Just returned from a trip to North India and did a excursion to Ranthambore Park in December. Spent 4 nights at the safari park staying in a lodge..Did 9 game drives, and not a single Tiger was spotted. Where have they all gone?? China ?. Asked other visitors and Park Rangers. No one saw any Tigers.. Just plain Bad luck or wrong time to visit the park , or ther are no Tigers ! Ulinda 7. Australia

So sorry. It's not much consolation but the sign in Bandhvargh Park says: Even though you may not see tiger, tiger sees you!

The best time to visit Ranthambore national park is between 1st. Oct to 30th. June. And march is the best time to see tigers in Ranthambore National Park. You can see more tigers in early morning hours.

Sorry about your poor luck with tigers. I can imagine how about drive #8 and #9 you were getting desperate. I'm sure you went in the early morning, as suggested above, if you did 9 drives.

Did you see some other interesting wildlife?

December has more foliage than March or April, so it is a little tougher to see tigers. But 9 drives should be enough for just a single sighting.

I think you had bad luck, but not just you, if nobody saw any tigers. I think you experienced nature's lack of predictability. Hopefully there is a next time for you and tigers at some point.

If you do return in a quest to see a tiger, if you can spare enough time for two parks, with at least 4 days in each, it should increase your odds. Also try March or April.

Again, sorry for your disappointment. I know how I'd feel.

WE DID several drives when we were at Ranthambore, and saw loads of animals, but never saw a tiger. Luckily we were staying at Sher Bagh, so the time at the hotel helped soothe our tiger disappointment. We saw a huge snake in a pond on the property and an aligator in the bigger pond between Sher Bagh and the Aman resort next door.