marilyn

I'm planning a trip to India for 2003, and I want to see as many animals as possible (hopefully tigers!) Any suggestions about which area of India is best for a 2-3 week tour?? Thanks!

Sunil Rao

I would recommend Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Ranthambhore. Feel free to e-mail me if u need any information.

Nancy

Dear Marilyn:<BR><BR>I highly recommend Ranthambore National Park, about a 3 hour drive south of Jaipur. It is one of the few remaining places where you can see wild tigers. Even if you don't see tigers, there is so much other wildlife to be seen that it is incredible! (This is the park which President Clinton went to in 1999 or so.) I could not find a specific website for the park, but if you type in &quot;Ranthambore&quot; in your browser, several sites on wildlife parks generally in India will show up which should provide more information. <BR><BR>To get there, you could easily hire a car and driver in Jaipur to take you down to the park. You could probably arrange with the same driver for him to come back in a few days and drive you back to Jaipur; or your hotel could arrange for a local driver. You can drive from Agra, but I would NOT recommend it. I found out the hard way that it takes 6 hours on a dirt road. The road from Jaipur is a good paved surface the whole way.<BR><BR>There are basically two viewing times a day, morning and afternoon. You can go both times every day, and you will see different wildlife at different times. If you are going between now and early April, I would bring warm clothes, including a hat, gloves and heavy coat. The morning game-viewing rides start just before daylight (sunrise is the best viewing time) and it is pretty cold riding out to the park. During the afternoon rides the temperature will be much better, in the high 60s low 70s, perfect for viewing. I was there in January 2000 and it was sunny every day, cool in the morning and evenings. Great weather!<BR><BR>Please see the continuation of this message below for information on hotels...<BR>

Nancy

To continue on Ranthambore...<BR><BR>The best hotel I know of in the area is the Sawai Madhopur Lodge. It is run by the Taj group, which operate many nice hotels in India. It is the former hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Jaipur, built in the late 1920's and very art deco but also with Anglo-Indian charm (chintz, big verandah). There are several types of accommodations. There is a block of single story hotel rooms at the back. I thought this were a bit old and unimaginative. There are at least two rooms in the lodge itself, basically suites with huge bathrooms and the original art deco fittings. They also have balconies. They might be nice for a family. However, we opted to stay in tents (after viewing all available room types) and loved it. They are built on a concrete platform and have their own bathrooms attached, so the only tent part are your walls and roof. They have heaters. They are basic, but very comfortable. I believe the tents are only for the winter months, October through April. I think they are cheaper than the regular rooms, but I think they are the best choice. (The suites in the main lodge are a very close second, and you may prefer them.) Check the website for the Taj Group of Hotels at Tajgroup.com. <BR><BR>The lodge is small and everyone is there to see wildlife, so it has a very friendly atmosphere. The hotel will arrange for jeeps and drivers for the rides. There is one sitting for lunch and dinner. Dinner is often outdoors on the patio with charcoal braziers and fires. Very charming. After the morning ride, you go back to the hotel and can have a big breakfast or tea on the verandah overlooking the cricket/lawn bowling pitch. Very pukka!<BR><BR>One word on the food: breakfast and lunch will have western options, but dinner is basically always Indian food. I love Indian food, and hopefully you do too (or don't go to India), but some people get tired of it. I don't know if the staff would make special arrangements for you. If you think this will be an issue, you might want to check with the hotel.<BR><BR>As for other things to do in India, after the obvious Agra/Taj (and Fatephur Sikri) I think Jaipur is a great place. You can ride elephants at the Amber Fort, and take trips into the surrounding desert to see wildlife. <BR><BR>One word on traveling in the winter in Delhi and surrounding areas: due to the colder temperatures in winter, there is often a dense fog in the morning. This usually causes delays at the airports, especially in Delhi, Agra and Varanisi. Agra also has a bit of an evening fog problem. I would take trains when ever possible (Delhi to Agra is very easy), or take late afternoon flights when the fog has had a chance to clear. Keep this in mind when seeing the Taj, it may be foggy, but it will add to the charm.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!<BR><BR>

atravelynn

Years later here is my question to you Marilyn, assuming you went and will ever find this.

When and where did you go and what did you see? My first India trip will also focus on wildlife, hopefully tigers.

Anyone else care to share their wildlife observations? Thanks and feel free to email me with your responses.

Craig

atravelynn - I see you have spent a lot of time on the Africa board. I have done African safaris and can tell you that wildlife by itself is not the reason to go to India. At Ranthambore we stayed two nights and saw one tiger. Magnificent as it was, there were people there that had stayed for a week and saw nothing. There is now a luxury tented camp run by the Oberoi chain as well as Sher Bagh where we stayed. Both are far superior to the Sawai Madhopur Lodge mentioned above. Unlike Africa, the game drives are government-run with lots of bureaucracy. If you reserve way in advance you should be able to get a spot in one of the park's jeeps rather than the open bus-like canters. Game drives are very long (4-1/2 to 5 hours) and in the winter (Dec - Feb) can be VERY cold especially in the early morning. That being said, Ranthambore Park is absolutely beautiful and there is plenty of other wildlife to keep you entertained - just plan on seeing some of the many other sites India has to offer. It is a country with a rich history and colorful people - well worth spending the time outside the game parks.

atravelynn

Thank you Craig. As you noted I am a nature nut, so natural history is always tops on my list for visiting anywhere.

vp_singh

My vote will always go to the Corbett Park. The reason is not far to seek. Amazing jungles criss crossed by river Ramganga &amp; Mandal, with Kosi full of Mahaseer (Indian game fish), 500 species of most colourful birds one could imagine to see, tigers - over a hundred of them compared to Ranthambores 24 odd? - Leopards, elephants, deer in thousands, otters, gharials, pine martin...the list is so long. You have beautiful hotels in the periphery on the river Kosi &amp; Forest Rest Houses dotted inside the park for you to go stay inside the park, which is remotely not possible in Ranthambore! Corbett is a wildlife photographers delight...but you have to be quick as the tigers are fleetfooted &amp; have yet not lost the fear of man.
I have been, as a young boy, to these areas, around Corbett, as part of the shooting parties in the 70's, when one could still get a shooting block reserved for hunting!!
CORBETT IS INIMITABLE!!!

hobbes

We had better luck at Ranthambore than Craig. On 2 safaris we saw a total of 5 tigers, 2 cubs at 10 feet distance from our jeep! VPSingh is right - Corbett is also great as are Kanha and Kaziranga. Ranthambroe probably offers the nearest access to Delhi and also the most luxurious acco so we need to better understand your parameters, budget, etc atravelynn

atravelynn

Thanks for the replies. Just seeking info for the future so nothing specific yet.

For budget I am happy with very simple accommodations, not luxury. But I willingly pay healthy sums for transportation to remote areas with good naturalists and to avoid crowds in places where crowds detract from what you trying to see/experience.