Greg, Chris and I shared an unforgettable 2 weeks exploring the Golden Triangle of Northern India (New Delhi, Aggra, Jaipur) en route to the Ranthambore National Park to find the elusive Bengal Tigers.

India is such a vibrant, manic country but with such an amazing blend of history, culture, architecture and scenic beauty. It’s the people that make it stand out – but travelling along those narrow roads with bikes, motor-cycles and vehicles careering towards you, whilst you are dodging the cows, dogs, camels, wild boars and water buffalo make it quite a shock to the system. And then there’s the hooting…!

Our bicycle rickshaw ride through the congested alleys and teeming streets of old Delhi was an experience that we shall never forget!

The highlight of the trip was spending four days in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, where we were guided each day through the interesting terrain – teeming jungle, rocky road trails, ancient temple ruins, scenic lakes and an imposing 10th century fort, overlooking the park from the mountain. We were fortunate to have a number of sightings of the magnificent tigers in their natural habitat including a lone ‘vigil,’ following and observing a massive male tiger seeking comfort from the harsh sun by lying in the water in a small waterhole. The majestic Bengal tiger with its distinctive striped coat, ambling down the forest track in front of our jeep, extremely aware of our presence was a special sight for the memory bank.

Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary is renowned for its tigers and is one of the best places in India to see these beautiful predators in their natural jungle habitat.