Enjoy in-depth explorations of three celebrated national parks—traversing the forested ridges, thick bamboo, and shallow rivers; search for Bengal tiger, wild boar, chital deer, and sambar; and keep an eye out for the varied birdlife.
India Safari Itinerary
- Day 1 Delhi, India Arrive in Delhi late this evening and transfer to the Radisson Blue Delhi.
- Day 2 Delhi / Jabalpur / Bandhavgarh National Park This morning, board our flight to Jabalpur and continue overland to remote Bandhavgarh National Park. Formerly a maharajah’s private hunting preserve, the area was designated a national park in 1968 and is now one of the best places to view Indian wildlife and to seek out the rare and endangered Bengal tiger. Arrive in time for lunch at the Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge, your base for three nights. Enjoy an afternoon safari by 4×4 vehicle, with dinner and overnight at the lodge. (B,L,D)
- Day 3-4 Bandhavgarh National Park Enjoy two full days exploring this diverse park set among the Vindhya Hills of Madhya Pradesh. In the lowlands of the park, search for wild boar, as well as several deer species—barking, sambar, and chital—and be sure to keep an eye out for the elusive leopard and tiger. In the trees overhead, watch for Rhesus macaques and Hanuman langurs. Bird watching in the area is also excellent, with 150 recorded species. (B,L,D daily)
- Day 5 Bandhavgarh National Park / Kanha National Park After a morning safari, travel across hilly terrain and through extensive sal forests, colorful towns, and small villages to Kanha National Park. Check in to the Kanha Jungle Lodge, your base for four nights. (B,L,D)
- Day 6-8 Kanha National Park Spend three days devoted to wildlife viewing in Kanha’s forests and plains—a true wilderness. The diverse topography provides the ideal habitat for animals, and photographers discover great opportunities to “capture” the wildlife. Explore by 4×4 vehicles on twice-daily wildlife viewing drives. Expect to encounter herds of barking deer, swamp deer, and sambar. This area is also the best place to look for the gaur, a bison-like animal and the largest of all bovids. With luck, other possible species include Indian wild dog, langur monkey, sloth bear, or perhaps even a rare chousingha—the world’s only four-horned antelope. The rich birdlife of the park includes such specialties as lesser whistling-ducks, crested treeswifts, jungle owlets, Alexandrine parakeets, and Indian pond-herons. (B,L,D daily)
- Day 9 Kanha National Park / Pench National Park After one last morning game drive, set out on the drive toward Pench National Park, the 19th Project Tiger Reserve, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Its wildlife-rich forest habitats were the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Check into the Jamtara Wilderness Camp, a luxury tented camp surrounded by lofty arjuna trees and your home base for three nights. (B,L,D)
- Day 10-11 Pench National Park Spend two full days in the park with twice-daily wildlife viewing drives. The rich variety of mammals that live here make it a photographer’s paradise, with excellent chances of spotting gaur, chital, Indian wild dog, chinkara, mongoose, jackal, jungle cat, and hyena, with a possibility of spotting the elusive tiger and leopard. Among the more than 200 avian species found here are bulbuls, barbets, flycatchers, and kingfishers. (B,L,D daily)
- Day 12 Pench / Nagpur / Delhi After a final morning safari, transfer to Nagpur for your flight to Delhi. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi. (B,L,D)
Optional Post-Trip Extensions
Day 1. Kaziranga
Search for more iconic India wildlife in Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home Asian elephants, water buffalo, swamp deer, and the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinos. Birds found here include lesser white-fronted goose, ferruginous duck, Baer’s pochard duck, lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-necked stork, and Asian openbill stork.
