19 AUGUST, 2010. MUMBAI www.mid-day.com THURSDAY, 19 AUGUST, 2010. MUMBAI THE TRIP www.mid-day.com 17 MID DAY’S GUIDE SIGN UP FOR A TASTE THE SHORT CUT TO LOCATION TO WEEKEND BREAKS OF PARISIAN STYLE PLAYING ECO SIGN UP Ranthambhore, along with the gateway town of Sawai EVERY THURSDAY INSIDE 18 SEASIDE REVELRY 18 WARRIOR ON HOLIDAY IF YOU HAVE Madhopur, lies on the 1 DAY... eastern edge of , EDITED BY 440 km to the southwest of TINAZ NOOSHIAN Delhi, and 190 km southeast [email protected] of Jaipur. WHERE TO STAY There are quite literally hundreds of accommodation HOT DEALS options in and around Sawai Madhopur; however, the outstanding Khem Villas Luxury Jungle Camp (www.khemvillas.com), located in a tranquil natural setting on the periphery of the park, is undoubtedly Ranthambhore’s best-kept secret. Another In recommended option is the this picture Ranthambhore Bagh taken in January (www.ranthambhorebagh CHALLENGE THE 2002, a tiger crosses .com) SAVE ON DOMESTIC VERTICAL LIMIT the road in Ranthambore WHAT TO DO FLIGHTS Face your fears of water National Park and heights in one power- Ranthambhore is one of Book any domestic air ’s most famous wildlife ticket of any airline on packed weekend. Go waterfall rappelling at the havens and the primary MakeMyTrip.com and get reason people visit the park your next ticket free Vihi waterfalls near Kasara. (base fare only). To be The falls are about 120 feet is on a quest to find a tiger. in height. Pray the rain gods Twice-daily, drives provide eligible for this offer, you sides over this kingdom. for their lives. The tiger need to enter ‘FLYFREE’ drench you, so that it adds HOW TO REACH an opportunity to view a to the thrill. zeroed in on two unwary rut- diverse range of animals, in the deal code section EARS TO HELP ting males and was on top of ¼BY TRAIN The closest on the traveler’s page BY Yuvazhep I was one of the more than one before he even realised airport is in Jaipur, a 3.5 including tiger, leopard, while booking the ON September 5 100,000 wildlife enthusiasts what had hit him. His legs hour drive away. However, sloth bear, antelope and main/original ticket. Each COST Rs 700 per head from around the world that hopelessly flayed the air as the easiest way is to get to deer, along with the park’s passenger is entitled to CALL 9920601112 / year visiting Ranthambhore she went straight for the Ranthambhore by train. prolific birdlife. A maximum one free ticket for every 9920318190 National Park, in search of an throat. Sawai Madhopur Railway of 20 gypsies and 20 ticket booked. For a elusive . Sitting in Minutes later, the deer was canters are allowed to enter the open-topped gypsy I fol- dead and peace returned. The Station is conveniently round-trip ticket, each SOAK IN A SUPER lowed Subhash’s instructions OBAMA KIDS WILL tigress left the carcass and located on the main the park’s five zones, so it is passenger will get two and kept my ears and eyes strolled into the shallow lake Mumbai-Delhi train route essential to book well in free tickets. ADVENTURE peeled. I was surprised to hear MISS THE ROAR to slake her thirst. After noisi- and has excellent train advance. A trip to explore LOG ON TO Tour groups are taking total him say, “You are much more US president Barack Obama’s ly lapping up some water, she connections with most parts Ranthambhore Fort is makemytrip.com Our six-seater gypsy bounced DEAR FATEH, THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL TOUR OF advantage of the fact that likely to find a tiger with the daughters will not be able to emerged dripping wet to of India. Trains are cheaper, another highly worthwhile and rattled along a narrow the rain gods are quite help of your ears, than your see Indian tigers, as they’d reclaim her prize. Turning activity. track as we rapidly closed in RANTHAMBHORE YESTERDAY... AND FOR YOUR STRUGGLE TO eyes alone. The alarm calls of towards the ruined palace, faster and more comfortable on our designated zone within SAVE THE TIGER. I WILL DO WHAT I CAN TO HELP. pleased with us this time our forest friends often help us expected to this November, she disappeared behind a than the long drive. the park. Passing under the – Former US president Bill Clinton’s letter to Fateh Singh Rathore, around. Another waterfall to locate where a tiger is hid- even as their parents are stone wall and melted back GONE IN rappelling event is likely to visit the Taj Mahal ancient battlements of former field director of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve ing.” He went on to explain into the jungle to enjoy her Ranthambhore Fort, I craned organised at Tighar in that the dry deciduous forests when they come early feast in quiet. my neck skywards and Karjat. Sign up for a 70-feet of Ranthambhore make it a November. The kids were glimpsed the ancient fortifica- straight drop down the prime location for viewing looking forward to the trip COOLING OFF IN A tions on a hilltop high above. gushing waterfall, fantastic wild tigers in their natural and the chance to spot tigers PALACE Passing through Misradhara views of mist-laden hills, habitat, with the relatively after US ambassador Timothy I was