India Wildlife Spectacular: A Private Journey

India’s nature reserves are among the most interesting wild spaces. Our tour visits three of India’s best reserves, allowing a fantastic immersion experience with the possibility of observing the Bengal Tiger at close range and much more! After meeting in Delhi, we will begin in earnest with an incursion into the heart tiger country of Madhya Pradesh (“middle province”). In the dramatic Bandhavgarh, we’ll discover a hilly mosaic of forest and savannah hosting an abundance of Chital, India’s signature deer. We’ll be attuned to the sounds of various creatures alerting us to tigers, which can be elusive due to the dense vegetation. One could appear at a moment’s notice. In Kanha, gentle hillsides and plains cloaked in towering Sal trees evoke Kipling’s The Jungle Book with their mystical air as the eerie calls of the Blue Peafowl resonate. The interspersed rich grassy meadows are home to herds of the very local Southern Swamp Deer in addition to the Chital. We should see the impressive Gaur, the world’s largest bovine, and we’ll watch for Sloth Bear, Striped Hyena, Wild Boar, Sambar, Four-horned Antelope, Barking Deer, Golden Jackal, Dhole (Indian Wild Dog), Leopard, and a number of lesser mammals in both of these reserves.

The most enthralling moments may take place at Kaziranga near the banks of the mythical Brahmaputra River in India’s great northeast. This is a noted refuge for the Indian One-horned Rhinoceros and Asian Elephant, both of which we expect to observe. We may hear the resonant cries of the Western Hoolock Gibbon – India’s only ape – amidst a host of other sounds. Tigers may hide in the dense stands of tall grasses but we will keep close watch as we set forth.

India’s bird life is nothing short of phenomenal, and we could conceivably spot more than 200 species during this tour. Although we cannot step down from our jeeps just anywhere inside reserves, we will be able to see many birds from our vehicles and will have opportunity for focused birding around our lodges, which should offer some great sightings! We’ll also have great opportunities to become familiar with India’s fine native flora and we’ll watch for anything else of interest as there will be so much. There should be fantastic photographic opportunities all around.