Ranthambore - tiger safari

Ranthambore National Park is Rajasthan's best place to see tigers and is the only dry deciduous tiger reserve in the world. The best time to spot the Bengal tigers is actually during high summer, May and June, when the hot weather forces them to water holes more often, however this also means that you have hot visitors as well as tigers! Year round most safaris will recommend going on more than one safari in the park to increase your chances of spotting a tiger but even then there's no guarantee you'll be lucky. In the winter the forest is denser and greener, making it easier for tigers to disappear into the shadows. There are two slots daily for safaris, one in the early morning one mid afternoon, and there is a choice of vehicles, Canters which seat 20 people or Gypsy jeeps that seat 6 (Gypsy is a better choice, more maneuverability and faster) although if you book a Gypsy you need to have 6 people in the vehicle or you pay for the empty seats (more space though!). There are 20 of each vehicle allowed into the park to minimise disruption for the wildlife and each safari is assigned one of 5 zones automatically, what you get is luck of the draw. Some drivers and guides will tell you that they are fined for going into other zones then offer to do that if you pay the fine of however many ruppees, don't bother as you're just as likely to see a tiger in any one of the 5 zones, so stick with the luck of the draw!