Jaipur: Core safari zones of Rajasthan’s premier tiger reserves — Ranthambore and Sariska — will reopen to visitors this week after the annual three-month monsoon closure. Known globally for their tiger sightings, these zones had been shut from July through Sept.Zones 1 to 5 at Ranthambore National Park (RNP) and zones 1 to 3 at Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) were closed during the season, though safaris continued in the outer ranges. This year, Oct 1 falls on a Wednesday — the weekly closure day for Ranthambore’s core zones. As a result, tourists will be able to access zones 1 to 5 only from Thursday, while Sariska’s core zones will reopen from Wednesday as scheduled. An official at RNP said, “Online booking for tourists is open for all zones. The number of vehicles has not been increased this season. Following the previous season’s pattern, the same number of vehicles per day will be allowed entry into the park.”Both reserves experienced heavy rainfall this year, and many safari routes were washed away. After carrying out the necessary repairs, the routes will reopen with tourists’ safety as a priority. “During this break, guide training was conducted, and road repairs were carried out keeping tourist safety in mind,” said an official at STR.The forest administration is hoping for a good season, as tiger sightings are expected to improve. While Ranthambore is already unmatched in the country for tiger sightings, the tiger population at STR has reached 50, the only tiger reserve in the NCR.A tourist guide at RNP said that during the monsoon, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) opened zones 6 to 10 to the public, where chances of tiger sightings are considered lower. However, over the year, these zones have become popular parts of the critical tiger habitat, with reports of good sightings of the big cat. “Tigers breed throughout the year. Some jungle tracks become slushy, but even when safaris were allowed, the parks remained full. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has improved connectivity, allowing wildlife enthusiasts to reach the reserve in four hours,” he added.Since tourists continued visiting these parks even when core zones were closed, monitoring has improved. “Opening the zones to tourism helped check illegal grazing, forest cutting, and other unlawful activities during the monsoon, while also enabling better monitoring of tiger movements,” said Amit Tyagi, a wildlife photographer from Agra.
