Tadoba National Park is as famous as the principle wildlife travel destination, which is called the “Jewel of Vidarbha”. Located in Maharashtra, this park together with its eye-catching number of Bengal tigers has gained great popularity among locals and travelers. For anybody who loves the wild or any nature lover, Tadoba is one place that should be on your list of places to visit. So what so special about Tadoba? It is now time to discover the reasons for such popularity of this national park among tourist from all around the world.

History of Tadoba National Park

Tadoba has a very rich history of conservation with reference to the age old beliefs of worshipping and living with nature. This park has been named after “Taru,” which is the native God of the tribes that inhabited that part the region. Tadoba was founded in 1955 for the purpose of wildlife protection and conservation of the wildlife species. Firstly, park was created to prevent the decreasing of tiger numbers, but with time it became the shelter for many other endangered species.

In the beginning of conservation, it was all started by the tribes and forests departments which gradually gave shape to what Tadoba is today – a safe abode for animals and a chief place of visit for wildlife tourism.

Geographical Location of Tadoba National Park

Tadoba National Park is in the Chndrapur district in Maharashtra and has a size of about 625 square kilometers. Tadoba is one of the thirty eight tiger reserves of India and is a combination of Tadoba National Park and the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.

This park is located on the Deccan plateau and hence has tropical dry deciduous forests, open grounds and water bodies for habitation of diverse kinds of species. This accounts to the variety of landforms that are in this area, making sure that wildlife has enough room to grow from the dry zone of deciduous forests to the riverine system.

Flora in Tadoba National Park

Vegetation cover at Tadoba offers the park as much variation as the animals residing in it. The forest in the park comprises mainly of southern tropical dry deciduous trees. The key tree varieties you’ll come across include teak and bamboo. Apart from offering the shelter for the animals these trees are very important in regulation of the system.

Fauna in Tadoba National Park

Tadoba is a veritable heaven for people interested in wildlife and affords one an opportunity to go round and observe animals. And yes, while tigers are the main attraction Tadoba also has other animals such as leopards, wild dogs and sloth bear. Wild-life found in grassy areas include Indian bison (gaur), sambar and spotted deer on a feeding expedition.

Other reptiles such as the marsh crocodile and different snakes are also found in this habitat and the park has become famous among bird enthusiast due to over 195 bird species observed.

Tadoba’s Tiger Population

This park has gained popularity mostly because of the number of tigers living here, in Tadoba National Park. It consists of approximately 80-100 Bengal tigers which makes the place among the best tiger reserves in the country. Unlike most other national park the odds of viewing a tiger therefore are quite high especially during the hottest part of the year when the tigers visit the water sources in the park.

Since the reserve has been actively managed, it could easily claim to be one of the best tiger reserves that are currently in service. They have been protected by the park’s dedicated anti-poaching units as well as through the promotion of eco-tourism to the parks.

Other Animals in Tadoba National Park

However, apart from tigers, Tadoba has some of the richest wildlife in the world.Tadoba has a great number of inhabitants. The park has healthy leopard population which are known to be hunting at dawn or any other part of the day. Others are wild dogs, jackals and hyenas. Although, it is also rich in vegetation and supports number of herbivores like gaur (Indian bison), nilgai (blue bull), and few species of deer which is sufficient food for carnivorous animals of the park.

The Tadoba reserve also has incredible bird spotting facilities much to the delight of bird watchers especially the crested serpent eagle, grey headed fish eagle and paradise flycatchers.

Safari Experience in Tadoba

Tadoba has four kinds of safaris, namely Jeep Safaris and Boat Safaris, which enable travellers to travel across the park. The most preferred ones are jeep tours because they offer you a possibility of driving over the park land and coming as close as possible to the plants and animals of the park.

This means it is best to go on a safari during the dry months of March, April, May, June when animals are closer to water sources. It is dry season throughout the park and that makes the animals come out to look for water, especially tigers this makes the summer the best time to see animals.

Water bodies and lakes in Tadoba Andheri Reserve

Most of the water bodies have conspicuous importance in the ecosystem of Tadoba National Park. The largest is Tadoba Lake, centrally positioned at the park. The park’s wildlife source of water throughout the dry season can be attributed to this lake. Sometimes cattle can be observed to have congregated round the lake and the place is also ideal for tiger presence.

Other lakes and rivers also passes through the park enhancing the rich and diverse bio community in the park.

When is the best time for Tadoba National Park Trip?

It is preferable to travel to the place between the months of October and June, (summer) is practically the best period to see tigers at Tadoba. But for those who prefer a cooler and drier climate, the post-monsoon period from October to February is the best, where the vegetation is denser and the climate is a bit milder, perhaps even making animal sighting easier.

Tourism Infrastructure

Tadoba is well equipped with the tourism facilities hence the tourists have easier time planning their tours. Near the park, the traveler can find cheap motels and hotels to luxurious resorts and cozy bed and breakfast inns. Safaris are easily accessible since many lodges and hotels within the regions have instead been packaging them for the tourists.

The area is easily accessible by road and rail and Tadoba airport is still under construction and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur is about 140 Kms away from Adarsha.

Natives and Cultural Associations

It means Tadoba is not only a wildlife area but it has historical significance as well. The local Gond and Kolam people have been known to live close to nature for years. The people have a strong bond with the forest and its peoples; they are very involved in the preservation in the park.

Eco-tourism in Tadoba

There is an emerging trend in Tadoba with the tourism involving and being focused on the principle of the so_called eco tourism which does not have a negative impact on the life of animals. Guests are advised to practice environmental conservation, and most of the facilities of the resorts based in the region have embraced environmental conservation measures.

Conservation Challenges

Nevertheless, Tadoba has a number of problems. Community and wildlife conflict is well documented and locals at times have to confront the wildlife in this park. Also, today, the challenges facing the park include the deforestation and the cutting of timber in the park and outside the park without permission.

Measures are being taken to address these problems, however, the fate of wildlife in Tadoba will very much depend on further protection measures.

Conclusion

Tourism is among the foremost activities that every traveler should consider visiting owing to the nature endowed at Tadoba National Park. This wonderful tiger reserve has not only a suitable vegetation cover for tiger offspring but also the conservation of this reserve is taken quite seriously by the government and people of India, thereby making it among the best national parks in India. For wildlife shutterbugs or plain nature lovers Tadoba is an experience that you will never forget.