We visited TATR towards the last week of November 2024. We spent 4 days and did 8 safaris. In my view, this reserve has the best possible sightings of tigers in India. I have been to multiple tiger reserves in India before, but the abundance of tiger sightings here was stunning. We saw tigers in 6 of the 8 safaris we did.
Planning: Tadoba is divided into two areas, called the core and the buffer. The core area is in the park centre and the buffer area surrounds the core area. When booking safaris, you can choose from 21 zones. These include 6 core zones and 15 buffer zones. These numbers could change with time. We did not have much choice with our options, since we booked just 3 months ahead of our visit. My recommendation is to plan for the trip at least 6-9 months ahead. There are some very nice lodges surrounding the reserve, so accommodation is not an issue at all.
Tadoba reserve is about 2 hours drive south of Nagpur airport. Navigating to the south of the reserve would be an additional couple of hours.
We visited 3 core zones and 5 buffer zones. Wildlife sightings were abundant in both zones (animals aren’t aware of the zones). The lodges where we stayed, the team packed breakfast in the morning. The safari typically start early in the morning (gates open at 6.30 am in winters, and usually takes 15 to 45 minutes to drive from the lodge to the gate).
November was a good month to visit, since the weather was pleasant. We were recommended to visit again in April when wildlife sightings are the best.
My Travels - by Sivamani 