On The Tiger Trail

Whenever one hears the word ‘Ranthambore’, an image of fierce tigers pops up in their mind. But that is not all that this major national park located in Rajasthan has to offer. Though our national animal is the main attraction of this national park, the place has several other beautiful specimens of wildlife for one to enjoy. The national park is surrounded by a fort on a hilltop as well as a lake. 

On my trip to this wonderland, I had the opportunity to go on two different safaris- a river safari and a forest safari.  

For the river safari, we went to the chambal river which was more than an hour away from the hotel and we had to wait for the boat to reach the dock. But the exquisite views made the long wait worthwhile! Once we were in the stream, we saw several gharials swimming about, ranging from little baby gharials to huge adult ones. Many birds and oxes too were roaming the riverside.  

For my forest safari which went lasted for about three hours, I waited to see a glimpse of the majestic big cat. However, in the early phases of the safari, as there was no sight of the tiger, my spirits dipped. Yes, I had seen incredible Sambar deers, exquisite peacocks, fascinating lemurs, colourful birds and more flora and fauna, but the main attraction was yet to be spotted and my heart longed to see that striped feline.  

In the final stretch of the safari, the guide told us that not one, but two tigers had been spotted nearby. All the jeeps rushed to reach there and everyone fumbled to witness the glory of the striped animal and click photos as soon as possible. I took a few pictures and then spent my time gazing at them, hypnotised by their royalty. The rest of the co-passengers of the safari maniacally climbed on top of each other to get a better look thereby creating a ruckus which caused the tigress to roar. That quietened all of us and we left the area, content with the awe inspiring experience. 

The trip was made memorable by the fact that everyone I encountered in Ranthambore was very helpful, especially the tour guide, who had promised us that we wouldn’t leave without a tiger sighting. The train ride back home was filled with gossip about the amazing trip and even though I spent only a few days there, I left with memories fit for a lifetime.  

Maleika Hussain is a student of DPS, Gurugram. Views expressed are personal.