Things To Do In Tadoba Tiger Reserve

Tadoba Tiger Reserve is a tryst out with wild nature, so naturally you would find a lot of places to explore. Grab your camera and head off to a safari within the Reserve. There are dams, rivers and lakes that can be visited for a spot of bird watching as well as to capture on camera the wild animals out for a drink.

Not very far away from Tadoba are little towns like Wardha, Chandrapur or Chimur to which you can drive to, or hop on to a bus for a sightseeing trip. There are hamlets close by, like the village of Adegaon and Palasgaon which give you an experience of the rural charms of India’s country sides. Tadoba Tiger Reserve has an abundance of flora and fauna and one would never get satisfied with a safari trip. There are resorts that offer more adventures in tandem with the profusion of the natural charms of the Reserve.

We will give you a list of some of the things that you can do while visiting Tadoba Tiger Reserve.

There are Gypsy cars and 22 seater mini buses that can be booked to drive around the Reserve. The Reserve has strict rules regarding the number of vehicles that are allowed through each of the six gates. Each vehicle has a guide who comes along to show the best places that can be driven to, for the most opportunities in spotting tigers.

In between spotting tigers, you could find the Indian Gaur that grows a whopping 7 ft tall, sloth bears or packs of wild dogs. Tadoba Tiger Reserve’s latest launch is the night safari on the outskirts of Mohurli, from Padmapur to Kondegaon Gate. The regular safaris have two sessions, one in the morning and the other in the evening. There are six gates with entry to the buffer zone and 12 gates for the core area. 

As part of an eco-tourist activity, the government has arranged for boat rides for tourists on the Irai Lake of Tadoba Tiger Reserve. There are battery operated boats with GPS trackers, that will be sailing on the waters on the buffer zones of the Reserve.

The Boating Club is at Sitarampeth, about 4 km from the Mohurli Gate. The boat rides are the best opportunity to enjoy a peaceful sail across a pristine river as well as watch and photograph the water birds and the animals that come to the riverside for a drink.

The buffer zone at Pardi near Mohurli Gate offers a 7 km long nature trail that you can ride your bicycle along, feeling the cool breeze on your face, listening to the chirp of the birds or the animals hunt for food. The eco tourist cycle trail apart from being a great boost for tourism, gives tourists the bright prospect of enjoying a day out with nature all by themselves.

The bicycle trail meanders its way along a stretch beside the Irai Lake and is a good opportunity to take a break and watch the water birds. The Bicycle safaris are available on the morning and evening slots and you can choose the best time to spot the animals.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve’s latest launch is the machan watch, another eco tourist activity that is bound to be as thrilling as the safari ride. The regions of Mohurli and Palasgaon ranges in the buffer zones will have machans on which the tourists will sit and watch the animals. A machan seats two people with a guide and gives due to its height, a greater visibility of the surroundings and being camouflaged, the tourists can observe the animals at their natural best.

The visitors would carry their own refreshments, water and mats for sitting on and will be on the machan for the specific time allotted to them. The tourists would be paying for the machan watch along with fees for the guide and the gypsy car that would be driving them to the site.

Tadoba Lake and River and the Kolsa River wind their ways through the Reserve. Though you would find a variety of birds on land as you are driven through the safari on road, the rivers and lakes are some of the hottest spots to watch birds.

You could find about 200 varieties of birds by the water bodies, especially Tadoba Lake that is a favorite haunt of white eyed buzzards, paradise flycatchers, Indian rollers, Indian pitta and Oriental honeybirds. You might even spot a crocodile or two, with the deer gamboling on the other side of the river along with langurs and wild dogs!

Take a break from a hectic safari schedule with a visit to the little gardens and parks of Chandrapur. The Butterfly World at Agarzari is a quiet and pleasant lush place that has play areas for kids, footpaths along the flower beds for a stroll as well as a restaurant for a bite.

APJ Abdul Kalam Garden is a good place to hang out with family and friends. This one has play areas for children, stone benches where one could relax on, as well as a view tower that you could check out for an all-encompassing view of the surroundings.

Along with a guide who will keep you abreast with acquaintance about local customs and traditions of the tribes that live near the buffer zones of Tadoba Tiger Reserve, go for a nature walk along the villages.

Tadoba’s tribal hamlets are occupied by the Gonds, Kolams, Korkus and Andh tribes and you can interact with the tribes or even visit their homes. Most tribals of Tadoba are skilled artisans and craftsmen who work on locally cultivated bamboo and you can watch them while they turn out beautiful works of bamboo art, be in furniture, swings, baskets or lamp shades.

Chandrapur, a small town that leads to Tadoba Tiger Reserve has verily been called a geological museum, for the plethora of ancient varieties of rocks that are found there. If you are interested in geology, anthropology, archaeology or paleontology visit Suresh Chopane Rock Museum that exhibits a whopping number and varieties of rocks, Stone Age tools, fossils etc.

Do check out the Dinosaur eggs and bone fragments, plant impressions and fossils of sea organisms. The Museum is a hub of tourism as well as a place of reference for researchers and students.

There are quaint little towns and cities near Tadoba that have easy access by road. Hop onto a bus or drive to one of these towns, called Hinganghad. The Vana River flows on two sides of the city of Hinganghat which sits on the fertile valleys of Wardha.

Renowned for its cotton industries and hing, some of Hinganghat’s popular tourist destinations are the Amba temple, Shahlangdi Hanuman Temple and Shri Gajanan Maharaj Samadhi Temple. Hinganghat is a small city and can be explored in a day’s tour. The city is about 88 km from Tadoba Tiger Reserve.

Ramdegi is a picturesque rural setting in the Chimur Taluk of Chandrapur. It’s a beautiful countryside and most ideal for a drive, especially during the monsoons, when the landscape turns lush and verdant as the warm sun breaks in through the clouds. Ramdegi is a peaceful place that has a temple for Rama and a Buddhist temple near the Ramdegi forest. The forest has wild animals like tigers and leopards and the Buddhist temple is open for tourists only on stipulated times of the day.

The drive from Tadoba Tiger Reserve to Ramdegi takes you through fields on either side of a charming countryside. It would be lovely to drive off to Ramdegi for a day’s fun with family or friends, ideally with a picnic hamper.