The four-wheel-drive vehicle roared over dusty, bumpy roads, flanked by thick forests that seemed to envelop us. As we jostled along, it felt as if we were passing the same roads again and again—and we were. That’s the nature of an Indian safari. Unlike the wide-open savannahs of Africa, Bandhavgarh National Park is a dense tapestry of forest and towering Elephant grass. Here, the game is all about patience and timing: catching animals as they briefly emerge into the open.
Bandhavgarh is home to an astonishing diversity of life—hundreds of bird and butterfly species and prey animals like gaur (the world’s largest bovine), antelope, and deer. But it’s the elusive tiger, with only a few roaming the park, that captures everyone’s imagination. For the safari guides, the pressure is palpable. Their reputation rests on tiger sightings, so they navigate the roads with urgency, doubling back frequently in a frantic game of “Find the Tiger.”
To their credit, our guide was considerate—at first. He paused when we encountered monkeys swinging through the trees, antelope grazing in sunlit clearings, and deer gracefully navigating the underbrush. He even humored me by stopping for birds when I pointed them out. But once we had “ticked off” these lesser-sought creatures, the focus sharpened. The hunt for a tiger consumed the drive.
While I was eager to see a tiger, I also longed to slow down and absorb the forest’s subtle magic. I wanted to hear the symphony of bird calls, marvel at the delicate butterflies flitting through beams of sunlight, and lose myself in the timeless rhythm of nature. But the chase was relentless, with only one thing capable of halting it: the sight of a tiger.
We were lucky—more than once, we caught glimpses of these majestic creatures. We heard their deep, resonant roars reverberating through the trees. We saw a mother tiger shepherding her almost-grown cubs through the dense undergrowth. These moments thrilled me, but the guides were laser-focused on achieving the holy grail of tiger tourism: a clear, close-up view. In their eyes, a tiger sighting wasn’t complete unless it resulted in a photograph—one that could be captured on a phone and proudly posted to social media, immortalizing the guide’s skill.
Over the course of my trip, I had the chance to join four safari drives. The ride was exhilarating but grueling. On the fourth drive, when it was my turn to rotate into the back, upper seat—the bumpiest spot on the vehicle—I decided to stay back at the hotel. A previous experience with fractured ribs from a similar ride weighed on my mind, and I didn’t want to risk it. Ironically, that was the drive where everything came together. My husband returned with glowing reports of not just a tiger walking majestically in the open but also a sighting of a gaur—truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Despite missing out on that adventure, I cherished the experience. If I could do it again, I’d hire a guide just for my husband and me, carving out one drive to move slowly, savor the “lesser” creatures, and soak in the tranquility of the forest. Then, we could dedicate the rest of the time to the exhilarating hunt for the tiger.
For now, I hold onto the vivid memories of Bandhavgarh’s wilderness—the roaring engine, the dusty roads, the watchful deer, and the thrilling glimpses of striped majesty lurking just out of reach.
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