Ranthambhore Hotels

Ranthambhore in the state of Rajasthan is one finest places in the world to see wild tigers. Its name comes from the vast fort, a citadel in the middle of the forest. The fort was in existence in the 8th century and the area around is littered with ruins: lake palaces, ancient step wells, cupolas, guard posts, temples and memorial stones, all bear witness to Ranthambhore's varied and fascinating history. Emperor Akbar fought a battle here for the control of the fort in the 16th century.

An 18th century traveller described the fort as being famous throughout India, well protected, completely inacessible, concealed in mountainous regions where the ridges were high and surrounded the entire fort, leaving only the thick forest gorges below as entrances and exists which could be defended. Today this tract of land has another ruler: the tiger haunts the narrow gorges of the fort and has even been known to venture atop it.

By the turn of the century the Ranthambhore forests had become the private hunting reserves of the Maharajas of Jaipur. Hunting was banned in 1971 and a few years later, Project Tiger was launched. Few knew then that Ranthambhore would become the finest tiger habitat in the world.

Facts and Figures

Area: 1334 square kilometres
Core Area: 392 kilometres
Latitudes: 25 46'N to 21 12'N
Longitudes: 76 17'E to 77 13'E
Nearest town and railway station: Sawai Madhopur, 12 kilometres from the camp
AV. elevation: 350 metrs M.S.L.
Temperature varies from a summer highest of 48'C to a winter lowest of 2'C

Annual rainfall: 800 mm
Rainy season: July to September and the park remains closed during that period.
Type of forest: Dry decidious and dry thorn forest. Most of the area comes under ANOGEISSUS PENDULA forest.
Geography: There are two hill systems that meet in the forest: the Aravalli and the Vindhya ranges.
Roads: 300 kilometres of road network
Park entry and exit timings:
Winter(Oct to Feb) 7:00am to 10:00 am and 2.30 to 5.30pm.
Summer(Mar to Jun) 6.30am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

December, January and February are cold months .
April, May and June the weather is hot and dry .
July, August and September the monsoon takes over.
October, November is a beautiful time in the forest - green and lush having soaked in the monsoon.