Going on a Tiger hunt in Ranthambore

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22^nd December ’11 Jaipur to Ranthambore

Today we didn’t have to leave until 9 am! We travelled in a much smaller bus with no suspension. It took an hour to get out of Jaipur and then we headed off into the countryside and bumped, rattled and were shaken out of our seats for 3 hours until we reach Ranthambore.

We stayed in the Hotel Raj Palace another nice small place. We literally had about 30 minutes to check in, find the room, ram some food in – another typical Indian lunch of rice, dal, curried veg and chapattis and then we were off on a tiger spotting safari!

We travelled in army vehicles which have a special name I have forgotten but are basically large, high open topped jeeps. We headed off to the old Ranthambore Fort sanctuary where we had to fill in consent forms absolving anyone of any responsibility should we be eaten or injured on the safari! So the anticipation was pretty high!!

Well we were there for about 2 ½ hours bombing about in this jeep stopping to see deer, peacocks, birds and 2 very small crocodiles most of the pictures we took seemed to be of the odd back leg and not a lot else! But where were the tigers????? Apparently about 40 live in this huge area, so we carried on and saw yet more deer, others were thrilled when some moorhens were spotted on a lake, the English just said we’ve got them in all our local parks. But where were the tigers???? Suddenly we raced up a hill where 2 other jeeps were and saw 2 of the tiger capturing cameras on a couple of trees….ok….. then the jeeps were all turning around and hurtling back down the road, great clouds of dust went everywhere choking us all and then we met up with about 5 other jeeps all stopped at one point. Despite everyone being told to be quiet no one was and yet amazingly there was (apparently) a tiger asleep in the trees way off in the distance. Well we squinted and stared and somehow made out a vague whiteish long shape which our eyes also told us had black stripes and we were assured this was an actual sleeping tiger!

Nick the American with a sooper doper camera with a million lenses apparently actually got a photo of it, now call us cynical but was it or was it not an amazing coincidence with less than 30 minutes to go before the park shut and a good 20 minute drive to get back to the entrance that all the jeeps managed to be at the same spot at the same time as a tiger just happened to decide to lay down and have a kip? Howard was convinced it was a bloke in a tiger suit, I think it was a cardboard cut out and yet others a far off rock with a couple of black stripes. Whose right? I guess we will never know! All in all I don’t think I will go out of my way to do a safari again, god it was boring!!

Back at the hotel it was yet another curry round yet another campfire, made more interesting by the fact we had 3 English backpacker gate crashers who were a great laugh and regaled us with mad stories. 2 of them came from the same town as Michelle and the next day she told us she had been mortified by the fact as they were definitely not her sort of people (lol).

Next stop Bundi

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