India Safaris

Central India Tiger Trail

10 DAY DELHI--BANDHAVGARH-KANHA-DELHI

First class tours use 5 star hotels and air-conditioned transport, Tourist class tours use 2 star hotels and non air-conditioned transport otherwise services are the same.

This holiday is designed to maximise your chances of Tiger sightings by spending an extended period in one of India's more remote Tiger Reserves. We also have an abundant variety of birds and mammals to see on our tiger safaris. Tigers are very rare shy mammals and it is adventure to see them in their natural habitat. You will be staying at The Krishna Jungle Resort situated just outside the main entrance to the Kanha Park. We provide all our visitors a truly exciting and rewarding jungle experience, the Resort is in 6 acres of thick forest with its own pool and luxurious facilities. Madhya Pradesh has 20 percent of India's tigers and hence is called the 'Tiger State' among wildlife experts. Kanha Tiger Reserve has 130 tigers followed by the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve which has 66 tigers.

 

Day 01

Arrive Delhi Check into Hotel. You are free till 1 P.M. next day, to enable you to sample some of Delhi's avian and historical sights, or to just relax and recover after your flight.

 

Day 02

We leave Delhi for Umariya by Super Fast in 2nd AC Train

 

Day 03

Reach Umariya early morning & drive to Bandhavgarh National Park (34 km) in AC car/coach. Evening game drive Bandhavgarh. Once part of the old Rewa state, Bandhavgarh National Park is set amidst the Vindhya ranges with a series of ridges running through it. Initially this park was the royal hunting ground for the rulers of Rewa. In 1968 it was declared a National Park. The Bandhavgarh National Park is where the famous white tigers of Rewa were discovered. Bandhavgarh is densely populated with other animal species too - sambar, barking deer and nilgai are common sights in the open areas of the park. (Overnight at Nature Heritage Resort or similar)

 

Day 04

Morning and evening game drives. (Overnight at Nature Heritage Resort or similar)

 

Day 05

Morning evening game drive Bandhavgarh. About half the park is covered with fine stands of sal, while mixed forests are found in the higher reaches of the hills. Stretches of bamboo and grasslands extend to the north. The main viewing area is still in the core of the Park with its 32 picturesque, wooded hills. An ancient fort up on a precipice, 800 metres high, dominates the Park. (Overnight at Nature Heritage Resort or similar)

 

Day 06

Leave Bandhavgarh early morning for Kanha National Park. Reach Kanha by lunch time, check in to the Krishna Jungle Resort & get ready for the evening game drive. World renowned for its population of tigers, Kanha National Park provides excellent opportunities for observing these magnificent animals in the wild on jeep drives and elephant back. Whilst this lush, forested country is immediately familiar to readers of Rudyard Kipling, it has also recently been the site of extensive research on the ecology of tiger, deer, languor, Barasingha deer, guar and wild dogs. (Over night at the Resort)

 

Day 07

Morning and evening game drive in Kanha game reserve. Spend the full day viewing game and spotting TIGERS inside the Jungle, located in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, the Kanha National Park is a Tiger Reserve that extends over 1945 sq. km. of undulating country. Elevations range from 450 to 900 meters. A horseshoe shaped valley bounded by the spurs of the Mekal ridge gives Kanha an interesting topography. The Surpan River meanders through Kanha's central maidans – grasslands (Over night at the resort)

 

Day 08

Morning evening game drive in Kanha game reserve.  It was here at Kanha that the eminent zoologist George Schaller undertook the first ever-scientific study of the tiger. The animals at Kanha are best observed from elephant back and the open country makes the chance of sightings reasonably good. Deer are seen along the maidans and gaur at Bamhindadr or in the Bishanpura Sondhar - Ghorella area of the Mukki range. This area is also ideal for spotting the dhole or wild dog. Langurs, wild boar, water fowl and birds are also commonly seen. (Over night at the resort)

 

Day 09

We must leave Kanha behind and make an early morning start for Jabalpur. En route visit Nerbudda Club to see the original Snooker Tables. (The game of snooker was originated from Jabalpur Nerbudda Club) Have lunch at Hotel Krishna Jabalpur. Board Super Fast train at 3 P.M.

 

Day 10

Reach Delhi by 11 a.m. Go straight to a good restaurant for lunch (at your own expense). After lunch drive to International Airport to catch a flight back to your destination.

 

Jungle Plan includes

• Two park rides daily

• Accommodation

• Full day meals

• All park entrance fees

• Guide charges

• Lecture on wildlife,

• Service of resident naturalist,

• Elephant ride (on Tiger sighting),

• Daily bonfire.

 

Weather

• Cool - from middle of October to end of February.

• Hot - from middle of March to middle of June.

• Wet - from middle of June to middle of October.

• The temperature ranges from a maximum of 42 ° C in May and June, to around 4° C in winter

 

Clothing
Neutral khakis, greys and green clothes are recommended. Ensure you have plenty of warm clothing for the early morning and late evening game drives.

 

Accessories: Camera, binoculars, sunglasses, and hats.

 

Excluded in price: Camera and Video camera fees. Present charges (Nov 2003) per day are  RS. 200 For a Video Camera and RS.25 for a still Camera.

