[ramnath_77]

As a wildlifer, Tadoba has been one of my favourite destinations.
Easy accessibility from Pune, relatively transparent ticket booking system, lots of options to stay (across all budget segments) etc are some of the reasons why i personally like to travel to Tadoba.

This is a compilation of all my trips to Tadoba till date.
While there are plenty of threads on Tadoba which gives most info required for folks planning to travel here, i will still try to restate some of these which might be useful


Safari booking website
https://mytadoba.org/wildlife-safaris/

There are different slabs of fares if you book in the 60-120 days period and <60 day period for both weekdays and weekends.

There are 4 main gates for doing safari in the core zone namely Mohurli gate, Kolara gate, Navegaon gate and Zari/Pangadi gate.
Entry from the first 3 gates leads to the same core zone and all vehicles can move around within without any restriction. However the entry from Zari/Pangadi gates leads to another zone called as Kolsa zone.
While the main core zone has good density of tigers in the tourism areas and are hence very popular amongst tourists, Kolsa zone has better landscape and the forest is much more green in general all season.

Mohurli and Kolara gates have plenty of options for stay, while Navegaon gate has around 2-3 stay options. There are hardly any decent options around Zari/Pangadi gates.


First Trip (Feb 2012)

I saw my first wild tiger way back in 2012 when i did my first safari in Tadoba. Few of the images which i had captured using a Point and Shoot camera.
Pardon the image quality





One very interesting cartoon near the center point in Tadoba (simple yet such a telling fact)


I must admit that my first trip to Tadoba and my first sighting of a Tiger is what got me into taking photography (wildlife in particular) seriously.

I have generally been very lucky in most of my trips to have seen Tigers, Leopards, Wild dogs and Sloth bears. One possible reason for this could be the fact that most of my trips have been in the summer months of Mar - June.
The only time i travelled in December resulted in only 1 Leopard sighting.


2nd Trip (Dec 2014)

The forest gets pretty cold during Dec/Jan with temperatures plummeting in the 2-5 deg range.
With plenty of water source around in the jungle, sightings of the big cats are usually few and far.
This is one trip (till date) where i returned back from Tadoba without a single Tiger sighting. However it was somewhat
made up by a Leopard sighting.

This was also the first time i did safaris from the Mohurli side.
Few pictures from the trip.














3rd Trip (Jun 2016)

I did a few safaris from Kolara gate this time. With the arrival of monsoons, the last 2 safaris were a rainy affairs with heavy downpour.
As a result of this, the forest had come alive and was beginning to turn lush green.
The most memorable experience was to witness the famous Queen Maya with her cubs.





Love you mamma



The gathering of Indian Gaur at a waterhole on a hot afternoon


Mr. Balloo (Sloth Bear) busy with his morning rituals




A lone Sambar foraging deep inside Tadoba lake


Savannah Nightjar with chick


Dhole (aka Asiatic Wild dog)





Territory marking


Oriental Honey Buzzard

[ramnath_77]

4th Trip (May 2018)

This trip happened when i was in India on a short vacation while being posted in the US. Since it was after almost a gap of 1.5 years since my previous wildlife trip, i was desperately looking forward to this.

This time we did the safaris from Mohurli gate.

The trip certainly didnt disappoint in terms of big cat sightings.
We ended up seeing some true VIPs of the park namely Maya, Matkasur and family, the grand old lady Madhuri and Choti Tara. We also had the good fortune of sighting a couple of cubs of Maya which were around 3-4 months old.

The first safari started with a bang with the sighting of the grand old lady Madhuri in the Agarzari buffer.

Since most of the action happened around fag end of the evening safari when the light was fading, i had to bump up the ISO big time to get some decent shots.

Madhuri







Alert Gaurs when they spotted Madhuri moving


It was time for some birding

Oriental Honey Buzzard


Since it was the May which is the breeding season for the Indian Pitta, we saw many of them in the forest.
Indian Pitta


Tarachand which was one of the sub-adults of Choti Tara in stalking mode after seeing a heard of deer. This happened near an area called Jamni which is closer to Kolara gate.


Tarachand unfortunately died of electrocution post a few months after this sighting



Immediately after a few mins, his cover was blown and the deer scooted away.
However there was one bold fella which was almost teasing Tarachand as if to say "Catch me if you can". And the irritation at this was clearly evident on Tarachand's face.



Utterly disappointed on missing on a kill, Tarachand walked towards our gypsy and looked at us for a few secs and disappeared into the bushes.


