Ranthambore - Good time to visit the park

sachinayak · May 7th, 2008, 00:00

I am considering a trip to Ranthambore, primarily to photograph tigers. Would early december be a good time to visit the park? November and late December being holidays would mean hugely crowded park. Would early december or early january be slightly better off?

bijapuri · May 7th, 2008, 00:07

Park will be open then. They say summer (April-May) is best, but those finicky tigers are unpredictible. They certainly see you long before you see them, and no one has yet discovered the algorithm they use when deciding to reveal themselves or not. The more time you spend at the park, the better the chances of tiger spotting.

Good choice about photographing them- petting is forbidden

aadil · May 7th, 2008, 00:30

It is best to see tigers from April to June when it is hot and the great cats come out to the watering holes in the daytime with no other option but to be seen more than in the winter months when they generally keep under cover and remain almost invisible to human eyes. And yes, they usually see you but you may only see them when they wish you to see them!!! So be prepared to come back without a sighting many times. I just read about a lot of tiger cubs being discovered today at the Ranthambore Park so that means your chances of seeing them now are really good. Why wait till December now?!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

sachinayak · May 7th, 2008, 01:46

How about June/July. Would it be pouring by then?

aadil · May 8th, 2008, 18:44

Monsoons are the time when the tigers get to stay away from human attention and get a time on their own so please do not disturb them during their holidays!!! Almost all parks in India are shut during the Monsoon season from mid June or July till September or October depending on the park. Please check individual park websites for the exact dates of park closure. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Aadil.

mikewill · Jun 4th, 2008, 04:38

We were in Ranthambore in early December last year. It was pretty busy, and I'm not sure that that will vary much whenever you go, except perhaps late season when it will be very hot. I was there in March once before but it was much less touristed then. There must be five times as many places to stay now. At really busy times I understand you need to book a long way in advance to guarantee entries.

You may like to consider some other issues. Winter weather can mean light is less good for photography; it was pretty grey most mornings when we were there and the sun didn't clear it until later by which time it was quite high in the sky.

Winter mornings can be pretty cold too; I mean jumper / sweater, coat, hat, gloves, scarf type cold,especially for the drive down the main road to the ticket office. Takes a while to warm up after that.

Tigers were seen every day, but not on every route and, of course, there's the route lottery. Despite eight park rounds we never made it to route 3, around the lakes. So you need to allow plenty of time. Your chances of seeing tigers are probably just as high in a canter, but the quality and duration of the view may not be as good.

May 7th, 2008, 00:00	#1
sachinayak Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 3	Ranthambore - Good time to visit the park I am considering a trip to Ranthambore, primarily to photograph tigers. Would early december be a good time to visit the park? November and late December being holidays would mean hugely crowded park. Would early december or early january be slightly better off?

May 7th, 2008, 00:07	#2
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,601	Park will be open then. They say summer (April-May) is best, but those finicky tigers are unpredictible. They certainly see you long before you see them, and no one has yet discovered the algorithm they use when deciding to reveal themselves or not. The more time you spend at the park, the better the chances of tiger spotting. Good choice about photographing them- petting is forbidden __________________ Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. Barack Obama lookit me!!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bijapuri/ Utube fuzzy logic: http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=bijapuri&p =r

May 7th, 2008, 00:30	#3
aadil Aircraft Service Engineer, Astronomer & Traveller Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai, India. (Lat 18.967 N, Long 72.833 E, Alt 11 m) Posts: 1,796	It is best to see tigers from April to June when it is hot and the great cats come out to the watering holes in the daytime with no other option but to be seen more than in the winter months when they generally keep under cover and remain almost invisible to human eyes. And yes, they usually see you but you may only see them when they wish you to see them!!! So be prepared to come back without a sighting many times. I just read about a lot of tiger cubs being discovered today at the Ranthambore Park so that means your chances of seeing them now are really good. Why wait till December now?!!! Cheers, Aadil. __________________ Climb high; climb far; Your goal, the sky, Your aim, the stars!!!

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May 7th, 2008, 01:46	#4
sachinayak Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 3	How about June/July. Would it be pouring by then?

May 8th, 2008, 18:44	#5
aadil Aircraft Service Engineer, Astronomer & Traveller Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai, India. (Lat 18.967 N, Long 72.833 E, Alt 11 m) Posts: 1,796	Monsoons are the time when the tigers get to stay away from human attention and get a time on their own so please do not disturb them during their holidays!!! Almost all parks in India are shut during the Monsoon season from mid June or July till September or October depending on the park. Please check individual park websites for the exact dates of park closure. Hope this helps. Cheers, Aadil.

Jun 4th, 2008, 04:38	#6
mikewill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Exeter, England Posts: 266	We were in Ranthambore in early December last year. It was pretty busy, and I'm not sure that that will vary much whenever you go, except perhaps late season when it will be very hot. I was there in March once before but it was much less touristed then. There must be five times as many places to stay now. At really busy times I understand you need to book a long way in advance to guarantee entries. You may like to consider some other issues. Winter weather can mean light is less good for photography; it was pretty grey most mornings when we were there and the sun didn't clear it until later by which time it was quite high in the sky. Winter mornings can be pretty cold too; I mean jumper / sweater, coat, hat, gloves, scarf type cold,especially for the drive down the main road to the ticket office. Takes a while to warm up after that. Tigers were seen every day, but not on every route and, of course, there's the route lottery. Despite eight park rounds we never made it to route 3, around the lakes. So you need to allow plenty of time. Your chances of seeing tigers are probably just as high in a canter, but the quality and duration of the view may not be as good.

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