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Tiger Safari- Ranthambore India- what a thrill!

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:36:35 +0000

One of the most gratifying letters I have ever received.

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:26:11 +0000

A few months ago I received an email from Lt. Marcus D’Silva who is serving our country in Kuwait. He had found a post I had made on my blog in February of 2010 about India and tiger tracking. He asked if I could help him have a similar adventure. Of course I immediately put him in touch with Toby Sinclair, and Suhail Gupta of India Safaris( Now & Beyon India- a Virtuoso company) and Salim Ali our illustrious guide at Ranthambore State Park. I told Toby and Suhail to please do everything they could to make Lt. D’Silva’s experience the best possible. As it turned out, Salim was on assignment with National Geographic, so they found Salim’s younger brother to do the guiding. Salim knows all the best sighting places. After lots of back and forth making arrangements, the trip was finally set. I was nervous because Tiger sightings are really rare, so I held my breath.
This is a portion of the thank you I received from Lt. D’Silva this week:

Catherine, Toby, Suhail, Farooq, Daljeet,

Captain Pritchard and I would like to express our sincerest thanks to all of you for organizing the game drives in Ranthambhore for the two of us. 6 drives and 5 tiger sightings up close and personal. I found myself a little sick the morning we bumped into each other Toby but we drove on with the mission (as we say in the army) and had two sightings that day. Farooq your guidance was truly exceptional. Suhail your services were most appreciated and Daljeet was extremely helpful in coordinating everything. Catherine none of this would have been possible if not for your blog and your initial assistance.

Princes and presidents could not have paid any amount to assure an experience akin to what we experienced on our trip. It was a memorable experience and one of the highlights of our journey through India.

This letter is the ultimate compliment and what we consultants are all about: making a memorable sometimes life changing experience for my client. Re posts of the blog entries and pictures are below.

Repost of our tiger tracking adventure

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:24:35 +0000

We are now in Ranthambore Preserve- the biggest and best of all. It was the hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Jaipur.The park was nationalized b y the Brisitsh and turned into a park in 1974. We had the distinct pleasure of meeting the first park director Fateh Singh rathore, who photographed the tigers in that park for 30 years. His driver for those 30 years had a son Salim Ali, and Salim was our guide. I would send any client with Salim unless he is off filming with a crew from BBC, National Geographic or Toby Sinclair. Toby did the film Land of the Tiger- a must see on National Geographic channel and it was our privilege to have him with us guiding the trip the all the way until he had to leave in VarNASI. He is off working on a film about the black Tiger at the present.
We sighted 2 tigers the first days at Ranthambore, and on the 2nd afternoon had an unbelievable adventure!

To be continued….

Repost of our Tiger Tracking experience- last day, last game drive

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:20:45 +0000

For the last afternoon game drive at Ranthambore only Martha Gaughen, Suhail and I visited the park. The rest of the girls stayed at
Vanyavilas. Upon entering the second gate to the park, we had the privilege of meeting Salim’s father who was Fateh Singh Rathore’s driver( the 1st director of Ranthambore National park). Salim’s father drove Fateh Singh Rathore for 30 years, and they photographed tigers for 8 books. As I wrote in the last blog, Salim’s father looked at us and said “the tigress awaits”. Which of course threw us into a fit of excitement. True to his word and because Salim is such an instinctive guide, we saw a rare happening- a tiger charging a Shambar deer! THEN we followed the tiger (who missed the deer) 2 more times and that video is also amazing.

Suhail Gupta, me, Salim Ali, Martha Gaughen

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:19:46 +0000

Best tiger experience on the last day, last drive

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:18:51 +0000

The elusive tiger

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:17:31 +0000

Toby Sinclair – greatest guide in India

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:15:03 +0000

Our illustrious guide for the last game drive- Salim Ali and his father

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:12:47 +0000

Terrific tiger spotting in Tadoba National Park

ampersandtravel — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:25:50 +0000

Mr Aditya Dhanwantay, owner of Tiger Trails Lodge, who also acts as the in-house naturalist for our clients, sent the following update on an exciting tiger sighting which took place at Tadoba National Park last week! Here is an excerpt of the sighting:

