Ranthambore, India

After spending three nights in the heavily industrialised and pollution rich cities of Delhi and Agra, arriving in Sawai Madhopur (closest train station to Ranthambore) was literally like a breath of fresh air. Ranthambore national park is renowned as one of the best places to spot a tiger in Rajasthan, and although it is a little off the beaten track, it is definitely well worth adding onto your schedule, especially if you love wildlife and nature!

The park was formerly a hunting reserve for the maharajas, but in 1970 it became a Tiger Reserve and a National Park in the 1980s. The park is home to 62 Tigers which are spread out throughout 10 different zones or "territories" if you like. I am not entirely sure, but it seems that the more popular zones with higher chances of viewing tigers tend to be booked up in advance, predominantly through pre-arranged tours. If, like me, you arrange your tour last minute, the chances are you will be allocated a zone at random. After experiencing two different zones (6 & 7) it is apparent that the zone you are given will somewhat determine the types of animal you see as well as the landscape. For this reason, if you can afford to, try and book yourself onto as many tours as possible in order to increase your chances of spotting all the different wildlife there is to offer!

Unfortunately, this post does not contain any pictures of majestic tigers (still so gutted btw), but my photographs hopefully represent that there is more to Ranthambore than just Tigers. There is an incredible landscape which is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I found myself mesmerised by the breathtaking rocky ridges that dominate the landscape of Ranthambore. Plus, the arid deciduous forests (mainly witnessed in zone 7) are picture perfect Tiger territories and great examples of the kinds of jungle you find throughout central India.

The thing about safaris is there is absolutely no guarantee you will see what you have come to see. Although I was so gutted not to see a tiger, you do have to look on the bright side of things. In so many ways it is good that not everyone who goes to Ranthambore sees tigers, because it demonstrates that they do live in peace and if there was a guaranteed chance of seeing a tiger, you would have to question how "wild" the tigers really were and how much privacy they get. Plus, if you do spot a tiger, it makes it all the more thrilling because they are not always commonly sighted.

Although famed for the tiger, Ranthambore is also home to an array of interesting animals including leopards and Sloth Bears (rare), wild boar, Spotted Deer, Sambar, hyenas and beautiful birds.

The following narrated photographs were mainly taken by my incredible boyfriend James on his canon - here is a link to his Instagram if you like his work!