Holidays Travel India » Wildlife In India» Ranthambore National Park

GENERAL INFORMATION
Location :Near Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan
Area covered :392-sq-kms
Main Wildlife Found :Tigers, Leopards, Boars
Best time to visit :October to March and April to June
Area : 400 sq km approx./ 39,200 hectares.
Established : 1955 as a sanctuary, 1973 as a tiger reserve, 1981 as a national park.
Rainfall : 68 cms
Languages : Hindi, Rajasthani and English



Description:
Ranthambore National Park is situated in India. s northwestern state of Rajasthan, near the town of Sawai Madhopur, midway between Bharatpur and Kota townships. It is surrounded by the Vindhya and Aravali hill ranges and is very near to the outer fringes of the Thar Desert. The entire area has sprawling tracts of the desert and semi-desert vegetation. Originally a hunting ground of the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambore was declared a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1980, it became a national park and listed among the reserves protected under Project Tiger (1973). Presently the Kaila Devi Sanctuary, also famous for its tigers, and Mansingh Sanctuary also form part of Ranthambore Reserve
This 400 sq. km National Park provides one of the best opportunities for seeing the majestic Bengal tiger in the wild, though of course wildlife sightings are always a matter of luck. There are around 30 tigers present in the park, along with sambhar, nilgai, sloth bear, jackal, crocodile, much birdlife, and even some rarely seen leopard. The varied landscapes within the park are attractive and there is even a huge thousand-year-old fort within the park, which can still be explored. Since 1972 the sanctuary came under the project tiger scheme, which aims to preserve the highly endangered tiger population in its natural habitat. Ranthambore has proved to be one of the most successful of the sanctuaries involved and tiger sightings are relatively frequent here.

Maharajas of Jaipur, the Park at Ranthambore was once the scene of royal hunting parties. Today, it is famous for its tigers and is one of the best places in the country to see these majestic predators in the wild. The tigers can be spotted quite often even during the day, at their normal pursuits - hunting and taking care of their young. With the strict measures that have been taken for their conservation, they seem quite accustomed to human activity and are not disturbed by it. A good time to visit is between November and April when the nature of the dry deciduous forest makes sightings common.

Park Safari Timings:
Months Morning Afternoon
October-March 0600-0900 21500-1800 hrs
April-June 0630-0930 hrs 1530-1800 hrs

Temperature :

Months	Morning	Afternoon
October-March	10-15 º celcius	20-25 º celcius
April	20-25 º celcius	30-35º celcius
May-June	30-35 º celcius	40-45 º celcius

How to Get There
Air: Jaipur (180 km) is the nearest airport.
Rail:The Park is around 11 km away from Sawai Madhopur railway station, that lies on the Delhi to Bombay trunk route.
Road: A good network of buses connect Sawai Madhopur, the nearest town, with quite a few areas around.

Where To Stay
RTDC Jhoomar Baori Forest Lodge, RTDC Hotel Kamdhenu, Maharaja Lodge (Taj Group), Sawai Madhopur Lodge, PWD Rest House, and Jogi Mahal which lies within the park premises, are some of the available means of accomodation.