Day 2-3. Delhi / Jorhat / Kaziranga National Park
Return to the airport this morning for our flight to Jorhat. After lunch at a local restaurant, depart overland for Kaziranga National Park. There may be time for a stroll along the border of the park. Spend the next three nights at Diphlu River Lodge, situated on the Diphlu River, a place of great natural beauty. (B,L,D)
Day 4. Kaziranga National Park
Spend two full days exploring this amazing 165-square-mile reserve that borders the Brahmaputra River and Mikir Mountain Range. The country here is mostly flat—a tangle of thorny rattan cane, elephant grass, evergreen forest, and shallow marshland. The park is home to one-horned Indian rhinos—the largest number of this species in the world roams here—as well as wild Asian elephants and wild Asiatic water buffalo. Other highlights include wild boars, hog deer, hoolock gibbons, and the locally common swamp deer or soft-ground barasingha. Birds abound at Kaziranga as well: bar-headed geese; gray-headed and Pallas’ fish eagles; Oriental darters; herons and egrets of all shapes and sizes; black-necked, lesser adjutant, Asian open-billed storks; and many more. (B,L,D daily)
Kaziranga National Park / Jorhat / Delhi
After a final morning safari, transfer to the airport in Jorhat for your flight to Delhi. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi. The next day, board your independent homeward flight, arriving in the USA the same day.
Things to Know
Things to know befere you go on the “India Safari” trip
Travelers to India should be aware that, although the accommodations on these programs are en suite, when away from major towns, the standards, although clean and cheerful, are sometimes below three-star Western standards. Prospective participants should also be aware that some days of the program entail traveling for extended periods by air and car, which can be quite strenuous. Despite the occasional delays and sometimes bumpy conditions, our expeditions to India receive rave reviews from travelers who possess a strong interest in wildlife, a sense of humor, flexibility, and a true spirit of adventure.
What’s included in the cost of this expedition?
- Accommodations on group dates
- Excursions, activities, and meals as listed in the itinerary
- Services of experienced English-speaking guides
- Arrival and departure transfers between the group hotel and airport regardless of day or time
- Selected beverages included with lunch and dinner
- Potable water
- Medical expense coverage and emergency evacuation insurance
Accommodations
Kanha Jungle Lodge
Kanha Jungle Lodge is just steps from Kanha National Park and is set in the midst of the Sal jungle. It offers 19 spacious rooms, each with attached baths, running hot and cold water, and comfortable furniture. Apart from the usual amenities found at our India travel accommodation such as a restaurant, bar and laundry it also has a library and resident naturalists for your India tiger safari. Kanha Jungle Lodge was built with great care to disturb the environment as little as possible, and to operate on the most modern of eco-friendly principles.
Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Located near the main gate of the park, Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge has been developed on the theme of a traditional Indian village with mud cottages, thatched roofs and inner courtyards, all done with minimal interference to the natural environment and manage on eco-friendly principles. Lodge naturalists are experts in narrating and interpreting natural history and all manner of life in the jungle, which they will do on daily jeep safaris in the park. A stay here not only leaves you with a sense of thrill and excitement but also deepens your wisdom about nature and life itself, lasting well beyond your expedition. At nightfall, with the tranquility of the forest, one can hear animals such deer and jackals calling, and the occasional roar of a tiger.
Jamtara Wilderness Camp
Situated in the village of Jamtara, near Pench National Park, Jamtara Wilderness Lodge has 12 luxury tents surrounded by tall arjuna trees and an ancient banyan rooted on a dry riverbed. Each tented room overlooks the forest which sets the perfect background for your jungle experience. Each luxury tent is designed to feel light and open, with the option of rolling up the front panels to bring the outside in, but still being in the privacy of their own rooms. The bathroom is a permanent structure for the comfort of the guests. While many may sleep inside the tent, if you want to feel a little more connected with nature, you have the option of sleeping outside on the patio. The lodge has many different areas for guests to lounge around and read a book.
Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi
Located just minutes from Delhi Airport, the Radisson Blu offers easy access for early flights as well as all the amenities you expect in a luxury hotel, including spa, fitness studio, hydrotherapy lounge and beauty salon. Our superior rooms feature free Wi-Fi, LCD TV, rain shower, safe and hair dryer.