UK +44 (0)1367 850566

USA 1-855-216-5040

Tiger viewing in Tadoba Park, Central India

Tiger viewing in Tadoba Park, Central India lead.jpg

My latest research trip took me back to the national parks of central India. I had one of the most wonderful opportunities to walk from the beautiful Kanha National Park to Pench which became hugely popular due to the BBC documentary ‘Spy in the Jungle’.

Considering that I hadn’t been exercising a lot lately, I decided it was time to loose a few pounds and so I joined the WWF and park authorities for a real treat for three days on a hugely enjoyable park walk. We ended the walk in Pench where I stayed at a new Wilderness lodge which is located at the northern most boundary of Pench National Park.


After spending couple of days in Pench, I travelled to Tadoba which I had been longing to visit for some time. While the park does offer the most excellent Tiger viewing opportunities it just also happens to be located in Maharashtra, a state in the very centre of India and where I was born and brought up.

On my previous visits to Tadoba, I have stayed in a great Lodge which is close to the Khutwanda Gate. Tadoba offers access through three gates – Moharli, Khutwanda and the newly appointed Kolara Gate. On this occasion I decided to spend couple of nights at a relatively new jungle Lodge which is very close to the Kolara Gate. Initially built as a holiday home by its owners who have been visiting Tadoba for decades, it was later converted into a lodge.


As the structure couldn’t be demolished they had to make do with the existing one and therefore it looks more like a resort than a rustic lodge. What it does offer are 12 comfortable rooms and a beautiful teak house which is where the guests usually have their dinner and sit around camp fires. Breakfast and lunch is usually served in the main building.

The new park rules dictate that only nine jeeps can access the park from the Kolara Gate. Unfortunately my schedule was very tight and as I had limited time, accompanied by my very trusted and expert naturalist Rishin, I only managed to fit in one of the afternoon game drives which usually start at about 2.30 pm.


The entry to the park is always one of the highlights for me as the four wheel drive jeep engines are revving up as if on the grid of a F1 race track. Though there are few vehicles that enter from the Kolara gate, each of them wants to be first so there is always a sense of extra excitement generated by then all jockeying for position like horses ready for the off. We entered the park in sadly a lowly 6th position but we didn’t have to drive for long when the driver of my vehicle and my naturalist started the crucial exchange of information – the very important movement of tigers earlier that morning.

On route we drove past the beautiful Tadoba Lake and on arrival at Navegaon, noticed that the jeeps ahead of us had decided to turn left as there had been a female Tiger spotted with her two cubs on the previous day. As I had seen Tigers in their natural habitat several times before, I was less worried about having to tick a sighting off my list this time round and hence requested Rishin to go the other way. Rafik our driver wasn’t really too happy about this as we had decided to embark on a journey which may have ended without us seeing a Tiger at all – not good for business!

There is a lot of pressure on the drivers in these reserves as their livelihood depends on them taking you to the places where there is a much better opportunity of you actually viewing these wonderful big cats. You therefore need a very good naturalist who can understand your requirements and make sure that you aren’t driven round in circles with a slim hope of seeing a Tiger. It’s therefore crucial that one chooses and stays in a lodge that has the capability and access to the most knowledgeable and experienced of naturalists.

Being the only jeep in the area we were now in, we decided to lower the pace and drive slowly in order to maximize the enjoyment of the beautiful landscape, birdlife and the fresh air. November is a great time to be in India as the mornings and late evenings are quite cold and during the day, guaranteed sunshine and a breeze to keep you cool.

All of a sudden there was a very close chital alarm call and Rafik pressed hard on the brakes.

The action begins!

The alarm call was very close. I simply love this waiting game where you keep listening to the alarm calls with eyes wide open and ears pricked. Everyone on the jeep is trying to look for any signs of a Tiger and it all becomes very exciting. After a half hour wait during which we discussed our options quietly whispering to each other about other areas that may have possible Tiger movements, Rishin happened to look back and what a surprise.


The clever Tigress had tricked us as while we were all looking deep into the bush, she quietly crossed the road behind our vehicle. I have never turned around so quickly in my life. We couldn’t stop laughing but the sight of an adult female Tiger was just awe inspiring.

I couldn’t believe that I was so close to a Tiger, the most beautiful and impressive of the big cats. At that point I made a conscious decision of not seeing her through the lens but to just sit, watch and live the moment. It’s something I will never ever forget and if I never have the privilege of seeing another Tiger in the wild then I will happily live with that moment.

She calmly crossed the road, looking directly at us and believe me her eyes said everything. Rafik tuned the jeep around and he drove to a point where he felt she would come to drink as we were very close to a large body of water.

When we arrived at the southern side of Pandhrepauni Lake, at a distance we could see her walking close to the water and finally lying down to cool herself. All of us got some very good views of her and the DSLR’s did their job of capturing these priceless memories.

What an experience! We were all awestruck. As they say ‘When it comes to wildlife be extremely patient and before you know, nature will do its best to make your day’.

At Tadoba you see everything from butterflies to big cats, a sign that the park has a very healthy ecosystem. Due to the consistent efforts of the lodges at Tadoba, the Chichghat valley has grown thicker and denser attracting smaller wildlife like peafowl, jungle fowl, monitor lizards, hares, partridges and quails, which had almost disappeared, but today can be frequently spotted or at least heard.

If you would like some more information on how to plan a Tiger viewing Safari you can do so by contacting us at the explorationscompany.com

logo