Pleasant drive through mustard field-lined roads near Lalsot.

Get your car serviced and the suspension checked. The roads from Dausa to Ranthambhor are absolutely horrible. Carry a spare tube if you’re running tubeless tyres.

The first gate to Ranthambhor Fort leading to the sanctuary.

The 150km run from Delhi to Mathura however is a pleasure. The double-laning ends when you leave NH 2 and get onto SH 33. The road from Mathura to Bharatpur is okay with the occasional bad stretch.

On the 230km drive from Bharatpur to Ranthambhor, the road till Duasa is fantastic. Beyond that the roads take a turn for the worse. The entire drive after Duasa goes through rural Rajasthan and there are scenes straight out of storybooks. Little children will wave out to you and laugh in glee when you wave back.

As you approach Sawai Madhopur keep your eyes peeled for wild neelgais frolicking in the fields. You’ll see quite a few of them at full gallop in the mustard fields bordering the roads.

Local lasses walk in gay abandon on sparsely trafficked roads.

Other wildlife you may chance upon on your drive to Ranthambhor are mongoose, wild boar, foxes and plenty of raucous monkeys.