Ranthambore National Park transport, Jaipur

	Ranthambore National Park transport, Jaipur
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To visit Ranthambore, you will either have to rent a five-passenger Jeep (referred to as a Gypsy), for Rs875 (including compulsory guide and Jeep entrance fee; maximum five people), or else pay Rs110 for a place on a twenty-seated open truck called a Canter. Seats on both must be booked at the Project Tiger office, from the hatch on the road side of the building, preferably a day in advance.

Jeeps can be booked for any time, but only ten can enter the park at once. Canters enter the park at 6.30am and 3.30pm in summer (March-June), 7am and 2.30pm in winter (Oct-Feb) for the three-hour jaunt; they will pick up from any hotel on the Ranthambore Road, but not from those in Sawai Madhopur, so if you're staying there, you'll have to get to the Project Tiger office before departure time. Jeep fees do not include park entrance fees (Rs200, video Rs200).

Ranthambore's Canters are run by private contractors and are of varying standards, with some older and more clapped out than others. Although engine noise doesn't seem to bother the animals, it can definitely detract from your enjoyment of the landscape, and this is worth considering when you book. Lack of space is another drawback with Canters (especially for anyone with long legs), as is the fact that whenever animals are sighted, everyone on that side of the vehicle stands up, obscuring the view for those sitting on the other side.

With plans afoot to ban all vehicles in the park except Canters, you may not have the option of renting a Jeep, but if you do and can afford it, then splash out on one; they're much quieter and more maneuverable, and allow you to get away from the crowds.

Also worth bearing in mind is that visitors staying in one or other of the luxury hotels have priority over access to park transport. With visitor numbers nowadays far exceeding the established limits, this can a real bonus if you happen to be traveling five-star, but highly frustrating if you're not and find all the tickets booked in advance.

Saturdays tend to be worst for this, when the Palace on Wheels pulls into town and monopolizes all the available Jeeps and Canters.

To visit the fort, book an early morning safari and ask to be dropped at the main park entrance on the way out, from where you can climb an old paved path to the ruins. After spending the middle of the day exploring, it's possible to meet up with your Canter or Jeep back at the entrance gates for the evening tour (although note that you'll have to pay for your afternoon admission ticket in advance to do this.