Ranthambhore Hotels

Ranthambhore National Park is probably the best place in the world to see wild tigers and is the only dry deciduous tiger habitat in the world.

The Ranthambhore National Park, which is a part of the much larger Ranthambhore tiger reserve, a Project tiger reserve , lies in the Sawai Madhopur district of eastern Rajasthan. It is the only forest reserve in Rajasthan state and in the entire Aravali hill ranges where wild bengal tigers still exist. The dry deciduous habitat of the reserve makes it much easier to find and observe tigers in their natural wild habitat.

The Chambal River forms a natural boundary of the Park towards the east, and on the eastern shore of Chambal lies the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. To the northeast of the Park, flows the river - Banas, a tributary of Chambal. Across the river Banas, lies the Keladevi sanctuary, while the Sawai Man Singh sanctuary lies to the south of the Park. Both these sanctuaries, along with the Ranthambhore national park, are part of the Ranthambore tiger reserve . Today, this Project tiger reserve spans over 1334 sq. km of area, of which 282 sq. km is the Ranthambhore national park.

The entire Tiger Reserve stretches in a North-East to South-West direction for a distance of over 70 kilometers. To the extreme North-East lies the Kela Devi Sanctuary, south-west of which (and across the river Banas) lies the Ranthambore National Park. The Sawai Madhopur Sanctuary, followed by the Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary and the Qualji Closed Area lies further South-West of the park.

Ranthambhore is where the Aravali and the Vindhyan hill ranges meet and this confluence is perhaps the reason for the rich bio diversity of the Ranthambore. The geological formations of Vindhyan system are characterized by flat table tops locally known as 'Dang' , while the Aravallis are characterized by sharp ridges and conical hill tops. An important geological fault line - the Great Boundary Fault - lies at the confluence of the Aravali and the Vindhyan systems - and runs right across Ranthambore national park.

All the Tiger safaris in the Reserve are conducted inside the National park. The park is open to tourists during October-June, and receives more than 50,000 visitors every year from all over the world.

Wildlife at Ranthambore
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan has a rich wildlife including Tigers (including the most famous diurnal tigers), Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Sambar deer, Chital, Nilgai, Macaques, Jackals, Black bucks, Rufous tailed Hare, Chinkara, Desert Cats, Five striped Palm Squirrels, Indian False Vampires, Indian Flying Foxes, Indian Porcupines, Small Indian Mongoose, etc. The only amphibians in the park are Common Frog and Common Indian Toad.

Also finding a home in Ranthambore are Snub Nosed Marsh Crocodiles, Desert Monitor Lizards, Tortoise, Banded and Common Kraits, Cobras, Indian Pythons, North Indian Flap Shelled Turtles, Rat Snakes, Russel's Vipers, Saw-scaled Vipers, etc. Ranthambore is also a bird watchers paradise. Approximately 272 species of birds have been found in Rajasthan, both resident as well as migratory.

Flora in Ranthambore National Park
The landscape is dotted with ancient Banyan Trees, Dhok & Pipal trees, clusters of mango trees and crisscrossed with evergreen belts. The terrain is made up of massive rock formations, steep scarps, perennial lakes and streams and forest suddenly opening up into large areas of Savannah. The terrain of Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary fluctuates between impregnable forests and open bush land. The forest is the typically dry deciduous type, with Dhok, being the most prominent tree.