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I am just back from a trip to a new country to me , India, on a Wild Aperture photography tour. The tour was based around the big cats in India, Bengal Tigers and Leopards, and was centred on two game reserves, Ranthambore and Jhalana, both places south of Delhi.
There were nine photographers in total, including host Tracey, and we were able to meet and break the ice at Heathrow before the overnight flight of around eight hours. With the 4.5 hours time difference, we arrived in Delhi around 8AM, all a bit tired, where we spent the day at a local hotel ready to leave for Ranthambore early morning, about a five hour drive. During this drive we witnessed first hand the Indian way of driving, which appeared to have few rules other than blow your horn when passing someone, but somehow worked without a major accident every 5 minutes! There were traffic coming the wrong way on a duel carriageway, motorbikes with 4 people on, no helmets, one even had a goat on! Herds of cows and Buffaloes wandering around the road, dodging traffic with skill. It was an experience and an insight into the beautiful madness that is India, a shock of colour, noise and heat. Once arriving at Ranthambore we quickly checked in and sorted charging points in rooms etc, had a bite to eat then off on our first of 11 game drives to the reserve. This is a 1400 sq/KM area with 10 zones, and Tigers can appear anywhere at anytime, or not at all, it is pure luck if you see one. The game guides are not allowed radios or mobile phones so can’t contact on a sighting, so all done by word of mouth as we pass other jeeps, and listening to alarm calls of other animals, mainly monkeys and deer.
I was in a jeep with married couple Marie (who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Tigers and their lineage!) & her husband Brian, and we stayed as a unit for the whole trip. The reserve is beautiful, just like Jungle Book with the banyan trees and wildlife, so was nice to get our first taste. Towards t...
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