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Article explains in total detail everything ever you wanted to know about Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Tadoba Safari, Tadoba resorts, Tadoba Safari Timings, Tadoba Safari fees, How to book Tadoba Safari online, Tadoba Safari Gates, Tadoba Safari Zones, terms & conditions and lot more …..

Tadoba Calling ? – A Detailed Planner and Ready Reckoner for your Tadoba Sojourn from the Tadoba Experts!!

Tadoba is one of the best places in India to sight a Tiger in the Wild. We call it “the Abode of Tigers”, “The tiger Heaven”, but going on a Safari requires a lot of planning and you cannot just appear there and think of a safari. Booking opens three months ahead and you always need to book the safari first and then think of the resort.
What is Tadoba?

Tadoba aka Tadoba Andhari Tiger reserve is a wildlife sanctuary and a Tiger reserve in the state of Maharashtra.
Where is Tadoba?

It is located approx. 100 kms south of Nagpur, Maharashtra in the Chandrapur district closer to the tri-state area of Maharashtra, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.

Why is Tadoba so Popular today?

Due to great efforts of the forest department, the locals there and of the Maharashtra Govt,  Tadoba has become the Tiger haven of the county which has one of the highest densities of tigers as well as tiger cubs and has the least number of accidental deaths too. If you are thinking of any place where there is almost a certainty of sighting a tiger, this is the place. Here people don’t say they sighted a tiger,

but they say they sighted by their names – be it Maya or Sonam or Choti Tara or Matkasur etc. That gives you an idea why people rush to Tadoba.
How do you plan a wildlife trip to Tadoba? (How to plan your Tadoba trip?)

This is slightly complicated and especially if this is your first time, don’t try to do it on your own and take professional help is what I suggest.

Let me explain in a nutshell how things work.

Tadoba has 6 core safari gates or what are safari entry points into the forest and another  6 buffer safari gates and they are all very far apart and maximum distance is 120-130 kms and minimum distance being a few kms. So knowing which gate you want to use for safari and where and how to go there becomes paramount. If you use distance as a metric to choose, you need to know how far are gates from your location. If you use sighting as a metric, you need to know where sightings are happening more etc. So lot of factors go into booking a safari into Tadoba. As I said if you are planning your maiden Tadoba trip, please take professional help (or always mail us at [email protected] with all the queries you have and we will be happy to help)
BTW what is a buffer zone and what is a core zone? How does the safari differ in these zones?

Core is the core of the forest where no villages or human movement exist and buffer, as the name suggests, lies around the buffer and there are still a few villages part of the buffer but don’t mistake, there are many animals especially tigers living in the buffer and what area surrounds buffer is called the periphery (where you usually you find resorts). In face when we were coming late to our resort in Tadoba, we had a tiger crossing the road and giving us a good amount of sighting.

What are the (Safari) Gates, Why should I know them and where all they are situated?

Tadoba has 6 core safari gates or what are safari entry points into the forest and another  6 buffer safari gates and they are all very far apart and maximum distance is 120-130 kms and minimum distance being a few kms. These are points where you get into the Safari Gypsies to start your Safari.

[Author at one of the Tadoba Gates]

The exact distance between each of the gates to any other gate is covered in the app.

BTW not all gates are same and not all gates will have the same sightings at any given time. Also you cannot change gates once you book the safari for a given gate.
Can I have names of the Gates and Zones of Tadoba Please?

Core Gates are where Safari starts:

1. Moharli
2. Khutwanda
3. Navegaon
4. Kolara
5. Kolsa – Zari
6. Pangdi

and the buffer gates where Safari for the buffer area starts are,

Alizanza Zone

Devada Adegaon

Agarzari

Junona

Kolara Buffer Gate

Ramdegi Buffer Gate

BTW Tadoba park is divided into three ZONES,

1. Tadoba Zone/Range (via Kolara & Navegaon gates)
2. Moharli Zone/Range (via Moharli & Khutwanda Gates)
3. Kolsa Zone/Range (via Zari & Pangadi gates)

(Actually Tadoba and Moharli are interconnected and gypsies go from one to another while entry to Kolsa from other zones and vice versa is barred today)

To know exact location of these gates on the map, please do download WildTrails India App.
How do you book a Safari at Tadoba?

Most people decide what gate they want to go (based on sightings or based on proximity etc. or based on the resort that is attached to that gate etc.) and then book when they are free while many others fix a date when they want to go and then see what gate is free and then book them. You need to see to which category you belong to and then pick the gate and book safari online.

You can’t get Safari tickets at the gate for Core while there are certain tickets reserved to be sold at the gate (what is called Spot Booking) for buffer gates. But you can book online (reservation starts 120 days ahead) for all of these gates.

[WildTrails India App has complete step by step procedure to book the safari as well as the accommodation but if you need help, as always drop us an email to [email protected] ]
Why is knowing sightings gate-wise is critical before booking a Safari at Tadoba?

As I said earlier, many of them book the gates after knowing the sighting over there. The movement of the animals especially the Tigers are more in a given zone than others at a given day/time etc and sometimes other zone will be completely dry. So picking zones/gates based on the prior sightings enhances your sighting probability for sure. People wait to know the sightings and then they book.  You can download the app WildTrails India App to look at historical sightings and then decide to yourself what gate suits you best or as always drop us an email to [email protected]

BTW when you book multiple safaris, make sure you choose gates that are close by else you will end up missing those safaris for sure as the gates are very further apart (60 to 80 to 120 kms away) and the roads are not well paved and hence you will not only spend a lot of time traveling between gates, but also will get very tired before the safari starts and you will not enjoy your safari.