Choti Tara on a late evening safari



The next couple of safaris gave us an opportunity to see one of the most popular tigress Maya's family. Though we could not get any decent images of her (as she was lying inside the bushes),
we certainly got to see her 2 cubs walking towards the waterhole and Matkasur (which had sired Maya's litter).
The cubs must've been around 3-4 months old. I had never seen such young cubs previously and hence was a wonderful experience.

First up was the bold cub which walked with a swagger (of a big cat) and entered the water hole



Matkasur - The massive male tiger exhibiting Flehman response behaviour



One of the curious cubs.....Pardon the image quality as there was too much undergrowth.



A lone Dhole (wild dog) sighting to sign-off the trip



to be continued........

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[busydrive]

Wonderful travelogue and wonderful pictures. If you can add some of the accommodation options you have availed and found good, will help fellow travellers.
Will stay hooked on this thread.

[Meer]

Originally Posted by ramnath_77

As a wildlifer, Tadoba has been one of my favourite destinations.
This is a compilation of all my trips to Tadoba till date.
While there are plenty of threads on Tadoba which gives most info required for folks planning to travel here, i will still try to restate some of these which might be useful

Wow, this is an amazing compilation Ramnath ji and you have been really blessed with tiger sightings. Hats off to your photography skills, never easy to capture wildlife and these are amazing photos!

As you rightly pointed out, fortune favours the brave - summer / early monsoon is the worst time weather wise in the Nagpur area, but will reward you with the sightings due to thinner vegetation and need for animals to venture out to few available watering holes.

I might have 10-15% hit rate by safari in my visits to the tiger reserves in this area - Tadoba, Pench (both MH and MP), Kanha and Bandavgarh.

Any dos and don'ts for the safaris you would like to share based on your experience?

[scorched_earth]

That Flehman photograph is wonderful, the tiger's response and your readiness!
Thank you for this informative post.

[kraken]

I'm a noob when it comes to photography and I've recently started to learn to click. And seeing your pics make me realise how long I've to go before I get atleast near to the shots that you've so gracefully captured.

That pic of the deer taunting Tarachand is exceptional !

Tadoba has been on my mind and after the pandemic I've been itching to pay a visit. Thank you for reminding me what I'm missing.

[ramnath_77]

Originally Posted by busydrive

Wonderful travelogue and wonderful pictures. If you can add some of the accommodation options you have availed and found good, will help fellow travellers.
Will stay hooked on this thread.

Thank you busydrive for your kind words.
Below are the places that i have stayed and found them to be good esp for family travel

Kolara Gate side - Chava Kolara
Mohurli Gate side - MTDC, Pugmark resort

I have stayed at a few more places but wouldnt recommend based on my experience. I will include these details when i continue to update the next part of this travelogue

Originally Posted by Meer

Wow, this is an amazing compilation Ramnath ji and you have been really blessed with tiger sightings. Hats off to your photography skills, never easy to capture wildlife and these are amazing photos!

Any dos and don'ts for the safaris you would like to share based on your experience?

Thank you Meer for your kind words. Glad you liked the images.
Below are some of the do's and dont's that come to my mind when planning any safari trips

Do's

• Plan your trips by doing some level of research about the forest, best season to visit, try to get regular sighting updates through social media wherever possible
• Summer is the best time to visit any national park as it provides the best opportunity to view big cats. However the negatives are the extremely warm temperatures, generally dry forest etc. Since the light gets very harsh post 8.30am and remains thtat way till late evening (atleast till 6pm), the image quality ends up being very average. Hence for photography, i prefer winter trips since the light is
  soft. Even with a couple of decent sightings, you can end up with some really good frames.
  Oct/Nov would also be good time since the park would be green post monsoon and would offer excellent background for your subjects to photograph.
• Plan your travel in advance and book your safari tickets as early as possible to get the best zones.
• Would help if you can plan your trips with a known safari driver/guide as they would have excellent local knowledge, understanding of regular big cat movements, understands photography requirements (light, angle etc)

Originally Posted by scorched_earth

That Flehman photograph is wonderful, the tiger's response and your readiness!
Thank you for this informative post.

Thank you scorched_earth for your kind words. Glad you liked the images.

Originally Posted by kraken

I'm a noob when it comes to photography and I've recently started to learn to click. And seeing your pics make me realise how long I've to go before I get atleast near to the shots that you've so gracefully captured.

That pic of the deer taunting Tarachand is exceptional !

Tadoba has been on my mind and after the pandemic I've been itching to pay a visit. Thank you for reminding me what I'm missing.

