A few last shots of Ranthambhore, including a pug mark -- the closet we got to seeing a tiger...
But there were quite a few tiger sightings while we were there, we just happened not to be the lucky ones.
Actually we were told that this time of year -- just after the rains -- was not a good time to see tigers because the grass in many instances was taller than the jeeps. Many recommended returning in April when the grass has died and the weather is heating up for that is when tigers can be easily seen making their way to the lakes and streams to cool off and get a drink.
It was fun (and eerie) to think about how many tigers were actually watching us. For every one tiger spotted, our guide said, there are probably four tigers observing us!
Ranthambhore is doing a good job of keeping its tiger population safe and in fact the park recently transported five tigers (via helicopter) to nearby Sariska Preserve which unfortunately, in the space of a couple years, lost all 24 of its tigers to poaching. Hopefully a new population will be established in Sariska, but as long as park officials are content to take bribes, or just look the other way when poachers come around, there's no guarantee the new group will survive...
We were impressed with the variety and abundance of trees, including banyans, which seemed in many places to be holding the whole place together. The 4th photo from the top is of the 2nd largest banyan tree in the world. It was impossible to get a picture of the whole tree or to capture how thick and green and ALIVE it was. I wanted to jump in and start climbing it. Or just sit at its feet for a spell! (The largest banyan tree is in Calcutta, our guide explained, but the middle of it is hollow.)
The bird is a Lapwing and we saw and heard them everywhere. This one seemed to enjoy showing off and posing for our cameras.
The nests in the trees (7th photo from the bottom) belong to the weaver birds.
In the 2nd photo from the top you can see through the trees the outer perimeter of the 7 km wall encircling the Fort.
But it's time to say Goodbye to Ranthambhore because Goa is calling.
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