poor zone. Other guests we met at the park got very close to a tiger who lazily laid down next to their jeep for a long time. We weren’t so lucky.

Keep in mind: it’s possible your safari in Ranthambore National Park will result in no tiger sightings! So manage your expectations accordingly. We loved the experience regardless and I certainly plan to do more tiger safaris in the future. But don’t go thinking you’ll see dozens of tigers around every turn.

Where else can you go on a tiger safari in India?

1. Jim Corbett National Park: great for spotting tigers and elephants
2. Hemis National Park: home to snow leopards and white tigers
3. Bandhavgarh National Park: 50 tigers living here alongside lions, white tigers, deer and in some parts of the park even elephants
4. Nagarhole National Park: over 250 tigers living here alongside waterfalls, beautiful rivers and great hikes
5. Kaziranga National Park: plenty of tigers as well as rhino and elephants
6. Kanha National Park: Approximately 125 tigers roam this lush, beautiful landscape
7. Bandipur National Park: an old hunting ground for Indian royals now this is a popular place for tourists to safari
8. Anamalai Tiger Reserve: famous for its bengal tigers, Indian elephants and Indian leopards
9. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve: one of the oldest tiger reserves but smaller in size
10. Sariska Tiger Reserve: a smaller but ideally located reserve- its near Delhi, Jaipur and Agra so it’s very accessible to tourists traveling the Golden Triangle
11. Pench Tiger Reserve: while this reserve is smaller, it is the inspiration for the Jungle Book

Read more about these other safaris here.

Be sure you to visit Village Women Crafts nearby!

Nearby Ranthambore National Park, there is a craft shop of talented seamstresses and artisans. These local women hand-make beautiful sarees, tapestries, dresses, house decor and more! And when you buy these stunning textiles from the source, you pay pennies on the dollar while supporting these women and their local communities.

Throughout India, haggling is common practice but the prices here were so ridiculously low, we happily paid the (very meager) asking price to help support the women. We did more shopping here than anywhere in all of India!

Address: Gas Plant Road F15, RIICO Industrial Area, Ranthambore National Park 322001 India

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