We book a private six-seat jeep rather than a shared canter, which means the vehicle stops where you want it to and turns around when the track is worth going back along. The naturalist stays with you for the whole stay rather than rotating, so by the third drive he knows which sighting you are still missing and plans the route for it.

Zones are allotted by the forest department, not by the hotel, and the allocation is released the day before. Zones one to five hold the fort and the lakes and are the ones most guests hope for; six to ten are drier, emptier and often better in the hot months. We put in for the zones that suit the season rather than the ones with the reputation.

Four drives across three nights is the number we recommend. Two is a gamble on an animal that moves twenty kilometres a day; six is watching the same tigers. Sightings are never promised - anyone promising them is guessing - but four drives in the right zones in the right month puts the odds firmly in your favour.