Park guide · 03
Tadoba, on one page
Maharashtra's oldest and biggest tiger reserve, named after Taru, the Gond forest god whose shrine still stands by the lake. Two things make Tadoba special: its tigers are famously easy on camera, and it is the one big reserve whose core stays open through the monsoon. When every other park says come back in October, Tadoba says come in.
महाराष्ट्र का सबसे पुराना टाइगर रिज़र्व, एक पन्ने में। और हाँ, बरसात में भी खुला।
Moharli · मोहर्ली
The oldest gate and the classic first visit. Closest to Chandrapur, the most lodges, and the routes everyone's famous photos come from.
Kolara & Navegaon · कोलारा
The northern doors, nearer Nagpur. Kolara has been the hot gate of recent years, with bold tigers seen almost daily in season.
The buffer gates · बफ़र
Tadoba's open secret. Agarzari, Junona, Devada and friends often sight the same tigers as the core, cost less, and are easier to book late.
When to go
The year, month by month
Look at this bar next to any other park's. There is no grey. Tadoba's core rests one day a week, every Tuesday, and that is the whole closure story.
Jan
open
Feb
open
Mar
best
Apr
best
May
best
Jun
best
Jul
monsoon, open
Aug
monsoon, open
Sep
monsoon, open
Oct
open
Nov
open
Dec
open
March to June. Chandrapur is one of the hottest places in India, and this is when it earns that name. Brutal, and the best sightings of the year, for the same reason: water decides everything.
July to September. The one big reserve where the monsoon is a season, not a closure. Green forest, dramatic skies, few jeeps. Sightings are harder in the tall grass, and nobody honest will tell you otherwise.
October to February. Pleasant, green turning gold, strong sightings building all winter. The easy recommendation.
गर्मी में सबसे ज़्यादा बाघ, बरसात में सबसे हरा जंगल, सर्दी में सबसे अच्छा मौसम। बंद सिर्फ़ मंगलवार को।
What is different here
Tadoba's own words
The basics live in the Bandhavgarh guide. These four are Tadoba's own:
Tuesday · मंगलवार
The core closes every Tuesday, all year. Plan around it, or spend your Tuesday in a buffer gate, which is what the regulars do.
Bamboo · बाँस
Tadoba's forest is teak and bamboo. In the dry months the bamboo opens up and you can see deep between the stems, which is a big part of why this park's sightings photograph so well.
Taru · तारू
The Gond deity the park is named for, whose shrine stands by the lake. Local villagers still visit it. You are in somebody's sacred forest; the name says so.
The heat · गर्मी
Summer here is not Bandhavgarh summer. Chandrapur regularly tops India's temperature charts. Carry more water than you think you need, and remember the heat is exactly why the tigers are at the waterholes.
This park has names too. Ask any guide about Maya, the queen of Tadoba, and watch them light up. Every park worth visiting has its characters, and Tadoba's are told around every campfire in Vidarbha. Some of those stories belong on this site one day.
Core gate or buffer gate?
That is the real Tadoba question, and the answer depends on your dates, your budget and how late you are booking. Tell Jai what you have in mind and get a straight answer.
तारीख़ें बता दीजिए। कोर मिलेगा या बफ़र बेहतर रहेगा, साफ़ जवाब मिलेगा।
Next · आगे
The wild map: pick a month, find your jungle