Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore National Park is one of the largest and most famous national parks in northern India. It is situated in Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, about 180 km from Jaipur, which is also the nearest airport. The nearest town and railway station is at Sawai Madhopur, about 11 km away.
.Ranthambhore is most famous for its large tiger population. As tourism in the park increased, so did the population of neighbouring villages. This led to increasing amounts of fatal human-tiger interactions and poaching. The Indian Government started Project Tiger in 1973 with an allotted area of 60 mi2. It was later expanded to become what is now called, the Ranthambhore National Park. Besides tigers, the reserve has thriving bird population with more than 270 different species of birds here.[1]
In 2005, there were 26 tigers living in Ranthambhore. This was significantly lower than the recorded tiger population of the reserve in 1982, which then stood at 44. According to non-government sources there were 34 adult tigers in the Ranthambhore National Park in 2008. More than 14 tiger cubs were also recorded. This was largely attributed to sustained efforts by forest officials to curb poaching. Villagers in the region were being given incentives to stay out of the park and surveillance cameras were also fitted across the reserve.The Indian government also committed US$153 million for the efforts.
Major Attractions of Ranthambore are:-
The Park is one of the best national parks in the country to spot a tiger. This majestic predator can be spotted ambling or basking under the sun here.
Rides are carried out at two times:0630 and 1430. Each ride lasts for about 3 hours. There are two options of vehicles for the safari : 20 seater open top canter or 6 seater open top gypsy. Each ride costs around Rs400-500 per person. The core park area has been divided into several zones and the safari vehicles go on one of those zones. Since there is a good chance of not sighting a tiger in one outing, people usually take more than one ride. There are a lot of quality resorts on the way from Sawai Madhopur to the national park
The majestic fort, built in 10th-century, towers over the entire park area. It
stands at a height of 700 feet above the surrounding plain. Inside the fort,
there are three red Karauli stone temples devoted to Ganesh,Shiva and Ramlalaji.
The temples were constructed in 12th and 13th centuries.