By Nitin Kanish · 18 October 2026
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve opened its core zone to tourists again on 1 October 2026, after the usual three-month monsoon closure. The Times of India reported that 564 visitors entered on the first day and that the tigress known as Collarwali was seen in the Teliya area on the very first morning safari. With the grass still green and the waterholes full, the next few weeks are a good time to go.
For anyone based in Nagpur, the main question is not whether to go but which gate to drive to. Tadoba has six core gates, and they are not equally close to the city. This guide compares the two best-known options, Kolara and Moharli, and shows how a self-drive car rental in Nagpur lets you reach a 6 am safari on your own schedule. Book a self-drive car in Nagpur once your safari permit is confirmed, then use the plan below.
Key Takeaways
- Season: Tadoba's core zone reopened on 1 October 2026. In October, core safaris run from 6:00 to 10:00 am and from 2:30 to 6:30 pm.
- Closest core gate: OSRM routing puts Kolara at about 103 km from Zero Mile in Nagpur, against about 154 km for Moharli.
- Closed days: the official site says core gates are closed on Tuesdays and buffer gates on Wednesdays.
- Your car stays outside: only registered safari vehicles may enter the reserve. You drive to the gate, park and board a gypsy with a guide.
- Book first: core permits are sold online only, up to 120 days ahead. A Tatkal quota for core gates opens three days before the date.
- Car: on 18 October 2026, the Hire N Ride Nagpur page showed cars from ₹1,620 for one day, with 250 km per day included.
What reopened on 1 October
Tadoba Andhari is Maharashtra's largest national park. It combines Tadoba National Park, declared in 1955, with the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary, created in 1986. The two were merged into a single tiger reserve in 1995. The name comes from Tadoba, or Taru, a local deity worshipped by the tribal communities of the area, and from the Andhari river that runs through the forest. The reserve is mostly dry deciduous forest, with teak, bamboo thickets, open meadows and lakes such as Tadoba Lake.
Every year, the core zone closes to tourists from July to September so the forest can recover and the animals can breed undisturbed. When it reopens, the bamboo and grass are lush and there is water everywhere. According to the Times of India, the core zone allows 100 safari vehicles in the morning and 100 in the evening across its six core gates: Moharli, Kolara, Navegaon, Khutwanda, Zari and Pangdi. Demand is high. The same report says the reserve logged 3,89,700 visitor entries through its online booking system in 2025-26, and that Moharli was the busiest gate.
Tigers are the headline, but they are not the only reason to go. The reserve is also home to leopards, sloth bears, dholes, gaur, sambar and chital, along with mugger crocodiles in Tadoba Lake and close to 200 recorded bird species. Go for the forest, and treat any tiger as a bonus.
Kolara or Moharli: which gate suits a drive from Nagpur?
Both gates sit on the edge of the core zone, but they are approached from different sides of the reserve.
Kolara is on the northern side, near Chimur. OSRM routing gives about 103 km from Zero Mile in Nagpur, with a driving time of around 80 minutes in light traffic. The route leaves the city on Umred Road (NH353D), continues on NH353E towards Chimur and then takes a state road to the gate. For a morning safari, this is the gate that lets you sleep a little longer or drive there and back in one day without the return feeling like an endurance test.
Moharli is on the south-western side, closer to Chandrapur. OSRM routing gives about 154 km from Zero Mile, or around 2 hours 20 minutes in light traffic. Most of the drive is on NH44 heading south before you turn off towards Moharli. It is a longer drive, but Moharli is the reserve's busiest gate: the Times of India figures show it handled the most visitor entries last year.
Both routing times are estimates for an empty road. Add time for the city, roadworks and slow stretches through villages, especially in the dark. The simple rule: if you want to drive there and back in one day, Kolara is the practical choice. If you plan to stay a night or two, Moharli is a good base, and the extra distance matters less.
Book the safari before you book the car
The car is the easy part. The safari permit is what you need to secure first. The official Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve safari page sets out the rules:
- Online only for core gates. You need to register on the official site with your mobile number and an OTP. Bookings open up to 120 days in advance.
- Tatkal for late plans. A Tatkal gypsy quota for core gates opens three days before the safari date.
- Original ID. Every passenger must carry the same original photo ID used in the booking, such as an Aadhaar card. Foreign visitors need a passport.
- No changes after booking. Names cannot be added, swapped or removed once the booking is confirmed, and a no-show gets no refund.
- Children. Children under 8 enter free without being named on the booking, with a maximum of two in one gypsy.
The site also warns visitors not to pay extra to agents and to book the official rates themselves. If you are charged more than the listed fees, it gives a complaint email and helpline on the same page.
What a core safari costs
The official fee table, checked on 18 October 2026, prices a core gypsy safari for the whole vehicle as follows:
- Booked 1 to 59 days ahead: ₹5,800 on weekdays and ₹6,800 on weekends. That covers the entry fee, the guide fee of ₹700 and the gypsy fee of ₹3,300.
- Booked 60 to 120 days ahead: ₹8,800 on weekdays and ₹12,800 on weekends.
- Buffer zone gypsy safari: ₹6,000 on weekdays and ₹7,000 on weekends.
- Camera: a camera charge of ₹250 is paid on the spot at the gate.
