India is a remarkable country and home to arguably the most iconic Big Cat in the world. Amidst almost daily reports of declining Tiger populations and reductions of national parks, it was with much interest that I visited the country to witness for myself just what a Tiger Safari in India is actually like. Previous Londolozi guests, Jaisal and Anjali Singh were our hosts at their spectacular ‘Sher Bagh Tented Camp‘ next to the Ranthambore National Park.
Despite the wealth of cultural, historical and gastronomical experiences that this Relais and Chateaux camp offers, our goal was to see Tigers and lots of them! To do that we drove a short distance to Ranthambore National Park.
After a short drive from Sher Bagh, you reach the first ancient entrance that takes you into Ranthambore National Park.
Jaisal was optimistic. A veteran of Ranthambore, he first visited the park shortly after birth and saw his first wild tiger at the age of eight weeks. To say he has had a lifelong love affair with these mesmerising creatures is spot on. As a child he would spend months on end with his father who was making documentary films about the tigers. Years later, Jaisal pioneered the Tiger Safari experience at Ranthambore, by opening one of the first camps, Sher Bagh, in the now vibrant town just outside the park. Take a look at this legendary clip of a Tiger confronting a Crocodile filmed by Jaisal’s father…
Within our first hour we discovered the first of many tigers in our experience. This young male tiger glanced over his shoulder as our vehicle softly rolled in and as his gaze caught ours, a sudden leap in excitement thumped through all of our chests. Tigers are enormous, powerful and incredible enthralling to be in the presence of. Soft fur is concealed between the mesmerising stripes and vibrant orange of their coats.
My first Tiger in the wild. This young male glanced over his shoulder to lock his gaze on our vehicle before standing up to face us.
A distinctive pink nose, piercing eyes and massive bulbous head are typical of the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Ears alert, nose twitching and a stare that leaves you with a sense of awe and raw fear are what makes the experience of viewing wild Tigers so primal.
An then there were two… The gaze left us as this young male’s brother soon appeared behind our vehicle and piqued his curiosity. Shortly after seeing him, this tiger walked straight past our vehicles to disappear into the wilderness with his counterpart.
The Tiger viewing is not the only thing which makes Ranthambore a spectacular place to safari. Personally I thought the scenery was incredible beautiful and not dissimilar to various parts of the Southern African wilderness that I have experienced. When the first pair of tigers left us, we drove further down the road to witness incredible vistas such as this one…
Ranthambore National Park
Yet the view didn’t last long as Jaisal led us further into the wilderness, keenly searching for evidence of tiger activity that we could begin to track down. From the rocky hillsides into the riverine systems in the valley, we did not have to wait long as a single track indicated a large male tiger crossing the road to our west. Within minutes we had taken a road heading in this direction to discover an enormous male tiger resting on the side of the road.
What makes Ranthambore such an fantastic place to view wild tigers is both the growing population of the species as well as there habituation to the presence of vehicles full of tourists.
In a moment suspended in time, the entire bush fell silent as the tiger listened through the tranquility before gracefully rising without a sound and padding softly across the road.
After four decades in the safari industry, Dave Varty savours the experience of viewing his first wild tiger.
Just look at the muscle in the shoulder of this tiger.
This male then sharpened his claws against a tree and disappeared as the dusk settled in.
The following day our excitement was just as palpable and we made a concerted effort to visit a remote region of the reserve where a tigress had been heard calling. After a lengthy drive through more stunning terrain, we discovered this beautiful female.
Without the intimidating energy that are typical of male tigers, this female practically ignored us as we snapped away at her poses.
One of my favourite pics of the trip, this Tigress stands up to reveal a full portrait of her elegant form.
Padding to the waterhole she drank deeply and then wandered off into the wilderness.
Sher Bagh offers a truly extraordinary experience for those wishing to experience the thrill of seeing tigers in the wild and without a doubt some of the best tiger viewing that India has to offer.
