Sariska Tiger Reserve

Sariska covers around eight hundred and eighty square kilometres of dry deciduous forest and scrub in the Aravallis, and it became notorious in 2004 when a survey confirmed that poaching had removed every last tiger from the reserve. From 2008 tigers were translocated from Ranthambhore, some flown in by helicopter, in the first relocation of its kind in India, and a population has re-established since with mixed results. The forest also holds leopard, hyena, jackal, sambar and nilgai. Within the reserve stand the Kankwari fort, where Aurangzeb is said to have held his brother, and the tenth-century Neelkanth temple ruins.

What you actually see

• The reintroduced tigers - a population rebuilt after the 2004 loss.
• Kankwari fort - an isolated fort deep inside the reserve.
• Neelkanth temples - tenth-century ruins in the forest.
• The Aravalli scrub - dry deciduous forest with sambar and nilgai.

When to go

October to March for comfortable conditions; March to June gives better sightings as water concentrates but is punishingly hot. The park closes in the monsoon, with some zones open.

Honest expectations

Tiger sightings remain considerably less likely than at Ranthambhore. Zone allocation is by lottery and cannot be chosen. Village relocation inside the reserve remains unresolved and disturbance is visible.

Nearby

Bhangarh lies south; Alwar is northeast.