Tadoba National Park
Table of contents
Introduction
Tadoba National Park is situated in the heart of Maharashtra, India. It is a treasured sanctuary for wildlife enthusiasts. It is one of the oldest national parks established in 1955.
Tadoba, also known as the “Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR)” derives its name after a local deity and the Andhari River that flows through the park.
It spreads approx 625 sq kilometers and offers some fantastic wildlife.
Tadoba is a perfect getaway for both local and foreign wildlife lovers.
There are few lakes in the parks, noteworthy are Telia and Tadoba lake inside the park. Lot of activity happens around these lakes apart from the pandarpurni waterhole area. Irai lake is outside the park but borders the forest. Due to lack of water inside some areas of the park, In peak summer the tigers have been seen going towards the Irai lake crossing farm lands and villages.
Flora
The TATR’s landscape is a nice combination of forests, grasslands, and bamboo thickets. Teak is the dominant species of the forest along with others like mahua, gum (ghost tree), and ain (crocodile bark) trees etc.
The other major growth in the forest is bamboo. They grow in a major part of the forest. Many of the recently vacated villages and their cultivation lands have become grasslands and meadows for wildlife.
Fauna
Tadoba Andhari National Park is famous for its amazing variety of wildlife species. It is one of the best places for the Bengal tiger along with other wildlife.
Apart from the Tigers, Tadoba is home to leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, Indian bison (gaur), and spotted deer. Other species like sambar deer, barking deer, langur, rhesus macaque monkey, and wild boar.
It is worth mentioning that it’s a good park to see the usually rare leopard and sloth bear and even wild dogs. The Lakes have a healthy population of big magar crocodiles. They were bred in captivity and released some years ago. For birdwatchers, Tadoba provides over 150 species of different birds. From the variety of owls, migrant paradise flycatchers, Indian pitta to the crested serpent eagle, the park is a paradise for bird enthusiasts. A very common but beautiful bird is the Grey Jungle Fowl whose sound echoes the forest of Tadoba.
Recently there have been sightings of a black leopard locally named blacky.
Gates & Ranges in Tadoba
The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is divided into 3 ranges (Tadoba, Moharli and Kolsa). Tadoba & Moharli can be accessed from Moharli gate / Kolara gate / Khutvanda gate / Navegaon gate. These ranges are all connected. The above gates give access to these 2 ranges. Depending on the Tiger movement in each area one may give an edge over the other.
The Kolsa Range is a different part of the forest and can be accessed only from Panddi / Zari Gate.
The main advantage and disadvantage of this park is that the zones are not divided. So regardless of the gate they are all connected and there is access to all ranges. This is good in general however when tiger movement is known, all vehicles crowd in the same spot.
This can be advantageous for some who can avoid that area and move to other areas to track the tigers. This is ricky and not for people who have come for a few safaris. If lucky a tiger or tiger family is to yourself. It’s a risk but it’s worth if you have plenty of safaris. Better than peaking from behind 10 vehicles for a glimpse of the tiger.
Each of these ranges has core zones and buffer zones.
Core Zone Gates of Tadoba National Park:
- Moharli Gate: This is the most popular entry gate to Tadoba National Park. Maximum no of vehicles are allowed through this gate. It provides access to the core area of the park and is known for good tiger sightings especially around telia lake. This is the most popular side of the park with many options for Accommodation, from budget to Deluxe / Luxury.
- Khutwanda Gate: Khutwanda is another entry gate near Moharli, If you are living on the Moharli Side you can choose Moharli or Khutwanda Gate. Sometimes when demand is high and you don’t get a permit on Moharli Gate you can check on Khutwanda Gate. Entry is to the same area a few km ahead of Moharli Gate. If your target is the Tadoba area towards tadoba lake or pandarporni waterholes then this gate is closer than moharli.
- Kolara Gate: Kolara Gate is on the other side of Moharli. It also provides access to the core zone. Areas of pandarpurni and Tadoba lake are closer to this gate compared to Moharli gate. Many new Deluxe Resorts have sprung in the past few years making this a good option.
- Navegaon Gate: Navegaon Gate is also situated on the other side of Moharli towards the northwestern side of the park. A big village was relocated a few years ago. It is a quieter entry point and provides access to a different section of Tadoba.
- Pangadi Gate: Pangadi is one of the lesser-known entry gates of Tadoba National Park. It provides access to a Kolsa region of the park and is generally less crowded. Accommodation is still an issue here.
- Zari Gate: Zari Gate, located towards the northeastern side of the park, is another entry point for visitors to the Kolsa region. Accommodation is still an issue here. The forest is beautiful.
Unlike many other parks, some of the buffer zones in Tadoba are very good for tigers, and other wildlife and birds. Depending on tiger movement sometimes a few buffer areas can be better than core area during that period. Agarzari, Devada, and Junona are usually good for tigers.
Buffer Zones Gates of Tadoba National Park.
There are many buffer zones near each of the 3 Ranges.
