One of the renowned wildlife destination of northern India, Ranthambore National Park is located in Sawai Madhopur, district of Rajasthan.
Area and Location
Ranthambore National Park lies at the edge of a plateau and is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. The park is spread over an area of 392 sq km.
Wild Animals
Apart from the tiger, you can also spot sloth bear, leopard, caracal, jackal, fox, hyena, dainty chital, sambhar deer, the blue bull antelope or nilgai, rhesus macaque, langur and mongoose at Ranthambore. The elusive Indian wolf too, has been spotted here occasionally.
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve
Ranthambhore was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 by the Government of India and was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973. Ranthambhore became a national park on 1 November 1980. In 1984, the adjacent forests were declared the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, and in 1991 the tiger reserve was enlarged to include the Sawai Man Singh and Kailadevi sanctuaries.
- Core Zone or ‘Critical Tiger Habitat’:
- Ranthambore National Park
- Buffer Zone:
During the last few years the tiger population has grown significantly and the management is experiencing the problem of territorial fights among male tiger as main habitat area is not sufficient for growing populations of male tigers. Currently, Ranthambore has the highest population of tigers, among the 3 tiger reserves in Rajasthan.
Nearby Places to See:
- Ranthambore Fort
- Padam Talao: This is the largest of the many lakes located in the park. A red sandstone Jogi Mahal can be found at the edge of the lake. A gigantic Banyan tree, considered to be India’s second largest, is also near the lake.
Best Time to Visit & Bookings:
- Open from October to June, Ranthambore is accessible by rail from Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur and by road from Jaipur and Delhi.
- Bookings can be made at online at official Rajasthan Forest Portal – Website
