Ranthambore National Park is a 500-square-mile expanse of lush jungle, golden savanna, towering cliffs, and lotus-filled lakes. The park is located in southeastern Rajasthan, about 80 miles from Jaipur. Once the hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, today the park is reputed to be the best place in the world to see elusive Bengal tigers in the wild. It is also dotted with the historic remnants of palaces and temples and sometimes these bewitching ruins combine with wildlife sightings. Imagine seeing a tiger resplendent in low grass with the turrets and towers of a crumbling stone fort as a backdrop.
The park is also home to leopards, striped hyenas, nilgais, common langurs, macaques, jackals, caracals, sloth bears, wild boars, Indian porcupines, mongooses, crocodiles, and hundreds of bird species. There are over a thousand deer in the reserve: with species ranging from the impressive barasingha (swamp deer), demure chinkara, and majestic sambhar to the ubiquitous spotted deer.
The awe-inspiring banyan tree is a prominent feature of Ranthambore’s forest. These huge trees, with massive roots that reach all the way down to the earth, scatter the landscape. There is nothing quite like sighting a tiger silently emerge from the forest shadows, and visitors consistently rave it ranks among their best moments in life.
The winter season between October and March is arguably the best time to visit Ranthambore National Park, offering beautiful scenery, pleasant, not too chilly, temperatures and great opportunities to view wildlife. March is an especially pleasant time – the weather is warming, vegetation is still verdant but by this time beginning to recede with the advent of dry weather, and animals are easier to spot.
Where to stay?
The Oberoi Vanyavilas Wildlife Resort is an intimate, luxury tented camp just outside the park with magnificent tents built in 19th-century campaign style. This 5-star resort is inspired by the splendid caravans of royal families. Genuine Rajasthani and global cuisine is served in the exquisite restaurant.
