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As I plan my
wildlife safari trip to Ranthambore, memories of my first safari trip to
Ranthambore (in 2011) flood my mind,
…..The sky-high
expectations and excitement of my first wildlife-cum-tiger safari
…..the
calmness and serenity of the forest with its many lakes
…..the
diversity and beauty of the flora and fauna in the forest
…..the rough
and punishing safaris on the tough terrain
…..the alarm
calls of animals followed by a nerve-wracking wait in pin-drop silence
…..the gripping
suspense in anticipation of a tiger-sighting
…..my first
attempt at wildlife photography
…..the intense disappointment of not sighting a tiger
And last but not least
…..the
thrill and adrenaline rush of sighting the majestic tiger in the wild
The Journey is about to begin
The last
wildlife safari in Ranthambore had been a rollercoaster of emotions. Will this
trip also prove to be as thrilling and satisfying as the previous trip? How
many sightings will the tiger grant me? What will be the memories that I will
return with?
Arranging logistics
Usually, my vacation trips are planned at the very last
minute, resulting in frantic calls, desperate emails and fervent pleas in order
to finalize the travel and stay arrangements. Travel agents, Airlines and hotel
owners are generally pleased with my lack of advance planning as I end up
paying much higher fares / rents than normal.
It’s ‘my humble over-contribution to the economy’ is how I
console myself.
This time as
well, after the regular dose of calls, emails and pleas of desperation, I
managed to finalize my travel about 2 days before the actual trip. A flight to
Jaipur followed by a road trip to Ranthambore, hotel booking in Ranthambore for
4 days and a return train journey from Sawai Madhopur to Mumbai had all been successfully
booked.
About Ranthambore
Ranthambore National Park is one of India’s largest National Parks and is famous for its wildlife especially tiger sightings. Ranthambore National Park is a ‘Project Tiger’ reserve. Ranthambore lies in the Sawai Madhopur district, in the western state of Rajasthan, India. You can get more information about Ranthambore online.
Rajasthan Wildlife: http://www.rajasthanwildlife.in/
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sawai Madhopur about 10 kms
(15 mins drive) from Ranthambore. The nearest airport is at Jaipur, the state
capital, about 130 kms (3 hours drive) from Ranthambore.
Useful Sites to plan your travel
Railway Enquiry: http://indianrail.gov.in/
[Enquiry site to check trains, schedules, availability and fares]
Railway booking: https://irctc.co.in/
[Enquiry and Booking site]
Air Booking:
Some Online sites – http://www.makemytrip.com/
Alternatively, you can visit the official
sites of the Airlines’ operating flights to Jaipur.
Staying There
Ranthambore has a lot of accommodation options on the
Ranthambore Road. Hotels ranging from Budget hotels @ Rs. 1000/- (US$ 20) per
night to luxury hotels @ Rs. 30000/- (US$ 600) per night are available. Most of
the hotels are within 10-15 minutes drive from the park gates. Importantly, the
safari vehicles pick up the guests from their hotel. Therefore the distance to
the park gates does not matter much.
You can
check the official sites of the hotels or alternatively you can refer to some of
the popular travel sites to help choose your accommodation,
http://www.yatra.com/Tobin David
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Hope you enjoyed reading about the joy, thrills and experience of a wildlife safari through this blog and also liked the photos of wildlife.
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