 

Hint: Very nice Indian meals are available on the train or you can bring some food with you. Tea and coffee are also available on the train but only the Indian variety, with milk and very sweet.  Bottled drinking water is available on the platforms.

Please note this tour may also run in reverse.

 

Bandhavgarh National Park

Once part of the old Rewa state, Bandhavgarh National Park is set amidst the Vindhya ranges with a series of ridges running through it. Initially this park was the royal hunting ground for the rulers of Rewa. But in 1968 it was declared a park with an area of only 105.4 sq. km. At present, however, the Bandhavgarh Park covers 448 sq km. 

 

The Bandhavgarh National Park is the place where the famous white tigers of Rewa were discovered. The last known capture of the white tiger was in1951. He is believed to have fathered many a cub in Indian zoos and outside. 'Mohan' is now stuffed and on display in the palace of of the Maharaja of Rewa. Bandhavgarh is densely populated with other animal species too. The sambar, barking deer and nilgai are also common sights in the open areas of the park. The vegetation of the park is dry deciduous. About half of the park is covered with sal trees. There are mixed forests in the higher reaches of the hills. Stretches of Bamboo and grasslands extend to the north of the park. Grassy meadow patches occur in the valley and along the nalas. The park sustains all those species which are typical to Central India.

 

There are 22 species of mammals which include langurs and rhesus macaque as the primary group. The jackal, fox, bears, ratel, mongoose, hyena, jungle cat, leopard and tiger form the core carnivore population. The animals frequently sighted are wild pig, spotted deer, sambar, dhole, the small Indian civet, palm squirrel and lesser bandicoot.

 

The national park holds some 250 odd species of birds along the streams and marshes. Reptilian fauna include cobra, krait, viper, rat snake, python, turtle and a large number of lizard varieties, including monitor lizard.

 

Kanha Tiger Reserve

Welcome to Kipling Country, the setting for the famous Jungle Book. The Kanha National Park in the Mandla District of Madhya Pradesh, spreads over 1,945 sq. km of dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo. This is where you can spot the tiger in all his magnificence or feast your eyes on the rare Barasingha Deer amidst extensive grasslands.

The park forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974, under Project Tiger. It is one of the most well-maintained National Parks in Asia, and a major attraction for avid wildlife buffs all over the world. Two major rivers, Halon anfd Banjar, flow through the park.

Kanha National Park in the Mandla District spreads over 1,945 sq. km of dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo. This area known as Kipling Country is where the jungle book of Rudyard Kipling was conceived.

• Area : 1,945 sq. kms.

• Altitude : 450-872 metres.

• Temperature (deg C): Summer- Max 40.6, Min 23.9. Winter- Max 23.9, Min 1.1.

• Rainfall : 152 cms.

• Best Season : April to June and November to January

 

Using your senses to find a Tiger

The key to successful tiger spotting lies in the jungle's reactions to the animal's movement. When the king of the forest is on the move, his kingdom is as responsive  as the court of any of the great Mughal Emperors . Peacocks blare, Sambar bell, Spotted Deer call, Langurs explode in cough-like alarm, Jungle Fowl screech, Bison whistle shrilly and barking deer emit the impossibly raucous bark for which they are named. The continuous repetition of such calls as well as their combination from two or more species in the same small area of the forest is a very good sign that a Tiger is moving nearby.

 

Using your ears to listen to what other animals are saying is a good method of locating a Tiger.

 

Responsible Tourism

There seems to be lot of hype and commotion in regards with features of wildlife tourism & conservation. Words such as tribal welfare, local upliftment usage of recycle products eco friendly dresses colours etc. all flashed by glamour struck organisations especially in recent times.

 

We started with a small team of Nature lovers who are dedicated, who were not necessary qualified but were definitely born conservationist at heart and a born nature lover. These were the people instrumental in educating for the first time in the history of Kanha National park the locals in the field of catering, house keeping steward ship, the guides etc all of whom were fifth standard drop outs or not been to school at all. We taught the people cane weaving, earthen products such as ash trays & potteries all of which we used annually in our lodge. Thus increasing the uplifting the local economy.

 

The health scenario was deplorable at that time when there were no proper medical facilities, we gave talks, and we supplied medicines & told them about diseases such as malaria & so on. At this point of time the ousted tribal villages from within the core area nurtured great animosity against the Kanha Tiger reserve officials, they would not see eye to eye because the locals felt that more importance was being given to the wild animals then to them, so we intervened and created a healthy buffer based on which things improved to such an extent that the Park authorities held an unprecedented meeting with the lodge owners/managers and local villages regarding solving all problems amicably which to this day continues.

 

This feature or this event is a unique example & achievement for Kanha National Park as this has never happened in any other game reserve in India resulting in perhaps being the least poached national Park in India. We are highly concerned in educating every guest regarding the code of conduct at the lodge and as well as within the park.

 

One of the greatest & unique features of our buildings in our lodge is that we have not used any modern chemicals based colours for the exterior or interior white washing. The material used for exterior painting is made from the local yellow mud mixed with lime stone, which gives an ethnic look of the old India.

 

Again the only lodge where the entire open floor area is being smeared with cow dung paste mixed with husk which works as a binding material

 

 

Important: Before you travel please check your Tour Voucher and Arrival Information for the latest joining instructions. This will be sent to you upon receipt of final payment.

 

All itineraries are subject to change without prior notice.