Two cats, two landscapes, one old idea
The leopards of Jawai come out onto the rocks at dawn and dusk, often in full view of a temple on the next hill. Our grandmother would not have believed it.
Ranthambore's past: Ranthambore was the hunting reserve of the maharajas of Jaipur, a dry forest of dhok trees, lakes and ravines around a fortress so old that its origins are lost.
Saved by sport: because the royal family protected it for their own hunting, the forest survived while others were cleared.
- Ranthambore
- Old hunting reserve of Jaipur's maharajas
- Sanctuary
- 1950s
- Project Tiger
- Joined 1973
- Jawai
- Farmland and granite, not a national park
- Jawai's people
- Rabari herders
- From sanctuary to Project Tiger: it was made a sanctuary in the 1950s and joined Project Tiger in 1973. Its tigers are now some of the most watched wild animals in the world.
- Why they are easy to see: they walk past ruined pavilions and along the edges of lakes.
- Jawai is something else: Jawai is not a national park at all, but farmland in the Godwar country between Udaipur and Jodhpur, broken by great domes of granite.
- Leopards and herders: the leopards live in the caves of those hills and share the land with villages and the Rabari, who have grazed goats, sheep and camels here for generations.
- Both cats in a week: India's great striped and spotted cats in two utterly different settings, the tiger in a protected forest and the leopard living alongside people.
- The comparison is the point: our journal piece on Jawai or Ranthambore explains how different they feel.
- The palaces are not decoration: safari days start before five, in cold open jeeps, and after six of them you need a soft landing.
- Soft landings at both ends: the journey begins in Jaipur, with Amber Fort and a palace hotel, and ends in Udaipur, with a boat on Lake Pichola and a long bath.
- In between: lodges that are among the best in Asia, so each stretch of wild ends somewhere very comfortable.
Day by day, from palace to forest and back
- Nights
- Ten nights, eleven days
- Pace
- Early mornings, long middays, 2-3 nights a stop
- Best months
- February to April, season October to June
- Good for
- Wildlife lovers, families with older children
- Starts
- Jaipur airport
- Ends
- Udaipur airport
Days 1 and 2: Jaipur
Arrival: our team meets you at Jaipur International Airport, or at the station if you come by fast train from Delhi in a little over four hours.
An easy first evening: settle into your palace hotel, perhaps with a sunset drive up to Nahargarh for the view over the pink city.
- Amber at opening: reach Amber Fort as the gates open, when the mirrored Sheesh Mahal is still quiet. We walk or drive you up, and we don't book elephant rides.
- Afternoon: after lunch and a rest, a private tour of the City Palace.
- As the lamps come on: walk the bazaars of the walled city, with a stop at Hawa Mahal.
- With children: our things to do in Jaipur page has other ideas.
Days 3 to 5: Ranthambore
The drive: leave Jaipur after a late breakfast for about three and a half hours south, arriving in time for lunch.
First afternoon: meet your naturalist and go out on your first drive.
Five or six safaris: three nights give you that many, each about three hours, at dawn and in the late afternoon.
- Always a Gypsy: the open six-seat jeep, quieter and more flexible than the twenty-seat canter.
- A dawn drive: it begins in the half-light at the park gate with blankets and a flask of tea.
- Listen for the forest: your naturalist listens more than he talks, for the alarm call of a sambar, the bark of a spotted deer or the shriek of a langur. Any can mean a tiger is moving.
- The lakes: around Padam Talao and Rajbagh Talao you will see crocodiles, wading birds, herds of deer and the ruined pavilions of the old hunting estate.
- Between drives: sleep, swim or visit the craft cooperatives near the park.
- The fort: on one late morning, climb to Ranthambore Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, where pilgrims visit the temple of the three-eyed Ganesh and langurs watch from the walls.
- The honest odds: most guests see a tiger over five or six drives, but no honest planner promises it. Read about the tigers of Ranthambore before you go.
Day 6: the long road west
The longest day, honestly: Ranthambore to Jawai is about 400 kilometres, roughly seven to eight hours with a lunch stop near Ajmer.
- How we do it: leave after an early breakfast, skipping the last morning drive, and arrive at camp for a late tea and an evening by the fire.
- Break it up: add a night on the way, in Pushkar or in the fort country of Mewar.
- Or fly: our helicopter and charter journeys team can arrange a charter.
Days 7 and 8: Jawai
Before dawn: a leopard drive in an open jeep, with a naturalist who knows the individual cats and their caves, and usually a local tracker who has heard every village rumour.
As the sun hits the granite: leopards come out to warm themselves. A mother at the mouth of a cave, cubs on the boulders, a male on a ridge.
- Breakfast: often served in the bush. Our journal on the leopards of Jawai tells the stories of some of the best-known cats.
- Late morning with the Rabari: walk with a family and their flock and learn how herders and leopards have shared these hills for so long.
- On their terms: our page on the Rabari herders of Jawai explains how we arrange these visits with respect.
- Evening: after lunch and a long rest, an evening drive along the ridges, ending with a sundowner on the rocks.
- The reservoir: on the second day, a morning at Jawai Bandh, completed in 1957, for mugger crocodiles on the banks and, from November to February, cranes and bar-headed geese.
