Best place to see Tigers in India? (1 Viewer)

[bachbirder]

Hi,

I'm an avid birder who wants to see Tiger, as well as birds in India. I wonder if anyone here has an opinion on which park would give the best chance to see one.
Corbett, Ranthambore, Sariska, Bandhavgarh, or perhaps another I haven't mentioned here. Also, does anyone know any big India bird listers as they may have a good idea where the most likely spot is.

Thanks,
Chris from Canada

​

 

[SlowLowFlyingTurkey]

The only tiger reserve I've been to is Ranthambore, where they are pretty much guaranteed. I think we saw them every time we went out in the jeep (about six times).

They are very well habituated to vehicles and easy to see. This park gets a lot of tourists though, so yours won't be the only vehicle at each tiger, but if you only plan to do one tiger trip in your lifetime then I can recommend it for almost guaranteed sightings. We also saw a leopard.

 

[AveryBartels]

Hi,

I'm an avid birder who wants to see Tiger, as well as birds in India. I wonder if anyone here has an opinion on which park would give the best chance to see one.
Corbett, Ranthambore, Sariska, Bandhavgarh, or perhaps another I haven't mentioned here. Also, does anyone know any big India bird listers as they may have a good idea where the most likely spot is.

Thanks,
Chris from Canada

​

If you haven't already, check out cloudbirders.com for trip reports. You can filter for India and there will be a bunch of trips listed so you can get a feel for where people have success with Tigers. I suspect any of the options will be great for birding.

 

[DMW]

Over the years I've been visiting India, the "best" claimed places for tiger sightings seems to vary between Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Tadoba and Kanha, and to a lesser extent Corbett.

If you are planning a fairly standard birding itinerary and don't have infinite time, I would suggest visiting Ranthambore and Corbett, since they have excellent birding and are easily visited. The other national parks are in central India, require more travel time, and are not as good for birding.

 

[bachbirder]

The only tiger reserve I've been to is Ranthambore, where they are pretty much guaranteed. I think we saw them every time we went out in the jeep (about six times).

They are very well habituated to vehicles and easy to see. This park gets a lot of tourists though, so yours won't be the only vehicle at each tiger, but if you only plan to do one tiger trip in your lifetime then I can recommend it for almost guaranteed sightings. We also saw a leopard.

Thanks very much. I'm beginning to think they are easier at Ranthambore than at Corbett. How did you find the guides and facilities there?

If you haven't already, check out cloudbirders.com for trip reports. You can filter for India and there will be a bunch of trips listed so you can get a feel for where people have success with Tigers. I suspect any of the options will be great for birding.

Thanks Avery, I hadn't heard of that site. Excellent resource. Hope all is well with you.

Over the years I've been visiting India, the "best" claimed places for tiger sightings seems to vary between Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Tadoba and Kanha, and to a lesser extent Corbett.

If you are planning a fairly standard birding itinerary and don't have infinite time, I would suggest visiting Ranthambore and Corbett, since they have excellent birding and are easily visited. The other national parks are in central India, require more travel time, and are not as good for birding.

Thanks for the advice. From what I'm reading, (I could be wrong) Ranthambore has less Tigers but better habitat to see them in while Corbett is more forested and has less access.
Chris

 

[DMW]

It's a long time since I was at Ranthambore or Corbett, so my experience of the infrastructure is massively out of date. Ranthambore has no accommodation inside the park, whereas there is a government run facility in the middle of Corbett at Dhikala. The downside here is that you can't walk outside the compound, and it's maybe a better option to stay in one of the private lodges outside the park.

Tourism at Ranthambore is really focused on tigers, so all the drivers and guides are fixated on finding them. Corbett is much bigger and does indeed have a lot of forest, but I've actually had better tiger sightings here than in Ranthambore, largely thanks to an experienced driver / guide who knew where to search.

I'd really recommend you do both. Corbett is magnificent and has a really high bird diversity in winter, with a great mix of habitats and also the ability to bird on foot in excellent forest outside the park. Ranthambore is much drier and provides a different set of birds.

 

[Andy Lakin]

Iirc the Indian government were talking about banning tiger watching trips such as at Ranthambore as they felt it was disturbing the animals. I could be misremembering or the government may have backtracked, I'm sure somebody will know the current situation.

