Apr 15 2009

Safari So-goody

(Sorry for the lack of updates but Ranthambhore isn't famed for its Cyber Cafe's or broadband connections.)

Over the last three days we've done five safaris in Ranthambhore in jeeps. I've done one more than the rest of them just to give me one more chance to see the elusive tigers but this safari was done in a clanking great diesel truck which literally drove away any wildlife.

So what was the grand total number of tiger spots we made? One.

It's seems we've been quite unlucky but it's nice to leave this place realising that it's a real national park that contains wild life, not some open air zoo.

Tigers aside, Ranthambhore is a great place for wildlife: the birds (eagles, kites, vultures, treepies, parakeets, kingfishers), crocodiles, mongooses (or is that mongeese?), chittal deer and so on we're plentiful and a lot less elusive than those tigers. I've taken a few photos and hopefully there'll be a few good ones in there.

The Raj Palace hotel turned out to be very nice indeed and it's hard to imagine that you could find staff more friendly and eager to please.

(BTW, I'm sorry if this sounds like one of those everythings-fantastic-Christmas-round-robin-letters (I don't mean you Helen J) but everything is literally brilliant.)

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Apr 14 2009

Ranthambhore Safaris

Ranthambhore seems a nice place to relax a little. Our hotel has a nice pool and nice gardens, the room's okay and the food hasn't killed me yet - I doubt it'll take much to finish me off, maybe just a "wafer thin mint" will do it.

So early to bed as the safari started at 6am, alarm set for 5am, kids set their mental alarm to start moaning at 5:05am that it's too early and they just want more sleep.

We get picked up by our eight seater jeep; four seats for us; one for the driver; one for the guide/naturalist; two for a father and son from 'up north' in Matlock. And we're off, off on our first safari in India. I'm so excited, click my 70-300 zoom on the SLR and I'm all set.

We're been allocated zone 3 which I've heard is one of the best so this just adds to the excitement.

In the park we see loads of deer/antelopes, many species of birds and I'm astounded at how often the scenery changes compared to my travels in the Serengeti, Tsavo and Amboseli.

Click, click, click. And again. And again.

Suddenly word gets around that a tiger has been spotted in the long (8 foot tall) grass near one of the lakes. We wait, and a bit more waiting, followed by more waiting split up by some more waiting. About 30 minutes in total it seems.

Suddenly the tiger leaps out of the grass, two hundred or so yards away, chasing a wild boar, which she misses. Dejected, she goes back to the grass: it's all over in 60 seconds.

Our first tiger spot. Fantastic. I'm chuffed.

Photos are here

 

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Apr 14 2009

The Overnight Train From Udaipur To Jaipur

Those that have spoken to me about catching the overnight train will know that it's something I was anxious about. Being a Dad just means that you get to carry all the luggage and with a suitcase/rucsack each plus a backpack I've got a lot of carrying to do. Train stations in India are very busy and apparently you're likely to get your wallet lifted - although I'd fancy my chances here more than at night in Fareham, Southampton or Portsmouth.

We arrive at the station and I check our tickets are okay and which carriage we're on and which first class cabins we've got allocated. Looks like we're split up but never mind, we'll cope.

So we find out where our carriage will stop and we wait. I notice a family of 11 waiting too and I guess they're on First Class too. The train pulls in and our carriage has a cross between two-tier air con class and first class which means there's only about 10 first class berths. The doors open and the French family rush on board and claim all 10 first class berths! We get on and have nowhere to go. Great, I think, but I've got confirmed tickets and my name is on chart on the outside of the train. I check their e-ticket, they booked after me and only have 5 confirmed tickets, the other 6 are waitlisted (see other train booking article for info). They're in trouble, I'm not.

The daughter speaks fluent English so I explain their situation. They're not best pleased and I get the feeling that the Dad is going to get an ear-battering if they ever get to their destination, Agra.

The Train Ticket Examiner arrives, explains the situation as I did but they argue. So I tell them that he's offered them a way out with 6 berths in three-tier AC class. Either that or 6 passengers are staying in Udaipur.

Eventually they vacate our rooms and we go to sleep...and I haven't even mentioned Agincourt! (Emilie, Caro and Nico: sorry, it's an English joke, hope you're not offended.)