- Last afternoon: one more leopard drive, or a hill shrine and a village. Our things to do in Jawai page has more.
Days 9 to 11: Ranakpur and Udaipur
One last drive: leave Jawai after a morning drive and breakfast.
Ranakpur on the way: Ranakpur, the fifteenth-century marble Jain temple with 1,444 carved pillars, by tradition no two alike.
- Allow two hours: unhurried, and respect its dress and conduct rules. Lunch nearby, then the drive over the Aravallis to reach the lake in the late afternoon.
- Next morning: enter the City Palace as it opens, then rest through the heat of the day.
- Sunset: a private boat on Lake Pichola, past Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace.
- Day eleven: we take you to Maharana Pratap Airport for your flight to Delhi or Mumbai and home.
How the safaris work, and the rules we keep
Zones at Ranthambore: the park is divided into safari zones, each with a fixed route, and every vehicle is assigned one zone per drive.
Permits: issued by the Rajasthan forest department, they sell out early in high season and are tied to each guest's passport details, so we book them the moment your dates are fixed.
Territories over numbers: the zones closest to the lakes are the most famous, but a good naturalist cares more about which tigers hold ground where this season than about the number on your permit.
- Ranthambore permits
- Rajasthan forest department, sell out early
- Permit details
- Tied to each guest's passport
- Ranthambore zones
- Fixed routes, one zone per drive
- Jawai
- No zones or forest permits
- Lens
- 400 mm or more helps
- Jawai works differently: there are no zones or forest permits, because the leopards live on village land. Camps run their own jeeps on farm tracks and roads.
- Freedom brings responsibility: as Jawai has become famous, vehicles have multiplied, with reports of operators baiting leopards with livestock, chasing them or using lights at night. We will not work with anyone who does these things.
- Our rules, in both places: no baiting, ever. No chasing an animal that moves away. No spotlights or drones.
- No crowding: if several jeeps are already at a sighting, we hold back or move on.
- In the jeep: quiet voices and everyone seated.
- Respect for the people: especially the herders, whose livestock losses are real. Our guide to ethical animal encounters sets out what we will and won't book anywhere in Rajasthan.
- Photographers at Ranthambore: the light is best in the first and last hour, and a long lens of 400 millimetres or more helps.
- Photographers at Jawai: some of the finest pictures are wide, a small cat on a huge rock with a village or temple below.
- Steady shots: a beanbag on the jeep's rail is steadier than a tripod. Our photography tips and wildlife safaris page have more.
Beyond the big cats
Ranthambore's other animals
Sambar: the large dark deer of Indian forests, wading into the lakes to feed on water plants.
Deer and antelope: spotted deer move through the dhok in herds, with nilgai, the big blue-grey antelope, and wild boar.
- Langurs: in troops, and their alarm calls are often the first sign that a tiger is near.
- Mugger crocodiles: bask on the banks of the lakes.
- The real prizes: sloth bears and leopards, usually on the rockier edges of the park.
- For birders: owls, eagles, storks and kingfishers, with peafowl everywhere.
Jawai's quieter life
Crocodiles in the winter sun: mugger crocodiles haul out on the reservoir's rocks.
- Winter birds: from November to February the water fills with migrants, including cranes and bar-headed geese that fly in over the Himalaya.
- Around the villages: langurs on the temple steps.
- At dusk: the herds come home in clouds of dust, with bells on every neck.
The people of both places
Ranthambore's craft cooperatives: they sell textiles and paintings made by women from villages near the park, and buying from them helps local families value the forest.
- Jawai's Rabari: the men in white with red turbans, the women in dark skirts and silver, have lived with leopards for generations.
- Protected by the gods: many local families see the cats as protected by their temples and gods.
- The most moving hour: often a morning with a herding family, arranged on their terms.
Evenings by the fire
- Stories: at both lodges, dinner is by the fire, and naturalists share the day's sightings and the long histories of particular animals.
- Ranthambore's famous queen: our journal on Machli the tigress tells her story.
Where you'll stay
Jaipur
- Rambagh Palace: Rambagh Palace was the home of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi before it opened as a hotel in 1957. Its lawns are wonderful for children.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas: The Oberoi Rajvilas is a calm walled retreat of villas and tents on the edge of the city, with a spa you will want after the safaris.
Ranthambore
SUJAN Sher Bagh: SUJAN Sher Bagh is a tented camp with the spirit of an old hunting camp, run by a family with deep roots in Ranthambore's conservation story. Its naturalists are among the best in the park.
- The Oberoi Vanyavilas: The Oberoi Vanyavilas has luxury tents in walled gardens around a central haveli, the most comfortable choice for families.
- Aman-i-Khas: Aman-i-Khas is a small, quiet camp of large white tents.
- Season check: the tented camps keep a shorter season than the hotels. Our guide to luxury hotels in Ranthambore compares them.
Jawai
SUJAN JAWAI: SUJAN JAWAI is the best-known luxury camp, tents set among the granite, with excellent naturalists, a strong commitment to the local community and a firm line on ethical safaris.
- Meals among the rocks: often served out in the open.