In upcoming blog posts, we will feature some photographs of Sher Bagh Tented Camp as well as a local community co-operative in which they are actively involved. Sher Bagh is a member of the Sujan Luxury Group and they run an interesting blog about all things Tiger, Ranthambore and Indian luxury, so be sure to Read their Blog Here, LIKE their Facebook Page Here, and Follow their Twitter Feed Here.
Our sincere thanks to Jaisal and Anjali for giving us the most incredible introduction to Tiger Safaris in India. We shall return soon!
Written & Photographed by: Rich Laburn
Awesome photos Rich – what an experience! Thanks for sharing.
Thats a great pleasure, it was definitely a experience I will never forget!
Great Blog and I follow them on FB and Twitter. Great PICTURES
Nice to hear Mika, I am sure that you will find their content very interesting 🙂
Brilliant article. Amazing animal. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, what an experience, stunning photos Rich – the female is beautiful, any idea of her age?
I am not 100% sure Sheena, I would estimate around 2-3 years of age, what do you think? She is a beautiful creature!
Wow! what an amazing trip, that Tigress is the most beautiful animal i’ve seen. Thank you for sharing
Agreed!
Fantastic Rich!! Amazing pics and blog! Very jealous!
MS Rich Laburn can you see Ranthambore tiger queen
I have seen the documentary on Nat Geo, however I am not sure if we saw the actual Tiger Queen when we were there.
Dave
what pictures; you have been VERY lucky, as we are just back from Ranthambore (and India….++) and saw Macchli (the lady of the lake, who attacked the croc!), which was fortunate, but your sightings are just spectacular (and the picture quality/lighting simply stunning). Must have been your bush genes… Thanks for sharing and say hello to Duncan for me.
Jan-Erik
Amazing sighting. Great pics. Thanks for sharing. Can you compare an adult male tiger with one of Majingis in terms of size?
Hi Dan, I dont think you can compare an adult male with the Majingilane as the male tiger is just so much bigger than a male lion. Take a look at the image of the tiger walking in front of the vehicle and use that to gauge the size of these ENORMOUS big cats. Thanks for your comments, rich
Thanks Rich for anwering my question.
Spectacular photos. Beautiful, serene, elegant creatures. Thank you for sharing your adventure!
Always a pleasure Susan 🙂
Nice read through and wonderful photos…would love to see Ranthambore.
Definitely worth a visit, and be sure to stay at Sher Bagh when you do go 🙂
Marvellous such an experience. Tigers are very beautiful animals. The pictures are wonderful. Thank you very much for sharing. I really enjoyed it.
So now it’s Londolozi AND India…..choices/choices! Great blog and photos.
and dont forget Jaguars at the Caiman Ecological Refuge in South America Judy!
magnificent…
Thanks roar!
but im look any video about like that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ER5XdPazHY
and Sundari his daughter that queen of tiger but his live
We’d love to talk with you, Rich, when we’re at Londolozi in mid-May. Based on your photos and narrative, we’ve booked (along with another couple) a trip to Sher Bagh next January, before we cruise trip down the Ganges. We’ve been to Tiger Canyons (May 2010) and now hope to see even more wild tigers!
Absolutely Mary Beth, I will make time to chat with you about the Tigers in India as well as Sher Bagh. Keep your eyes on the blog next week as we will feature some photos of the actual tented camp. rich
this male is a Bamera and this tiger is no less than 320 kg (700 lb)
sorry, this is Ustad (T24)
Rich, I’ve finally had some time to read through your blog and watch the video. Extraordinary! I too plan to look into staying at the beautiful camp Sher Bagh – I would love to talk with you as well when I can get back to Londolozi – hopefully soon. Thank you for sharing – I literally could not breath just looking at the photos – I cannot imagine what the experience was like in person. As always, I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of your amazing journey. Thank you!
We will definitely chat about the experience when you are next here Jenifer, it was quite incredible and so special to be able to view tigers like that in the wilderness. Sher Bagh, too, is an absolutely outstanding camp to stay in.
Very nice post of the day. I hope every one should get the maximum benefit from this.