Guests had started streaming into the restaurant which was ready to serve dinner. Some found their
way into the bar for a drink. Soon the tables in the restaurant were all full. A family of seven which sat at the centre of
the hall seemed quite excited. They were narrating the day’s experience – they had seen a pair of tigers during the evening
safari. There were a few others who silently sipped the tomato soup without saying a word. They appeared downcast, somebody
was trying to console them that sighting tigers was a matter of luck. Some people make several rounds of the forest and are
still unable to see a single cat, while some are lucky enough to ‘sight’ tigresses with cubs. There was yet another group of
tourists who sat discussing the next day’s plan; they had arrived late afternoon and had planned the morning safari.
Dev Vilas, a wildlife resort near Ranthambor National Park , is a regular haunt for the visitors who come to see the tigers
in the park. Even the owner of the resort makes it a point to go for at least one safari a day, because shooting tigers with
his camera is his hobby. In fact he advised many others like me to take the morning safari as there are more chances of a
‘sighting’ early morning. As the dinner proceeded, detailed discussions continued on the dos and don’ts of the safari. All
those interested in the early morning safari were advised to be ready by six. The jeeps would pick them up from the resort.
Gradually all the guests retired to their rooms and by 10 almost everybody had retired to his room. I was back into my room
too. Switching off the lights, I lay down listening intently to animal calls form the forest. The full moon beamed into my
room; at one point of time my eyelids weighing heavily closed. It was five when my wake up bell sounded bringing back to
consciousness. I rushed to get ready. In less than 30 minutes I was in the safari hall, the gathering point. About a dozen
others were there ready for the safari. Tea was served as we waited for the jeeps to arrive. Shortly thereafter all of us
settled in the four jeeps that had arrived. Off to the park. The day proved lucky for occupants of all the four jeeps. Each
one of us ‘sighted’ a tiger. In fact, I was lucky after eight safaris to Ranthambor to have sighted a tigress. I had my fill
as I clicked for full half an hour a tigress that was about to retire after the night’s kill. I was also skeptical about the
claims of the forest department about the number of tigers in the Park. They always gave inflated figures, but I was happy that
I had seen at least one. The jeeps were back well in time for the breakfast. Each one of us who had been the forest seemed
quite hungry as we hogged the breakfast. The tables were full of discussion. The lucky lot had seen a tiger in the first
safari. There was not much to be done during the day except sleeping or having some fun at the swimming pool. The second
safari was in the afternoon for those who wanted a second try. At Dev Vilas I found tourists largely came for a safari.
There were barely any weekenders, but as they told me even during the off-season, which is monsoon in the forests, people
do come to enjoy the beauty of the rocky hills that guard the forest. With the first rain, the hills take up a green blanket
covering the ugly, brown rocks. As I mentioned earlier the master of the house is a regular to the safari and often has many
stories up his sleeve about tigers and their behaviour. One can pick up a book on wildlife to gain some knowledge or simply
chat with the naturalists to learn more. Dev Vilas not only offers large rooms and suites to its guests, but it also has tented
accommodation for those opting for it. The restaurant at Dev Vilas serves buffet meals catering largely to Indian taste. The
resort maintains the standard of its restaurant and bar going well above 3-star criteria. All its rooms are also well kept,
specially the suites which are large and decently furnished. Rooms have tea/coffee makers. The safari lounge makes a good meeting
point for guests who leave or return from a forest safari. The spacious lobby also gives the guest an impression that Dev Vilas
is a vantage point for those coming to see Ranthambor Park and fort. The resort does not close down in monsoon which is considered
a lean period; it functions round the year.
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