I first visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve this year in the last week of of June, and I had been planning to go here for quite a while now. The reserve came under Project Tiger in the year 1995. The main aim was not only to photograph tigers but also try to capture the other residents of the forest such as Gaur, wild boar etc. This park, which is located in the state of Maharashtra, is one of the best places in India to observe and photograph tigers.
Tigers were main priority when visiting Tadoba. Here we did 7 safaris mainly in the Northen portion of the reserve. We covered both buffer and core zones. Belara buffer, Navagaon core, Kolara core, Alizhanja buffer, Madnapur buffer and Sirkada buffer. The buffer areas also are very rewarding for tiger sightings and the best sighting we got was in Sirkada buffer zone which so called happened to be our final safari on the evening of 28th of June.
Leopards are very rarely seen as they are very elusive, but we got to spot not one but a family of three leopards. A mother with two large cubs. They posed for photos for a while before disappearing into the forest.
The reserve is also a good place for those into birding or bird photography from observing various birds of prey, water and woodland birds.
I was also able to get some good landscape shots within the reserve. I had used my wide-angle Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 L series lens.
Reptiles are plentiful in the park, but we were not that fortunate in terms of sightings.
Here is a small collection of images captured of various other mammals such as Gaur, Cheetal, Wild Boar and Sambar Deer. I was quite pleased by capturing a small herd of Gaur that had come to drink at a waterhole.
Langurs even though quite commonly seen, make good subjects for wildlife photography. Here I was able to get a few closeup portrait shots.
When on a safari, one should not be solely focused on photographing tigers. The most important aspect of wildlife photography is observing and capturing animal behaviour and these types of photos become unique. Wildlife photography can be very unpredictable and also depends on luck, being at the right place at the right time. I do plan to visit this place a second time most likely in the first half of 2025.