Even though our morning game drive in the Ranthambore National Park came up dry on tigers, we still had a fun morning with plenty of animal and bird sightings.
We arrived back at The Tigress Ranthambore in time for a little downtime before lunch. We had a very early start and having time to rest a bit was much needed.
Our next game drive started out mid-afternoon and we were a little anxious, would we get to see a tiger? I know there are worse things going on in the world to worry about, but my infatuation with tigers could not be tamed. Not seeing one would be a disappointment but we are thankful we even had the opportunity to look for one in the wild.
Our drive started out slow with many sightings of the same animals we saw during the morning drive. Our safari guide pointed out an owl hidden in a tree that we never would have seen, they blend in so well. It is a collared scops owl and they are only about 9-10 inches tall.
There was this beautiful watering hole and just down the stream, we saw this big guy sunning himself on the river bed. It reminded me of home, we live in Florida.
We saw giant termite mounds throughout our journey today. They were very similar to the ones we saw in Kenya, but these were not quite as tall. Not sure if the species determines the size or we just didn’t see any tall ones. Either way, they were cool to see.
Ok, the suspense is over, yes we did get to see a tiger.
But it didn’t stop there. The first sighting we got to see not one but two on the other side of a small river. Needless to say, the excitement could not be quelled. They were 2 young brothers just lounging in the afternoon sun. They only got up once when they heard a noise and of course, we got excited that they might chase something. False alarm and they just laid back down. I could have stayed there for hours just watching and waiting. But all good things come to an end and after about an hour watching them, it was time to head back to the resort.
On the way back to the resort we saw a jeep stopped in the middle of the road ahead of us. We weren’t sure why and then all of a sudden we saw this large beautiful female tiger heading toward us. It was quite an unexpected surprise to get to see a third tiger. She walked toward us and crossed the road in front of our jeep and headed into the woods. Needless to say, we were all thrilled. We were so fortunate to see three tigers, many people don’t see any.
Travel Tips:
- The safari rides can be very bumpy so be prepared to bounce around a lot. Our jeep did not have seat belts, others might.
- Early morning safaris can be a little chilly when you start out. Wear layers so you can take off as it warms up.
- You will be out on safari for over 3 hours, so you may want to limit your water intake. We bring mints with us to eat so our mouth doesn’t feel dry.
- There can be a lot of dust and pollen depending on the time of year you are there. So if you have allergies or asthma, bring a light scarf or handkerchief to cover your face.
- Always, and we can’t stress this enough. Keep your camera or phone ready, you never know when nature will present a photo op.
- Wear a hat and bring sunscreen. The sun can be strong, especially for anyone from a colder region.
- This should be obvious, but please don’t try and pet the tigers.
- Respect nature and leave it the way you found it.