By road
~380-420 km from Delhi, ~160-180 km from Jaipur
North India · Rajasthan
Ranthambore, Rajasthan
Tigers among ruined forts · ~380-420 km from Delhi, ~160-180 km from Jaipur
Getting there
By rail
Sawai Madhopur (SWM), ~10-14 km, a heritage station
By air
Jaipur International Airport, ~160-180 km
Best time to visit
October to April; April-May for best sightings (hot but rewarding)
Don't miss
Ranthambore Fort inside the park
Padam Talao lake
Trinetra Ganesh Temple
Things to do
Dawn and dusk tiger safaris
Fort climbs
Village craft visits
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: RahulDogra264 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Neutral colours, dust scarf, binoculars, warm layer for winter dawns
A quieter corner
Zone 6's quieter tracks when core zones are booked out
About Ranthambore
- Forest
- Hills
Where it is
Ranthambore National Park lies in the Sawai Madhopur district of eastern Rajasthan, where the Aravalli and Vindhya hills meet, bounded by the Banas and Chambal rivers.
History
Ranthambore Fort was one of the great strongholds of Rajasthan; held by the Chauhan ruler Hammiradeva, it fell to Alauddin Khalji in 1301 and later passed to the Mughals. The forest around it became a hunting preserve of the maharajas of Jaipur, then a sanctuary, and joined Project Tiger in the 1970s before becoming a national park in 1980.
People
The villages around the park are home to Meena and Gujjar farming and herding communities, who speak Hindi and local Rajasthani dialects.
Known for
- Bengal tigers in dry deciduous forest
- Ranthambore Fort inside the park
- Padam Talao and the park's lakes
- Trinetra Ganesh Temple
- Leopards, sloth bears and marsh crocodiles
Did you know?
A tigress named Machli, known as the Lady of the Lakes, lived in Ranthambore until her death in 2016 and became one of the most photographed tigers in the world.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.