Written By Soniya
As a hobbyist wildlife photographer, I'd heard the same advice from every seasoned safari-goer: go when water is scarce. The logic is simple — in winter, a tiger has water sources spread across hundreds of kilometres of forest. But in summer, when streams dry up, every animal in Sariska Tiger Reserve is forced to the same handful of waterholes. Tigers included.
For a photographer, that means you stop searching blindly and start waiting intelligently. I booked my stay at Ratan Villas specifically for this reason — the resort sits close to Sariska's entry gates, making early morning safaris effortless.
I drove from Delhi on a Friday morning, leaving at 11:00 AM. By 2.00 PM I was pulling into Ratan Villas and my first thought was: this is nothing like I imagined.
Siliserh Lake was right there in front of the property — completely still, the Aravalli Hills reflecting in it like a painting. I unpacked in four minutes and went straight to the terrace with chai.
It was hot. But the dry Rajasthan heat feels clean rather than suffocating, and the shade made it entirely bearable.
Between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM each day, the pool became my office. Large, well-maintained, with kingfishers on the far wall and a cold drink in hand — not a bad way to spend a summer afternoon. The food was exceptional, the evenings on the open terrace with lake views even better.
My second morning safari, Day 3. We went deeper into the reserve — rocky terrain the naturalist said was frequented by a tigress with cubs. He was quieter that morning, scanning the outcrops rather than the treeline.
At 7:22 AM — I checked my watch because I wanted to remember the exact time — he put his hand up. The jeep stopped.
And then, forty metres to our left, she stepped out from behind a boulder and walked directly to the waterhole.
A tigress. Alone, unhurried, completely indifferent to us. She drank for what felt like three minutes while I took roughly two hundred photographs, fairly certain I forgot to breathe through most of them. When she finished, she gave the jeep one long look and walked back into the rocks.
Two minutes. Maybe three. I have been thinking about them ever since.
Would I go back in summer? Without question. I am already planning May next year, this time with two friends who, after seeing my photographs, are considerably less sceptical than they were before.
Sariska in summer gave me a tiger sighting that felt earned — not handed to me in the first five minutes, but arrived at after two days of learning to read a jungle. Ratan Villas made every other moment around that comfortable, beautiful, and easy to return to.
Go in summer. Everyone else will tell you not to. That is exactly why you should.
About Ratan Villas Sariska
Ratan Villas is a luxury resort on Siliserh Lake, Alwar, Rajasthan — 150 km from Delhi, surrounded by the Aravalli Hills, with Sariska Tiger Reserve as its backyard. Offering curated safari packages, naturalist-guided experiences, and exclusive summer deals, it is the ideal base for wildlife enthusiasts and first-time safari visitors alike.
Go See the Tigers. You Won't Regret It.
Call +91-9649259090 | +91-9649269090
Visit: www.ratanvillas.in for best deals and safari packages.
Address: 44, Garba Ji Road, Silliserh Lake, Alwar, 301001.
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