If you’re expressing an interest in seeing India’s Bengal tigers, it isn’t long before Ranthambhore National Park comes up in conversation. Once the hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Jaipur, the park is named after the 10th-century fort at its heart.

Within Ranthambhore, tigers roam through dry deciduous forest and up ravines, and swim in lakes ornamented with the crumbling remains of regal hunting pavilions.

But, in reality, tigers are just one facet of Ranthambhore’s appeal. A whole cast of predators, including leopards, hyena, wild dogs and jungle cats, are sustained by sambar and spotted deer, chinkaras (Indian gazelles) and blue bulls. There are enough bird species to fill entire guidebooks, as well as wildfowl, crocodiles and tortoises.

The park was one of the first to be included in Project Tiger, an Indian-government-run initiative to conserve this critically endangered species. Ranthambhore now supports a relatively healthy population of tigers (many of which have been named by the rangers), and your best chance of spotting one is on a game drive in the park.