India Tiger Safari

Now rushing headlong into the 21st century Delhi is also a contemporary showcase of designer shopping, trendy bars and restaurants. Take a guided orientation tour of New Delhi. Visit the Qutub Minar, one of the finest Islamic structures ever raised in India, Humayun’s Tomb the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent and the inspiration for several monuments including the Taj Mahal. Drive past India Gate, the Lutyen’s buildings and the President’s Palace. Also visit Old Delhi, a living museum! Wander the lanes of the wedding alley & the silver street and take a cycle rickshaw ride.
Accommodations: Ibis Aerocity

En route we will make a brief stop at the UNESCO Heritage site of Bhimbetka. The site is known for cave paintings dating back to approximately 30,000 years. Rock shelters that were home to humans, millennia ago. And a rich flora and fauna surrounding these, indeed, make Bhimbetka a gift to us from our earliest ancestors. An archaeological treasure, Bhimbetka has around 243 rock shelters. The paintings found in the rock shelters here have a striking resemblance to the ones discovered in Kakadu National Park in Australia; to the cave paintings of Bushmen in Kalahari Desert and Upper Palaeolithic Lascaux cave paintings in France. A walkthrough these ancient naturally carved rocks surrounded by dense forests of Bhimbetka will bring alive child-like wonder in you. Drive for another 2 hours to arrive at the lodge. In the afternoon there will be a Safari in the Park.
Nestled in to the beautiful forested hills of Satpura landscape, the Satpura Tiger Reserve is one of the most biodiversity rich areas of Central India. From the small insectivores plants to the Indian Gaur and Tiger, every flora and fauna typical to Central Indian Highlands are found here. The reserve was formed after merging Satpura National Park, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary together in the year. This is also a part of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve which covers almost 4927 sq. km.
Accommodations: Forsyth Lodge

Take a second Jeep safari in the park in the afternoon. Spread over 524sq kms, the Satpura range is the epitome of beauty. Over here nature displays itself in a myriad of exquisite ways. It offers you a panoramic view of beautiful mountain peaks, gorges, magnificent waterfalls, sparkling streams and deep valleys. Satpura is a Sanskrit word, which means seven mountains. The Satpura national Park is spread over 1427 sq km with altitude ranging from 300 to 1352 meters. The rugged terrain consists of fascinating deep valleys, sandstone peaks, narrow gorges, rivulets, waterfalls and thick forest. It is home to the majestic tiger and a number of other critically endangered animals. The park is also known to be a delight for bird watchers. The Jungle Safari will take you into the heart of the Satpura forest, where sightings of wildlife are common and offer great opportunity for photographers.
Accommodations: Forsyth Lodge

Named after the pristine River Pence which flows through the park, Pench National Park is one of the most popular wildlife reserves in India. The park is mentioned in the famous story of 1894, ‘The Jungle Book’, penned down by the renowned English Author Rudyard Kipling. Due to this, the national park became one of the most popular national parks in the world in the 1970s and also a prominent tourist attraction in India. Since then, every year oodles of wildlife buffs flock to this place just to spot the famous characters of the book, Akela (The Indian Wolf), Raksha (the female Wolf), Baloo (Sloth Bear), and the vicious Shere Khan (Royal Bengal Tiger). This afternoon we will enjoy a safari to explore this famous park for ourselves.
Accommodations: Pench Tree Lodge

There are many success stories of wildlife conservation are associated with this Kanha Tiger reserve and most prominent among them is the revival of population of hard Ground Barasingha. Kanha was declared a National Park in 1955 and Tiger reserve in 1973. The mammal and bird diversity of the park is fabulous having almost the entire faunal element of central India including Tiger, Leopard and Wild Dogs. 5 Types of Deer including the smallest one Mouse deer with Indian Gaur constitute the prey species for the carnivores. The beautiful mosaic of habitat of Sal forest and savannah grasslands are ideal for survival of the big mammals specially Tigers. Two perennial rivers flowing through the reserve ensures the water supply to the wildlife and forest throughout the year. Return to the lodge for lunch.
Later, visit the tribes of Gond and Baigha to see their lifestyle and way of living. Interact with the villagers and also see a tribal museum for an insight into their uniqueness and art. During the afternoon tour today, we will walk in the villages and meet interesting tribal people, often displaying beautiful jewelry and tattoos. Besides their unique lifestyle, which makes an interesting subject, their smiling faces are a photographer’s delight. The ancient Baiga tribe is indigenous to central India. Many of them can be found in the Mandla district, near Kanha National Park, in Madhya Pradesh. They live traditionally, in villages with mud huts and no electricity, completely untouched by modern development. They cook using primitive implements, cultivate and store their own rice, and brew potent toddy from the flowers of the sacred mahua tree. Throughout various phases of their life, Baiga women get tattoos on their head, arms, chest and legs, representing aspects of nature integral to the Baiga way of life. The Baigas still coexist with the Gonds. Yet, the Gond villages tell a different story of how this community has prospered while the Baigas have not. Artwork, which the Gonds have become well known for, has provided them with a lucrative source of income. Their homes have more facilities, often including electricity. Dinner & overnight at the lodge.
Accommodations: Kanha Earth Lodge