- Smaller camps around Bera: several have opened in recent years and standards vary widely, so we only book those we have visited and trust. Our guide to luxury hotels in Jawai has the options.
A heritage alternative near Jawai
Rawla Narlai: Rawla Narlai, about an hour away in the village of Narlai, is an old hunting lodge of the Jodhpur royal family.
- The setting: beneath a granite hill crowned by a white elephant.
- The evening guests talk about most: dinner by a lamplit stepwell.
- Who it suits: those who would rather have one leopard drive and a night of history.
Udaipur
After six nights of dust, water: the Taj Lake Palace covers its own island in Pichola and is reached only by boat.
- The Oberoi Udaivilas: The Oberoi Udaivilas has rooms opening onto semi-private pools along the lake and a spa that is one of the best in India.
- The Leela Palace Udaipur: The Leela Palace Udaipur sits beside it on the shore.
- How we choose: our pages on wildlife lodges and palace hotels explain.
When to go, and what each month gives you
Why October to June: Ranthambore's core zones close from about the start of July to the end of September for the monsoon.
October and November: fresh and green after the rains, with soft light and comfortable days, though the forest is thick and sightings take more patience.
December and January: cold on dawn drives in an open jeep. We add blankets and hot water bottles, and you should pack gloves and a hat.
- Season
- October to June
- Ranthambore core
- Closed about July to September
- Our favourite
- February and March
- Coldest drives
- December and January
- Best sightings
- April to June, above 40°C
- Jawai birds
- November to February
- Winter birds: this is also when migratory birds crowd the Jawai reservoir.
- February and March: our favourite months, and many naturalists agree. Days warm, mornings cool, leaves beginning to fall and tigers starting to come to the water.
- Jawai in spring: pleasant, with fields green with winter crops around the granite. Our journal on the best time for tigers goes month by month.
- April to June, for the committed: past 40°C by midday, but the forest is bare, water scarce and animals gather around the lakes, so sightings are at their best. Serious photographers love it.
- How we plan the heat: very early drives and long cool hours at the lodge. Udaipur's lakes can run low in a dry year.
- Camp closures: some camps close in the hottest weeks, so we check each one against your dates.
- Festivals on the route: Jaipur's kite day on 14 January, Holi with the spring full moon, usually in March, and Gangaur soon after, with processions in Jaipur and Udaipur.
- All of it together: our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan.
Make it yours
Shorter
Seven nights: keep Ranthambore and Jawai and trim Jaipur and Udaipur to a night each.
- Or one park: choose one and give it three nights.
- The classic short tiger trip: our Golden Triangle with Ranthambore, from Delhi.
Longer
Two more nights: break the long drive in the middle.
- A rewarding detour: south from Ranthambore to Bundi, with its painted palace and stepwells, then on to Chittorgarh before turning west.
- Birds at the start: add Bharatpur, as in our big cats and birds journey.
- More still: add Kumbhalgarh's great wall between Jawai and Udaipur.
For families
One of our best family journeys: for children of about eight and over, who can manage early starts and sit quietly in a jeep for three hours.
- What we change: lodges with pools and gardens, and some afternoons kept free.
- What we add: a village walk, a pottery lesson or a picnic on the rocks. See travelling with children and our family adventure journey.
For couples
Camps over hotels: choose the tented camps.
- Dinner in the bush: a private one at Jawai.
- The finish: the Lake Palace in Udaipur. Some couples add a night at Rawla Narlai for its stepwell dinner.
For serious photographers
When: April or May.
- How long: add a fourth night at Ranthambore.
- The vehicle: ask us for a private one, with a naturalist who works with photographers.
- Built around the light: our photography journey.
How we look after you
We don't publish prices, because the cost depends on the season, the lodges and how many safaris you want. After one conversation with your planner, we send a written plan and a clear quote.
The main factors: our page on what a luxury Rajasthan journey costs explains them.
- A private chauffeur and car: from Jaipur to Udaipur, with the long day west planned around rest stops and a good lunch.
- Ranthambore permits: booked as soon as your dates are fixed, in Gypsy jeeps with naturalists we know well.
- Jawai camps and naturalists: chosen for their ethics as much as their skill. We never book operators who bait or chase.
- City guides: local guides in Jaipur and Udaipur who grew up there, and no commission shopping.
- Met at both ends: airport and station meetings, and a charter on the long day if you prefer to fly.
- Your planner on WhatsApp: throughout, ready to add a drive, move a day or book a dinner on the rocks.
Who will love it, and who should choose another journey
Wildlife at the heart: but without giving up Rajasthan's palaces and lakes.
Who it suits: families with children old enough for early starts, photographers, and couples who would rather sit by a fire under the stars than in a restaurant.
- A wilder second visit: for anyone who has seen the Golden Triangle.
- Not if early mornings make you miserable: the best wildlife hours are at dawn.
- Not for monuments: you won't see a lot of them, and there is one long road day.
- Not for the desert: this route never reaches it. For the dunes, take Under the Thar Sky.
- The full sweep of the state: choose the Royal Rajputana.
- Architecture and temples around Udaipur: Mewar Lakes and Temples is the better choice.