 

[Paul Leader]

I’ve been to Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, and Tadoba over the past few years, most recently Tadoba last year. I’ve twice been to Ranthambore and missed tigers on one of those visits. In addition it’s super, super busy and sightings can be chaotic. Both Bandhavgarh and Tadoba are much quieter, and I had excellent Tiger sightings at both. Tadoba is the site I’ve enjoyed the most partly because it’s good for other mammals, I saw both Sloth Bear and Dhole there last year (which were specific targets). If possible book a private Jeep, which will give you more control over what you do, especially once you have seen tiger! Kaziranga is also amazing if you have time, the concentration of rhinos there is incredible (100+ in a day). There are tigers there but difficult to see and it seems the quality of sightings is also poorer.

 

[Muppit17]

I’ve been to Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, and Tadoba over the past few years, most recently Tadoba last year. I’ve twice been to Ranthambore and missed tigers on one of those visits. In addition it’s super, super busy and sightings can be chaotic. Both Bandhavgarh and Tadoba are much quieter, and I had excellent Tiger sightings at both. Tadoba is the site I’ve enjoyed the most partly because it’s good for other mammals, I saw both Sloth Bear and Dhole there last year (which were specific targets). If possible book a private Jeep, which will give you more control over what you do, especially once you have seen tiger! Kaziranga is also amazing if you have time, the concentration of rhinos there is incredible (100+ in a day). There are tigers there but difficult to see and it seems the quality of sightings is also poorer.

I have been to both Ranthambore & Kaziranga and seen Tigers daily at each. However in terms of Ranthambore some of the park zones are better for Tigers than others and your guide & vehicle will get allocated - it can be a bit pot luck. Kaziranga is partially similar as there are different entrances to different zones and again some are better for Tigers than others. Both are very busy (depending on time of year) and the mad scrum when a tiger is seen is crazy. Going to a quieter park may be a better idea.

 

[bachbirder]

I’ve been to Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, and Tadoba over the past few years, most recently Tadoba last year. I’ve twice been to Ranthambore and missed tigers on one of those visits. In addition it’s super, super busy and sightings can be chaotic. Both Bandhavgarh and Tadoba are much quieter, and I had excellent Tiger sightings at both. Tadoba is the site I’ve enjoyed the most partly because it’s good for other mammals, I saw both Sloth Bear and Dhole there last year (which were specific targets). If possible book a private Jeep, which will give you more control over what you do, especially once you have seen tiger! Kaziranga is also amazing if you have time, the concentration of rhinos there is incredible (100+ in a day). There are tigers there but difficult to see and it seems the quality of sightings is also poorer.

Thanks so much for this valuable info. By chance, do you know the name of any birding guide that could organize a tour for me in India. Thanks again.

I have been to both Ranthambore & Kaziranga and seen Tigers daily at each. However in terms of Ranthambore some of the park zones are better for Tigers than others and your guide & vehicle will get allocated - it can be a bit pot luck. Kaziranga is partially similar as there are different entrances to different zones and again some are better for Tigers than others. Both are very busy (depending on time of year) and the mad scrum when a tiger is seen is crazy. Going to a quieter park may be a better idea.

Thanks for the reply. I could easily be wrong but I think Ranthambore is the best place that's relatively close to Delhi and I'll be paying a driver so I'm trying to be relatively frugal. Are there any "reliable" tiger parks closer to Delhi? Thanks.

 

[NSH]

I would recommend Bandhavgarh, we spent 10 nights there and had the most amazing experience. Of course its a long way from Dehli but well worth it.

Regards Neil

 

[temmie]

Are there any "reliable" tiger parks closer to Delhi? Thanks.

Yes and no, as Corbett is relatively the same bracket of driving time (around 5-6 hrs with some stops, depending on where in Delhi you start).
I wouldn't think twice visiting Ranthambore if the only requirement is seeing a tiger in the wild, but if you want to take just a bit more risk you can have more rewarding birding + the actual tiger sighting in Corbett. Corbett is a bit more tricky as walkie-talkie doesn't work in a lof of parts of the park with the undulating terrain. So when you see a tiger in Corbett, big chance it will be without too many other jeepneys. When you see one in Ranthambore, you will quickly get 30 vehicles around you. This ofcourse increases the chances, but also ruins the experience for many.

