Image Credit: Anirban Chatterjee
Sighting a tiger in the wilderness is the experience of a lifetime. Some people carry this memory, while others venture again and again to capture this beautiful animal in its Natural habitat. Many people who had gone for several safaris but were not able to locate the tiger, or even you also may have suffered the same mental setback. Let me tell you, it's a common experience. Even in the most prominent tiger reserves, people often come back empty-handed.
Among many tiger reserves in India, generally, Jim Corbett, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Ranthambore, Tadoba, Pench & Nagerhola are on the top list of tiger enthusiasts mainly because of higher tiger sightings. Even in these reserves, many people failed to locate this majestic animal.
To select the safari zone in the tiger reserve, you can refer to the official website of the respective tiger reserve. On the website, you can find information about the different safari zones available, including the zones open for tourism and their corresponding fees. You can also book your safari online through the websites. You also need to check the availability of the safari zone before your visit, as some zones may be closed at certain times of the year or have limited capacity.
Image Credit: Anirban Chatterjee
Some of the Key Factors of Tiger Sighting
Tiger Population
One of the most important factors to consider is the tiger population in the reserve. Some reserves have a higher density of tigers than others, which increases the chances of sightings.
Best Time to Visit Tiger Reserve
The best time to visit a tiger reserve depends on the reserve. Some reserves have a higher chance of tiger sightings during the dry season, such as Bandhavgarh National Park, and Ranthambore National Park. While others are better during the monsoon season such as Bandipur National Park.
Knowledge of Current Status
There are many preferred zones in the above tiger reserves, especially for a higher density of tigers and hence higher tiger sightings. However, this possibility is also governed by Nature. What if the main tiger of the zone dies, or some new male tiger enters the zone, hence all the existing tigers are hiding deep?
Let me give you two examples, in 2020, just before the covid, I had a trip to Jim Corbet National Park. I booked Brijrani Forest Rest House in December 2019. The sighting was wonderful in December 2019. However, 15 days before our scheduled trip both the tigress in the zone engaged in a fight and dies. I did 7 safaris but didn't able to locate any tigers.
In December 2022, I made 6 safari plans in Bandhavgarh (in Tala & Khituli Zone). It was my mistake that I haven't enquired before booking. Since October sighting in the Tala zone was very low but at the same time, sighting in Magadi Zone is very high. As a result, ended up with only one sighting in the Khituli zone.
Hence, I strongly recommend you do your research (from local sources and not from the internet) before selecting the safari zone. Secondly, plan your travel well in advance so that you don't have only a few choices of zones.
Driver & Guide
The process varies between Tiger Reserves. Say at Jim Corbett, you can select your preferred driver, but in Bandhavgarh, generally, you can't have the option to select your driver. From personal experience, I can say, some drivers and guides are very knowledgeable and have the right attitude whereas, for many of them, it's only a job they don't want to do. Considering the earning potential, I can't blame them, but the attitude and knowledge of your guide and driver are imperative to locate tigers.
Luck
Above all your luck need to favour you during a safari. I am not going into details of this aspect.
Patience
Jungles are not the circus where tigers will present their appearance as per your time, it's their home, and you need to have respectful towards their behaviour. Let me give you one example, in 2022, in Kanha reserve two gypsies were waiting in the same place. Passengers of one car were impatient and force the driver to leave the spot. Just within minutes of them leaving, we had a very good sighting of a tiger. Interestingly they came back to the same place within 10 minutes, but by that time the show was over.
Nowadays, because of the increasing population of Tigers, sightings are also reported in lesser-known parks and buffer areas. During monsoons, most of the buffer zones of all the parks remain open for tourism. Monsoon forest is stunning for Nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts.
A friendly piece of advice, don't go forest for only tigers. In case of no sighting, this expectation will demotivate you. Visit the tiger reserve with an open mind and enjoy every flora and fauna. Consider tiger sighting as a bonus and then only you can enjoy the forest at its best.
Image Credit: Anirban Chatterjee
Some of the Prominent Tiger Reserves in India
Bandhavgarh National Park
Located in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district, Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the prominent national parks in the country.
Bandhavgarh, a 105-square-kilometre region, was first designated a national park in 1968 before becoming a tiger reserve in 1993.
716 square kilometres make up the current core area.
Tala, Magadhi, and Khitauli are the national park's three core zones.
Jim Corbett Nation Park
Jim Corbett National Park is situated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is in the Nainital district. It was founded in 1936, making it India's first national park. It was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in 1956.
The park, a popular ecological destination, has 488 distinct plant species and a wide range of wildlife. This park is home to around 50 species of mammals, 580 species of birds and 25 reptile species.
Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore National Park is situated in Rajasthan, India, covering 1,334 square kilometres. The Chambal River and the Banas River are from northern and southern boundaries, respectively. It derives its name from the famous Ranthambore Fort, which is located within the park.
Ranthambore National Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife including the Royal Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Gaur, etc.
Kanha National Park
One of India's largest tiger reserves situated in the Madhya Pradesh state is the Kanha Tiger Reserve. On June 1st, 1955, Kanha National Park was established, and in 1973 it was declared a tiger reserve. It now covers 940 square kilometres of land over the two districts of Mandla and Balaghat.
The restoration of barasingha into this national park is an outstanding conservation initiative.
A portion of the barasingha will be moved to Satpura Tiger Reserve, while the gaur will be transported to Bandhavgarh from Kanha National Park.
Additionally, there is a plan to shift 20 tigers to Satpura Tiger Reserve.
Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a World Heritage Site and is home to two-thirds of the giant one-horned rhinoceroses in the world. The number of rhinos in Kaziranga National Park is 2,613, according to a census taken in March 2018. According to the most recent census, Kaziranga has 118 tigers and the highest tiger density in the world (1 per 5 km2). It was designated a tiger reserve in 2006.
Anirban Chatterjee
Anirban is a well-known Wildlife Photographer and Nature Enthusiast. His photographs are featured on many national & international platforms.