Thank you kraken for your kind words. Glad you liked the images.
Look forward to read your travelogue on Tadoba soon

[AniChaudhuri]

Thank you for sharing your experiences, @Ramnath_77. This excellent writeup and compilation shows your evolution from a wildlife lover to an avid wildife photographer. Capturing the story behind the photograph speaks volumes of your skills.

I'm also a Tadoba fan like you, because of the quality of sightings it offers. I took my family there last month with some trepidation (as it was only 4 safaris this time) but my son still got to see his first wild tigers from up close. Couldn't wipe the smile off my wife's face as she clicked Patlinbai and Bhanushkindi females after a mad dash in the rain. Among other animals, saw a monitor lizard too which was a first for me.

Eagerly awaiting your next post with the rest of the pics and the incredible stories behind them. Thanks once again.

[fiat_tarun]

Amazing pictures and Tadoba is on my places to visit soon list ! Was lucky enough to see 2 Tiger sightings in Kabini recently and loved the experience so much, I want to visit the other forests as well.

Since you are also based out of Pune, how did you travel to Tadoba ? It is close to 800km, so thinking I shall plan to drive. How good are the roads ?

[MadTitan47]

Thanks for the wonderful photologue. Amazing sightings and beautiful photographs.

I have been to Tadoba last week for the first time. I was lucky enough to see Kuhani Tigress in Zari core zone. However could not click good pics as I did not have a zoom lens. But this trip has surely ignited an interest in me for wildlife and bird photography which I hope to continue.

One question though, how to book safari with known guides/drivers? Is there any other way to book the safari tickets apart from the website to get guide of you choice? We booked the safari ticket online and got the driver and guide assigned at the last moment at the entry gate.

[HooghlyBoy]

A nice Storytelling with lovely pictures. If I am not wrong, in every trip ,you have gone for 2-3 Safaris to get such sightings. I had been to Jim Corbett & Kaziranga once till date. The latter was a lovely experience though didn't see any Tiger but the former was unimpressive.
It takes luck to see Tigers.
Good to see such passion for Wildlife Photography !!

[sahil624]

Amazing pictures and travelogue. Thanks for sharing.
One query what should be the preferred mode of traveling if one is traveling from Pune?

[ramnath_77]

Originally Posted by AniChaudhuri

Thank you for sharing your experiences, @Ramnath_77. This excellent writeup and compilation shows your evolution from a wildlife lover to an avid wildife photographer. Capturing the story behind the photograph speaks volumes of your skills.

I'm also a Tadoba fan like you, because of the quality of sightings it offers. I took my family there last month with some trepidation (as it was only 4 safaris this time) but my son still got to see his first wild tigers from up close. Couldn't wipe the smile off my wife's face as she clicked Patlinbai and Bhanushkindi females after a mad dash in the rain. Among other animals, saw a monitor lizard too which was a first for me.

Eagerly awaiting your next post with the rest of the pics and the incredible stories behind them. Thanks once again.

Thank you AniChaudhuri. Glad you liked the images. Great to know that you and your family got to see the big cats in Tadoba. Keep going regularly and am sure Tadoba will bless you with great sightings. There are so many stories about these big cats that you also get to hear (eg. Maya's fake mating to save her cubs from rogue male tigers etc) which makes the experience so much more enriching.

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Amazing pictures and Tadoba is on my places to visit soon list ! Was lucky enough to see 2 Tiger sightings in Kabini recently and loved the experience so much, I want to visit the other forests as well.

Since you are also based out of Pune, how did you travel to Tadoba ? It is close to 800km, so thinking I shall plan to drive. How good are the roads ?

Thank you fiat_tarun. Glad you liked the images.
I usually take a flight to Nagpur and then a 3 hour road journey to get to Tadoba. Current road situation from Pune to Nagpur is not that good in many sections and hence it takes almost 15-16 hours.

Originally Posted by MadTitan47

Thanks for the wonderful photologue. Amazing sightings and beautiful photographs.

One question though, how to book safari with known guides/drivers? Is there any other way to book the safari tickets apart from the website to get guide of you choice? We booked the safari ticket online and got the driver and guide assigned at the last moment at the entry gate.

Thank you MadTitan47. Glad you liked the images.
Zari/Kolsa is a fantastic zone with excellent landscape. Glad you got to see Kuhani who is one of the boldest tigers in Tadoba.

Regarding the guides/drivers, the normal system of allocating driver is through a Round robin system. However if you wish to engage a particular driver, his vehicle needs to be registered in that particular gate for entry and you will need to pay the other driver additional fees (since he would miss out on earning his fees due to being replaced by the driver of your choice).

