1] VISIT TO RANTHAMBHORE.

Ranthambhore is approx. 660 kms away from Ahmedabad. It takes approx. 12 hrs to reach Ranthambhore. We went there by train. The nearest station from Ranthambhore is Sawai Madhopur(SWM). There are no direct trains from Ahm to SWM. So we first went to Vadodara and then to SWM in Golden Temple Express. We started our journey on 19th Nov and reached SWM on 20th Nov at 8:35 AM.

Before planning the trip, here are some IMP points to be kept in mind.

As the place is in the jungle, shoes are a must.
In winters, the temperature reaches approx. 10℃ so it is advisable to carry woollen clothes.
For doing safari, id card of all passengers are compulsory.

DAY - 1(20th Nov)

We reached SWM at 8:35 AM. There are many Digamber Jain Derasar in SWM. But there is only one Swetamber Jain Derasar and which was getting renovated. So first of all, we went to Digamber derasar and then reached Nature Camp Resort in Ranthambhore. SWM to Ranthambhore is approx. 14 kms and you can get many e-rickshaws and diesel rickshaws near railway station which drops you at your resort. The main attraction in Ranthambhore is Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve where there are approx. 80 tigers. There are morning and evening safaris which take us in the jungle. Only 20% of area is permitted for movement of safaris. Rest 80% of area is restricted. There are different zones from 1 to 10 which you can book for safari. Probability of finding tigers in zone 2 and 3 is maximum but it mainly depends on your luck. There are Gypsies and Canters which move in the jungle. We booked canter in advance as there are limited number of canters going in the jungle. We did 2 safaris-one in evening and another in morning. Before going for safari, you need to release the canters. They give you the canter registration number and name and mobile number of the guide. Each canter can accommodate only 20 people.You need to carry your id cards to get your seat confirmed in your canter. If there are more than 4 people than canter comes to pick you up at your resort. Else you have to reach Ganesh Dham which is the main gate of entrance for safari.

Things to do :-

1) Evening Safari -

We reached Ganesh Dham at 2 PM. The time for evening safari is 2 PM. It changes depending upon the season. Our safari started at 2:20 PM. First, there are different gates for entering different zones. Then, there is main entrance gate to jungle opposite to Ranthambhore Fort in Zone 2. We had booked both the safaris of zone 2. We saw Spotted Deer, Sambhar Deer, Crocodile, Monkeys, Peacocks, etc. But we were not able to see the tiger. The safari is approx. of 3 hrs.

DAY - 2(21st Nov)

2) Morning Safari -

We had booked morning safari for day 2. The main entrance gate opens at 7 AM in the morning. If your canter is the first one to reach there then the probability of finding tiger increases. We reached Ganesh Dham at 6:30 AM. We were able to see pug marks of bear and tiger. We reached the innermost permitted part of jungle and saw Spotted Deer, Sambhar Deer etc. On our way back, we stopped at a point where we were able to hear the warning calls of deer, monkeys and peacock. One tigress had given birth to 3 cubs few days ago and we heard their roar. It was only 1 km from our canter but the tigress didn't move so we were not able to see her. We waited there for half an hour but failed to see her. We missed it. So we started returning to the gate. But on our way back, we saw fresh pug marks of tiger. This was our 2nd chance to see tiger. But it was again our hard luck!!! We missed him again. It was just a difference of some minutes and the tiger was gone. So, we failed to see the tiger in either of the safaris.

Pug marks of sloth bear

We went to our resort after safari and had our breakfast. Then we got ready to visit other places.

3) Ranthambhore Fort and Trinetra Ganesha Temple -

We reached Ganesh Dham. There are special Separate Jeeps which take us to ranthambhore fort. Rickshaws are not allowed to enter the forest. These Jeeps drops us at the entrance of the fort. We reached the fort at 3 PM. There are 150 to 200 steps in the fort. It is one of the biggest forts in India. It contains 7 gates and the famous trinetra mandir. One ancient Digamber Jain Derasar of Sambhavnath Bhagwan is also there inside the fort. It takes approx. 2 hrs to explore the fort. The panoramic view from the top of the fort is magnificent.

After that, we went for dinner. There are very few pure veg restaurants in Ranthambhore. But fortunately, our rickshaw driver knew one and we went to Chulha Restaurant. It is pure veg restaurant and we ate special Dal Bati Churmu Thali (famous food of Rajasthan). It was awesome and the restaurant is worth visiting.

DAY - 3(22nd Nov)

We had our train from SWM to Bharatpur at 8:30 AM. So, we checked out from our resort early in the morning and went to SWM Railway station. On the way to station, we stopped at Chamatkari Digamber Jain Derasar of Adinath Bhagwan. It takes approx. 2.5 hrs to reach Bharatpur from SWM.

Please click on the following link to read further blogs of this journey.

PART 2 : KEOLADEO DIARIES https://youngtravellerkeoladeo.blogspot.com/
PART 3 : AGRA DIARIES https://youngtravelleragra.blogspot.com/

PART 4 : VRINDAVAN-MATHURA DIARIES https://youngtravellervrindavan-mathura.blogspot.com/

PART 5 : FATEHPUR SIKRI DIARIES https://youngtravellerfatehpursikri.blogspot.com/

Please click on following links to view more blogs written by me.