Sawai Madhopur-Ranthambore

We were supposed to make this trip in Nov, exactly when 26/11/08 happened. But then that was not the reason for us to not travel. It was then that Chennai also got flooded. :( So with no choice and a heavy heart we postponed the trip to Feb '09. (What better way to spend [V] day than in the middle of a forested area)The heavy heart was for the fact that it is extremely difficult to plan a trip to Ranthambore all the way from Down South Chennai, especially with www.rajasthanwildlife.com website not working properly, and with train reservations from Delhi and Jaipur being close to impossible. I have decided to split this Ranthambore trip into different parts. Part 1 being- Travel planning. Though the website www.rajasthanwildlife.com does give you some information, actually lots, unless you actually get there you have NO idea what you are up against(considering it's a govt owned site and everything is funded by the rajasthan govt) NOW you know what I mean :( I would recommend anyone making this trip to speak to a couple of people who might have traveled to find out how things work. STEP 1. Before you book your tickets, always check the website mentioned above to first find availability of safari's. I am sure studying to be a rocket scientist would be a lot easier than getting a booking on this website.(the govt claims to have improved the site since our return!! what luck!!) STEP 2 The trickiest part being the safari's online booking. Now there are 2 vehicles being mentioned there- the Gypsy(6 seater) and the Canter(20 seater). let me explain how both work. The gypsy is more fun for people who love to be roughed up a bit. It's bumpy, hard on the back, scratches here and there when close to bushes, and there's only 6 people on it. I LOVED IT. The canter on the other hand Looks and seems safe, carries 20 people. It's cramped, full of random people(usually kids are also on it crying and wailing) its not that bumpy. You get to enjoy the ride into the forest without being jostled around, but remember 6 against 20 means you get to stop a lot more, a lot more noise, especially since you are there to enjoy the quiet and peace of the forest in order to spot the "tiger". The canter in comparison to the gypsy as a vehicle is a lot more noisier. So now that you have good description of the two available vehicles, you may pick. STEP 3 If you thought choosing a vehicle is tough think again!! There are safari's that you need to chose from too. Hmhmhm... this year apparently they have started a new full day safari. Let me explain how this works. We got taken in by what the website said( or didn't bother to say) and made a huge mistake by booking full day safari's. there are 2 kinds the FULL day and the HALF- DAY. Not the half- day is hat they have been having for years and here you get picked up by the canter/ gypsy at 6.15 am from your hotel and the safari as for about 3 hours (7.00am to 10.00 am) and then you get dropped back. they say its from 6.15 am but then by the time you pick up/ get picked up by the others in the vehicle it takes that much time. The same is for the eve/ afternoon safari 2.30pm to 6.00pm. Trust me when I say out of experience that THIS IS THE BEST. the other of course is the FULL day safari which starts at 6.30 am where you get picked up from your hotel and ends by 6.30 pm. Now the whole day safari according to me is a sheer, utter waste of precious time. I'll tell you why. coz after the first half of the safari, that's say by 11.00 am, there is long break till 2.00pm when you do absolutely nothing. The website does not mention it. And think about it, we humans don't like to step out in the heat, you think these animals which live outdoors is going to go out there hunt in the blazing heat!! so what they do is take you all the way to the buffer area and make you chill out. anyone you ask(the safari guide, your vehicle driver) everyone usually say "oh!! it's a very nice resting place, a great govt. guest house" oh believe you me when i say DON'T GO ON IT!! it's a dilapidated building, that's anything but nice!! you are made to sit in chairs under tree's for 2 1/2 hours with absolutely no scenic views. There is a beautiful Old FORT(as old as the Ranthambore fort- about 100 odd years old)which by the way unless you are athletic you can't climb and your vehicle driver wouldn't tell you that you need to climb. They talk like they are going to drive you all the way up, (and charge you extra for it)and a lake- which was half dry even in Feb,(which I am sure would have been a perfect scenic spot for a great picnic when filled with water) Then you get back into the forest to continue the safari. STEP 4 Unless you actually have a VIDEO CAMERA do NOT pay for the camera charges. They DON'T CHARGE for normal photo camera's. STEP 5 Now assuming you have checked out the availability of the safari online(which is non-refundable under any circumstance, so don't rush to book it unless you have confirmed train/ air tickets) lets look at options for travel. As we were traveling from Chennai, we had a choice of traveling either via Mumbai or Delhi. Delhi sounded exciting as we had trains from Delhi directly to Sawai Madhopur(10 km's away from Ranthambore. But again a warning, even if you try booking 3-4 weeks ahead, the trains are usually FULL. There are about 3-4 trains, including the Rajdhani which stop at Sawai madhopur. I am sure it would have beena fun trip by train.Else the other option being flying either from Delhi to Jaipur or Mumbai to Jaipur. Hhmhm... now comes another problem. You might as well get prepared to spend at least 2 more hours extra at the airport to and from Jaipur, as flights are ALWAYS de;ayed. It being a less priority airport compared to the rest, flights always get delayed. And it's not happened once. :( Step 6 You could either ask for a pick up car from hertz or ask your hotel for a pick up. either ways it all works outto almost the same price. We had initially thought of hiring a hertz car and driving to Ranthambore. Oh what fun that would have been!! I was so kicked!! I had pictured what music we would listen to, what munchies to take with us etc. And then comes the rude shock that woke me uo from my day dreaming- Hertz does not have self- drive cars from Jaipu!! what a bummer!! Trust me, we were on our way being driven to Ranthambore and I have never thanked God more for not letting us drive!! the first 1 1/2 hours of the drive from Jaipur to Tonk is the worst stretch I have ever been on. There were trucks every 30 seconds speeding past us. It would have been impossible to drive on that road and not get knocked off bya truck. So much for the power nap I had planned out for the car journey!! I was sooo queezy from all the swirves that I was more than happy to reach our destination in one piece. Oh and please please carry excess food for your road trip!! There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHIN, and i mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on the way from TONK to Ranthambore save a few villages with about 10 houses in each. But,If you love open spaces, the drive is phenomenal! Its just acres and acres of open spaces and fiels, covered by a few hills on either side and on top of each of these hills you will see the ruins of a very old(1000 years) old watch tower. Its sooooooo breathtakingly beautiful.If only the journey was less strenuous I would have so enjoyed the drive. I started out this blog to be a very positive and reminicsing one. But seems like all the negatives have been vented out!! hmhmh storm before the calm!! :)