Tadoba

Tadoba, in the Chandrapur district of eastern Maharashtra, is the oldest and largest national park in the state and one of the finest tiger reserves in India — a place where the chances of seeing a wild Bengal tiger are among the best in the country.

• Officially the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, it combines the Tadoba National Park (established in 1955, one of India's earliest) with the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary (added in 1986 and merged in 1995), together protecting a core of about 625 sq km of dense southern tropical dry teak and bamboo forest, grassy meadows, and lakes in the Chimur and Moharli hills.
• The reserve holds one of the highest tiger densities in India, and its relatively open forest and network of waterholes make sightings frequent, especially in the hot months; alongside the tigers it shelters leopard, sloth bear, wild dog (dhole), gaur, sambar, and the marsh crocodiles that bask along the shores of the scenic Tadoba Lake.
• Jeep safaris run from several gates — Moharli is the most popular and best-connected, with Kolara, Navegaon, and Kolsa serving the other ranges — and permits are issued through the Maharashtra Forest Department's online system.
• Tadoba is an easy weekend from Nagpur (about 150 km), which has the nearest airport.
• The reserve is open through most of the year, closing only at the height of the monsoon.
• Buffer-zone night safaris and the lakeside machans (watchtowers) add to the experience, and the reserve's relatively open meadows make it one of the most photographer-friendly tiger parks in India.
• For vegetarian travellers, the jungle lodges and resorts around the gates serve hearty vegetarian buffets, and the surrounding Vidarbha region offers its own robust vegetarian table — varhadi-style spiced vegetables, zunka-bhakar (chickpea-flour with millet bread), patodi, and pithla — alongside North Indian veg, dal, and fresh rotis.
• The best months for sightings are March to June, when animals concentrate at the waterholes.