Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve spans 1,727 square kilometres, incorporating the Tadoba National Park, established in 1955. The Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary, formed in 1986, was merged with the park in 1995 to create the current Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.
It comprises of assorted meadows, lakes and dense bamboo forests, home to large populations of chital, sambar deer, wild boar and antelopes such as the nilgai and the very rare four-horned antelope. Carnivores such as leopard, sloth bear, wild dog and jungle cat are seen here regularly: however, the reserve is primarily the domain of the Bengal tiger. The tiger population has surged in recent years from a population of around 40 in the 1990s to a present day adult population of around 90.
There are a number of waterholes situated around the park which attract tigers and other wildlife during the dry months of October to June, with particularly good chances of sightings when bamboo and other vegetation shed their leaves from January onwards. May and June are particularly hot months (40C and above) when tigers spend most of the daylight hours wallowing, affording excellent sightings if you can bear the heat.