Few of India's tiger reserves can claim quite the comeback story that Sariska can, since this was the first reserve in the country to successfully reintroduce tigers after poaching wiped out its original population in the mid 2000s. Also known as Sariska National Park and ringed by the rugged Aravalli hills in eastern Rajasthan, the reserve shares its landscape with old temples, tribal villages and wheat fields that stretch right up to the forest boundary. Most things to do in Sariska begin with a jeep safari through the core zone, though the wider region rewards a slower pace too, from lakeside evenings to treks through settlements that have farmed these hills for generations. Places to visit in Sariska extend well beyond the reserve gates, so a stay here rarely runs short of ground to cover between wildlife drives.

A jeep safari through Sariska Tiger Reserve remains the main event, taking in dry deciduous forest and rocky outcrops where tigers, leopards and hyenas move alongside a wide range of birdlife. Deep inside the core zone, Kankwari Fort marks the site where the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb once imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh, reachable only as part of a safari jeep route. Pandupol, a hillside shrine to Hanuman, draws pilgrims on auspicious days to the spot where legend places the Pandava brothers during their forest exile. Away from the core zone, the Duharmala Village Trek climbs into the Aravalli hills to a small tribal settlement that still earns its living largely from rearing cattle, and Siliserh Lake, an artificial reservoir built in 1845 to supply water to nearby Alwar, makes for one of the region's better sunset spots beside its old royal hunting lodge. Alwar itself rewards a half day detour, with the hilltop Bala Quila fort offering sweeping views over the city and the Alwar City Palace nearby housing a museum of royal manuscripts, paintings and armour.

What stays with most visitors has less to do with any single sighting than the particular texture of this landscape. Sandstone catching the last light over the Aravallis, peacocks calling across the wheat fields at dawn, and a stillness that settles over the forest once the safari jeeps head back for the day all shape the visit as much as any single stop. Birdwatching turns up a surprising range of species for a reserve known mainly for its tigers, and clear desert skies make stargazing here some of the most rewarding in Rajasthan. October through March brings the most comfortable safari weather, while the reserve closes each July through September for the monsoon. Sterling Rewild Sariska, a 13-acre property camouflaged into the rocky terrain just outside Thanagazi, keeps the reserve within easy reach, with tents and rooms named for the region's wildlife and a private plunge pool in its Tiger Villas. An in-house naturalist arranges everything from village trails to stargazing sessions, while Rajasthani classics share the menu with global dishes at the resort's own restaurant, The Crust.