For animal lovers worldwide tiger is an epitome of life on earth. Thousands of people all over the World desire to see this magical beast in their life time. The best place to see the tiger in the wild is India where more than half of the tigers survive.

The tigers in India live in protected areas chalked out for their conservation. These are National Parks, Tiger Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries which offer different level of protection and assistance.

The tiger habitats are spread all across India, from the foothills of Himalayas to the plains of Deccan. Albeit all have vibrant tiger populations there are some tiger reserves where it is easy to see the tigers in their natural surroundings.

The best places for big cat sightings in the wilderness are as follows:

Kanha Tiger Reserve
Bandhavgarh National Park
Pench Tiger Reserve
Tadoba National Park
Ranthambhore
Panna National Park
Satpura

There are many other reserves which offer a chance to see the tigers but the sightings are not very frequent. Hence the above National Parks are best suited for the tiger safari in India.
Tiger Safari

For those interested in sighting tigers in the wild India some basic formalities and preparation have to be made. Besides travel formalities information gathering is required. The reserves require permits for entry. These permits are available online or at the Field Directors Office in respective head quarters.

The safari is conducted in an open jeep hence along with permits jeep hire also needs to be taken care of. The safari jeeps are available at all tiger reserves. The rates are fixed locally and about six people are allowed to occupy.

The tiger sightings depend much upon the way tourism is conducted in the parks. Some habitat factors also make big cat sightings frequent like in case of Central Indian Reserves. Hence tiger tourism is very popular in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Most popularly visited reserves in MP are Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks. These destinations receive thousands of inbound tourists every year besides Indians. The tiger sightings are as much as once a day sometimes at least four times a week.

The high visibility of big cats is due to excellent road network, plenty of grasslands and open scrub lands where carnivores are easily sighted. The roads reach many important water bodies frequented by tigers. These animals can be sighted whence approaching or leaving the water bodies. The big cats are illusive since they are nocturnal in nature.

All the tiger reserves have excellent tourist infrastructure in and around the park. Most of the hotels in Bandhavgarh are situated in the periphery. There is a whole list of hotels in Kanha that are established in the buffer zone. These accommodations also help arrange for permits and safari jeeps which the tourists find comforting.