ecstatic. Subhash was Gate, was like escaping into and an adrenaline pumped open terrain making it consid- Roemer’s kids chatted with grinning like a Cheshire cat. another world. I felt as if I had erably easier to spot them Our gypsy exploded in excite- been hijacked and thrust onto experience just 80 kms than in many other Indian them about their encounter ment as we looked at one an Indiana Jones movie set. from Mumbai. tiger reserves. “I’m feeling with four tigers in another’s pictures and dis- Ancient ruins, many over a BY The Nomadic Quest lucky today; I think we will Ranthambore. cussed how beautiful and thousand years old, lay over- ON August 29 find a tiger this afternoon,” he relaxed she had been. grown and scattered COST Rs 1,310 per head smiled. we were watching a family of It is difficult to eloquently PLAN A HOLIDAY, throughout the park. Forts, The 392 km square core sambar deer feed in the shal- capture in words the powerful temples and palaces CALL 24162488 / area is part of the much larger low waters of Padam Talau, emotion stirred by such a sav- GET A DISCOUNT rubbed shoulders with a pris- 9969669174 1,314 sq. km square when the shrill alarm calls of agely beautiful encounter Take a break from work tine natural landscape of lakes Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve: chital snapped us back to real- with India’s super-predator. A and head to Goa with and rolling hills to produce an a flagship park for Project ity. The barks of these spotted fellow guest, ecstatic after his family or friends. Enjoy environment like none I had EXPLORE ANCIENT Tiger. However, even though deer instantly changed the first-ever tiger-sighting, 60 ever encountered. It was a tigers are the modern-day atmosphere on the vehicle gushed, “My first ever wild the monsoon with Ginger BUDDHIST CAVES Hotel’s early bird offer. truly captivating scene that rulers in this corner of eastern from relaxed to fever pitch. tiger!” SECONDS thrust me back to a bygone era Explore the ancient Rajasthan, their situation “Get going!” yelled Subash to I found it especially ironic Book your stay at Ginger when the Chauhan kings had US President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea tour Ranthambhore Buddhist rock-cut Kondana remains precarious. the driver,and we took off that, in a bizarre twist of fate, Hotels in Goa, one week THE THRILL OF THE PATIENT WAIT AS constructed the magnificent National Park with field directors GV Reddy and Fateh Singh in caves at the bottom of a The previous evening; around the lake in the direc- the hunting palace in the in advance and get a 10% Fort around 900 AD. March 2000 during Clinton’s six-day trip to South Asia. Clinton saw waterfall in Karjat. Stunning Goverdhan Rathore, owner of tion of the distress calls. Soon, heart of Ranthambhore’s zone discount or book 15 days Buddhist architecture on the luxurious Khem Villas we located the anxious deer 3 has, in time, become the YOU DRIVE AROUND IN SILENCE BEFORE A NEW SET OF KINGS two tigers on his two-hour safari at the park. PICS/AFP PHOTO in advance and get a sculptures, chaityas and Camp, explained, “Severe staring towards a thicket not popular haunt of tigers. As 20% discount. You can A TIGER LEAPS OUT OF NOWHERE TO Our naturalist guide Subhash stupas make these caves a poaching five years ago, great- far from a ruined hunting Subhash elaborated, “During also avail of the offer on explained that Ranthambhore stonewalled fortifications Hamir was betrayed by some must-visit. ly reduced our tiger palace on the edge of neigh- the hot summer months, tigers Ginger hotel bookings in National Park took its name encompass a hilltop fortress of his most trusted soldiers, population.” When I asked the bouring Raj Bagh Lake. As we come here nearly every day to GO STRAIGHT FOR A STRAY DEER’S from this impressive 10th cen- that boasts an impregnable and a mass suicide followed. BY YHAI Mumbai inevitable question of how sat listening to the chital sleep on the cool stone floors Pimpri and Wakad in tury fort. The fort, location with breathtaking The fort was abandoned soon ON August 22 many tigers remain in alarm calls, I silently begged of the old palace.” That the Pune and Nashik. THROAT — STEPHEN CUNLIFFE TELLS dominating an entire hilltop at views over the park. after this catastrophe. COST Rs 200 per head Ranthambhore, he said the the tiger to emerge. tigers had reclaimed control of CALL 42754878 the heart of the park, is named Legend has it that, after However, a thousand years last camera trap census indi- With lightening speed, a their rightful domain, was LOG ON TO THE OBAMA DAUGHTERS WHAT THEY after the two adjoining hills of successfully resisting a siege on, the fort still dominates the CALL 9869374378 / cated around 31 tigers. tigress broke cover and encouraging. www.travelguru.com Rann and Thambhore. Seven by Emperor Akbar’s army dur- scene; only the kings are 9833115324 charged the startled deer. The ARE GOING TO MISS kilometres of imposing ing the 12th century, King gone, and the tiger now pre- DISTRESS SIGNAL herd exploded in every direc- [email protected] Our vehicle had stopped and tion as the anxious chital ran