On (tiger) safari

The truth is we didn't really read up too much on what we would be doing or even going in India. I remember in the week before we left, looking at some of the hotels and seeing how posh some of them were.

Included in the trip were 17 safaris in the main part, and four more on the extension.

So, what is a safari?

Were they like the ones in Africa?

That second question, I can't answer, but yes, I think so.

Due to the heat at midday and into afternoon, the parks close frm about 11 to three, so safaris have to take place outside the closed times. Closed because it would be too hot for us in the jeeps, and the animals would mostly be sleeping anyway.

The Jeeps seemed to be Indian made, Marut Jeeps with what must have been factory fitted twin double seats over the flatbed. Access was via steps on bars along the side of the jeep, and levering yourself up using the roll bars.

Room in the seats were variable, some with more knee-room than others, and sitting in one position for up to four hours on end was painful at times.

Jeeps were allocated at random, with a driver and guide, as were which area of each park you were allowed to. Passports and paperwork checked before you were allowed into the parks.

Drivers and guides were variable too, with some not speaking, other too much.

The aim is for us, the customers, to see as much as possible.

In each park up to 30, maybe more, Jeeps were allowed in, and sightings of tigers would be radioed or texted to the drivers, there would then be a race to get the best spots. At times it was horrible, with 30 Jeepps chasing a lone tiger, which just wanted to cross the road.

At least twice, we wanted no part in it and asked the driver to leave.

Where the tigers and other animals were at a watering hole, most people saw something. Those at the front had grandstand views, those in Jeeps behind, it was luck. But we were so jammed in, there was little chance of rotating vehicles even if the ones in front had wanted to. On one occasion, wardens came and made those in front move, so us at the back got views too.

Best was when we were the first Jeep in the park, and we came over the brow of a small hillock, and a female tiger was sitting on a rise the same height as us.

Tadoba and Pench were parks with the highest density of tigers, and each session Jeeps were almost certain to see at least one tiger. What people want is to see a tiger in a photogenic environment and light for THE shot. We are all chasin THE shot, it almost never happens.

But you can get lucky.

I see tours that offer one or two safaris (at a different park to where we went), would they see tigers? Maybe, maybe probably. Remember we had 21 booked, just in case. I saw ten in one day, nine in an afternoon. John had run rips where thet had seen that number in two weeks. Nothing is guaranteed.

That afternoon I saw nine tigers, we had a great driver and guide, I felt safe, and the animals were unthreatened, and so behaved as though we were not there. It goes without saying, that is the one safari I will remember, rather than the one where the mother and three cubs were hassled over the main road at Pench, all of the tigers clearly stressed by the numbers.

Likely sites for basking/sleeping tigers and Leopards wwere known, which meant that they knew where to look, and not some kind of "magic". Still, for them to have seen a sleeping leopard a hundred yards or more sleeping, slumped over a branch through the forest is still remarkable.

Getting off the jeeps at the end of a safari was tough, with stiff achey legs, and sometimes damaged bars to climb down. I managed it, so most people should be able to. Some Jeeps were larger and more luxurious than others.