Ranthambhore National Park

Area details
Total Area : 392.5 sq. kms.
Ranthambhore National Park ( core ) 274.50 sq. kms.
Buffer area to R.N.P. 118.00 sq. kms.


Ranthambore National Park is situated in India's north western state of Rajasthan, near the town of Sawai Madhopur, midway between Bharatpur and Kota townships. It is surrounded by the Vindhya and Aravali hill ranges and is very near to the outer fringes of the Thar Desert. The entire area has sprawling tracts of the desert and semi-desert vegetation. Originally a hunting ground of the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambore was declared a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1980, it became a national park and listed among the reserves protected under Project Tiger (1973). Presently the Kaila Devi Sanctuary, also famous for its tigers, and Mansingh Sanctuary also form part of Ranthambore Reserve

Ranthambore National Park sprawls over an estimated area of 400 sq kms. Steep crags embrace a network of lakes and rivers, and a top one of these hills, is the impressive Ranthambore Fort, built in the 10th century.

The entry point to the Ranthambore National Park, goes straight to the foot of the fort and the forest rest house, Jogi Mahal. The latter boasts of the second-largest banyan tree in India. The Padam Talab, the Raj Bagh Talab and the Malik Talab are some of the lakes in the area, that attract the tiger population. They have been spotted at the edges of these lakes, and Jogi Mahal itself. Old crumbling walls, ruined pavilions, wells, and other ancient structures stand witness to the region's glorious past. The entire forest is peppered with the battlements and spillovers of the Ranthambore Fort - tigers are said to frequent these ruins, too. As a result of stringent efforts in conservation, tigers, the prime assets of the Park, have become more and more active during the day. More than in any other park or sanctuary in India, tigers are easily spotted here in daylight. They can be seen lolling around lazily in the sun, or feverishly hunting down Sambar around the lakes.

Ranthambhor is plagued by the typical problems encountered by all game reserves in India - people living in and around the parks and grazing by livestock! Between 1976-1979, 12 villages within Ranthambhor National Park were resettled outside the designated park area with only a few people now residing in scattered hamlets within the park.

The tiger is not the only attraction at Ranthambhor; although it is the one park resident people come to see. We were lucky to see several varieties of birds including these owlets peering through their burrow pictured here on the right and of course the ubiquitous langur monkey. Other animals in the reserve include leopard, caracal, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, marsh crocodiles, wild boar, bears and various species of deer.

Seasons (Ranthambore National Park): October-June, the best period being December-April.


How to Reach
Air : Jaipur 165km is the nearest airport

Train : Located on the Delhi Mumbai main railway line, it is well connected with Jaipur and other major tourist centres. Some important train conections are : 4005 expess (hazarat Nizamuddin Sawai Madhopur-Shamgarh); Golden Temple mail(Mumbai-Sawai madhopur jammu)avadh Express (Mumbai-Sawai Madhopur-Gorakpur); Dehradun Express (Mumbai-Sawai Madhopur-Dehradun.

Road : A good network of bus services connect aswai Madhopur with many places.