Originally Posted by HooghlyBoy

A nice Storytelling with lovely pictures. If I am not wrong, in every trip ,you have gone for 2-3 Safaris to get such sightings. I had been to Jim Corbett & Kaziranga once till date. The latter was a lovely experience though didn't see any Tiger but the former was unimpressive.
It takes luck to see Tigers.
Good to see such passion for Wildlife Photography !!

Thank you HooghlyBoy. Glad you liked the images.
I have never been to Corbett and Kaziranga. It is on my wishlist. Hope to make a trip soon.

Originally Posted by sahil624

Amazing pictures and travelogue. Thanks for sharing.
One query what should be the preferred mode of traveling if one is traveling from Pune?

Thank yoy sahil624. I always take a flight to Nagpur followed by a road journey. There are convenient trains as well. In case of train, you can get down at Wardha and take a cab to Tadoba

[ramnath_77]

It has been quite a while since I have been wanting to put up the rest of my Tadoba experiences to complete this thread.
Work and personal commitments somehow kept me from doing so. Without much further ado, here is the next set of my Tadoba experiences

4th Trip (Mar 2019)

This trip happened after I returned back to India for good and also the first time that I was doing wildlife trips with friends who had similar wildlife photography interests.
The booking was made through a known person in Tadoba. The stay was booked at Eagle Nest Homestay (near Mohurli gate).
The plan was to do 5 safaris in core zone (Mohurli gate) and 1 safari in Agarzari buffer zone.

We took a flight to Nagpur (from Pune) and were ferried to Tadoba by a cab.
Since this was mid Mar, the temperatures were pretty manageable (35-38 deg C) without being too hot.

Our first safari which was in the Agarzari buffer turned out to be a dud without any sightings.
However we had a jackpot set of sightings in the core zone including quite a few head on shots of a sub adult male tiger.

Here are some of the images which i managed to make during this trip

On a peaceful afternoon at Panderpauni lake (which is one of the prime real estates on the Kolara side which is ruled by the famous queen Maya)


Chota Matka (sub adult male of Choti Tara and Matkasur) with a wild boar kill entering the water to cool off




And while he tries to cool off, an Indian Gaur appears on the scene


After a standoff for a few mins, the Gaur backs off allowing Chota Matka to move off the lake with his kill



During the next morning safari, we scanned the usual areas in the Mohurli side (including Telia lake) and then entered the Kolara side.
We saw a huge convoy of gypsys which were lined up to witness a face-off between Maya and Chota Matka.

Maya was raising 2 cubs (one male and another female) which were probably around a year old. Chota Matka (though not fully mature at that point)
was trying to flirt with Maya which would mean a clear danger to her cubs. And she made her intent clear to Chota Matka with some aggressive posturing including an apparent swipe at him.
Clearly in no position to confront an aggressive Maya, Chota Matka backed off. Since we were at the end of the convoy we could not witness this and hence couldn't click any photographs.

However our guide was very smart and he made a very calculated guess that Chota Matka would walk towards the lake and he got the driver to back off well behind to allow a significant gap between
Us and the rest of the convoy. In a few minutes, his gamble paid off and Chota Matka started walking towards the lake and he quickly got onto the main safari road allowing us a few good head-on shots
(which was a first for me)

Chota Matka (head on)




Once the roadshow was done, we headed towards the meadows where Maya was cooling down with her sub adults. The cub was clearly stressed out due to the confrontation between Mom and Chota Matka.


And then she started walking towards the adjoining lake (this is a different lake. Not the one where Chota Matka wandered off after the face-off).

Maya


Joined by the subadult cub


Some play time with at the lake.


We finally also had the privilege to see Sonam who is the ruler of Telia lake. She is one of the 4 sisters which was featured in the Nat Geo documentary "Telia Sisters".

Sonam cooling off at Telia.


One of her sub adult cubs also cooling off in a different area of the lake not too far away from Mom.


On our last safari, we got to see a Sloth Bear on the Navegaon road (which leads to the Navegaon gate). This guy was extremely shy and watchful before he decided to cross the road and scoot away



A Crested Serpent Eagle intently looking for a quick catch.


And finally an energetic and playful Langur baby trying to show off his acrobatic skills in front of a very serious audience



A parting shot of the main road of Tadoba (which leads us to the Mohurli gate)



Thus ended another productive trip to Tadoba.




I have one final instalment to complete this thread which I hope to do over the next couple of weeks.
Until then, take care and be safe.