Guides • 6 min read
Understanding Safari Zones
How India's tiger reserves are divided into core and buffer zones, and what that means for your permits and drives.
Every Indian tiger reserve is divided into a strictly protected core area and a surrounding buffer. The core carries the tightest regulation and the smallest number of daily permits; the buffer is more flexible and increasingly productive.
Core permits are limited, zone-specific and released in advance, often through an online lottery-style booking system. Once a zone is full, no further vehicles enter that shift — which is why early planning matters so much.
Buffer zones were once dismissed as second-best. That is no longer true: resident tigers live in buffer areas across Tadoba, Bandhavgarh and Pench, and drives there are quieter with fewer vehicles.
A good itinerary mixes both, spreading your drives across zones and shifts so that you see varied habitat and light rather than repeating the same route.
Permit rules, quotas and zone names change from season to season, so we confirm the current regulations for your dates at the time of booking.
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