We arrive an hour late at 7am at Jaipur and eventually find our driver to take us to Ranthambhore, home of the tigers, and I'm relieved on three counts: we survived the train; we've got a taxi; this means that our reservation at the Raj Palace is good too as they sent the taxi to Jaipur.

So all my worries were unfounded and I'm really glad that I'd read (IndiaMike's) Steven_ber's brilliant article about wait listed train tickets before I got to India. Shame those French people didn't.

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Feb 25 2009

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve

Searching for information about Ranthambhore can prove a little tricky. To start with you've got to know how to spell it and it's open to debate. But the winner it seems is 'Ranthambhore'.

Firstly, let me recommend a lovely photo book, Tiger Forest: A Visual Study of Ranthambhore National Park. I got my copy for about £15, brand new from Amazon. Full of gorgeous pictures it really whets the appetite for a trip to the tiger reserve.

Next, let me recommend the best set of photos I've seen around. Taken by a man name Aditya Singh who runs the Ranthambhore Bagh hotel, which unfortunately is over my budget range. How I would have loved to talk about wildlife and photography with Aditya but never mind, I'll just have to bore the kids. Aditya's images can be found in many places: his blog; his web site; but above all else, his photos on Flickr.

I love this shot of a tiger almost as much as this shot of a leopard.

If I manage to take one shot half as good as some ofthese I'll be a happy man.

 

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Feb 05 2009

Booking Safaris in Ranthambhore National Park

There's lots of advice about Ranthambhore but some bits are still quite lacking especially when it comes to the safaris themselves.

Some things I'll go through here, but I won't have answers to some of my questions (where is the departure point for safaris, how do you actually get from your hotel to the departure point, which is the nearest hotel to the departure point) until I return. 

 

Types  Of  Safari

There are two safaris per day, one very early in the morning - mine start at 5:30am! - and one mid-afternoon - mine start at 2:30pm.

You can book on either a 'Gypsy' (6 seats, + driver + guide, petrol) or a 'Canter' (20 seats + driver + guide, diesel).

For more information there's a very good thread on IndiaMike that I've been involved with named Ranthambor Info: Jeeps, Canters and all that jazz. Read this, you'll learn loads.

 

Pictures of a Gypsy and a Canter:

 

Booking

Everyone advises that you should book your safari direct on the Government of Rajasthan Department of Forest web site using the Ranthambhore Online Bookings page. Booking is available for dates 90 days in advance, but just like trains, but unlike flights, there's no point in waiting as the price never gets better. So, as with trains, if you know when you're going to be at Ranthambhore you might as well book up.

At the time of writing the prices are as follows for a foreign national like me: Canter:Rs547 Gypsy:Rs64, about £8.5 and £10 respectively.

So you're talking about Rs100 (£1.50 ish) extra per safari for the benefit of only 6 people in the same vehicle. It's no contest, why would you even consider a Canter is a Gypsy is available? Coupled with the fact that the canters are diesel.

 

Paying For The Booking

Booking the safaris isn't much trouble: go to the site, select the date, enter the number of morning and/or evening places you want, fill-in the details about each person, including names and passport numbers and then proceed to pay for it all.

It gets interesting when you have to enter your credit card details.

You enter all of your info and credit card details and then (I'm guessing) the site realises it can't handle your international credit card and forwards you to payment gateway number 2.

 

Again, you enter all of your info and credit card details and then (I'm guessing) the site realises it can't handle you international credit card and forwards you to PayPal.

You log in to Paypal and pay and the booking is made.

Throughout this process you're never informed that you're being redirected due to your international credit card and more importantly you never get the chance to say 'Hey, I've got an internation credit card please take me straight to Paypal.

NOTE: I've read that others have had trouble trying to pay via Paypal when their Paypal account only has a credit card attached and no bank account. For me this wasn't a problem as my Paypal payments come straight out of my bank account.

 

 

Timing

As I said earlier, just book it up, why wait?

The proof is in the pudding for me: I booked as soon as I could and got just what I wanted. Today, one month on 40% of the seats have gone.

Obviously if the spaces for a Gypsy sell out you can probably always get a ride in a Canter, but with loads of others, in a diesel, trying to spot wildlife, no thanks.

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