A new male tiger that we kept on missing crossing the road very early in the morning was seen yesterday in splendid close up. He was first spotted crossing the road and going into the bush. But since he did not go very deep into the bamboo we could still see his contours, sleeping peacefully. We then parked at the side of the road and waited. He made us wait for an hour, but it was worth it. He got up, walked out of the bamboo and sat just out in the open. Then he did an amazing thing. He got up and came and stood next to the jeep, staring at the jeeps lined up, which by then had become 20 strong, plus 2 local buses. There were excited whispers of people everywhere and he was not the least bothered! For 5 minutes he looked us up and down, turned and stared at the jeeps in front. Then he went inspecting the jeeps in front, walked back along the bush line, behind our jeep, and then back to (our jeep) within 10 feet. I think he decided that we were the least noisy, so he comes and takes a prolonged rest, next to the jeep, giving my lady guest a minor heart attack. She told me later that she wanted to scream but was afraid that the tiger would jump up and land in the jeep! So we stayed frozen in excitement. He was actually so close that we could hear every breath that he took. After another 10 minutes he decided he had had enough of humans for the evening, crossed the road and disappeared into the bamboo. You could see the BIG smiles on the faces of the 100 odd tourists, who had had a spectacular tiger sighting!

India - as corrected by Toby Sinclair!

Catherine Whitworth — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:44:19 +0000

I asked Toby Sinclair my friend, guide and ultimate authority for all things India to correct a paragraph or two of my blog. It was so amusing, I am putting in the whole thing corrections and all. Corrections are in CAPS. Enclosed is a picture of him.
Let me start by saying that Tigers and Leopards are extremely elusive. Chances of seeing them are slim and none. The only consolation is that there are many many other fascinating animals to see in the parks. Chittle (CHITAL) deer and Samba (SAMBAR) Deer, Sloth Bears, White monkeys with black faces (HANUMAN LANGURS), Eagles, Kingfishers, Storks, cranes, and a large variety of predator birds.
At this time of the year game drives are very very cold in the morning. One needs glove, stocking caps, windbreakers, and fleece jackets. You can peel off layers, but it is really cold (WHEN YOU SET OUT IN THE HALF LIGHT BEFORE DAWN). The lodges supply hot water bottles and blankets, and you need al of it. You must have good binoculars and a long lens camera. Often the tigers and leopards are in brush and (BUT NOT NECESSARILY) far away. Afternoons get warm so you can take off layers. Drive can be very dusty, hot, and very very bumpy. There can be long periods of seeing nothing but beautiful jungle. Some jungles are teak, some are of a wood called Saab, and some are semitropical.
The parks we visited were Pench, Kahna (KANHA), Bangadavgarh (BANDHAVGARH), and Panna. We saw tigers and one leopard in the first three, and the last Panna was beautiful. There is an amazing temple complex called Khujahjo (AT KHAJURAHO)- I am slaying the spelling- that one should absolutely not miss when in Middle (CENTRAL) India. The Lodges were all different and each had it’s own personality: Baghvan, Banjar Toli (TOLA)- tented camp-Mahua Kohti (KOTHI), and Pasha Garh.
We are now in Ranthanbor (RANTHAMBHORE TIGER RESERVE) Preserve- the biggest (BY NO MEANS THE BIGGEST) and best of all. It was the hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Jaipur.The park was nationalized by the Brisitsh (NO…IT REMAINED WITH THE JAIPUR FAMILY TILL THE EARLY 1960S) and turned into a park in 1974. We had the distinct pleasure of meeting the first park director Fateh Singh rathore, who photographed the tigers in that park for 30 years. His driver for those 30 years had a son Salim Ali, and Salim was our guide. I would send any client with Salim unless he is off filming with a crew from BBC, National Geographic or Toby Sinclair. Toby did the film Land of the Tiger- a must see on Nat Geo channel(6 HOURS FOR THE BBC/PBS) and it was our privilege to have him with us guiding the trip the all the way till he had to leave in Varanasi. He is off working on a film about the Black Tiger at the present.
We sighted 2 tigers the first days at Ranthambore, and on the 2nd afternoon had an unbelievable adventure! To be continued….

Favorite Photos from India

Catherine Whitworth — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:48:42 +0000

I have downloaded some of my very favorite pictures from India to Picasa. You may access them through this web address:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cwhit6/FavoritesOfIndia02?feat=email
#

Enjoy!

Tiger sighting

Catherine Whitworth — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:45:29 +0000

The last day ...

