A tigress named Sonam

Sonam, the shy tigress at Tadoba, India

Wiki will tell you a fair bit about the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in central India, but what it doesn't do is prepare you for what you're getting into. The best time to visit is mid-summer, when the wild tigers are easily spotted near the few watering holes. But the central-Indian summer is not for everyone - temperatures easily exceed 45 degrees C in the day, and walking out out the door of your hotel/resort/dorm is like walking into a blast furnace. The safaris into the dry forest are in open-top jeeps, and you're very likely to scorch your butt if you sit down without cooling the seat first.
But if you can look past these inconveniences, the safaris are a rewarding experience. The guides will regale you with the lore on each of the tigers you encounter, and the thrill of seeing a tiger in the wild (and ignoring you) is unparalleled. The thrill of the chase is an adrenalin rush - at times you sit motionless in absolute silence while you listen with rapt attention to the calls of the animals heralding the movement of arrival of a tiger, and at others you're driving like a rally car to get to the spot where a tiger was seen.

But make no mistake, the tiger is absolutely deserving of awe and respect - it is forest royalty after all. And Sonam, in the photo, is a popular queen, named for the 'S' shaped pattern on her cheek.

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