The core fee is for the gypsy, not per person, so it makes sense to fill the seats with your own group. Cancellation refunds depend on how far ahead you cancel, and some booking types are non-refundable, so read the policy before you pay.
Timing the drive for a 6 am entry
In October, morning entry at core gates is 6:00 am and the safari ends at 10:00 am. The evening slot runs from 2:30 to 6:30 pm. From 1 November, the timings shift: morning entry moves to 6:30 am, and the evening slot runs from 2:00 to 6:00 pm.
For a morning safari at Kolara, plan to leave Nagpur at about 3:45 to 4:00 am. That gives you the 80-minute routing time, a buffer for slow stretches and a few minutes at the gate for ID checks before 6 am. Sunrise near the reserve is around 6:07 am this week, so most of the drive is in the dark. For Moharli, you would need to leave around 2:45 am, which is why most people stay overnight near Moharli instead.
The evening slot is gentler on the alarm clock but harder on the way back. It finishes at 6:30 pm, about 45 minutes after sunset, so you would drive home entirely in the dark. If you book an evening safari, consider a night near the gate and a morning drive back to Nagpur.
Driving safely on forest-edge roads
The last stretch to any Tadoba gate runs through farmland and forest fringe, and wildlife moves at dawn and dusk. On 16 October 2026, PTI reported that a woman was killed by a tiger while working in her field at Palasgaon, in the reserve's buffer area, and the forest department advised villagers to avoid fringe areas in the early morning and late evening. As a visitor, that means:
- Stay in the car. Do not stop on forest roads to look for animals, and do not step out for photos.
- Drive slowly in the dark. Use dipped headlights, watch for cattle, people on two-wheelers and animals crossing, and never honk at wildlife.
- Fuel up in Nagpur. Start with a full tank so you do not have to search for a pump at 4 am.
- Save offline maps. Mobile coverage can be patchy near the gates, so download the route before you leave.
At the gate: what happens to your car
The official rules are clear that visitors may enter only in vehicles registered with the reserve authorities, and that all other vehicles are banned. So your rental car stays in the parking area while you head into the forest in an open gypsy with a driver and a guide. You cannot choose a specific guide or gypsy; they are allotted by roster.
Inside, the rules include a 20 km/h speed limit, a 50 m gap between vehicles and a minimum 20 m distance from any animal. Plastic is not allowed, littering is fined and using a mobile phone in a way that disturbs the forest is prohibited. Before you leave the car, take out what you need: ID, water in a reusable bottle, a light jacket, a cap, binoculars and your camera. Lock the car and keep valuables out of sight.
Day trip or overnight? Two simple plans
Plan 1: Kolara morning safari, back by lunch
- 3:45 am: leave Nagpur on Umred Road with a full tank.
- 5:30 am: reach Kolara gate, park and complete the ID check.
- 6:00 to 10:00 am: core safari.
- 10:30 am: breakfast near Chimur.
- 1:00 pm: back in Nagpur, roughly 205 km in total.
Plan 2: Moharli evening and morning safaris
- Day 1, 9:00 am: leave Nagpur, drive south on NH44 and check in near Moharli by lunch.
- Day 1, 2:30 to 6:30 pm: evening safari, then dinner and an early night.
- Day 2, 6:00 to 10:00 am: morning safari.
- Day 2, afternoon: drive back to Nagpur in daylight, about 310 km for the round trip.
Two safaris give you two chances in different parts of the forest, and the overnight plan avoids both the 2:45 am start and the night drive home.
Choosing your car in Nagpur
On 18 October 2026, the Hire N Ride Nagpur page listed cars from ₹1,620 for one day, for a 2024 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10. Other listings included the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Dzire, Baleno and Ertiga, the Kia Sonet and Carens Clavis, the Hyundai Creta and Alcazar and the Mahindra Thar. The page showed a deposit from ₹5,000 and 250 km per day included. Rates and availability change, so check the live page before you book.
The included kilometres matter for this trip. The Kolara round trip of about 205 km fits within one day's allowance, while a Moharli round trip of about 310 km is better suited to a two-day rental. The roads are good highways for most of the way, so a hatchback is fine for two people. For a group of four with camera bags, a seven-seater such as the Ertiga or Carens Clavis gives everyone room, and a full gypsy of your own group makes the safari fee better value. Inspect the car at pickup and note the fuel level and any marks before you set off.
More drives from Nagpur
If Tadoba permits are sold out for your dates, Pench is closer. Our guide to a morning safari at Pench's Turia gate covers that plan. For a slower day, try the drive to the Sevagram and Paunar ashrams, or follow Nagpur's Buddhist heritage trail.
Conclusion: lock the permit, then pick your gate
Tadoba's core season has just begun, and the post-monsoon forest is at its greenest. Book your gypsy on the official site first. Then choose Kolara if you want a there-and-back morning from Nagpur, or Moharli if you can stay a night and fit in two safaris. With a self-drive car rental in Nagpur, you leave when the permit needs you to, carry your own gear and come home on your own timetable.
Got your permit? Book a self-drive car in Nagpur, check today's rates and deposit, and set an early alarm.
About the author: Nitin Kanish writes road-trip and self-drive guides for Hire N Ride. He likes trips where the timing makes or breaks the day, and he focuses on the practical details that make a rental work, such as permit rules, opening days and daylight.
