5 Best Parks for a Tiger Safari in India 2021
5 Best Parks for a Tiger Safari in India 2021. As per the Tiger census conducted in India in 2018-2019, India has 2997 wild tigers residing in 20 states in 50 Tiger reserves. This is approx. 75% of the world wild tiger population. India has successfully doubled its wild tiger population in the last 12 years. Out of these 50 tiger reserves, 15 are very popular due to good Tiger sightings. This does not mean that there are no Tiger sightings in the other parks. So which are the 5 best parks for tiger safaris in India in 2021? This is the first question often asked by almost all tourists who wish to see the Tiger in the wilds of India. The answer to this question is easy and tricky simultaneously. The reason this is tricky is that answer to this question can change depending on a few factors.
Our recommendations to you of the national parks for tiger safaris in India can change depending on how many days’ tour you wish to take. If you have maximum a week, then we recommend covering just one national park for a tiger safari in India. While if you have about 10 days for a tiger safari in India, then you can do two parks comfortably on your tour. And if you have about two weeks-time then 3 parks are done comfortably.
In case your focus is only tigers while on a safari tour in India, then the national park we recommend will be different. But if you wish to see species other than the tiger, then the choice of parks will change again. So, our vision is to know what you want from a tiger safari tour in India, while our mission is to supersede your expectation by delivering the best services when it comes to your tiger safari in India.
The frequency of tiger sightings is highly dynamic. At times things can change so fast that within a month an area that had good tiger sightings might not have any sightings for a while. This can happen if a Tigress gives a litter, she practically withdraws for some time from the normal areas she is found in as she goes in deeper parts to protect her litter. This could mean that the Tiger sightings in that area or the zone can go dry for some time thus disappointing a lot of tourists.
One of the 5 best national parks for a Tiger Safari in India 2021, Bandhavgarh is located in the heart of India, in Madhya Pradesh. The state has maximum tiger numbers at 526 in the wilderness compared to any other state. Bandhavgarh National Park has a high density of tigers, and it acts as a source of dispersing tigers to neighboring protected areas, like, Sanjay Dubri, Achanakmar, Kanha and as far as Palamu Tiger reserve. It is also the erstwhile home of the White Tigers, which can now be seen in Mukundpur White Tiger Safari near Rewa state.
A former hunting ground of the Maharaja of Rewa, Bandhavgarh takes the credit for starting tiger tourism in India, which eventually made it the most toured park for a Tiger Safari in India. Interestingly, it has been two years since some 45 wild elephants including breeding females and calves have made Bandhavgarh their home. They have come from the neighboring state of Chattisgarh. Elephant sightings on tiger safaris are not so good currently as they are not used to tourism yet. But “presence of wild Elephants in a forest is huge respect for the forest, we must bow down to the elephants for they create and protect the forest”…The Jungle Book.
Bandhavgarh National Park, one of the most popular parks for tiger safaris in India, was also home to the Indian Gaur which disappeared in 1997, but due to continuous efforts of the forest department were reintroduced in 2011. Today, there are about 200 Gaurs roaming free in Bandhavgarh National Park. Lately, sightings of Indian Leopards and Sloth Bears have also improved in Bandhavgarh.
There are three core and three buffer tourism zones in Bandhavgarh. Tiger sightings in the core zones of Tala, Magdhi, and Khitauli are good. They say that if you do not see a tiger in Bandhavgarh it means you were sleeping during the safari.
Second in the list for 5 best national parks for Tiger Safaris in India 2021, is Kanha. Located in the state of Madhya Pradesh it has the highest tiger count in India as per the census and figures released in 2020. Over 526 tigers roam the state of Madhya Pradesh out of which about 108 tigers call Kanha National Park their home. Kanha has achieved tremendous success in providing a sound ecological haven to the rich floral and faunal diversity.
