Tiger Safari #2 - (afternoon 6 March) After yesterday’s success in the tiger spotting stakes, we were very relaxed indeed getting ourselves together and loaded into the jeep for an afternoon safari. We left the hotel at 2 pm wrapped up and protected from the sun, the glare and the dust. All of which are on the ‘guaranteed’ list. We know (really we do) that tigers aren’t on the guaranteed list. We did however assure the 4 others in the jeep that they were in lucky tiger company.

Our destination today was zone 2. A complete change of scenery from yesterday’s zone 6. Today’s zone was shaded, well forested and even the roads were sort of better - they were soooo bad we had to go really slowly - which made it better. Strange but true.

We’d hardly ventured 15 minutes into the park when we saw a couple of jeeps on the road ahead - with everyone sitting still and staring into the long grass at the side of the road. Classic Tourist-Spots-Tiger behaviour in the wild. That was quick. The rarity of these Bengal tigers in this park has been highly overestimated!

The driver stopped the jeep and we craned for a view. Thankfully one of the other jeeps scooched up a bit and we jockeyed into prime position. She slept. She breathed. In and out. In and out. The ears, they twitched. She looked over one shoulder. She stretched. She slept.. Ears twitched. This went on for a good half an hour - about 20 feet away from us. Meanwhile of the 10 jeeps theoretically in our zone we now had 3 in front of us and 5 behind us (all craning to see). Meanwhile she eventually decided it was time to stand up and put on a show - Side Profile/Back Profile/Other side profile. Full front view and then and then... sat down and proceeded to wash her face - very fastidiously. Then the manicure - cleaning between her toes and so forth (takes ages to get the slow running tourists entirely out). She eventually decided that she’d slept enough, was clean enough and it was time to stroll down to the river bed for a drink. Awwww! Then off along the river for a leg stretch and a bit more of a drink in the shade.

Finally the last jeep in the queue (who hadn’t seen anything unless they had a 2 foot telephoto), got their turn and she came up from the river bed and wandered along the road in front of their jeep. We hesitate to flog a dead horse - but - Wow! Wow! She’s on the road! She even sat down in the road for a couple of minutes before moving on again. At this point we all started reversing to follow her course and after a little bit she wandered up the tree and boulder covered hill and disappeared from sight. And so did half the jeeps. Shows over folks... let’s go and find something else.

Our guide however, the venerable Mr Singh, has been in the guiding game for 30 odd years here in Ranthambore and is a bit of a contrarian. His theory is ‘why go looking for a tiger in a massive zone when there is no guarantee you will find a tiger - why not stay in the area where you know there is a tiger in the bush... and wait until she comes out again.

We looked at the deer. We spotted the irridescent blue of a Kingfisher (and yes - they do look exactly like the label on the Kingfisher beer bottle). We chatted and then, with sharp intakes of breath, we watched as she wandered down the hill and to the river bed once more. Her internal dinner bell had rung. She was eying off a small group of deer drinking from the river. Our jeep was reversing as quietly as possible so we were next to the deer. A close up kill was on the cards - in addition to the ‘quality’ tiger experience we’d already had.

The deer had no idea. Our hearts were pounding. We knew she was there... stalking, stalking through the long grass. Quietly. Invisibly. Then the deer caught her scent - just a minute before they caught her jaws in their necks. The alarm honks rang out and deer raced away. Most zigged. One zagged - we thought she was ‘it’. The tigress however was not that hungry after all. Peckish perhaps, but not enough to bother running for it.

She came up from the river bank and walked within a metre of the back of our jeep. At this point I was officially the tiniest bit scared and the driver and guide were talking fast and with obvious concern as she passed almost within patting/snapping/grabbing distance... depending on your perspective.

She finalised her performance for the day by walking along the road and the driver reversed our jeep to follow her again.

She headed up the slope of the hill and disppeared into the brush. Perhaps looking for some elevation and a peaceful spot to enjoy the last rays of sun for the day.

We sat for a while (just in case) and then, like the two private, full day, whole park jeeps - full of long lenses, big egos, suitable safari clothes and, apparently, a famous wildlife photographer from the UK - we decided to hit the road for home.

Saw an elephant as we were driving home. Rush hour Ranthambore style. Will the thrills never end?

(PS - Rest day - Thursday 7 March - James took an excellent 2 minute video of her attempt on the deer and there are many, very envious fans of our tiger experience here in the hotel. The owner showed us another video on our rest day, 7 March. One of the guests gave the tigers a miss for the day and was out on the road at 7.30 am being driven to a day tour of the Ranthambore Fort... and a tigress and 2 cubs were also out on the road. Not even in the game preserve... lucky, lucky, lucky - there be tigers everywhere! - Tomorrow we will definitely see the cubs. That’s certainly our plan. If not dancing leopards.)