Other things to do around Ranthambore national park
So turns out that not everybody sees a tiger in the national park. Unfortunately I can add myself to that list. But I did find Ranthambore to be very calm and peaceful – something that I had not yet found in India.
In-between going on safaris, or if you just want to do something different you can go and visit Ranthambore Fort. The thing is huge and it is free (at least as of December 2019) – you just need to get a driver to take you there. I asked the hotel although this is probably not the cheapest, it is the easiest.
Wildlife
One of the nice things about the fort, other than the hike, was the wildlife. There were a lot of monkeys around as you hike up. They seemed to be very used to people and none of them attempted to grab anything from me, but if you carry a backpack, make sure to keep it zipped up. I have had experience before when monkeys took things out of a bag as I was hiking 🙂
Monkey cry
The monkeys have a warning call if they sense danger and they have very good vision. So if they see a tiger (even a long way away) they will howl. Once you learn to recognize this warning call then you can look out into the distance to see if you can see a tiger (I still did not see one)
Views
On a clear day you will get some good views from the top of the fort. If you like hiking then this is a nice half day trip to do between safaris.
Whenever you get the opportunity, make sure to pull on a monkey’s tail. Either they really like it or it’s good luck – one or the other. Also, they really like it when you play peek-a-boo with a banana. The ones with foam around their mouths are extra friendly and will often run towards you for an embrace.