Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

Tadoba covers around six hundred and twenty-five square kilometres of the core zone in southeastern Maharashtra, teak and bamboo forest broken by meadows around Tadoba lake and the Andhari river, and it has developed a reputation for the most reliable tiger sightings in the state, in part because the population is dense and in part because animals here are habituated to vehicles. Leopard, sloth bear, dhole, gaur and marsh crocodile share it. The reserve runs several gates with core and buffer zones, and buffer safaris are easier to book and increasingly productive as tigers use those areas.

History

The name comes from Tadoba, or Taru, a god of the tribal people of these forests, said in legend to have been a village chief killed in an encounter with a tiger, whose shrine stands beneath a large tree on the bank of Tadoba Lake; Andhari is the river that winds through the forest. The Gond people once ruled the forests near the Chimur hills; hunting was banned in 1935, 116.54 km2 became a national park in 1955, the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary followed in 1986, and in 1995 the two were merged into the tiger reserve (Wikipedia, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve).

What you'll find

• The tigers - a dense population with strong sighting records.
• Tadoba lake - open water with marsh crocodiles and drinking animals.
• The teak and bamboo - dry forest that opens up in the hot season.
• The buffer zones - outer areas now producing regular sightings.

When to go

October to June; the core closes in the monsoon while some buffer zones stay open. April to June gives the best sightings as water concentrates, at temperatures above forty degrees.

Things to know

Core permits sell out weeks ahead and are allotted by zone. Vehicle crowding around sightings is a known problem here. Summer heat during safaris is severe.

Nearby

Nagpur lies north; Pench is northwest.

Key facts