Tiger safari in India is a better vacation choice in covid
Covid 19 has changed the way we live and, work. In addition, it is going to change the way we will travel in the months, and years to come. While a sense of learning and adventure is significant when planning a holiday, the choice of a destination keeping in mind Covid 19 protocol has become of prime importance. Travel has commenced and people are mostly taking a driving holiday within 5-6 hours of driving time from their home, but the time of taking long-haul flights is not too far. We recommend you consider below important points before deciding on your next holiday. Choose your next Tiger Safari Destination in India.
1. Jungle lodges with limited rooms and staff
The lodges you stay in and around the national parks have very less room inventory. The average room count is 12-20. This implies that at any given time there are very few guests staying in the lodge. City hotels comparatively have a few hundred rooms. As the number of rooms is less, thus the staff required for such small lodges is less too, so the interaction with staff during the stay is also minimal. The city hotels on the other hand have few hundred staff. Therefore, the jungle lodges and resorts are far safer to stay in the post-pandemic scenario as your social interactions with other guests and staff is far lesser, thus making it safer.
2. Responsible tourism by the local community
The local community surrounding the national parks is dependent primarily on wildlife tourism. And as this is a seasonal occupation (mostly 7-9 months) for them so they understand the importance of this. Therefore, it in their interest to make this nature tourism a safe bet for all their guests. As of date most of the local community, which comprises drivers, guides, and lodge staff is already vaccinated thus ensuring they and their families are safe against the virus and that they do not pass it on to the guests. It definitely is tough to say the same for the cultural destinations in India today.
3. Restricted wildlife tourism
There is a restriction on the number of tourists permitted to go inside the national parks of India, and this is based on the carrying capacity of the reserves. While on a tiger safari it is just you (as we at Nature Safari India suggest only exclusive safaris) along with a guide and a driver in the vehicle. The size of the national parks is humongous compared to the number of tourists permitted. For e.g. Kanha National Park is 2100 sq km, out of which 450 sq km is open for tourism. And at any given time max 70 vehicles seating a max of 4 guests each are permitted to be on a tiger safari in India.
There are times when for miles it is just your vehicle and you see nothing else but nature and wildlife. This signifies that you do not encounter any other guest in close proximity during your 4-5 hours of safari. On the contrary, the cultural destinations do not have any such restriction on the number of people and the area of the monuments is much lesser. You are more likely to be in far lesser social proximity compared to the national parks.
4. Less human population density
The population density around the national parks is considerably less compared to all cities and other touristic cultural hotspots. While millions of humans inhabit the cities and cultural hotspots, the national parks would have only a few hundred and in some places even lesser.
5. Tourism in open areas
You do a safari in an open safari vehicle in the natural surroundings of a national park. While visiting monuments you can be indoors and in limited areas with other people. Covid 19 protocol suggests that it is better to be in the open and outdoors than indoors and in confined spaces. This again suggests that it is safe to be doing a Tiger safari in India compared to choosing other holidays.
We recommend that you are vaccinated before you consider travel.
Also read: Safari in India VS Safari in Africa
