Thursday – In search of tigers at Ranthambore and off to Jaipur

Ranthambore National Park is one of the largest national parks in Northern India and is renowned for its tiger population and conservation. There are also possible sightings of leopards, hyenas, sloth bras, wild boar, and nilgai, a type of antelope.

The morning was nice and relaxing because our original early morning safari that was planned for today had been cancelled the previous day, before we arrived , due to heavy rain making the area waterlogged and unsuitable for passing. It was, however, a beautiful sunny morning, and some people made the most of the outdoor swimming pool. I actually went off to the spa for a massage that was cheap and too good an opportunity to miss. The site also had a little shop that sold a few gifts and had a huge selection of cotton fabrics stacked up on the shelves. I didn’t know about this at the time when I had a quick look in there until someone told me that you could have any item of clothing made up and it would be available for collection in just a couple of hours! Some people had items made up and there were beautiful.

Soon it was 2pm and time to go off on our afternoon safari in our open top canter vehicle. It was quite a bumpy three to four hours in the wilderness, but the scenery was stunning and it was clear and sunny. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any tigers, just a few deer, some birds, and some monkeys swinging from the trees above us. Eventually, the sun went down, and the temperature started to drop as we headed back to the safari lodge.

Whilst having our dinner in the evening, we got talking to another group who had been out earlier in the afternoon and had seen a tiger that came right up to the safari vehicle, so they got some great photos and videos. We were all then pinning our hopes on the following morning’s safari at 6.30 am.

It was extremely cold at 6.30 am the following morning, and no one was really prepared for the temperatures – the best I had was a hooded sweatshirt. We were provided with blankets put we had to put some of them on the seats because the seats were damp from the early morning dew. So, if you do an early morning safari here at this time of the year, don’t forget to pack your woolly hat and scarf, and a jumper and coat! We stayed out on the safari for about three or four hours like the previous day, but we saw limited wildlife that included some wart hogs, a couple of nilgai, and some more deer. We were all bitterly disappointed not to have been able to see any tigers, or even any other wild cats. There are apparently around 70 tigers in the park now, so sightings are therefore down to luck – which wasn’t on our side at all! So, we reluctantly had to return to the lodge for breakfast. We were all freezing cold and glad to get some hot food and drink.

After breakfast, it was time to pack up our things again and leave the lodges for our next location; Jaipur, otherwise known as the ‘Pink City’ and capital of Rajasthan. The place got its name from the pink paint on all the buildings in the Old City area. The pink paint was used to imitate the red sandstone buildings of the Mughals, and it was hoped that it would impress the Prince of Wales when he visited in 1876. Jaipur was founded in 1727 when Mughal power within India was declining.

It was about a four-hour drive to Jaipur, but, once again, we stopped for lunch and some short rest breaks on route. We finally arrived in Jaipur in the late afternoon where we had quite a nice break before going out for our evening meal.

Before the meal, we visited a block printing and rug factory, which was really interesting. We got chance to have a go at the block printing that was such a fascinating process. The rugs were beautifully made, and some of the smaller ones could be packed up into bags that could be taken on the plane. Some people bought some of the smaller rugs with one person buying a large one that had to be shipped home for them.

After these little trips, we went for a lovely meal in a restaurant that had live dancing, and some people joined in. The food was really good in here with a large buffet that offered a good selection of starters, main course dishes, and desserts. The food in India was varied during the trip with some being quite hot and spicy and some not. We had some interesting soups, one being a chicken and almond one that we had one lunchtime which was a big hit with nearly everyone. The naan bread always came warm and freshly made which was far superior to any I have had at home. A favourite dessert with everyone was the sponge balls that were soaked in what seemed like syrup and were usually eaten with ice cream. I think the Indian food tasted better in India, probably due to all the local spices being much fresher. We also had the opportunity to try the local rum and whiskey.