In addition to the tigers, India’s travel infrastructure is tricky to navigate. This is a case where doing the research, asking the right questions, planning in advance and relying on expert advice is really important. India's Ranthambore National Park is the best place to go see tigers, and if you are lucky you might. Because adult tigers go solo and have large territories, it’s a big bonus to see more than one in a single day, but that’s why you have to plan carefully. But the point was to see tigers and I was willing to sweat a bit to do that, and I saw multiple tigers every day, different tigers, including a mother with two cubs. Staffers told me that the park closes for the hottest summer months, when it gets really hot, but that the best viewing was right before the closure, also really hot, and many travelers do not like to go at this time because it’s not as comfortable. A writer for one of the many magazines I contribute to regularly went for a week and ended up doing a story about not seeing tigers, so when I got a feature assignment for an inflight airline magazine the first thing I did was call Micato Safaris, 10-time winner of Travel + Leisure’s World Number One Safari company. That’s why it is even more important than on African safaris to choose the right outfitter and game plan, because the best lodges and slots for game drives at the best locations - Ranthambore National Park is number one - are tightly allocated and need to be booked expertly and in advance. But tigers are more of a 50-50 proposition over the 3-4 days most visitors spend looking for one on game drives in a National Park. If you go to Africa, you will see lions, guaranteed, maybe a few, maybe dozens. The downside of a tiger safari is that many travelers come away empty. Because of their status atop the food chain, they are not shy, as cheetahs and leopards are, and exude an unusual mix of raw power, grace and confidence with every step, making for excellent viewing - when you can find them. While lions tend to be beat up and scarred, tigers are more like cheetahs and leopards with near perfect multicolored coats, and eyes so singularly striking that they have been the subject of classical literature, pop songs, and even have gemstones named for them. But most importantly, there are few animals in nature - maybe none - as majestic. They are fast, can travel long distances, are immensely powerful and unlike most cats, are powerful swimmers - they’ve have been known to dive into a lake and kill a full-grown crocodile that got on their bad side. The Bengal Tiger is a true super predator and although solitary, fears nothing and considers nothing off limits. While safe in prides, individual lions get chased off meals by hyenas, and there are plenty of animals they can’t easily hunt. Lions are beautiful, but the “King of the Jungle” is hyperbole and certainly would not be the case if they shared the same jungle with tigers. gettyīengal Tigers in India: For most safaris goers, the highlight is viewing the big cats, lions, cheetahs and especially beautiful leopards, so it makes sense that tigers are the next stop, because frankly, they are the best of all the big cats to see. You never know what you might see on a tiger safari in India, since unlike most cats, tigers are.
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