Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

March 2023

Visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). Details can be found at Home – Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (mytadoba.org).

We started the trip sceptically, after multiple failures to spot wildcat during safaris in Karnataka and Kerala (Probably because of time of the year we visited.) We had spotted elephants, wild buffaloes, deers, monkeys during our earlier safaris. One of us commented that this would be the last safari if we do not spot a tiger this time. Below map shows the area of TATR (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve).

Based on advice from experts, we chose March for visit to TATR. Bookings are not easy to get. Long wait periods – about 2 months during this season. Planned and booked it in month of January.

Exceptionally large area covered under the tiger reserve, is split into core (no human settlement) and buffer (areas of co-existence/conflict) zones. It is about 3 hours’ drive from Nagpur. Roads were good for most part. Our schedule involved four safaris in all, three to the core zones, one to the buffer zone. We spotted one or more tigers in three of the four safaris. We did not spot any tigers in the fourth safari. We got ambitious after third and told the guide and driver that we did not want to see tigers only but wished to see tigress and cubs at close quarters. Failed in that attempt. However, the safari itself was wonderful and spotted some other animals at close quarters.

The safaris start in morning at 6:00 AM and in afternoons at 3:00 PM. We did see a lot of wildlife during the safaris and thoroughly enjoyed them. We were pleasantly surprised at the discipline of the tourists in the core zone. No disposable plastic, no throwaway plastic bottles, no cell phones, not once did anybody try to get off the safari vehicle. Hence core zone was clean and relatively calm. Guides and drivers helped enforce that. The buffer zone area was a different story – lots of plastic around. Jeep (2 varied sizes) or an open bus are the options for the safari vehicle.

Cell phones are dis-allowed during the safari and must be deposited into an aluminium box with lock and key… key with the safari gate personnel, Locked box in the safari jeep. Cameras are available for hire at the gate at as low as Rs 500 per safari along with a camera entry fee of Rs 250 per safari/camera. We ended up hiring a Nikon Coolpix B500 camera. My first experience using a digital non smartphone camera in a long time and now swear by the image quality, clarity/focus/optical zoom of these cameras v/s smartphones cameras.

Landed at Nagpur airport and saw G20 welcome festivities at the airport with flags of all G20 countries. G20 delegates were in Nagpur that time. Nagpur appeared to be a clean city… whether it was because of the G20 delegates or otherwise… do not know.

Our drive to Moharli village gate of TATR (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve) from Nagpur was eventful. We saw a brief glimpse of a leopard crossing the road. Also, a bunny caught in the car headlight jumping around on the road for some time before it jumped off the road. Guess this was a small glimpse of what awaited us at TATR. We also saw a nilgai too but was not fast on camera draw for a snap. Scenes from the entry to the TATR.

Sharing a few landscape images below from the area.

Below are images of few birds seen during the safari. Names are as per google lens and at times dependent on my image matching abilities with the images available on web.

Pics of animals spotted during the safaris … Gaur, Sambar, Sloth Bear, Dholes, Crocodile, Langurs, wild boar including sambars locking horns at a distance. Snaps below.

Spotted Deers were common sight, especially in open areas. Snaps below.

Now the big cats…. Sighted tigress Bijlee with her cubs. The rented camera was in hands of a novice handing such camera after a long time, hence poor image quality.

Sighted Mougli on two of the four safaris. After having a wild boar for food, was finding it difficult to move around. Also, could see that he was either hurt from a fight with another tiger Rudra a day or two earlier or an identification tag that can seen on its left ear. Not seen on the other tigers. Pics below…

Spotted another tiger called Rudra on the opposite side of the water body at the same time as Mougli. Mougli could see Rudra on the other side of the water body, at a distance of seventy-five feet, but for reasons known only to them, decided not to get into a territorial fight in front of substantial number of spectators. The style of sitting at the edge of water was common to both Mougli and Rudra.

And now for Taroo, another tiger that we spotted. The tiger was about seventy feet away with a bunch of safari jeeps tracking his movements and trying to get as close as possible to the tiger. The safari guides and drivers knew the destination the tiger was headed to and hence were able to correctly guess where it will show up next. The first picture is of the tiger at a distance. The second picture is close about ten feet from our safari jeep…. the tiger wanting to cross the road and move to other side from behind our jeep. We waited anxiously, but unfortunately another jeep closed the gap on the road for tiger to cross and he moved back into the bushes. Missed opportunity for a close encounter.