Kanha Tiger Reserve, one of the top parks for tiger safaris in India, has been the centre of many successful conservation stories, from the Hard ground Barasingha in Kanha itself, to the translocation of Indian Gaur from Kanha to Bandhavgarh (2011), Hard ground Barasingha translocation from Kanha to Satpura, tigers translocating from Kanha to other parks, and reintroducing blackbuck in Kanha. Saunf village in Kanha was the first village relocated out of any national park in India.
Kanha National Park has been home to many researchers and conservationists. George Schaller, spent considerable time in it’s jungles. Apparently Rudyard Kipling was also inspired by Kanha and Pench when he wrote The Jungle Book. Dr M K Ranjitsinh, the author of Wildlife Protection Act of India, and Life with Wildlife, is a Kanha lover and he was instrumental in adding the Mukki zone to Kanha National Park.
Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve is known for good sightings of male tigers when on a tiger safari in India, which are exceptionally large when compared to tigers in any other park. Beside the landscape and wildlife, it is the simple indigenous Baiga tribes of Kanha which make this place really special. Kanha National Park is one of the best tourism managed parks in India for a tiger safari in India.
Third in the list for the 5 best national parks for Tiger Safari in India 2021, is Jim Corbett National Park. Named after the legendary hunter James Edward Corbett who shot only man-eating tigers of Kumaon and other regions, this was declared the first national park of India in 1936. It was initially named as Hailey National Park, then Ramganga National Park, and finally named as Jim Corbett National Park in memory of the famous hunter, turned conservationist, who also is a renowned author with the bestselling books on Indian Wildlife. Corbett Tiger Reserve has the largest tiger population in any single protected area in the world. This park has close to 231 tigers as per the latest census done in 2018. It can most certainly be called as the mecca of Indian wildlife when it comes to fauna and flora diversity. Apart from tigers, Corbett is very good with sightings of wild Asian Elephants.
The Ramganga river flowing through the forest with a huge reservoir right in the heart of the park, is the life and light of Corbett. The two unique points for visiting this park are: Firstly, along with tiger safaris in India this place is a birder’s haven. For serious birders, there are close to 550 species of birds here. Therefore, a birding tour to this tiger park can also prove very fruitful. Then there are areas around Corbett like Nainital and Pangot which can be combined to add to the checklist of your birding tour. Secondly, this is one park where you can stay in over 100 year old Forest Rest Houses, called the Dhikala Forest Rest House, inside the national park, right in the heart of the reserve.
Overlooking the lower ranges of Himalayas, and on the banks of the Ramganga River, it is quite a pleasing experience to experience Indian wilderness. The booking inventory is highly limited and one must plan well in advance to book here. Other than Tigers, the park supports a population of leopards, leopard cat, fishing cat, rusty spotted cat, jungle cat, and yellow-throated martins. In the ungulates apart from the spotted and Sambar deer one can also see the hog deer, goral and serows. In reptiles, crocodiles, gharials, and King Cobra make Corbett National Park their home. Himalayan Black Bear have rare sightings here. Corbett Tiger reserve has one of the highest tiger densities in India. It thus acts as a source of dispersing tigers to neighboring protected areas of Lansdowne, Terai West, Amangarh, an Ramnagar.
Fourth in the list for 5 best national parks for Tiger Safari in India 2021, is Ranthambore National Park. Located in the north-western state of Rajasthan, Ranthambore National Park is also known as the Land of the Tigers, thus making a tiger safari in this park very special. Situated beautifully amidst the most popular tourism circuit known as the Golden Triangle, which comprises of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, this park is perhaps the only park that faced serious assault by poachers in the previous century and every time it came out stronger due to good wildlife management.
One of the best national parks for a tiger safari in India, the terrain of Ranthambore is undulating and the vegetation is sparse, making tiger sightings comparatively easy. Ranthambore is an island in an ocean of human dominated landscape.
