Ranthambhore National Park: What You Need to Know about India’s Hidden Gem

When you talk about India, you may instantly think about majestic historical sites, colorful saris, and delicious curries. But those who love nature and a good adventure know that the country is also famous for India tiger expeditions, where you get the chance to see the famous Bengal tigers.

Ranthambhore National Park is India’s most famous sanctuary. Located in Rajasthan, the park covers 1,334 square kilometers of the wild jungle with the Ranthambhore Fort at the heart of it.

Here’s everything you need to know about one of the best places for India tiger expeditions:

The Beginnings of the Sanctuary

The government of India originally established Ranthambhore National Park as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955. With the population of tigers in the area, the government declared the park as one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973 and it became a national park in 1980.

Originally covering just 392 square kilometers, the Ranthambhore National Park was expanded to include the Keladevi and Man Singh sanctuaries because of their tiger populations. At the heart of the park is the 10^th century Ranthambhore Fort that contains mosques and ancient temples. The sanctuary also has vine-covered cenotaphs, lakes and hunting pavilions.

The Rich Wildlife in the Park

Ranthambhore National Park is famous for its India tiger expeditions where you get the chance to spot the beautiful Bengal tigers in their natural habitat. Tigers can be easily spotted in the park between November and May.

Aside from the famous Bengal tigers, Ranthambhore National Park is also home to rich wildlife that includes wild boars, Indian leopards, sloth bears, striped hyenas, mugger crocodiles, sambars, rhesus macaques, and chitals. The sanctuary is also rich in plants, birds, and trees including one of the largest banyan trees in all of India.

The things that you can do during the Expedition

If you booked our India tiger expeditions, Ranthambhore National Park is on the itinerary, and you’ll surely be in for an unforgettable adventure. Our experienced guides will guide you during your expedition so you can be guaranteed to see the Bengal tigers and other animals in the park.

But aside from sightseeing, you can also explore the Ranthambhore Fort including the famous Ganesha temple. You should also visit the Jogi Mahal, which is the most photographed monument in the park. And since one day isn’t enough to see everything that Ranthambhore National Park has to offer, you can also book one of the villas or luxury tents near the park.

Finally, the opening hours of Ranthambhore National park will vary depending on the season. If you’re visiting during February, March, and October, you can take morning trips as early as 6:30 AM up to 10:00 AM and afternoon trips start from 2:30 PM until 6:00 PM.

If you’re going between April and June, morning trips start at 6:00 AM until 9:30 AM and afternoon trips run from 3:00 PM until 6:30 PM. For expeditions from November until May, trips start from 7:00 AM to 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

Wild Focus Expeditions is based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico but we’re happy to go on expeditions with those of you all over the world. Here are some of our more famous expedition destinations: Greenland, Indonesia, Japan, Svalbard, Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Pantanal, India, Kenya, Uganda, and the Galapagos