Ranthambore
Ranthambhore National Park in the South East of Rajasthan is one of the original Project Tiger reserves. If you are travelling to Rajasthan, it is well worth spending a couple of days here.
The 1,000 year old ruined Ranthambhore fort has great views over the National Park. Here we are standing on the battlements overlooking one of the lakes.
A Bambi look-alike. Chital or Spotted Deer (left) are the critical prey species for the tigers.
Sambar Deer (right)- the largest Deer species in India with the grandest antlers.
We also saw a leopard in Ranthambhore. However it was camera-shy and stalked off up the hill as soon as we came near.
The Royal Bengal Tiger. The population of this endangered breed is now increasing. They are well camouflaged: when still it is so difficult to spot them even when only a few yards away. Our guide assured us that these tigers do not attack humans.
We didn’t get out of the jeep until we were well out of reach of any tigers. It still amazed me that we were so exposed in these vehicles.
Black-faced Langurs. They are normally harmless, but when we were there, one fell off a branch & landed on a couple of tourists in a jeep, giving everyone a fright.
Wild Boar, maybe a side-dish for the tigers?
Crocodiles – another reason to stay safe in the jeeps
Rose-ringed parakeets – the same as the ones that are now in our back garden
There were lots of the sacred Banyan Trees in the park. One tree can cover a large area, by its branches producing aerial roots, which grow down to the ground and subsequently giving rise to more branches of the same tree.
