what do i actually do at a wildlife park?

julesa

ok i know that's a dumb question, and that there are tours in the early morning and afternoon where the animals tend to come out.

we're heading to Kaziranga and Ranthambore in January, but my question in building an itinerary is in theory, we could do a tour then just head off.

can anyone who's been to one of these places tell me - is there stuff to do in between or at night that justifies a couple of night's stay? or do you just hang out for the next Jeep session in the hope of being able to tell people you saw a tiger?

i'm not a tiger hunter. i like outdoor stuff, the scenery and getting amongst nature etc. can you do treks inside these parks or does that tend to make you tiger bait? any other activities?

steven_ber

From Ranthambore you head into Sawai Madhoppur and find a shop to buy a sweater, all the while muttering "Damn, I never expected it to be this cold"

I enjoyed looking round Sawai Madhoppur, I guess this was because it was the first place I'd seen that wasn't ready for tourists, it was a great experience.

You're hotel should keep you occupied at night with a meal and a few beers around a nice fire.

At Ranthambore you used to be able to go into the park (or it's surrounds) and see some interesting buildings, ruined former homes and lodges and other things.

I read the other day that about 6-8 new cubs had been sighted in Ranthambore.

Although I've been to Assam, I've not been to Kaziranga so can't comment, a game of 'hide and seek' in the long grass could be interesting though. (you can tell I grew up next to cornfields)

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PeakXV

It's a bit like any Camp-life at those places. You do your safari thing during the day .... and relax/chill at night. For park connoisseurs the mind is usually so overwhelmed by the fresh air, flora & fauna seen(regardless of a tiger sighting or not) that dinner, a few cold beers and half a chapter of a good book should zonk you out quite nicely.

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machadinha

All I can say is if I were to do it again I'd give it a few nights to get a better chance to actually see something, hang out with the mahouts or rangers, enjoy the surroundings which will probably be nice even without any wildlife, etc. Then again if you don't care much for it I wouldn't go at all. Indeed the idea of spotting a tiger (if at all) just to tell folks back home doesn't seem to make much sense.

These places will generally be somewhat more involved to get to & tend to be expensive by Indian standards. So it's a good idea to ask yourself what you're after. I wouldn't visit them for the nightlife. There appear to be parks where trekking or camping is a possibility but you'd need to look up a guidebook or so or do some web browsing to find out (or hope that someone here will step in). Which isn't a bad idea anyway.

(And Steve, lay on the Assam tales already! )

Hope this is of any help. Cheers.

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julesa

cripes if a londoner is called i'm going to freeze

and you still can right?!

oh i understand. i'm not interested in the nightlife, i'm genuinely interested in seeing the wildlife and environs. i'm just a bit concerned that if you can't even get out of the Jeep, it doesn't sound like visitors get much of a chance to "be at one with nature".

machadinha

It sounded like you were afraid of getting bored. My only experience is with a park that was well out of anyone's way. There was f** all to do I can assure you. But it was lovely. Me and my companion had to decide there whether to stay to just take in the surroundings, which we loved, or to make a quick dash for the final part of my trip, things were getting hurried. I decided on the latter and am still not sure if I did the right thing. As it was we did one tour and got to see a fleeing deer's ass, lovely elephant ride though.

So it would probably depend on where you're at, this one park had just beautiful surroundings and tranquility all around, would have merited staying quite a bit longer. And close to Assam, with a view of Bhutan (no nobody's nudging Steve )

machadinha

One thing, please remember these places are set up as conservation affairs, not necessarily for the amusement of tourists. It's something people tend to overlook. That is you're there on their terms and you'll generally be dealing with forest guards and the likes who have more on their minds.

So while you'll find yourself accommodated and looked after at varying degrees, the park hasn't been set up for you. People complain about these silly tiger sightings but these parks are about much more than looking after you.

julesa

oh i get the point of wildlife (or national) parks, we have them in australia. i'm not going to bring my boom box and try to hold a bush dance party or anything

steven_ber

I'm also a Londoner who rarely gets cold in London, but Ranthambore cought me by surprise.

The weather is great during the day (I went at the same time of year as you're going), but late evening and early morning the temperature dips to 3-5 degrees, this isn't usually a problem for me (at the lower end of t-shirt weather), but get into an open jeep and race through the park.....it was bloody freezing.

HOWEVER - Don't bring winter clothes and carry them everywhere, I just bought a sweater from Sawai Madhoppur (for Rs400) and give it to the guesthouse when I left.

You'll not get bored on the Safaris, our jeep stopped at a place about half way through the safari so we could watch some crocs and other wildlife, it seemed like a regular stop.

julesa

well we'll be going to Darjeeling and Chandigarh so perhaps we'll need some warmer clothing at other times (earlier than Ranthambore).

machadinha

You will. Trust me. (And after much merriment reading Steve's post , I'm not much of a T-shirt guy myself at 5C but an elephant ride at 6 AM in misty near-NE India in Jan. left me, umm, well shivering shall we say, the sweaters and blankets and all notwithstanding.)

Folks it's just cold!! I mean as in cold!! (Oh did I mention Darjeeling will be colder.)

Nick-H

When I was a Londoner, I'd have worn two levels of fleece in 3 to 5 degrees!

Now I wear fleece in 15 degrees....