After being disappointed last year in Ranthambore census, we decided to visit the Tadoba Tiger reserve this year. Tadoba boasts to have the highest density of Tigers in India and even with only 10-20% of the forest open to visitors, there is a 60-70% chance you will spot tigers.
Let me tell you, we were not disappointed.
The closest railway station is Chandrapur, and Tadoba is about 30 km from here. The other option is to reach Nagpur and then drive 140 KM to Tadoba.
We set off the previous night from Ahmedabad on the Okha-Puri train and arrived by 12 noon at the Serai Tiger resort near Tadoba. The resort was very nice and about 15 minutes drive to the Tiger reserve gate. Food was great and hospitality was unbeatable. We stayed in luxury tents with brick walls, AC and a cooler. It was pretty hot 39’C, but that’s the best time to spot Tigers. With less water bodies in the reserve, you have a greater chance to see Tigers come out and drink/bathe in the water.
We had a quick lunch and set out for our first Safari. Gates open at 3:00 PM in the afternoon and at 6:00 AM in the morning. There is usually a queue, so get there early.
We saw Tigers on our first 3 safari’s in the Core zone, but on the remaining two we didn’t see any.
We also took a safari in the Buffer zone, which was very scenic, but we didn’t see any tigers there.
Apart from Tigers, we saw a Sloth bear, a pack Wild Dogs (very rare), Bison herds, Crocodiles, several Deer, Sambar, Neelguy, and different types of Birds.
On the 4 and 5th Safari we saw Rangers on Elephants, searching for a missing female Tiger with an injured eye. Later we almost saw her in the buffer zone (missed her by 5 minutes). The buffer zone had Wagdoe (the largest male) and a couple of cubs, but we didn’t see them.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and a fun Birthday for me with Tiger sightings on both Safari’s that day.
Next Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve…