Train to Tiger Country

A few hours after the train bombing North of New Delhi that killed 165 people, we boarded a train heading south towards Ranthambore National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. Situated in Eastern Rajasthan, where the Aravali Hill ranges and the Vindhyan plateau meet, the Ranthambhore National Park was once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur. The rivers Chambal in the South and Banas in the North bound the Ranthambore National Park.

Six man made lakes are the central focus of the park and many perennial streams criss-cross the entire park. The Ranthambore National Park has internal drainage and has no link up with any river system, even though two rivers bound the Park in it’s north and south side.

We rode a tiger and went looking for elephants in Rathambore - no wait, i got that wrong - we rode an elephant and went looking for tigers. Here is a riddle for you - if you want to get the height of an elephant you measure the circumference of its foot and multiply by a factor - what is that factor?

We actually saw a tiger! It was towards the end of the day so we were lined up with about 20 other jeeps and once it came into sight all of the drivers and guides started to freak out to try to get the best position for taking photos. All of the commotion did not seem to bother the tiger until people started to use flash. Then it scrambled up the hill. It did not take long for it to amble down back towards us looking for a place to cross the road. We decided to remove ourselves from the great hunt and returned to our tents for a little r&r.