Few years back one could reach the national park without a booking and do a safari. There was no requirement of any advance Tiger safari booking. But times have changed now. Now, even before you book your flights to the destination, or the resort, you must first do advance Tiger Safari bookings.
Online advance Tiger safari booking open in between 60-120 days prior to the travel date varying for different national parks. Anybody can book the safaris online directly. Important to note is that there are very limited safari permits available now. So one must book your tour five months before atleast if not more. That is quite a bit, isn’t it? In Madhya Pradesh national parks, the advance Tiger Safari booking needs to be done 120 days prior to safaris. While in Ranthambhore, and Jim Corbett national parks they are booked 90 days in advance. In Tadoba, safaris are booked 60 days prior to travel date.
I do not wish to disappoint the younger generation which does not know so far out if they will get leave from their respective commitments at work or home. Yes, it is easy for those retired from work to plan their holidays so much in advance. But, if one is serious about the safari to India then this is something that you will have to do.
What does one do if there is no advance Tiger Safari bookings available? Is it possible to book safaris at the last moment?
Yes it is possible to book safaris at the last moment too. But there are lot of ifs and buts that come into play then. In Madhya Pradesh national parks there is a last minute quota of few vehicles. Then, there are some last minute cancellation as well. But are you willing to take the risk and reach a national park without confirmed safaris? I would never recommend that. There is no 100% guarantee in such cases of getting safaris. Usually it is easier to get safaris on week days compared to weekends.
Please don’t lose hope, there is still possibility of planning an itinerary where we include a couple of parks where safari bookings is not much of a problem, i.e. some lesser popular parks. We also can reschedule the itinerary in best possible ways to try and get you safaris.
So, if you can plan your programme six months out that is the best way forward, but if you cannot then do let us now, we will look at the best alternates for you.
Regards
Sharad Vats