The park is away just 10kms from the Sawai Madhopur town which is also a big railway station. It is rather surprising that just 10kms away from such a bustling town you have tigers roaming free, and living in harmony with humans in the nearby villages. This proximity to dense human population reduces the chances of tiger disbursal to other nearby areas. What it also means is that the population of large carnivores in this reserve are more vulnerable to changes in the immediate environment. It is important to have corridors to maintain a healthy gene pool of the animals especially the big cats.
Ranthambore Fort stands tall at the entry gate of zone 3, and one can hike upto the fort to see a popular Lord Ganesh temple. A lot of locals visit the fort and the temple on foot, and do encounter tigers while doing so. It is perhaps a blessing of the almighty that never there has been a man and animal conflict with tigers on foot.
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is also a good place to see the elusive India Leopard and Sloth Bears. The three big lakes in zone 3 are home to several migratory birds, and this is always a plus point while on a tiger safari in India, Ranthambore National Park. These lakes provide home to few hundred crocodiles also. It was here that the legendary Machli tigress who went on to live 19 years in the wild fought and killed a big crocodile in one of these lakes.
Last in the list for 5 best national parks for Tiger Safari in India 2021, is the Tadoba Andhari National Park. Tadoba can be adjudged as the youngest park to shoot into the tiger tourism circuit. Located just two hours from the Nagpur International Airport, this is one of the most easily accessible national parks in India with some fantastic tiger sightings. It is a mixed forest with a huge water reservoir on the edge thus making it a good habitat for birds and crocodiles. Tadoba is also good with sightings of Sloth Bears, Leopards, and packs of Indian Wild Dogs (Dholes). It is here that many encounter sights of tigers with sloth bears and tigers pulling down Indian Gaur. Why Tadoba has been good with tiger sightings is also due to the fact that there are a few small sanctuaries in the vicinity that have been accorded protection by the state and they have also opened several core and buffer areas for tourism.
Hence Tadoba along with Ranthambore National Park have become a role model of how to promote tourism and increase tiger numbers. Several experts will not conform to the fact that tourism plays a role in conservation, but deny they might, but ignore they cannot that the revenue generated by tourism brings in instant cash flow in the area thus showing benefit of conservation to the local community which otherwise would depend on the forest for their bio-mass requirements. Explore a tiger safari in India to Tadoba National Park below. The source population in Tadoba is important to maintain the meta-population of the adjoining protected areas like Brahmapuri, Chandrapur, Central Chanda, Tipeshwar and Bori. One must include Tadoba National Park for their tiger safari in India.
Tadoba is also good with sightings of Sloth Bears, Leopards, and packs of Indian Wild Dogs (Dholes). It is here that many encounter sights of tigers with sloth bears and tigers pulling down Indian Gaur.
India has over 50 tiger reserves. We can arrange tiger safari tours in most of them. But to ensure that you get good return for your investment of your time, effort and resources we provide you the best national parks for a tiger safari in India which will go well with your other special interests if any. The experience of our team of close to 3 decades of doing a tiger safari in India plays a big role in choosing the right national park for you. It is possible that you would have heard or read about some parks but what is the ground reality today, or tomorrow when you will be doing the safaris is of great significance. Our team on the ground knows the tiger sighting happening in various zones of the national parks every season and every month. Hence we suggest to you those parks and those zones in the respective parks where you have best tiger sightings chances when on a Tiger Safari in India.
Nagarjunsagar Srisailem Tiger Reserve (3700 sq. km) is the biggest tiger reserve in India located in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The tiger sightings are not so good here, and the tourism infrastructure is still coming up. Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, spread in 2100 sq. km is also a big park, and it has good chances of tiger sightings. Doing tigers safaris in Kanha is a joyful and soulful experience.
Jim Corbett National Park in the state of Uttrakhand has 231 tigers. This park also has the maximum tiger density, with about 14.5 tigers per 100 sq. km. This is followed by Nagarhole with 127 tigers, and Bandipur with 126 tigers. These figures are as per the tiger status report published by Government of India 2018-19.
