The Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve, famously known as the ‘Land of Tigers,’ is situated 140 km from Nagpur and is one of Maharashtra’s oldest national parks.To explore the best that nature offers at Tadoba, you need to know the best safari zones in Tadoba. This gives you an idea of how to plan your trip better. The Tadoba reserve is divided into the core and buffer zones. However, before you know about the best zones of Tadoba, it is important to know the difference between the core zone and buffer zone.
The forest area where the village and villagers exist, along with the wildlife, is known as the buffer zone. On the other hand, the core zone is that area of the forest where no villagers exist. Only wild animals live there in their natural habitat. Any villages that were originally present in the core area were shifted to other parts of the neighbouring area to ensure the safety of villagers and provide animals with a completely natural environment.
The Tadoba buffer zone contains around 80 villages. There are times when the animals enter this area from the core zone,resulting in a conflict between the man and the wild. The buffer area of Tadoba also serves as a means of involving the villagers with the tourism that is beneficial for them. With the forest department’s initiatives of involving the villagers in tourism, they have been generating revenue and protecting the tigers from extinction. With tourism prevailing in the area, protecting tigers from poachers has become easy.
The buffer zone of Tadoba offers a dense canopy of trees where visitors can spot wildlife easily. Since the buffer area is shared by humans and wild animals, several sources of natural water attract wildlife tremendously. Unlike the core zone, the buffer area remains open to tourists throughout the year, including the monsoon season. Moreover, the entry ticket to the buffer zone costs 40% less than the ticket to the core zone. Apart from this, you are not required to prebook your safari in the buffer zone but can purchase your tickets on the spot. Since most visitor’s flock to the core zone of any national park, you are likely to enjoy your safari in peace if you choose the buffer zone.While chances of spotting tigers are more in the core area, tiger sighting is a matter of chance, and you might get lucky in the buffer zone too.
While hard-core wildlife enthusiasts prefer to undertake a safari at the core zone of the Tadoba national park, the reserve's buffer zone also boasts of excellent wildlife sightings. This is primarily because the park has abundant wildlife, including various mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies. If lady luck is by your sight, you might be able to spot the elusive black leopard as well as the Royal Bengal tiger here.
The Tadoba National Park is divided into three forest ranges or zones. All three ranges are interconnected and provide you access to the same part of the forest through different entry gates. The core zones of Moharli and Tadoba are the best safari zones in Tadoba. In these zones, human activity is limited as the area is demarcated and ensures that the wildlife and the natural resource of the forest are protected.
1. Tadoba North Zone/Range – It can be accessed through Navegaon and Kolara gates. Some of the famous tiger spotting areas in this zone are Tadoba lake, Kolara road, Jamni Lake, and Pandharpauni. The zone is known to provide tourists a spectacular view of nature along with a wide variety of wildlife. Apart from the Navegaon and Kolara gates, tourists can also reach this zone from Moharli and Khutwandagates.The buffer gates of Kolara zones include Madnapur, Alizanza, KolaraChauradeo, Sirkheda, Belara, and Palasgaon gates. The buffer zones of Navegaon gates are Nimdela and NavegaonRamdegi.
Tadoba lake and its neighbouring region up to Panderpauni are dominated by tigress Maya and her offspring. The region is also popular for being the frequented place of Blacky, the black leopard. The region near the Jamani lake is tigress Chhoti Tara’s area which she shares with her three cubs. The tigress has a radio collar to detect her movement.
2. Moharli Zone/Range – It can be accessed through the Moharli and Khutwanda gates. This is one of the best safari zones in Tadoba. It is the preferred gate if you wish to spot the national animal. The areas within the zone where you can spot tigers easily include Telia Lake, Jamunzora, and Aswalhira. Additionally, Moharliis the zone where tourists can get some of the best accommodation facilities. Like the Tadoba zone can be accessed through the gates of Moharli zone, this zone can also be accessed from theTadoba and Kolsa zone. The buffer gates of Moharli zones include Devada, Junona, Agarzari, Adegao, and Mamla gates. The area near Telia Lake is dominated by tigress Sonam and her cubs.
3. Kolsa South Zone/Range – It can be accessed through the Zari and Pangadi gates. The zone is known for its spectacular forest scenic beauty and landscapes. The possibility of spotting wildlife, especially tigers, is less in this zone thanin the other two core zones. The buffer gates of this zone include Keslaghat, Pangadi, and Zari Peth gates
While each zone offers something unique to the tourists, it is important to remember that the tiger reserve is spread over a massive 650 sq. km. area. The gates are therefore located far apart from each other. Therefore, tourists are advised to choose the gate based on their choice of accommodation to have the best time at Tadoba.
| Zone I – Moharli | Zone II – Navegaon | Zone III - Kolara | Zone IV - Zari-Pangadi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khutwanda Gate (Core) | Navegaon Gate (Core) | Alizanja Gate (Buffer) | Zari Gate (Core) |
| Junona Gate (Buffer) | Ramdegi Gate (Buffer) | Kolara Gate (Core) | Pangadi Gate (Core) |
| Night Safari (Junona) | Nimdhela Gate (Buffer) | Belara Gate (Buffer) | Aswal Chuha Gate (Buffer) |
| Moharli Gate (Core) | -------- | Kolara Chauradeo Gate (Buffer) | Peth-Zari Gate (Buffer) |
| Dewada Gate (Buffer) | -------- | Madnapur Gate (Buffer) | Kesla Ghat Gate (Buffer) |
| Adegaon Gate (Buffer) | -------- | Palasgaon Gate (Buffer) | ---------- |
| Agarzari Gate (Buffer) | -------- | Shirkada Gate (Buffer) | ---------- |
| Mamla Gate (Buffer) | -------- | --------- | ---------- |
| Erai Reservoir | Jamni Lake |
| Moharli Lake | Pandharpauni Lake |
| Tadoba lake | Naleshwar Tank |
| Telia lake | ----- |
Really heaven for photographers
Wow! What photography! We can only scream after the seeing the real photos of Tadoba national park. Its vast greenery is rally heaven for wildlife photographers.
Best Wildlife Destination in India
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a true place for hardcore wildlifers. It is best destination for bird watchers and photographers too.
Tadoba retreat for nature lovers
Its lush green landscape and vast living wildlife species is the reason that attracts thousands of tourists every year. I visit Tadoba once in a year to enjoy its nature beauty.