When traveling to India, most people prioritize seeing the Taj Mahal and going barefoot into temples. While I am interested in all of that, I’ve always gravitated more towards wildlife and I knew that I wasn’t going to go all the way to India without seeing tigers.
I traveled to India via Turkish Airlines, one of my favorite airlines to fly business class thanks to the insane food and the stopover program that allows ticket holders the chance to experience a long, multi-day layover in Turkey with a comped stay. For that latter part, you have to inquire when booking your ticket. I was originally going to India to experience the Leela Properties and their Leela Palace Trail.
The palace trail was built to allow guests the chance to experience multiple cities in India in a luxurious way, with all transportation taken care of in a high end vehicle, a personal concierge, beautiful rooms with private plunge pools, stunning views, soaking tubs, and more. Although I was extremely excited to experience the properties, there were a few things I wanted to add to my trip that the Leela team helped organize, including a leopard safari and seeing the Taj Mahal.
I’ve known for years that India was known for its tiger safaris, but when I was in Delhi, I found out that they offer leopard safaris. When I got to Udaipur I found out that the team at the Leela properties were able to arrange something for me to see the leopards, a short three hour drive away.
I was picked up from the hotel by a private driver. We drove to Jawai Greens in Rajasthan with a few stops along the way to see a stunning marble temple, monkeys along the side of the road, and beautiful views. My private concierge from Leela Udaipur accompanied me, and I was so grateful to have him there to add suggestions on where to stop and assist with any language barriers.
I met up with the owner of the property and safari game drives at Jawai Greens, Naman. He kindly gave me a room to get situated, get my gear together, and cool off a bit before heading out in the evening. Once they were ready, we hopped in the jeep and set off on the evening safari. The days were really hot when I was in India in April, so many of the animals didn’t really make an appearance until dusk.
We drove around the park and I was blown away by the stunning landscape views. We saw crocodiles, snakes, peacocks, monkeys, and even set up a picnic to have coffee and snacks with the beautiful view in the background. As the evening went on, and the weather cooled off a bit, the leopards made an appearance. It was a phenomenal experience observing these animals and their piercing eyes in the wild! At first, just one cub came out.
Later, we watched the mother and her two cubs from a distance before getting the safari vehicle a bit closer (still a safe distance from the animals). We watched them eating a kill, playing, and just relaxing together as a family. I left with the most memorable experience as I made my way back to the Leela Palace Udaipur.
A few days later, I checked into the Leela Palace Jaipur after flying from Udaipur to the pink city. I was in Jaipur for a few days, so I was able to explore all the city has to offer like block printing textiles, stunning architecture, history, shopping, (I do love my scarves), and plenty of food. After exploring the city, I got ready for the following day to be all about the tiger safari experience.
When you book a tiger safari be aware that sightings are hit or miss. It’s the price you pay seeing them in the wild over a zoo, so you’re not guaranteed to see them. That said, if you’re going all the way to India just to see the tigers, it’s worth planning a few safaris to lower the risk of not seeing them.
That said, there are many other animals within the park that are wild, like sloth bears, owls, deer, and much more. However, I went with high hopes of seeing the tigers, but realistic expectations in the back of my mind.
I booked this tour through Viator and ended up getting a private shuttle just for me because I was the only one coming from Jaipur to do it. When I arrived at Ranthambore National Park I was quite early for check-in since I was only coming for the day to do a three-hour safari. Risky, I know, since I know quite a few people who came to India to do the tiger safari for a few days and left with no sightings. I wanted to try and if I didn’t, it would just be an excuse to come back!
When I arrived, I had time to charge my devices, get my gear together, and even grab some lunch at the on site restaurant, which is included in the price of the tour. When I walked in, the restaurant just kind of looked like a school cafeteria and it was pretty empty. There was a cooler full of soft drinks and a bunch of old folding tables, very casual, but their butter chicken was unbelievable. The texture, the spice level, the soft chewy naan to soak up the sauce; everything was perfect.
After lunch, I went back to the lodge to finish charging my devices, fill my water bottle, and get ready for the tour.
The beginning of the tour was a bit chaotic. We got in the vehicle and it took a little while for the actual tour itself to start because we had to pick up people at various hotels before then heading to the front of the park. Once we got in through the main gate of the park, we then had to make our way to our assigned zone. For us, this meant that we had to cut through the park. As we were driving, we pulled up to a cliffside and right away, our group saw a female and her two cubs relaxing in the water down below.
They were quite far away down a ravine, but man, we were grateful! It was a very hot day, so they were taking a dip in the water of the creek, interacting together. It really was so beautiful to see! We got to watch them for about a half an hour before they moved out of view. I was so happy to get a glimpse of those beautiful stripes in person!
We moved on to see various deer, owls, monkeys, and so much more before pulling up to a much closer water hole, where another female was cooling off in the water, her bright orange and black stripes visible behind the greenery. This female was much closer, so we got a really great view of her. I couldn’t believe our luck! You need to be prepared for whatever happens, but our zone definitely brought some great luck that day! What an incredible experience! One of many incredible experiences India brought.
I truly can’t recommend these experiences enough. If you’re thinking of putting India on your list, you can’t miss these safaris.