Easily reached by train from Delhi, Agra or Jaipur, Ranthambhore National Park (booking.forestrajasthan.com; safari by 4WD/canter from ₹3950/3350) is one of India's most popular national parks, thanks to famous photos of tigers roaming around its Rajput ruins.
Spilling to the edges of the town of Sawai Madhopur, the 1334-sq-km park is home to huge numbers of chitals, sambar, nilgai and birds, but the resident tigers and leopards can be elusive. Thanks to a slightly haphazard monitoring system, the tiger population is thought to number somewhere between 60 and 88.
At the park's center is the 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, and scattered nearby are ancient temples and mosques, crocodile-filled lakes, chhatris (cenotaphs) and hides.
Safari operators are granted access to safari zones on a rotating roster. Zone 3, with its hunting lodge ruins and pools that lure tigers and prey, is the most sought-after slot. Zones 1–5 are closed Wednesdays and Zones 6–10 are closed Tuesdays. Safaris by Gypsy (4WD) offer better chances than crowded canters (open-topped buses).
While you can book a slot yourself online, many visitors prefer to make arrangements through one of the hotels near the park entrance, who charge a small mark-up for service. Safaris leave at dawn (chilly, but good for tiger sightings) or in the middle of the afternoon.
