After a hiatus, the North Indian forests are open for safaris from October onwards. Every time we visit the forest, the forest has something in store for us. But this time the desire to leave the usual forests and see something new brought us to Rathambore. It was a sudden decision. As usual, Sarat, Amal, and Abi joined. Ramesh Chetan is also new.
Along with Rathambore, Gir National Park was added to the itinerary. It can be said that signing a train ticket to join the two in a short period of time is very difficult. So all the tickets were booked in 6 trains. The room is booked only for two days on a one-week trip. The rest of the days are night journeys by train. All tickets are RAC. Yatra is confident that it will conform. But I got the job right from the beginning. The ticket did not conform.
So the journey returned on the 10th. First to Rathambore. The train departs from Ernakulam North Railway Station at 5 am. The next station to Rathambore is Sawai Madhupur. The train is Tvc Nzm Express. After boarding the train TTR confirmed two seats. Since it is the month of December, I am sure that it will be very cold on the North Side, so I am traveling with a sweater and a woolen blanket. The journey started at 5 am on the 10th and was supposed to reach the destination at 5 pm on the 11th, but the train arrived at 10 pm. So I gathered all my bags and got off the train. It’s not as cold as it should be, it’s just getting colder.
Booking. The room can be booked through com. Got into a race and reached the hotel. Shown the booked details. They will not provide room at the booked rate. I know how to say urgent things in Hindi but I don’t know how to argue. Finally, they took the room at the rate they said. Two safaris have been taken in Rathambore. The Rathambor Tiger Reserve was called and informed about the arrival. The first safari is tomorrow at 7 am.
You can see forest safari vehicles parked all the way. They informed us that the car allotted to us will come and pick us up from wherever we are staying at 6.30 in the morning. So we sent them the location where we stayed. The safari takes place in 10 zones of Rathambore. Zones 1 to 6 has the highest chance of seeing tigers. Chances are very low in zone 7 to 10. There is no Gypsy Safari in zone 1 to 6. There is only Canter Safari.
Tigers are the main focus here, so we might book a Canter Safari. The train arrived at 6.30 am. A 20 seater car with no canter roof. They picked us up and went to the next resort. So 20 people were taken from various places straight to the forest. On reaching the entrance of the forest, he came to know that there is a tiger moment. The driver sped away with the car without even stopping to show the list at the entrance. Mlaw and deer are standing on the way. The guide said that he will come to see the tiger first. Everyone said ok. The tiger was spotted in Zone 5.
I thought we would be the first to arrive, I was wrong. When we arrived, many safari vehicles had arrived. Gypsies who said they will not come from zone 1 to 6 have also been present. We 4 looked everywhere but did not see the tiger. After standing for some time she comes out from among the grass “Rithi”. The female tiger is but far away. She is the granddaughter of a tiger named Machali. Machali is the longest-lived tiger in the wild. Machali is one of the reasons for increasing the tiger population here. Most of the tigers here now are Machali’s children and grandchildren.
We are all waiting impatiently to get a closer look at Riti. We were not the only ones waiting for her, there was a herd of deer in front of our car, ready to run. The deer and moose here are much larger than those in our forests. So after some time, Riti slowly came to us. Now we can see her better. Although he did not come close, he enjoyed seeing her for some time. Each carriage follows her according to the season. Slowly she disappeared into the forest. We are happy. The guide told me a lot about Riti and Machali.
I heard that Machali was the one who waited for the crocodile that killed her baby and bit her. All the carriages went ahead a little and then went back to the next road. Our car went ahead. In the middle of a lake there is a crocodile. What is essential is the time when the cold turns into heat. Keri bed to keep warm. The guide had told Riti something else on the way forward. Riti has a sister Siddhi with her. Maybe if you wait a little bit, she will see you, but there is no guarantee. Thus we reached the lake shore after waiting. After some time, he saw the crocodile and other birds and slowly went back. After 10 minutes, a gypsy was stopped in front of him and Siddhi was standing in the muddy water next to him.
Oh, what a beautiful scene. She is drinking water from it. She stopped drinking water and started walking along the side of the road. We are slowly following her…..! She walked and slowly crossed the road. There is only one gypsy in front of us. She quietly crossed the dirt path and hid in the forest. There is no greater joy than this. It was good to see two tigers next to each other. Later on the forward journey, nothing else could be seen. They took us back to the room and left. Now the trip is in the afternoon at 3 o’clock.
When it was 2.30, the car arrived and as usual stopped at many resorts and took people straight to the forest. First we went to Zone 5 but this time we went to Zone 1. Rathambore Fort is situated along this route. Before that, the carriage went forward with us in search of the tiger. Not only tigers, but also bears and tigers can be seen here. Zone 1 has three tiger territories. With luck we will see you here too. Every journey is through a dirt road. By the time we get back, we will have bathed in the mud. Before it was too long, I saw that the carts might be piled up on the road. “Tiger”. In the distance a man lies very calmly in the water. Ganesh is a male tiger. After lying in the water for some time, he slowly started walking.
Along with walking he makes a small sound. Sometimes urine is poured on the tree. said the guide. He is looking for a mate. Mate will come after hearing Roar. Urination does two things. One is for territory marking and the other is for the mate to know his proximity. So he hid in the forest in search of a mate to regain his territory. There was still a lot of time left and the car moved forward. People throng to catch a glimpse of the tiger, which has come to be known as T-64. We also went there. But she never came to us. After seeing her for some time, she continued her journey.
There is one person who wanted to see “Blue Bull” when he came here. He was sharing this one thing with Sarat without any expectation. The happiness is indescribable. I took a few more pics and continued my journey. Again and again many deer and mallows passed us. Seeing a Mlaw standing alone in the distance, the guide said after stopping the car and waiting. You will see a tiger or a tiger there. The reason for saying that is because that slobbery tail is standing up. They stand like this when they are afraid. However, I could not see a tiger or a tiger. On this trip, we saw many animals and birds, but we could not see a spotted tiger or a bear.
But we left the forest happily. The driver and the guide explained everything and were very cooperative. By 6 o’clock we were brought to the hotel. We said see you again and headed to our next destination, Gir National Park to see the lions.
