WE SAW SULTANA drinking water earlier this morning.’ I overhear, while sipping on lemonade. ‘Lucky you! Last time I visited, no one knew where she was,’ adds a fellow diner.
Ordinarily, such whispers would raise eyebrows, with speculations of a stalker on the loose. At Ranthambore National Park, however, these conversations are regular teatime topics. The desire to spot a tiger while at this wildlife reserve in Rajasthan can border on obsessive. For a safari novice like me, it can tip towards annoying and baffling in equal parts. After all, what’s the big deal in seeing big cats going about their day as normal? Or so I thought.
My first sighting is in an unexpected set-up: the artdraped, vibrant hallways of Bookmark Resorts, Jogi Mahal, Ranthambore. I’m treated to a coconut cooler after a five-hour-long road trip from New Delhi. The ideal tonic to help melt traveller’s fatigue, I think as I gulp the drink. The colourful paintings around me take me straight to the wild; luckily, the indoor air conditioning shields me from the sweltering summer sun. The two tiger murals behind the reception keep a watchful eye as I check in, assuring everything is smooth. “That’s a painting of Machli, the tigress queen of Ranthambore,” the team tells me. Then, it hits me. I may be indoors, but I’m in the company of many wild friends gracing the walls. There are elephants, leopards, and even deer peeking out of lush green artwork. Ranthambore’s love for the wild, I realise, is no secret.
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Travel+Leisure India.
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Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Travel+Leisure India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The Medieval Charm of Elsinore
Elsinore, in eastern Denmark, is a charming city full of surprises, such as its interesting link to Shakespeare, discovers Ami Bhat
Lunching In Leh
Turtuk, the last town of India in Ladakh, is having a culinary and hospitality renaissance, discovers Harsh Surti
Natural Selection
In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.
Where the Wild Things Are
Uncovering Rwanda's natural treasures-and the gift of multigenerational travel
FROM THE VOICE WITHIN
A hit new season of a cult show, a brand new production venture, and a baby girl-it seems Ali Fazal is on top of the world right now. Amid a new parenting journey, the actor talks to SAMREEN TUNGEKAR about his travel persona, his instincts, and what feeds the artiste within him
MONSOON IN THE WILD
For nature lovers craving the lush serenity of monsoon forests, off-season safaris in national park buffer zones offer rare rewards and vital support to local economies, discovers Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay.
Ray of Sunshine
Getting diagnosed with life-threatening ailments can spell doom, but for actor Lisa Ray, it became a testament to her resilience. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, the former model maintained a positive outlook, blossomed into a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and support, and turned author with a book chronicling her story. In a chat with Bayar Jain, she gets candid about her journey of hope and healing
Championing Change with Conversations That Matter
Aditi Mayer is a responsible storyteller who likes to look at fashion through a lens of social and environmental justice. She tells Samreen Tungekar about how she manages her own mental health and wellness despite work that promotes positive change and requires mental bandwidth
Travelling Through Conscious Well-Being
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, where data meets intuition and science aligns with ancient practices, Deepak Chopra stands as a unique bridge between these worlds. Chopra talks to Dipali Patwa about how travel, when intertwined with wellness, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.
Transcending The 'Trend'
For Rimzim Dadu, the creation of a collection is about lending the pieces a timeless quality. Samreen Tungekar talks to the designer about her creative process, and how her travels intersperse with her approach to design