As excited as we were to experience the majestic history of the Red Fort and Taj Mahal, the prospect of Ranthambore really captured my imagination on our trip to India.
We would embark on two separate safaris in search of solitary Bengal tigers deep within the thick jungle of Ranthambore National Park. The park covers 515 square miles of forested land to protect tigers, sloth bears, various deer, peacocks, monkeys, and other forest dwelling creatures of South East Asia.
Let me just let you off the hook before you keep reading; we didn’t see any tigers. They have such large territories that it’s pretty unusual to see one, though that’s always the hope as these safaris take off under a dark morning sky. Our guide even mentioned a couple going on trips for six days before they finally saw one! That’s the way it goes, sometimes.
We set out on the first morning in a jeep, the sun still hidden behind tree-covered mountains. Sambar deer called softly in the darkness, and our guide thought it might have been a sign that predators were in the area. We later found out it might have been because it was actually the sambar deer rut.
I think you’ll enjoy our journey through the park better in as many pictures as I can share without crashing my own site!
We took a short break back at our beautiful hotel, probably my favorite that we got to stay in! It almost felt like hunting back home, stumbling in after an early morning searching for animals and taking a short nap before setting back out to try again. Except the only thing I would be shooting with was my camera!
We set back out on a larger vehicle, and I’m not entirely sure what to even call it… We went back in search of tigers and learned this time that it was definitely the sambar deer and spotted deer (or as we call them, axis deer!) rut in India. From massive bucks catching their breath after chasing does to aggressive showdowns, we enjoyed experiencing a special time of the year for these animals.
Court, my husband, and I also agreed that we would probably never axis deer back in Texas quite like the ones we had seen at Ranthambore National Park. What an incredible experience it was.
Just as we were about to turn in, we came across a truly rare sighting; a sloth bear! Thought they look small, fluffy, and cuddly, they’re tough enough that even Bengal tigers will go out of their way to avoid them. Their long, sharp claws are formidabl for defense or offense, and they allow for quick climbing, too. If a tiger won’t mess with them, I probably wouldn’t, either!
As an avid outdoorswoman, it was such a privilege to see these animals in their native habitat. You think you know about something when you’ve experienced it in the United States, whether it’s poffertjes in Pella, Iowa or spotted deer in South Texas; but it’s never quite the same as what you find when you go to the source.
Just two days after we left the wedding in Jaipur, long after we had left the mystifying trees of Ranthambor National Park, a friend of the groom’s was able to prove to us that there were, in fact, tigers in Ranthambore; it just wasn’t our turn to see one, yet.
Jess and the Outdoors 