Wildlife is a state subject, and every state has its own set of rules to manage the forests, wildlife and tourism. While in one park you can book the zones one year in advance, in some other parks you can book four months before, or even two months before in some parks. We always recommend that you give yourself the best possible chances of getting best tiger safari in India experience by booking your tour at least 6 months in advance with us. This way we are able to choose the best park, best zone, and most importantly the right naturalist to be with you in those parks during tiger safari in India.
There is no fixed cost, as there are several factors that determine the cost, to list a few below:
All the above information will assist us in providing you the best tiger and wildlife safari tour in India.
There are many tour operators doing Tigers Safaris in India. So why choose us? At Nature Safari India, we assist you in curating your own safari. The service differentiation we create in terms of your overall experience during a tiger safari will be remembered by you for long.
Though we have several popular programs, but we like to hear from you about your preferences in terms of number of days you wish to spend on a tiger and wildlife safari, type of hotels you prefer to stay in, whether you have some other bucket list points you wish to accomplish in your tour, or other important points like food preferences, allergies, medical condition if any. Once we have all the information we set up your Tiger safaris that suit you best.
For those who have been stuck at home for months, tiger safari is an outdoor activity in which you commune with nature for long hours. As per Jim Corbett, “the air is crisp and laden with all the sweet scents that are to be smelt in an Indian Jungle in the early morning, it goes to the head like Champagne”. During a tiger safari the impact of the fresh air in the nostrils is heavenly. Breathing becomes deep, and slow. The pleasure of listening intimately to the language of the jungle in solitude, silence, and stillness has a deep meditative effect. Hence for city dwellers who are seeking time in green space tiger and wildlife safari is an ideal getaway for 2021.
Yes it is safe to do Tiger Safaris in India post Covid 2021. Tiger safaris are conducted in and around the national parks which have less human population density. So, your interactions with others is limited. We recommend doing exclusive safaris, i.e. just you with our safari guide and driver in the vehicle, basically you do not share the safari vehicle with anyone else. Staying in small boutique hotels which are taking all precautions with respects to social distancing, sanitizing all facilities, including dining, and vehicles is recommended.
The importance of the right team of naturalists, drivers, and guides cannot be stated highly enough while doing the tiger safaris in India. One might fly first class, stay in the best of wildlife lodges, sit in most luxurious limousines, but if you do not have the right team with you, it can be frustrating tiger and wildlife safari experience. A good naturalist has good jungle knowledge. He understands the signs, sounds, and smells in a Jungle. He understands the alarm calls, to know more about the alarm calls please see the video below on what is an alar call.
When a monkey calls, the naturalist with good jungle lore will know if the monkey is calling seeing the tiger or a leopard. When a chital calls he would know if he is seeing a tiger walk at a distance with belly full and not interested in a hunt, or in ambush. These are some fine points which can make or mar your tiger tour experience in India.
Though tiger sighting is a matter of luck, but you can increase your luck by choosing the right team to go with during the tiger safari tours in India and by choosing the Best Tiger Safari operator in India.
15 NIGHTS - 16 DAYS
15 Nights - 16 DAYS
11 Nights - 12 DAYS
14 NIGHTS - 15 DAYS
23 Nights - 24 DAYS
03 Nights - 04 DAYS
18 NIGHTS - 19 DAYS
13 NIGHTS - 14 DAYS
Ranthambore
Panna
Ranthambore National Park
Manas National Park
Nameri
Panna National Park
Nagarhole
Panna
Pench National Park
Pench
Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga
Sasan Gir National Park
Tala, Bandhavgarh
Kabini, Bandipur
Kabini, Bandipur
Dhikala, Corbett
Corbett
Corbett
Dudhwa National Park
Kisli, Kanha
Sasan Gir National Park
Shimla
Rampur
Mukki, Kanha
Mukki, Kanha
Mukki, Kanha
Tala, Bandhavgarh
Bharatpur
Little Runn of Kutch
Tala, Bandhavgarh
