Why tiger enthusiasts should give Tadoba and Gothangaon a chance

Wildlife enthusiasts at The Bamboo Forest Experience explain how the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and the Umred Pauni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary are becoming hotspots for tiger enthusiasts

When cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar first saw tigress Junabai in the buffer zone of Madnapur at the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Sunil Mehta told the ‘god of cricket’ that he had “just licked the opium”. When a puzzled Sachin asked why Sunil, pioneer of the COCOON community-based Nature conservancy model, replied, “When you go back to your busy schedule in Mumbai, you will start missing it here. You will come back again, and again, and again. That’s the power of the tiger.” Evidently, Sachin has frequently visited Tadoba and Gothangaon for tiger safaris, most recently in November 2024, to commemorate the 10th anniversary celebrations of Sunil’s The Bamboo Forest safari lodge in Tadoba.

If comparing the thrill of tiger safaris with an opioid high seems like a stretch, it only takes an afternoon at the Umred Pauni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra, to understand the pull.Minutes after you reach the sanctuary’s Gothangaon gate, the guide announces loudly, “Tiger sighting has started. Please hold on,” as he hops onto your safari vehicle — it is also a signal to the driver to gear up. For the next 20 minutes, you hold onto dear life as you are propelled through the thick wilderness on a vehicle moving at a speed only trained safari drivers are allowed to drive. The rocky terrain might throw you up and down in the air, big spiders from the webs you drive through might fall on you, while a skewed-off twine might slap you across the face — “it’s all part of the experience,” you are assured.

But the safaris are not just about high-speed Jumanji rides. The real thrill comes when you try to be as still as the forest on a windless sunny day; it is in staking out, keeping your eyes peeled to spot orange hide or just about anything that moves through the outgrowth, and allowing naturalists and wildlife guides to track the movements of the big cats. As Arjun Manjunath, associate director, The Bamboo Forest Nature Conservancy, puts it, “The thrill is in what happens before you see a tiger.” Unlike African safaris — where there are open savannas, and animals can be seen from kilometres away — here, you need to search for a tiger, he adds.

Cubs of tigress Bubbly | Photo Credit: Sharath UG

During the safari, guides and naturalists use pugmarks on the soil and animal calls — animals like spotted deer and monkeys give out distress calls when they see a tiger — to track the tiger. “When an apex predator moves through the jungle, from the smallest bird to the largest elephant, every species announces the presence of this powerful animal. This ensures you keep all your eyes, ears, and senses open,” says Arjun.

He also advises you to lend an ear to what your naturalist has to say about it — be it the animal’s behaviour, its features, or just about anything fascinating about tiger ecology.