Three nights buys four safaris, which is the number we recommend - two is a gamble and six is watching the same animals. Drives go out at first light and mid-afternoon, three hours each, and the middle of the day is deliberately empty. We book private vehicles rather than shared canters, and a naturalist who stays with you for the whole stay rather than a new guide each time.

Hotels sit along the Sawai Madhopur road, from tented camps to two large properties with lawns and pools. The distance to the gate varies by twenty minutes, which matters when the first drive leaves at six; we will tell you which hotels are worth the extra sleep.

The park closes from July to September and the best sightings come in the hot months of April to June, when the water dries up and the animals concentrate. October to March is more comfortable and slightly less certain - a trade-off worth deciding consciously rather than by default.