TADOBA : THE LAND OF TIGERS

However, if you are looking for a more comfortable time to visit Tadoba with decent sightings, winter is good. Between December – February, temperatures are lower and it is still easy to see the animals through the not-so-dense foliage.

WHAT ANIMALS/BIRDS ARE SEEN IN TADOBA?
Besides Royal Bengal Tigers, Tadoba has an abundance of other creatures, which include, leopard, cheetal, chinkara, langoors, nilgai, barking dear, blue bull, spotted dear, flying squirrel, sloth bears, gaur, dhole, striped hyena, small Indian civet, jungle cats, sambar, and chausingha sustains the Marsh Crocodile and the endangered reptiles, including Indian Python, common Indian monitor, Terrapins, Indian Star Tortoise, Indian Cobra, and Russel's viper.
It houses 195 species of birds, including a wide variety of water birds, raptors, and endangered species and 74 species of butterflies, including the pansies, monarch, Mormons, and swordtails.
It gives life to many insect species, including the endangered danaid egg-fly and great eggfly and dragonflies, jewel beetles, signature spider, giant wood spider, wolf spiders, crab spiders, and lynx spiders.
There are certain night animals too which make their presence felt specially during night like, the ratel, Indian Pangolins, porcupines, four horned antelopes, and gaurs.

TYPES OF JUNGLE SAFARIS IN TADOBA?
There are 4 different types of safaris

●CORE SAFARI
This takes you to the core of the jungle with a higher chance of sighting. Core safaris tend to fill up faster than any of the others because of higher demand. Hence, their pricing is a little complicated as we will see later.

●BUFFER SAFARI
This includes a safari of the Tadoba buffer zone. Since the number of tigers at Tadoba has been growing consistently and each tiger needs its own territory, chances of sightings in the buffer zone have also gone up significantly.

● NIGHT SAFARI
I have heard mixed reviews about night safaris. Some people have had good sightings but many others haven’t seen a thing. It is definitely an experience to have especially on a full moon night. Only disadvantage is you won’t really get good pictures in the dark.

●FULL-DAY SAFARI
This is for photographers/videographers who wish to spend longer in the forest. It is an expensive option.

HOW TO PICK THE BEST ZONE AND GATE FOR SAFARI IN TADOBA?

●CORE GATES OF TADOBA
There are 4 zones in Tadoba each with their core and buffer gates. These are the Moharli Zone (M), Navegaon Zone (N), Kolara Zone (K), Pangadi and Zari Zone (PZ).
MOHARLI ZONE is the busiest and probably the oldest zone in Tadoba National Park. It has two core gates: Moharli and Khutwanda. Navegaon and Kolara have one each. PZ zone has two core gates. In total, there are 6 core gates in Tadoba.
Have a look at the table below for an idea on how many safaris or safari vehicles are available at each of these gates. Note that as many as 16 gypsies enter through the Moharli gate every time. Yet, this is the gate that gets sold out first!
NOTE : NIGHT SAFARIS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN CORE ZONE

●BUFFER GATES OF TADOBA
Each of the 4 Tadoba zones has its own buffer gates. Junona Gate in Moharli and Palasgaon Gate in Kolara are the only ones with night safaris.
We have noticed that it is not very difficult to get a jungle safari booking at the buffer gates of Tadoba. That’s why, you do not need to plan too much in advance.

WHICH IS THE BEST ZONE FOR SPOTTING TIGERS IN TADOBA?
Moharli Zone is the most accessible, has the highest number of gates, and is also home to some of best jungle resorts. That said, Moharli Gate is also one of the most crowded.
We spotted Tigress Sonam, Lara with her cubs, 2 leopards, Sloth bear, Sambar deers, Gaurs and BLACKY (THE POPULAR AND ONE AND ONLY BLACK PANTHER OF TADOBA) in MOHARLI ZONE

If you wish to do a relatively uncrowded core safari, you can also enter via Navegaon or Kolara.

HOW TO BOOK A SAFARI IN TADOBA?
You can book a jungle safari in Tadoba either online or through your hotel. The online process is pretty easy and can be easily done through the official website of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

https://booking.mytadoba.org/

●On the menu, you can see Safari on top left which will give you two options: Regular and Tatkal.
●Click on Regular if you are booking before 3 days of the safari.
●Click on Tatkal (Urgent) if you are booking between 1-3 days of the safari. Be aware that fewer gypsies are available for Tatkal booking and they get filled up very fast.
●Enter tour date, select zone, and voila! You can see the availability for your preferred date +/- 2 days.
●Click on the available number (note that zeroes are not clickable) and you will be prompted to enter your phone number.
●You can then register yourself and complete the booking.
●The portal accepts both credit and debit cards.
●Once you receive the confirmed booking in your email, download a copy in your mobile to show at the gate. Print outs aren’t necessary.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BOOK A TADOBA SAFARI?
●A valid id proof – voter id/passport/Aadhar card/PAN Card/Driving license.
●Phone number where you can get the OTP.
●An email address where you will receive the booked tickets.
If you feel too overwhelmed by the online booking process or simply wish to avoid the hassle, ask your hotel to book a Tadoba tiger safari for you. They usually do it for an extra charge.

COST OF TADOBA SAFARI?
The cost of a Tadoba safari varies by the type of safari you decide to book. Core safaris can cost anywhere between INR 4125 – INR 11125. Buffer safaris cost between INR 3625 – INR 4625.
Core safaris are not just more expensive than buffer safaris, their pricing is also more complicated to understand.
If you plan to reserve a core safari 60-120 days prior to the safari date, the cost is significantly higher than if you plan to do it between 4-59 days. This might sound counterintuitive but has been done to regulate rampant pre-booking by resorts and agents. 

SAFARI TIMINGS?
The safari timings between November – February are:
●Morning: 6:30 – 10:30am
●Evening: 2 – 6pm
●Night: 7 – 10pm

Between March – April & October, the timings are:
●Morning: 6 -10am
●Evening: 2:30 – 6:30 pm

Between May – June, the timings are:
●Morning: 5:30 – 9:30am
●Evening: 3 – 7pm

IMPORTANT TIPS
●Book multiple safaris and plan to stay at least 2-3 days for higher chances of sighting.
●You cannot use mobile phones to click pictures inside the national park. If possible, get a camera with a zoom lens. All my pictures were clicked with my Nikon 55-300mm lens.
●It is going to be really dusty inside the park. Please bring a scarf to cover your hair and mask to cover your nose and mouth.
●If you are visiting in winter, morning and night safaris are going to be cold. Do not forget to carry a light jacket.
●There’s usually one rest stop midway during the safari. Plan accordingly.
●Carry some snacks in case you get hungry midway.