Catherine Whitworth — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:59:56 +0000

For the last afternoon game drive at Ranthambore only Martha Gaughan,
Suhail and I visited the park. The rest of the girls stayed at
Vanyavilas. Upon entering the second gate to the park, we had the privilege of meeting Salim’s father who was Fateh Singh Rathore’s driver( the 1st
director of Ranthambore National park). Salim’s father drove Fateh
Singh Rathore for 30 years, and they photographed tigers for 8 books.
As I wrote in the last blog, Salim’s father looked at us and said”the
tigress awaits”. Which of course threw us into a fit of excitement.
True to his word and because Salim is such an instinctive guide, we
saw a rare happening- a tiger charging a Shambar deer!
THEN we followed the tiger(who missed the deer) 2 more times and that
video is also amazing.

Tiger tracking!

Catherine Whitworth — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:50:42 +0000

Tiger photos!

Catherine Whitworth — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:39:49 +0000

I’m home and processing this amazing trip to India. Over the next week, I will upload photos and videos from one of the world’s most exciting destinations!

Birds of India

Catherine Whitworth — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:44:35 +0000

Tiger sighting!

Catherine Whitworth — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:30:00 +0000

Getting ready to tiger track on elephants

Catherine Whitworth — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:29:06 +0000

Tiger Tracking

Catherine Whitworth — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:50:35 +0000

India ... Highlights so far!

Catherine Whitworth — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:30:45 +0000

Let me start by saying that Tigers and Leopards are extremely elusive. Chances of seeing them are slim and none. The only consolation is that there are many many other fasinating amimals to see in the parks. Chittle deer and Samba Deer, Sloth Bears, White monkeys with black faces, Eagles, Kingfishers, Storks, cranes, and a large variety of predatory birds.

At this time of the year, game drives are very, very cold in the morning. One needs glove, stocking caps, windbreakers, and fleece jackets. You can peel off layers, but it is realy cold. The lodges supply hot water bottles and blankets, and you need all of it. You must have good binoculars and a long lense camera. Often the tigers and leopards are in brush and far away. Afternoons get warm so you can take off layers. The drive can be very dusty, hot, and very very bumpy. There can be long periods of seeing nothing but beautiful jungle. Some jungles are teak, some are of a wood called Saab, and some are semitropical.

The parks we visited were Pench, Kahna, Bangadavgarh, and Panna. We saw tigers and one leopard in the first three, and the last Panna was beautiful. There is an amazing temple complex called Khajurao that one should absolutely not miss when in Middle India. The Lodges were all different and each had it’s own personality: Baghvan, Banjar Toli- tented camp-Mahua Kohti, and Pasha Garh.

We are now in Ranthanbor Preserve- the biggest and best of all. It was the hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Jaipur.The park was nationalized b y the Brisitsh and turned into a park in 1974. We had the distinct pleasure of meeting the first park director Fateh Singh rathore, who photographed the tigers in that park for 30 years. His driver for those 30 years had a son Salim Ali, and Salim was our guide. I would send any client with Salim unless he is off filming with a crew from BBC, National Geographic or Toby Sinclair. Toby did the film Land of the Tiger- a must see on National Geographic channel and it was our privilege to have him with us guiding the trip the all the way until he had to leave in VarNASI. He is off working on a film about the black Tiger at the present.

We sighted 2 tigers the first days at Ranthambore, and on the 2nd afternoon had an unbelievable adventure!

To be continued….
–

Mahua Kothi and Tiger video

Catherine Whitworth — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:57:00 +0000

We are at the third camp Mahua Kothi. Very very good camp.

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/e316022c2a19e963a4903b0c8e1a4f8d/video/9889319

We have seen some amazing tigers, and one awesome leopard. Food has been outstanding. Each camp seems to be more luxurious than the last, and they are all luxurious. I am taking a lot of video and tons of pictures.

First Tiger Sighting

Catherine Whitworth — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:53:46 +0000

We saw our first tiger today and she was gorgeous! HUGE and had two cubs. What a thrill!! At Bagh Van today. Pench National Park in the middle of India where Jungle Book was written. Teak forest jungle. Today was a wonderful birthday present for Meg Nolan, our leader. We are driving through the countryside now to the next park – Kahana.

First Tiger Sighting!

Catherine Whitworth — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:53:46 +0000

Adventures in India ... and so it begins!

Catherine Whitworth — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:02:43 +0000

I am en route to India with good friends and am thrilled! We will be tiger tracking from January 21 returning February 15 and visiting five star properties throughout India. Please follow along with me – I will update you daily with photos and videos of this wonderful adventure!