At India’s heart, beats a tiger through the tall grass.

Kanha National Park is located within Madhesh Pradesh, a region with a rhyme to it. A region dead in the center of India, whose beauty was captured by Kipling.

“Now India is a place beyond all others where one must not take things too seriously—the midday sun always excepted.”

The sun bore down with that regular expectancy on our afternoon drives, as we adjusted our swampy legs against the hard leather of the jeep seats, stretching our eyes to carve out any tigers hiding in the grass on either side. A screech from a peacock sounds like cats fighting. But, alas, it’s just a peacock being petty. We rolled silently up to watering holes, looking expectantly for any sign of India’s Bengals. Are there paw prints in the dust? Yes, but they are old. Are the deer alert? Somewhat, but they could be smelling an older scent of a tiger come and gone.

A tiger safari is a gorgeous lesson in patience. It’s a gateway to learning about birds, because those (and the aforementioned sun) are the only things you can count on. To venture into the heart of India is a rare and wonderful gift for those not from this incredible nation, and to venture there to see tigers is something you should get excited about … with tempered expectations.

Tigers in Kanha National Park number somewhere below 100. They are born loners, built for camouflage and keeping their young ones safe. They hide like thieves, but if you are lucky enough to spot one, they may saunter past your jeep with a glaring ownership of claw and tooth.

Kipling also once wrote,

“Man is the weakest and most defenseless of all living things, and it is unsportsmanlike to touch him.”

Very true. Kipling was also kind of a racist, imperialist asshole. So, that’s enough quotes by that particular, exceptionally talented, writer.

Back to me … a non-racist person who’s very bad a tiger spotting.

In six days of safaris, with a 4.5-hour morning and 4.5-hour afternoon drive every day, I only saw one tiger. It was a glorious moment, made better by the piqued want of all those days before it. He was lounging in a puddle, full of confidence and carelessness for our defenseless caravan. We sat for several minutes, just admiring his incredible size and the soft huff of his panting. And … that was it.

What I did take away from days of driving through the jungles of India was an appreciation for just being out in nature with nothing to occupy my mind but India’s beauty and my own thoughts. I loved the small track roads leading through bamboo thickets. I loved the shadows carved by the black Sal trees, which stretch hundreds of feet into the air. The Flame of the Forest tree has bright orange buds in March, and those are used to dye clothes in the rural villages. I loved that Kanha National Park is home to over 1300 types of birds. I felt we possibly saw every last one, from the neon blue-tipped Indian Rollers to the Kites flying crazy circles on their hunts for tiny rodents.

I loved the sunsets and the sunrises the most. The sun in India is a thing of wonder, huge and striking. It’s a magnificent magenta bookend in your day that you can stare directly at as it rises and as it falls. There’s no need to blink. It’s a giant polka dot on the sky, the color of a ripe mango. It owns the hue of a berry. It’s punk-hair pink in the morning; a sliced blood orange by nightfall.

When you go on a tiger safari in Kanha, you set out at 5:30a.m. and you finish up long past 6 at night. You see every sunrise and every sunset.

And how many trips have you ever taken where you can attest you’ve caught them all? That to me was nearly as remarkable as seeing a tiger.

If you head to Kanha … you have a lot of options in lodging.

We spent four days at Flame of the Forest Safari Lodge. There are only 4 bungalow-style rooms here, each with double porches, and views of a slight valley and a stream. At night, you swap stories around a small fire, before home-cooked, delicious Indian food is served by a very friendly staff. It’s a place to unwind (blessedly slow internet) and to disconnect from devices while reconnecting with yourself. It’s a place you should bring a good book to curl up for on their outdoor couches. Or, a sketch book to place on the coffee table, which also holds a stack of colorful books on tigers.

The last two nights, we went luxe at the Taj Banjaar Tola, where massive tented suites came with sprawling decks overlooking the river that forms the boundary of the park. You are minutes from where each day’s drive begins and some guests in the past have seen tigers from their windows. From incredible soaking tubs in the bathrooms to over-the-top meals to slightly squishier jeeps for the safaris, there were a lot of things to love about this property. Yes, I’ll admit to being very excited about internet that fifth day when we checked in.

All in all, we paid around the same for both. What we spent for 4 nights at Flame of the Forest equaled just two at Taj. I’m very glad we saw and experienced both options, and I’m glad we put the more luxe camp on the end of the trip … even if I did a lot of underwear washing in their super sexy bathtub.

However, on my next trip back to India, I won’t be going trekking for tigers. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. I throughly enjoyed it, but once was enough for this girl. Dear tiger, thanks for showing up. It was a memorable few minutes with you, and I wish you well.

Things to consider before you Tiger Trek

  1. This is not an African safari. The jungle, while gorgeous, isn’t littered with the Big 5. There are massive buffalo-like creatures called Gaur and plenty of deer and monkeys. But, there is no promise you will see a tiger. In fact, there’s more chance you will not. Same goes for leopards. If you keep your expectations measured and plan on just enjoying the incredible nature around you, things will go a lot smoother.
  2. There is a chance you will see a domesticated elephant. Rangers use them in the park to help monitor the populations.
  3. You have to coordinate with your hotel in order to get your passes to go on the jeep safaris well in advance of your arrival. They only allow a certain number per day, so make sure you book your hotels and request the number of safaris you want to do per day at least a week or two in advance of arrival.
  4. Safaris cost us around $50 per day and were not included in the hotel cost.
  5. Are you a morning person? The best time to see tigers will require you to wake up around 5:15a.m. or even earlier if you stay far from the park.
  6. It’s freezing in the mornings. We went in March and I wished I’d brought a light puffy coat.
  7. In the afternoons, it’s very hot. Pack accordingly and make sure you bring sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray and a hat.
  8. Kanha National Park is only open from the 15th of October to the 30th of June.
  9. April and May are the months in which you are most likely to spot a tiger.
  10. A 300mm prime lens is something you might want to consider renting in Delhi. I didn’t rent one because I didn’t have time to get it back to the camera shop upon returning to the city. All of these images were taken on my 24-120mm, f/4 Nikkor.