Ranthambore National Park: Plan Your Visit
Photo: Sagar Pant / Pexels
Contents
Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve, once a private game reserve of the royal House of Jaipur, lies 14 kilometres from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan.[1] Rolling hills and crags, meadows, lakes and rivulets make up its dry-deciduous forest, and the landscape is dominated by the 10th-century Ranthambore fortress, with cenotaphs and ruins overgrown by the forest in the valleys.[1] Tigers are the reason most people come, and the reserve offers some of the finest chances of seeing one in the wild.[1]
Book your safari
The Rajasthan Forest Department points to forestrajasthan.com for online booking and permits for Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.[2] Book only there, on the official portal.[3] Choose a jeep (Gypsy) for up to six visitors or a canter, a 20-seater open bus for groups, then pick your date, morning or evening and zone.[3]
Booking windows follow a fixed calendar:[3] current-day safaris open daily at 10:00 AM for today's afternoon or tomorrow's morning drive. Tatkal safaris for seven days ahead open daily at 11:00 AM. Advance bookings open at 12:00 noon: from 1 August for 1 October to 31 December, from 1 November for 1 January to 31 March and from 1 February for 1 April to 30 June. Slots fill quickly at weekends, holidays and in peak season, so book as early as your dates allow.[3] The price depends on the vehicle, your nationality, the zone, government fees and taxes.[3]
Things to Do
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GetYourGuide partner offers. GoAsia may earn a commission if you book through these offers. Check whether tickets or transfers are included, and follow the attraction's official booking and admission rules.
Season and safari timing
The park is open from October to June.[1] Safaris run twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, and the current timings appear during booking because they vary by season.[3] Mornings give you the forest at dawn, evenings the golden light and animals heading for the waterholes.[3]
The reserve has ten safari zones. Each has its own landscape, and no zone guarantees a tiger because sightings depend on how the animals move.[3] Choose among the zones that are still available for your date.
Arriving via Sawai Madhopur
Ranthambore is reached by rail from Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur and by road from Jaipur and Delhi.[1] Sawai Madhopur lies 167 kilometres from Jaipur and 145 kilometres from Kota.[1] From Delhi it is about 352 kilometres by highway.[3] From the town you can take a local bus, a taxi or a cab to the park.[1] Sawai Madhopur has accommodation for every budget, so stay a few days to enjoy the forest.[1]
Wildlife and landscape
Besides tigers, you can spot sloth bears, leopards, caracals, jackals, foxes, hyenas and mongooses. The Indian wolf has occasionally been seen too.[1] Chital, sambar and nilgai graze the meadows, rhesus macaques and langurs live in the trees, and crocodiles bask at the lakes.[1] Dhok, fig and banyan trees shade the paths, and more than 300 bird species include the serpent eagle and the king vulture.[1][3]
For more trip planning, see our India travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Rajasthan Tourism: Ranthambore National Park. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- [2] Forest Department, Government of Rajasthan: Online Safari/Zoo Ticket Booking. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- [3] Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve booking site linked by Rajasthan Forest Department: Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve: official online safari booking. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ranthambore lies 14 kilometres from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. The town is the base for reaching the park by bus, taxi or cab.
Tigers, sloth bears, leopards, caracals, jackals, foxes, hyenas and mongooses, plus chital, sambar, nilgai, rhesus macaques, langurs, crocodiles and more than 300 bird species. Sightings depend on how the animals move.
Book on the official portal that the Rajasthan Forest Department links for Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, forestrajasthan.com. You choose the date, morning or evening, the vehicle (jeep or canter) and the zone.
Current-day safaris open daily at 10:00 AM and Tatkal safaris for seven days ahead at 11:00 AM. Advance bookings open at 12:00 noon: from 1 August for October to December, from 1 November for January to March and from 1 February for April to June.
From October to June.
None can promise a tiger. The reserve has ten zones, each with its own landscape, and sightings depend on how the animals move. Pick from the zones available for your date.
By rail from Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur, or by road from Jaipur (about 166 kilometres) and Delhi (about 352 kilometres). From Sawai Madhopur a local bus, taxi or cab takes you to the park.
Safaris run in the morning and in the evening. The current timings are shown during booking and vary by season.
