Tadoba Tiger Reserve

The landscape in central India is brown, the deciduous forests mostly bare of leaves. Flowering trees spot the hills with brilliant orange, yellow and pink, standing out starkly against the barren land. We've been tracking the temperature - 108 degrees F in the shade, which translates into: 5am safari, back to the house by 9am to avoid the sweltering heat, talk with villagers or sleep through the afternoon, then back out by 4pm to again drive through the park or walk along the roads. We've seen a tigress, walking calmly in front of our car for 15 minutes, as well as the common palm civet, gaur (bison), wild dogs, bats, sambar, chital (spotted deer), chousingha (antelope), wild pigs, rhesus macaque, langur, Indian flying squirrel, and plenty of impressive birds – black headed ibis, crested serpent eagle, kingfishers, Indian roller, and in Melghat, the forest owlet, a very rare and possibly endangered bird.