The Wildlife of Rajasthan: A Safari in Ranthambore

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Even though a select few of us on the Semester at Sea trip through India never did see our tiger, our safari in Ranthambore National Park was filled with other forms of wildlife that kept us satisfied. And the wildlife didn’t even wait until we drove through the park gates to prompt us to take out our cameras; there were quite a few mammals milling about Sawai Madophur (including a goat wearing a fanny pack!) as we drove through it at 5am on our way to the first game drive of the day.

But once inside the park, the residents aren’t always so out in the open. You have to peer a bit more closely to…see snakes hiding beneath stones.

Scare a crocodile.

Stumble upon fields full of deer.

Glimpse peacocks waddling across the paths.

Or warthogs grazing.

Find stealthy owls sleeping in the trees.

Mingle with cheeky monkeys.

Oh so many, many monkeys.

(The monkeys keeping watch over the herds of deer like shepherds guarding their flocks were my favorites.)

Countless birds teeter on the treetops, like these chatty neon green parakeets.

We also encountered a few suspicious new species. First of all, there’s the Bernie, a highly evolved, talkative genus that the other animals like to pick on due to the fact that it’s one big softie.

There’s the Craig, closely related to the primate, known for its mischievous nature and propensity for causing trouble.

And the RC, no explanation needed. The monkeys in particular did not like sharing their trees with the RC, as he tried to tug on one small one’s tail, who in turn went ballistic and started cursing him in monkey speak.

These students questionable species might not rule the jungle just yet, but they have definitely kept our travels interesting, that’s for sure!

COMMENTS
  • November 6, 2011

    You really do need to watch out for the cheeky monkeys. Looks like a fun beginning to the day.
    Didn’t know goats wore fanny/belly bags. ;

    • November 6, 2011
      Kristin

      I married a cheeky monkey myself, so I’ve just come to accept that they will find me wherever I go.

      (The one who was screeching at the student, though, was priceless.)

  • November 6, 2011
    JeJe

    Really nice pictures. But could you explain the goat with the backpack more???

    • November 6, 2011
      Kristin

      I haven’t a clue! He was roaming the streets alone with just his backpack for company. He started following us at one point while we were exploring by foot, and I thought we might have a goat pickpocket on our hands!

  • November 6, 2011

    I am so jealous of the wonderful experiences you are having! These are incredible memories you are making and will have for your entire life.

    • November 6, 2011
      Kristin

      Thank you, Jan! You should consider doing it someday and taking your kids (or grandkids)! You don’t have to be in college to go!

  • November 6, 2011

    You always have the best wildlife pictures! It’s bringing me back to your post about Yellowstone, just with slightly more exotic animals.

    • November 7, 2011
      Kristin

      Haha, good point. I guess I am rather drawn to capturing the wildlife–now I just need a couple more good lenses to do so without blur!

  • November 7, 2011

    Awesome pics and love your descriptions!

  • November 7, 2011

    These are great shots!! What fun this must have been!!

  • November 7, 2011

    This is like, Jungle Yellowstone. Love it!

    xox

    • November 7, 2011
      Kristin

      I love that! You should be the marketing manager for “Incredible India” (the tourism board there) =)

  • November 8, 2011
    Christy @ Technosyncratic

    Those cheeky monkeys! We were on a tour bus driving to Rajasthan and we had to stop at some sort of checkpoint or something. When we pulled over a monkey jumped up and clung to the window! I was so shocked, but it turns out the monkey was a “pet” and on a leash, and the guy holding the leash down below was asking for money to feed the monkey. It was actually quite sad.

    • November 8, 2011
      Kristin

      Awwww, poor monkeys! When I was giving a talk to the LLLs (the retiree crowd) at the beginning of our voyage, one of their biggest collective fears was actually being accosted by trained monkey thieves! Sounds silly, but seems to be a legitimate travel concern. =)

  • November 8, 2011

    These photos are so great! The fanny pack goat is definitely the best find.

    • November 8, 2011
      Kristin

      The weird thing is that he didn’t seem to belong to anyone, which baffled me. A random stray goat flying solo, sure, but one with (literal) baggage? Stupefying!

  • November 8, 2011

    It’s seriously on my life list to see a monkey in the wild. I’m not sure why, as there are probably other, more exciting animals I could put on place of the monkeys, but for some reason the thought of a place with wild monkeys always seems especially exotic to me.

    • November 9, 2011
      Kristin

      You should go to South Africa first, as monkeys in the wild are a dime a dozen and you’re almost guaranteed to have a baboon cause a roadblock while driving!

  • November 8, 2011

    Love the monkeys, of all varieties. Though you can keep the reptiles; even just the pictures are giving me the willies.

    • November 9, 2011
      Kristin

      Scared of snakes, Steph? I never would have imagined! Learn something new about you every day =)

  • November 9, 2011

    So very very jealous, that place looks amazing.

  • November 9, 2011
    Gerard ~ GQ trippin

    Just found your blog. My GF & I are stopping by India during our upcoming RTW. I was looking into Rajasthan as it looks like it has some cool things to check out. Were you able to visit the Thar desert too?

    • November 9, 2011
      Kristin

      Sadly, no. We were leading a very abbreviated four-day Semester at Sea trip from Chennai, so we only had two days in Ranthambore, a day in Delhi and a day at the Taj. But it looked absolutely beautiful, and I’m sure there’s plenty to do beyond park drives!

  • November 9, 2011

    I spent quite a bit of time in Rajasthan last year but I didn’t encounter this kind of wildlife. This post inspires me to go back to experience just that.

    • November 9, 2011
      Kristin

      But did you see tigers? Because I didn’t, and that will be my reason to return to Rajasthan, for sure!

  • November 11, 2011

    You are having a dream trip. What an experience!

  • November 12, 2011
    Emily

    Monkeys!!!! Oh, how I love them. I’m jealous you saw so many of them! That is too funny that you saw a goat with a fanny pack.

  • November 12, 2011

    I’m with Abby.. what a dream trip. Seems very surreal and amazing!

  • November 13, 2011

    Owls… EEEEEE!

  • November 16, 2011
    Andi of My Beautiful Adventures

    I heart animal pics 🙂

  • January 9, 2017
    Taj mahal

    Awesome pics.

    I think when you were in Rajasthan, you should also visit Keoladeo National Park. Its on the way from Agra to Jaipur. This park has more then 300 species of resident and migrated birds and a great place for bird watching photography.

  • August 28, 2023
    Ran

    Amazing article—I would love to visit this amazing place. Good you explained everything in detail it has been a great help.

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