Ranthambore city

Ranthambhore National Park or Ranthambhore is the fortieth largest national park in northern India, covering 392 km. Ranthambhore was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 by the Government of India and was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973. Ranthambhore became a national park in 1980. In 1984, the adjacent forests were declared the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Keladevi Sanctuary, and in 1991 the tiger reserve was enlarged to include the Sawai Man Singh and Keladevi sanctuaries.

Ranthambhore wildlife sanctuary is known for its Bengal tigers, and is a popular place in India to see these animals in their natural jungle habitat. Tigers can be easily spotted even in the daytime. The best times for tiger sightings at Ranthambhore National Park are deemed to be in November and May. The park's deciduous forests are characteristic examples of the type of jungle found in Central India. Other fauna include the Indian leopard, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, striped hyena, sloth bear, southern plains gray langur, rhesus macaque, mugger crocodile and chital. The sanctuary is home to a wide variety of trees, plants, birds and reptiles, as well as one of the largest banyan trees in India.

It is situated in the Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, about 110 km northeast of Kota and 140 km southeast of Jaipur, which is also the nearest airport. The nearest town and railway station is at Sawai Madhopur, about 11 km away. The park is also close to the Kota railway station. RIDCOR operates a mega-highway between Kota and Ranthambhore. Ranthambhore National Park lies at the edge of a plateau and is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. It is named after the historic Ranthambhore fortress, which lies within the park.

Climate
Ranthambore has extreme desert climate having dry and hot summers and cool to chilly winters. The temperature in summer (from April to June) is around 40ºC. In winters (from October to March), days are sunny and pleasant days but during nights, temperature can be pretty low.

How to Reach
By Air: The nearest airport to Ranthambore is Jaipur, which in turn has daily flights to and from Delhi and Mumbai. It is also well connected with Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad and Calcutta.
By Train: The nearest railway station to Ranthambore is Sawai Madhopur, which falls on Delhi-Mumbai route and hence some of the major trains stop here on their way.
By Road: Ranthambore has bus services to and from Sawai Madhopur, which is well connected with all the major cities of Rajasthan, but they may not be very comfortable. Rajasthan tourism buses are little better but the best option is to hire a four-wheeler.

Where to Eat
Ranthambore has quite a few restaurants and hotels and ones that are there are spread across over a vast area. Though Sawai Madhopur has few good eat-out points, it is much advisable to stuff yourself before you leave your hotel to ensure a good meal.

Fairs and Festivals
Shopping in Ranthambore Ganesh Chaturthi holds a special place in Ranthambore and Sawai Madhopur and is celebrated to commemorate the origin of Lord Ganesh, who is said to have been born on this day. The Ganesha temple in the fort of Ranthambore is one of the most eminent Ganesha temples of Rajasthan. On this day, thousands of devotees visit the temple. There are songs and 'bhajans' praising Lord Ganesha. The area has its own share of markets where you can find general merchandise and small trinkets to shop for.

Shopping Attractions
Tourists who wish to go on a shopping spree may take a ride to the nearest town of Ranthambore National Park. Along with other typical Rajasthani memorabilia such as tie and dye and batik fabrics and traditional ethnic silver jewellery, the paintings in the style of Ranthambore School of Art is the hot picks among the tourists. The paintings typically portray tigers, inspired by the Project tiger, which aims to conserve the species.

What to Wear
The most appropriate outfits to wear in Ranthambore include loose cotton clothes in summer and heavy woolen clothes to keep you warm in winter. Use a hat or a scarf as a head covering and drink lots of water to avoid heat strokes. It will be advisable to wear comfortable footwear, as you will have to walk a lot here while sightseeing. Sunscreens are not to be forgotten to save yourself from sunburns you may get from the scorching hot desert sun in summers.