Some of them offer Night Safari, Log Hut for Stay, Bird Machan, Machan for Stay and wildlife viewing, Cycling, Nature Walk etc. Boating is also allowed in the nearby Irai lake.
Buffer near Moharli Range.
- Agarzari
- Devada
- Adegao
- Junona
Buffer near Kolara Range.
- Kolara Chauradeo,
- Alizanza,
- Madnapur,
- Sirkheda,
Buffer near Navegaon
- Navegaon Ramdegi
- Nimdela
Buffer near the Kolsa Range (Pangadi & Zari gates)
- Pangadi Aswal Chuha
- Keslaghat
- Zari Peth
- Mamla
Photography in Tadoba National Park
You have to Book your Safaris 2-4 months in advance to get the best zones.
For Photography, you will need a 400-600 mm lens and a good camera. Another short lens like 70-200 or similar is ideal for when wildlife is close. Bean Bag or Monopod is also a good idea.
If you are a photographer a few Full Day Permits in winter may be good. I don’t recommend a full day in summer for still photography as it’s very hot in this region, especially after mid-April. The light is so harsh that even if you get tigers the photographs are not worth it. Instead of this, you should invest in more days.
For photography, a 3-5 night stay is a must. This is so you get to see the areas and get to maximize your chances.
Since all areas are connected you can stay in Moharli or Kolara and cover the entire park.
Tadoba also adds a camera charge for every camera and lens combo.
Mobiles are banned and penalised if caught.
This is wildlife we are talking about so the situation keeps changing.
For more details, you can Read Tiger Photography: A Guide to Capturing these Majestic Cats
Safari in Tadoba
Tadoba National Park offers safaris in a 4×4 vehicle called gypsy and Canter a 20-seater bus.
Tadoba National Park has 2 safaris, one in the Morning and one in the Afternoon. On Tuesday the core zones are closed for safaris. However, the Buffer zones are open for safari on Tuesday and closed on Wednesday.
Night Safari is also possible in some of the Buffer zones.
Apart from normal safaris if you are a photographer or filmmaker you can get a Full Day Permit for photography.
Advance Booking of Safari Permit
Tadoba Safaris are popular so it’s recommended to plan in advance. Bookings open 4 months in advance at four times the regular price. If you want to book at the regular price, you have to wait until 2 months in advance and book if permits are still available. Weekend permits cost double than weekdays.
This system is strange and pushes people to book well in advance if they are making plans and want to be sure. Apart from the four times cost, The other deterrent is that if you book these and happen to cancel there is no refund. The Regular priced permit can be cancelled and there is some refund.
Anyway if you want to do a safari in Tadoba, you have to adapt to the system. The best way is to to be flexible with your dates, avoid local festival days and try booking closer to the time of your trip. You may be able to get permits at the regular price. You can do a few safaris in buffer if there are sightings happening.
They also have a Tatkal that can be booked 1-3 days from safari. A small no of permits are made available at four times the regular cost.
Full Day Permit
This is a special permit for professional photographers and videographers. As the name suggests this permit is for an entire day. You will need to buy the normal morning and evening safari and the full-day permit separately. Apart from that, all zones are accessible. The price is quite steep for a day however if you can afford it can be worth especially in winter and when tigers have cubs. The permits can be acquired from Chandrapur Forest Office.
Know More on Tadoba Official Site
Best time to Visit Tadoba National Park
The best time is summer like most tiger parks in India. The forest waterholes shrink and foliage is less. The animals including tigers visit the remaining waterholes. Tracking them becomes easier.
Mar – June is the summer season. For frequent sightings, this is the time.
This region gets very hot so if you are not comfortable in hot weather you should visit in cooler months or not after mid-April. May and June can be very hot with temperatures above 45 deg Celcius.
Once you have visited in summer you can also visit in winter as the weather is cool and the forest is green and the early mornings misty. Finding Tigers is difficult but when you find one it’s worth the effort. A part of the park is open in rains mostly the main tar road going through the park. It’s not much but sometimes you can get a tiger in the rain.
Accommodations in Tadoba
Tadoba can be entered through various gates and Moharli and Kolara are the two popular options mainly due to availability of accommodation. Both have their pros and cons. Moharli is the oldest and most popular gate and has many options from Budget to Luxury. Kolara has some new deluxe resorts that have opened recently. Khutwanda also have a few options. The other gates have none or very few stay options. These are left only for the local well informed wildlifer. Chandrapur is a option for some gates.
On Moharli side the MTDC run accommodations are well worth for their price and location.
For more Private stays you can explore google and trip-advisor for choice of accommodations.
How to Reach Tadoba
Closes Airport is Nagpur 3-4 hrs drive.
Nearest Railway Station is Nagpur (3-4 hrs), and Warda (3 hrs). Chandrapur (1 hr) is the closest.
Recommended Tours and Safaris
Conclusion
Tadoba was off the beat till few years ago, mainly due to lack of reasonable accommodation options. However, with a healthy tiger population and the development of new accommodations and good forest management, it is now among the best parks in India. For Tiger lovers this is one of the top 5 parks in India.
Gallery
