In search of tigers at Rathambhore National Park

From Fatehpur Sikri, it's a handful of hours across dusty, flat and largely rural Rajasthan to reach Rathambhore National Park, in which we hope to see tigers.  Our hotel is lovely, green and quiet, at the moment packed with elderly New Zealanders, and we get ready for a couple of days of morning and late afternoon outings in the nearby park to try our luck at seeing a tiger.  The park is about 1400 square km (540 sq miles), and about 20% of that is accessible to the public.  They estimate about 70 tigers in the entire park, so we aren't banking on our chances of seeing any.  Seems like trying to win the lottery.  The only other animals are several species of deer, lots of birds and monkeys, some wild boar, and a handful of crocodiles and snakes.  Hmmm. 

But, we're incredibly lucky.  Incredibly.  Our first morning out we see a tiger quite close up, almost a little closer than we feel comfortable with.  Then two trips with nothing at all, and on our final afternoon, we spot a tiger roaming along the river banks just below us.  Gorgeous!

See the pictures of scenery & animals at Rathambhore here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uycCgz7H5aSjDFL57