To answer the all important question, no, we didn’t see any tigers on the faff of a ‘jeep’ safari, let me explain.
When booking the taxi to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, the Ibex informed us that it is best to visit as early as possible to avoid the queues i.e. 6am. Before you enter said reserve, you are required to purchase a ticket from a roadside shack and show your passport. This only allows you to drive through a certain part of the reserve before you are required to purchase another ticket, show your passport AND visa! It was shortly after this that a monkey kindly decided to jump inside the taxi to steal the majority of food that we had substituted for breakfast.
When planning this trip, ATR informed me that the safari leaves every 2 hours or when it is full. Whilst this is true, it’s very disjointed and the ‘jeep’ safari actually uses clapped out buses instead. Its lucky that one has always wanted to ride on an old Indian bus, can’t fathom how they are used in major cities…
Anyway, just after we embarked on our 3 hour safari, the guide informed us that tiger sightings are rare, however we pressed on regardless. During our 3 hour excursion, we were fortunate to see deers, peacocks and Indian Goats roaming free…
One of the other attractions at ATR is the elephant camp which is, typically, closed for refurbishment leaving little to do. At least we got to experience the reserve for which over half is open to vehicles meaning that Superbunny could have joined.
Tomorrow we head to the Waterfalls Tea Estate in the hope of trying fresh tea. As one is attempting to save money for Kochi, we have booked a conventional taxi although it seems like it could be accessible for an electric wheelchair…