 

[Farnboro John]

I would recommend Bandhavgarh, we spent 10 nights there and had the most amazing experience. Of course its a long way from Dehli but well worth it.

Regards Neil

Another vote for Bandhavgarh, we only had five nights there but seven tigers including three full-grown cubs still hanging out together. Some of the scrums were irritating but keep looking at the tigers rather than the people and it won't matter.

Lots of birds and some other nice mammals showing very well - point-blank Brown Fish Owl and Crested Serpent Eagle spring to mind on the bird side with Ruddy Mongoose a particularly good showing mammal.

John

 

[temmie]

Thanks so much for this valuable info. By chance, do you know the name of any birding guide that could organize a tour for me in India. Thanks again.

I can fully recommend Deepak Kumar:

Deepak Kumar

Deepak Kumar is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Deepak Kumar and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

www.facebook.com

He works for Asian adventures, which is one of the bigger bird / nature tour agencies in India. You can either contact AA or deepak directly. Checking his Facebook will give you an idea about his guiding activities.

I found him, first of all, a pleasant and professional guide, well experienced and always looking for his clients’ needs before anything else. He knows his birds and virtually any area in Western and Northern India.

 

[bachbirder]

I would recommend Bandhavgarh, we spent 10 nights there and had the most amazing experience. Of course its a long way from Dehli but well worth it.

Regards Neil

Thanks for that info.

Yes and no, as Corbett is relatively the same bracket of driving time (around 5-6 hrs with some stops, depending on where in Delhi you start).
I wouldn't think twice visiting Ranthambore if the only requirement is seeing a tiger in the wild, but if you want to take just a bit more risk you can have more rewarding birding + the actual tiger sighting in Corbett. Corbett is a bit more tricky as walkie-talkie doesn't work in a lof of parts of the park with the undulating terrain. So when you see a tiger in Corbett, big chance it will be without too many other jeepneys. When you see one in Ranthambore, you will quickly get 30 vehicles around you. This ofcourse increases the chances, but also ruins the experience for many.

Thanks a lot for the help.

Another vote for Bandhavgarh, we only had five nights there but seven tigers including three full-grown cubs still hanging out together. Some of the scrums were irritating but keep looking at the tigers rather than the people and it won't matter.

Lots of birds and some other nice mammals showing very well - point-blank Brown Fish Owl and Crested Serpent Eagle spring to mind on the bird side with Ruddy Mongoose a particularly good showing mammal.

John

Thanks very much.

I can fully recommend Deepak Kumar:

Deepak Kumar

Deepak Kumar is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Deepak Kumar and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

www.facebook.com

He works for Asian adventures, which is one of the bigger bird / nature tour agencies in India. You can either contact AA or deepak directly. Checking his Facebook will give you an idea about his guiding activities.

I found him, first of all, a pleasant and professional guide, well experienced and always looking for his clients’ needs before anything else. He knows his birds and virtually any area in Western and Northern India.

Thanks, I'll definitely look him up.

 

[Iceberg slim]

Did an N Indian trip in February, Corbett, especially staying at Dhikala, had Tigeress 3 times, two individuals, and first time with ten minutes of Jeep safari starting, Dhikala is also gonna get you heaps of fantastic birds as well

 

[bachbirder]

Hi, I want to thank everyone who responded, it really helped me decide how I am going about my trip.
I have one further question about whether there will be chiggers at any of my birding spots?
I'll be at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, Ranthambore, Chambal River, Jhlana Leopard Reserve, Corbet Nation Park area and Kosi River for ibisbill.

Thanks again,
Chris

 

[DMW]

I don't recall getting bitten by chiggers anywhere in India. That's a nice itinerary, you'll have a fabulous time.

 

[bachbirder]

I don't recall getting bitten by chiggers anywhere in India. That's a nice itinerary, you'll have a fabulous time.

Thanks DMW, the internet makes it seem like they're everywhere so that's great to know.

 

[njlarsen]

Sorry to be a late addition, trying to ask a follow up question. Chiggers can in my part of the world often be avoided by using DEET based mosquito repellent. Is that not the case in India? Would leeches be a problem there?
thanks
Niels