National Geographic’s award winning ‘Land of the Tigers’ was shot here, but the park is home to leopards, wild dogs and Barasingha as well. A safari in Kanha will surely get you thrilled, the way you were on your first trip to the zoo, as a child. Lunch at the lodge.
Late afternoon set out for a nature walk on a dedicated trail. Another great way of spying on the bird life here is to take a walk on the wild side, quite literally. The camp has friendly, knowledgeable guides who are happy to take you on a nature trail through the jungle. Stroll to the starting point of the Bamhni Nature Trail and set off on a delightfully educational walk. Listen to the evil laugh of the rufous treepie and the steady tap-tap of the incredibly pretty flameback woodpecker. Watch the greater racket-tailed drongo glide between trees and kingfishers perched contentedly upon high branches. As your wanderings bring you to the Banjaar River, scramble up a small hillock and find two benches fashioned out of logs of wood. Perch yourself there while your guide and his assistant whip out flasks of coffee and cookies as you soak up the silence.
Accommodations: Kanha Earth Lodge

Jim Corbett is the oldest national park in India, has the distinction of being visited by many generations of nature lovers since 1939. The weather remains idyllic throughout the year in this part of Uttarakhand, making it truly an ideal destination for both leisure and adventure. A massive 520 sq kilometers, this includes diverse terrain from the gurgling rivers, to steep hills and of course dense forest. Plays host to a wide array of wildlife including Tiger, Elephants, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Nilgai, Sambur to mention some and over 500 species of resident and migratory birds. The best opportunity for viewing game is in the early morning and late afternoon. The Park operates four-wheel drive open top jeeps or canters for these excursions. Safaris are led by Jim Corbett Forest Authorities appointed guides who take guests on one of a range of routes through the park Start your afternoon Jeep Safari into the jungle.
Accommodations: Jim’s Jungle Retreat

It covers an area of 521 sq. km and together with the neighbouring Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and Reserve Forest areas, forms the Corbett Tiger Reserve over 1288 sq. km. Its geographical location between the Himalayas and the terai, and the streams, rivers and ridges crisscrossing the terrain, present Corbett with a remarkable variety of landscapes. This vivid mosaic of habitats – wet and dry, plain and mountainous, gentle and rugged, forests and grasslands – supports numerous plant and animal species, representing Himalayan as well as plains kinds. The most famous of Corbett’s wild residents are the Bengal Tiger and the Asiatic Elephant, but with about 600 species of avifauna Corbett is one of the richest bird regions of India.
The different habitat types of Corbett i.e. mountains, sal forests, chaurs, khair-sissoo forests, and rivers have their distinct assemblage of plants. More than 600 species of trees, shrubs, herbs, bamboos, grasses, climbers and ferns have been identified in the Park. The tiger (Panthera tigris) is perhaps the most celebrated of the wild animals of India. It symbolizes the power of Nature and finds an important place in our culture, mythology and legends. It has been worshiped as the guardian and ruler of the forest. Tigers are believed to have evolved in East Asia (China) about 2 million years ago. They then dispersed to other parts of Asia. There existed eight subspecies of tiger, out of which three have gone extinct. Today this perfect carnivore is a critically endangered species, though once it roamed freely in most of Asia. India is home to the largest population of wild tigers in the world. In the afternoon, take a nature walk in the buffer area.
There are estimated to be only 5000 to 7500 tigers surviving in the world. Out of these, the subspecies found in the Indian subcontinent, the Bengal tiger has 3000 to 4500 surviving members, more than three-fourths of which are in India. The terai-bhabar region, including Corbett, was once the best place to find tigers but this habitat has reduced tremendously due to development-induced land use changes.
Accommodations: Jim’s Jungle Retreat

Vanghat is situated in a range of hills that are a transition zone between the plains to the south and the mountains to the northeast, meaning that in this melting pot of habitats we see almost all of these species, either as residents or migrants. The rich river habitat attracts Pallas’s, Lesser and Grey-headed Fish Eagle, numerous kingfisher and the Brown Fish Owl, which at dusk is more often heard than seen. The emblematic Great Hornbills journey daily up and down the valley, their vast wings audible in flight, and sometimes have been spotted feeding on the Ficus trees on the riverside opposite camp. Brown Dipper, Wallcreeper and several species of forktail (the Spotted and Little Forktail being the most common), Plumbeous and White-capped Water Redstart and several wagtail species are amongst the altitude migrant visitors to the area.
In the afternoon, take another Safari in a different zone in the park. Corbett Tiger Reserve boasts a wide array of fauna such as three species of otter and many other fascinating mammals, all kinds of deer and other ungulates such asserow and nilgai, King cobras, giant river turtles and the enormous fish-eating gharial crocodiles, not forgetting one of the highest tiger densities on the planet. The reserve’s 1288 square kilometers adjoin with neighboring reserve forests and wildlife sanctuaries forming the perhaps the largest and most crucial band of forest and wild habitat of the great Himalayan foothills. Dominated by the tall hardwood Sal tree with a great diversity of other semi tropical floral compositions these forests offer perhaps the most crucial and viable chance for the long-term survival of the Bengal Tiger. Corbett’s vast open grasslands surrounded by towering wooded hills and bisected by the meandering Ramganga River are also the perfect backdrop to observe and photograph herds of wild Asian elephants.
Accommodations: Jim’s Jungle Retreat