The exact distance between each of the gates to any other gate is covered in the app as a distance matrix.
How do I book safari in Tadoba? (Safari booking at Tadoba)

There is an elaborate process to do the same but it’s online. I won’t repeat the steps but there is a detailed step by step procedure on how to do it on the app WildTrails India App to book the safari. If you want us to book, drop us an email to [email protected]
Safari timings in Tadoba:

Timings vary based on the season. Below is the

1st Oct to 30th Nov:

Morning: Entry 6am to 8am, Exit 10am

Evening: Entry 2.30pm to 4pm, Exit 6.30pm

1st Dec to 28th/29th Feb:

Morning: Entry 6.30am to 8.30am, Exit 11am

Evening: Entry 2.00pm to 3.30pm, Exit 6.00pm

1st Mar to 30th Apr:

Morning: Entry 5.30am to 7.30am, Exit 10.00am

Evening: Entry 3.00pm to 4.30pm, Exit 6.30pm

1st May to 30th June:

Morning: Entry 5.00am to 7.00am, Exit 9.30am

Evening: Entry 3.30pm to 5.00pm, Exit 7.00pm
Safari charges in Tadoba

This is slightly tricky and there are some hidden charges or what I say is more of a “confusion charges” and has led to many issues at the gate.

The Safari charges are broadly divided into three parts: forest entry charges (which you book & pay online) (Rs1000 per Gypsy which can take max 6 people but we suggest only 4 people to sit comfortably (Rs650 for buffer gates), rs 35 as online booking charges, Rs 2000 for the Gypsy at the gate  on the day of the Safari and rs300 for the guide which is compulsory). Most people think all they need to pay is just rs 1035 per Gypsy and per Safari ride and they have paid it but when they encounter the cash component at the gate, they are taken aback for two counts, one for the additional charges which didn’t know and the second one is the cash component which most people would not have carried and there are no ATMs nearby.

At the designated gate you will show the booked voucher, pay cash of rs2300 and then you will be allotted a driver and a guide as per the turn and then you start your safari. Lot of luck of getting the sighting depends on the driver/guide combo you get and it is always good to pray that you get a good combo!!
Safari booking terms & condition at Tadoba

Most of the terms and conditions I have covered in the above question. Cancellation or adding more people to the booked voucher, I have covered in the app

What is Full Day safari mean and does Tadoba allow this? How do I  book one? What are the charges for a full day safari?

Yes full day safari is available at Tadoba. Generally wildlife photographers and say foreign nationals visiting tadoba, like to take advantage of this. It usually starts ½ hour earlier than the morning Safari time and ends 1/2 hr late than the usual schedule of the other gypsies and all the whole time inside the forest giving you the ample opportunity for sighting as well as for photography. It costs approx 40K all inclusive for indian nationals and approx 60K all inclusive for foreign nationals. The procedure is quote complicated and cannot be booked online. If you are interested, please do contact us at [email protected] with the subject as Full-day Safari.
When and how do I book the accommodations?

Very critical this is as I will soon explain why. But please remember that you need to book the Safari first and then the accommodation. Also please note that it is highly recommended that you do not book safari is different gates and also not to book resort which are not attached to the safari gate.

The gates are very further apart (60 to 80 to 120 kms away) and some of the resorts are very further from the gate, the roads are not well paved and hence you will not only spend a lot of time traveling between gates and/or between resort and the gate, but also will get very tired before the safari starts and you will not enjoy your safari.

The WildTrails India gives a complete exhaustive listing of all resorts, to which gate it is attached, how far is this located from the gate, what is the star-rating of the same, what is the trip-advisor rating, which is the nearest airport, how far from the airport, how far from your current location including navigation to the resort and the approx. price of this resort.

If you need any help in booking the right resort for you, please do drop us an email to [email protected] – will be happy to help.

How to contact if you need us to design your Tadoba trip?

Just contact us at [email protected] and if you need to call us, call at us +918033512427
Cellular Network Issues:

Please note that chances are that your cellular connection might not be active over there. Idea and reliance to some extent works (at a few places) and didn’t see anything else work. So be prepared for that – in a way it can be a blessing in disguise – will get a great break from the hustle bustle world but be prepared. Also if you depend on google maps, won’t work unless you download the maps offline. Please see below article on step by step procedure on how to download maps offline [on both ios and android].

   – Wildlifers, be equipped with Google offline maps and this is how

Dry District:

Chandrapur, the district under which Tadoba comes is a dry district and BTW I am not talking about the rains here. Please don’t expect any liquor here nor go search for it (as it’s not available either) – So please don’t go looking for one – all you have to do is go on the pursuit of a tiger!!! Happy Sighting!!
Related Articles:

  Wildlifers, be equipped with Google offline maps and this is how

Interview highlights with GP Garad, Field Director, CCF Tadoba Tiger Reserve

Complete list of all Resorts of Tadoba Tiger Reserve

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PS: Please be a responsible wildlife tourist; No littering, No sounds, No feeding, no getting down from the safari jeep (when on safari), No phone calls. Remember that we are visiting their home and when we are there, let’s follow their rules.

[The WildTrails India App is the best way to get all the details about Indian wildlife sanctuaries (best travel times, safari details, animal sightings, forest accommodations pairing, wildlife related activities, prices, etc). Learn more about WildTrails of India here. ios App is here. Android is here, and Web is on the way. Please do like us on our facebook page here.]

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