About Tadoba Tiger Reserve:

The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in India. It is Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park. Created in 1955, the reserve includes the Tadoba National Park and the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary. The reserve consists of 577.96 square kilometres (223.15 sq mi) of reserved forest and 32.51 square kilometres (12.55 sq mi) of protected forest.

“Tadoba” is taken from the name of the god “Tadoba” or “Taru”, worshipped by the tribes who live in the dense forests of the Tadoba and Andhari region, while “Andhari” refers to the Andhari river that meanders through the forest.

Weather:

Winters stretch from November to February; during this season, daytime temperatures are in the 25°-30°C range and the park is lush green. While summers are extremely hot in Tadoba, with the temperature rising to 47°C, it is the ideal time to sight mammals near lakes as vegetation is minimal. The monsoon season begins in June; the area receives heavy rainfall during this season (approx.1275 mm) and humidity hovers around 66%.

Fauna:

As of August 2016, there are 88 tigers in the reserve, and 58 in the forests immediately outside the reserve.

Aside from the keystone species, the Bengal tiger, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is home to other mammals, including: Indian leopards, sloth bears, gaur, nilgai, dhole, striped hyena, small Indian civet, jungle cats, sambar, barking deer, chital, chausingha and honey badger. Tadoba lake sustains the marsh crocodile, which was once common all over Maharashtra.

Reptiles here include the endangered Indian python and the common Indian monitor. Terrapins, Indian star tortoise, Indian cobra and Russel’s viper also live in Tadoba.

The lake contains a wide variety of water birds, and raptors. 195 species of birds have been recorded, including three endangered species. The grey-headed fish eagle, the crested serpent eagle, and the changeable hawk-eagle are some of the raptors seen in the park.

Indian Paradise Flycatcher – Female – Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, female guarding its nest weaved on a bamboo twig.

Other bird species found in the reserve include the orange-headed thrush, Indian pitta, crested treeswift, stone curlew, crested honey buzzard, paradise flycatcher, bronze-winged jacana, lesser goldenbacked woodpecker, various warblers, black-naped blue flycatcher and the Indian peafowl.

74 species of butterflies have been recorded including pansies, monarchs, mormons and swordtails.

Insect species include the endangered danaid egg-fly and great eggfly. Dragonflies, stick insects, jewel beetles and the praying mantis are other insects in the reserve. The signature spider, giant wood spider and red wood spiders are often seen during the monsoon and soon after. Some hunting spiders like the wolf spiders, crab spiders and lynx spiders are also common.

A black panther was spotted in May 2018. As per the officials, it is a rare sight since black panthers normally live in evergreen forests and not in dry deciduous forests like Tadoba Tiger Reserve.

Visitors Information:

The main attraction at the Tadoba National Park are jungle safaris. Open-top jeeps and buses with trained local guides are available for visitors. Accommodation is also available at various locations.

The nearest International Airport is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur (140 kilometres (87 mi) via Umrer, Bhisi, and Chimur). The park is accessible by rail via Chandrapur railway station (on the New Delhi–Chennai main line) which is 45 kilometres (28 mi)  away. The nearest main bus stands are Chandrapur 45 kilometres (28 mi)  away and Chimur 32 kilometres (20 mi) away.

Famous Tigers:

From Moharli and surrounding Gates:

  1. Maya
  2. Choti Tara
  3. Matkasur
  4. Sonam
  5. Bajrang
  6. Gabbar
  7. Madhuri
  8. Geeta

Safari Gates at Tadoba:

  1. Moharli Gate
  2. Kolara Gate
  3. Agarzari Gate
  4. Devada Adegaon Gate
  5. Kolara Buffer Gate
  6. Madnapur Gate
  7. Alizanza Gate
  8. Sirkada Gate
  9. Navegaon Gate

Gypsy & Jeep Safaris are available. The safari Timings are:

Morning: 06:00 AM to 11:00AM (Entry Allowed till 08:00 AM)

Evening: 02:00 PM to 06:00PM (Entry Allowed till 04:00 PM)

The entry has to be registered on the gate and a prescribed charge has to be paid. There is a limit set for the numbers of jeeps that can enter the park hence the gate entry booking has to be made in advance. A park guide has to accompany the jeep as a regulation and a fee paid for this service. The gypsy charges are different and has to be paid separately.

The tourists are not allowed to get down from the vehicle throughout the safari. A set of rules and regulation exists for tiger safari and the park guide is aware of that. One has to follow his instruction in order to abide with the regulations.

For the gate entry one needs to produce identification documents of the tourists like Passport/Aadhar card etc. For the foreigners the passport in original has to be shown.

Others things to do in Tadoba:

Boat Ride, Butterfly Park, Nature Walk, Birding Tour, and many more.

Source: Wikipedia.