On our trip to India in April, we spent two nights near Ranthambore National Park, home to 80+ Bengal tigers. We boarded a safari jeep early in the morning to track the tigers. It was chilly, and we were happy for our hats and coffee-to-go.

Ranthambore National Park is divided into zones. The guides and drivers participate in a lottery to determine where they can travel daily so areas do not become overcrowded. We were lucky to visit Zone 1, where tigers were spotted the previous day.

Encounter With a Tiger

We cruised through the morning dew and were happy to hear the chatter of monkeys – this is the “warning call” for the community of leopards, sloth bears, sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boars, crocodiles, and a wide variety of bird species who live in the park. This chatter means, “Lookout … tiger nearby!”  Our jeep proceeded to the area of the monkey chatter. We waited quietly, and then this magnificent tiger appeared:

She picked up a dead spotted deer carcass to determine if it was high enough quality for her cubs. 

She decided, “Yes – it’s fresh, and my cubs will love it”, and trotted off through the forest towards her cubs.

Other jeep drivers had also heard the monkey call and headed towards this spot. So we were not alone during this encounter with the tiger. Instead, we were joined by BBC cameramen and tourists on photo safaris.

During other drives in Ranthambore Park, we spotted additional tigers, but most were at a distance, and some, like this cub, were well camouflaged in the bush.

Other Animals Populate the Park

In the park we saw a variety of other wildlife, including this spotted deer nursing her baby.

This sambar deer was alert, always listening for predators.

The monkeys provided a constant chatter overhead.

And the birds were varied and beautiful.

We loved going out in the jeep and admiring the vast variety of vegetation and scenery, but it was also good to get home to the lodge and enjoy the sunset.

Leopards Lurk Over the Village

Later in our trip, we stopped in Narlai, a traditional village where leopards live in the stone caves outside of town. We took a jeep tour at sunset and saw this magnificent creature checking out the town below. Apparently, their diet consists of small mammals like dogs, spotted deer, and baby calves. They usually don’t bother humans, but we didn’t get too close to find out!  

We stayed at Rawla Narlai,  a regal hunting lodge, where British royalty spent the night on journeys between Jaipur and Udaipur. The arrival at this lodge was a surprise. We were driving through a typical village with local commerce and cows lying around the street. As we turned the corner, we found a gate with a doorman dressed in white with a red turban. He opened the gate, and this majestic lodge was right there – nestled behind the gate and right in the town. From the swimming pool at the lodge, we could see the local temple that was carved into the nearby mountain.

Villagers Add Local Color

The four-legged creatures were not the only amazing characters we saw on this journey. We toured Narlai with one of the men who worked at the hotel. He took us to the temple on the mountain and serenaded us with a drum.

Other residents were also colorfully dressed in local attire. Many men donned traditional turbans.

While women wore intricate nose rings and beautiful saris.

The children attended a local school and were delighted to have visitors, especially when we contributed to their library fund.

Visiting the countryside allowed us to appreciate the traditional lifestyle still carried on by residents. Working in the field looked exhausting!

We decided you need a strong back, excellent hip flexors, and good balance to prepare meals in this community.

Visiting the countryside was a treat, as the lifestyle is much more traditional than our experience in some of the larger cities in Rajasthan.

Our next stop is modern India. Stay tuned.