After lunch, we had a little bit of time to get our gear ready and met at 2:30pm for drive number 1. This is when we found out we had been paired up with Linda & Andy – Permits for the drives are reserved when you book the trip, so depending on the order of your original booking will determine who you end up sharing your vehicle with… totally pot luck… it had turned out very good for us as they had a very similar sense of humour and similar in height!

Leading up to the trip I had been watching Instagram updates from Tadoba and knew that a tigress nick-named Maya (designated ID reference P2) had two cubs. I was very much hoping to see her and on our first drive we were heading to the Panderpauni waterhole where she has recently been seen. Our driver parked us in the shade at the waterhole, but as other vehicles arrived taking the best spots we were left at the back of the pack. After waiting for a while there were no warning calls so we headed to a different waterhole where we watched sambar deer come nervously for a drink.

Each morning starts the same, so I won’t keep repeating myself each day unless something different happens. I had my phone alarm set for 4:30am, this was to give us enough time for a quick shower and get our gear together to be ready at 5:30am for a hot drink and biscuits together with the group.

The park gates open at sunrise and drivers/guides like to be at the front or near to the front of the entrance queue so they and their clients don’t have to eat as much dust thrown up by other vehicles. Being the first vehicle along the trail has other advantages like being first to spot anything lying on the trail or running across it. During our visit to Tadoba the park was opening at 6:15am, so we arrived at the park gate a little after 5:45am.

There are formalities to sort out at the gate before you can enter the park, you are advised to always carry your passport as your permit will have been booked using your passport number (should you change your passport after making the booking you need to carry both your old and new passports!) We were asked for our passport every time we entered Tadboa & Pench, but not at Kanha & Satpura. It’s best to carry them always, as you don’t know when they may do a spot check and you would not be popular if you had to return to the lodge and your group missed something! Your passport is taken to the park office along with the vehicle permit by the driver, we also had to pay camera fees at Tadoba (200 rupees per camera with a lens longer that 250mm) so 400 rupees for our two cameras each drive.

Once your driver returns with your passports, the gate is lifted, you pull forward in turn and collect a park guide just as you enter the park. The national park guides are compulsory for every vehicle and in every national park. The quality of the guide and his/her ability to speak some English varied from park to park (and guide to guide!) – some were excellent, knowing the animals and their movements; others were just going through the motions and clearly it was just a job.

Formalities sorted we started our first morning safari drive. Word soon got around that a pair of tigers had been spotted so we rushed to the location. On the way I saw a brown fish owl – as we were speeding past it I decided not to call out to stop.

We decided to have our breakfast at the side of the trail (sat in our vehicle of course) and waited just in case either of them came back out, they didn’t. We started our drive back towards the park entrance, stopping briefly to see if the brown fish owl was still around, it wasn’t.

We spotted a mongoose next to the trail and it was kind enough to stop and pose for a few shots.

As we got to the old abandoned Jamuni village there were a few vehicles stopped looking towards some of the old building foundations. Tiger! A sub-adult tiger had the almost fleshless head of a deer in its mouth and carried it to the base of a tree. We moved our position for a better view (they were some distance from us). We were discussing where the tiger was when we realised we were describing different positions and different tigers! And then another and another. Four tigers together - a mother, two sub-adults and a dominant male. Tigers 6, 7, 8 & 9 of the trip!