Planning for a forest trip in India has many nuances. Apart from the attraction of coming as close to nature as possible the thrill of watching the bigs cats is paramount.
I had been on the lookout for a vacation for a very
long time. Being absolutely in love with Rajasthan the first natural choice was
Ranthambhore. Having completed a 6 day trip to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in the past, a forest
vacation was sure to be a refreshing change. I had the benefit of a cousin's
recent visit and made full utilisation of the same. I took cues on the place to
stay, what to see, how to go about the forest safari, in other words all the
dos and don'ts.
The first step was to book the journey and the FIR clearly showed the benefits.
There are only 4 allotted berths on the August Kranti Rajdhani Express from
Delhi to Sawai Madhopur, the railway station closest to Ranthambhore. I booked
it immediately the moment the bookings opened and got confirmed tickets.
The next step was to pick from the numerous resorts - from modest to über
luxury, Ranthambhore offers it all. As in all tourist places, the best of the
lot are the ones owned by the respective state governments - unbeatable
locations, spacious rooms, affordable prices - can it get any better? There are
2 hotels owned by Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation in Ranthambhore –
one located among the forest and hilly landscape and the other on the main road
towards the forest reserve. Both offer forest like ambience and have almost the
same amenities and facilities with a modest difference in tariff for the
location. We chose the one on the main road for our stay. Booking for the RTDC
hotels need to be made online on its website. The website was surprisingly well
equipped with all information, was user friendly and functioned efficiently
when we made our booking.
The last step to complete the booking process is to
opt for/book a safari in advance to obliviate the chances of not being able to
get hold of your choice of vehicle. Basically safaris can be undertaken in
either a 6 seater open gypsy or a 20 seater open canter. The gypsy has certain
advantages such as it is easy to move around in, reach a place more quickly and
is less noisy. Further, if you are in a personal group it also offers privacy. The
canter on the other hand, has seats which are comparatively higher, and thus
has an edge over the distance one’s eyes can reach/cover when looking
out/trying to spot the big cats from a distance. Bookings for safaris open 90
days in advance and can be done online through http://www.rajasthanwildlife.in/.
If you miss out on the advance booking, as I did,
once you are in Ranthambhore, you can book it directly by standing in queue at
the forest department’s counter before the safari commences or get it done
through your hotel. However, the chances of getting a gypsy are almost
negated. Further, if it is peak season and there is a huge rush, there could be
a rare chance that you may not get any vehicle at all.
All said and done, you need a bit of luck and loads
of blessings from the Almighty to make a trip…just like I found out.
Our train’s scheduled departure was at 4.55 pm from Nizammudin station in
New Delhi on a Saturday. Considering it to be a Saturday, we left our Gurgaon
home at about 3.15 pm, the last minute packing delaying our scheduled departure
by 45 minutes. Oblivious to the worsening traffic scenario in Delhi, I was
quite shocked at the reckless speed at which my cabbie was driving. It was not
long before I found out to my horror that even one and half hours may not be
sufficient time as it took us 40 minutes to cover the last stretch of 5
kilometers from the AIIMS flyover. Every second made us wince at various
possible consequences and also despair at not having started earlier. The air was palpable when we reached the entrance of the station barely 5 minutes before the departure time. With my
heart in my mouth, we made a dash inside and a quintessential porter
instantly helping with the luggage. The sudden rush coupled with the usual
chaos in an Indian railway station left us breathless and our hearts pounding as we got on to the platform….and then the train
departed…..
(to be continued)
(to be continued)
