Rajasthan : Part 2

UDAIPUR

Once again, we were so impressed by the hotel, the historic Udai Kothi.

India is such a value for money destination. Udaipur is a city built around some lakes and we liked the laid back, less frenetic feel of the place. Despite the low water levels due to drought and the severe pollution in the lake and town, Udaipur managed to sort of live up to it's romantic reputation.

Our meal at the outdoor, lakeside Restaurant Ambrai was super. 

The next day we toured the old town and the City Palace with our guide and were happy for an early night and room service roti.

RANTHAMBORNE

On 25th June,  we travelled most of the day to reach Ranthamborne National Park and The Pug Mark Hotel. We did 2 game drives into the park the next day; morning and evening. We didn't have the vehicle and guides to ourselves here so we were subjected to a more rushed tiger searching escapade than we had experienced at the previous parks. I would suggest insisting on your own jeep when you book your  tour even if it costs more. We didn't see the tigers here but it's nevertheless a very beautiful place to visit. It was a religious holiday and the park was full of Hindu pilgrims heading up to the temple which is in the reserve.  India's game reserves are generally small with a buffer zone ( usually small farms) of land around. The encroachment of humans into the tiger's habitat is ever-present and whilst the tiger numbers have grown in India, they are unable to increase populations further due to a lack of adequate territories.  In Ranthamborne the previous day a young male tiger had killed an old tiger over territory and the rangers were worried that the youngster would also succumb to his injuries. We spent a long time waiting for him next to a waterhole without any luck.