Ranthambhore – The Travelling Ginger

Today has been all about the wonderful wildlife that Ranthambhore has to offer.

We started the morning with the usual 05:30 wake up call to ensure an early start in the park. It is split into 10 zones and we were given zone 5. After driving for a while and seeing nothing but a peacock we were starting to think the animals had abandoned this zone. Then we saw our first animal, a Samba deer. This was quickly followed by a spotted deer, kingfisher, mongoose and an Eagle.
We continued round the track in our jeep and suddenly out of the bushes jumped T102 (the rangers know which one is which and they are all numbered) Our first view of a stunning Royal Bengal Tigeress. It really was one of those moments you will never forget and it almost brought a tear to the eye! She didnt hang around and continued her journey into the jungle, but we left the park on such a high. What a privilege to actually see her. Fortunately we had a 2nd safari booked for the afternoon. Could we be lucky and actually see another tiger?

Back at the hotel after safari round one and we actually got to use the facilities and have a relax by the pool. It ridiculously hot and I was sweating from places that is not ok, but this was short lived as it was back out for safari round 2.

I was sat on the outside of the jeep this time, which meant being constantly whacked in the face by branches and various other bushes. After about 45 minutes we heard the call from a deer that signaled a tiger was near by. Just to hear that was amazing. Then we spotted the grass moving and out of it strolled T39. What a total babe she was. She sat in the nearby lake for around 30 minutes sunning herself. This gave us the opportunity to take plenty of photos, as well as watch her and appreciate her beauty. She even took a slow James Bond style walk out of the lake, giving us chance to take more incredible photos before stalking off into the jungle.

It really has been the most magical day.

Not much to report for today as we have spent the past 12 hours on a coach! But we have finally arrived in the most beautiful hotel in Ranthambhore. It has an outdoor shower which I plan on jumping in very soon.

We had a very early wake up call for our sunrise visit to see the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River. Whilst it was amazing to see it again, the promise of a sunrise was a little disappointing, seeing as the sun was nowhere near it… we managed to get a faint pink tinge through the mist but it was lovely to see it without the hustle and bustle that was there yesterday.
After breakfast we visited an ‘inlay factory’ which still does the same art that can be found in the Taj Mahal. The intricate designs are incredible, but of course this and the hours of work comes at a hefty price. We therefore settled for some coasters, however the first salesman was a very naughty boy and tried to swindle us out of a fair whack of dollar.
We also visited the ancient village of Abhaneri, famous for its stepwell which was a fascinating piece of architecture. It was here I got my first mosquito bite of the holiday. So rude of it to not ask permission!

Aside from the lunch stop, the rest of the day has been sat on the coach. Unfortunately we took the wrong turn and ended up on what can only be described as a dirt track, which as you can imagine on a large coach, was an incredibly bumpy ride. It definitely kept the locals entertained!

Tomorrow is safari day, which means another very early alarm. Fingers crossed the wildlife behaves.

Tag: Ranthambhore

Day 9 – Ranthambhore

Day 8 – Driving to Ranthambhore