One of the best places to see wild tigers in India – and a lodge to stay at run by family of Project Tiger founder who kick-started big cat’s successful conservation
- India’s Bandhavgarh National Park has one of the healthiest populations of endangered Bengal tigers, thanks in part to Project Tiger conservationist’s family
- Wildlife thrives here – only 20 per cent of the park is open to visitors – and tigers aren’t mobbed as soon as they are spotted, allowing for quality sightings
From the moment I enter Bandhavgarh National Park, it’s clear the wildlife is never far away.
On my first morning, Simranjit, my guide and a dedicated naturalist, spots the scarily large prints of a sloth bear. Moments later, we spy the footprints of a tiger.
Bandhavgarh’s big cats are the main reason people visit this sprawling national park in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state, but the diversity of the wildlife often ensures they leave with an appreciation of species they’d never even heard of.
Take the tailor bird Simranjit points out to me. As it flits from one leaf to another, my guide explains that it’s building a nest – but not just any nest. Tailor birds earned their name because they stitch together leaves, using grass or cobwebs, to build their home.
And then there are sloth bears. Perhaps because of the name, I’d pictured something small, slow and cuddly, but the supersized footprints we spot suggest otherwise. It turns out these creatures have a vicious streak which stems partly from their very poor eyesight.
“If I’m on foot, I’d rather see a tiger than a sloth bear,” says Simranjit, who explains that, while tigers generally do everything they can to avoid humans, sloth bears simply won’t see a human until they’re incredibly close, at which point they’ll often lash out in a state of panic.
