Tigers & Leopards of India : A Big Cats Wildlife Journey

Arrive in Delhi, where a private representative greets you and escorts you to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to relax or take a guided orientation walk to experience the city’s contrasts—from tree-lined avenues and monuments to hidden bazaars. This first day allows you to decompress from your journey while gaining an initial sense of the cultural backdrop that shapes India’s landscapes and wildlife. In the evening, enjoy dinner at leisure and rest before beginning your journey towards the forests and tiger territories of Central India tomorrow.

Today offers an immersive introduction to Delhi’s layered identity. Explore Old Delhi’s narrow lanes, aromatic markets and grand Mughal-era landmarks before transitioning to New Delhi’s spacious avenues, colonial architecture and serene gardens. Visit highlights such as Jama Masjid, India Gate or Humayun’s Tomb, depending on your interests and timing. Your guide weaves together stories connecting Delhi’s past to modern India, offering depth before your wildlife journey begins. After sightseeing, return to the hotel for a relaxed evening. Tomorrow, you leave the capital behind and travel into Pench National Park, the first major landscape of your India tiger safari experience.

After breakfast, you fly to Nagpur and continue by road into Pench National Park, a scenic journey revealing the gradual transition from city life to wilderness. On arrival, check in and enjoy time at leisure before your first briefing with the lodge’s naturalist. Depending on your timing, you may explore the property’s trails or observe wildlife visiting the waterholes nearby. Pench’s landscape, known for inspiring Kipling’s Jungle Book, blends teak forests, open grasslands and seasonal streams. This afternoon remains relaxed to prepare you for tomorrow’s early morning safari as your India tiger safari adventure begins.

Your morning and afternoon safaris explore different zones of Pench, giving you varied perspectives of its forests and meadows. The park supports a strong tiger presence, but sightings often unfold through subtle signs—alarm calls, pugmarks or movement in the undergrowth. Your guide interprets these clues as you navigate the terrain in search of Pench’s predators and prey. The diversity of landscapes allows encounters with spotted deer, gaur, wild boar, langurs and numerous birds. Return to your lodge between drives for rest before heading out again in softer afternoon light.

After one final Pench safari, you depart for Kanha National Park, a beautiful drive through rural Madhya Pradesh. The scenery gradually transforms into rolling meadows and broad sal forests, characteristic of Central India’s most picturesque tiger reserve. Arrive at your lodge mid-afternoon and settle in before an orientation with your naturalist. The evening is at leisure to enjoy the property’s surroundings or relax by a firepit as the forest darkens. Kanha’s landscapes, famed for inspiring conservation history, set the stage for the next chapter of your India tiger safari adventure.

This morning begins with a scenic transfer into Kanha’s lush sal forests. After settling into your lodge, your naturalist introduces you to the park’s varied habitats, from the sunlit meadows of Kanha zone to denser forests harbouring shy leopards and sloth bears. Depending on timings, you may enjoy a slow nature walk around the lodge, observing birds and smaller mammals. This transition sets the tone for the next phase of your India wildlife tour, where extended game drives offer opportunities to track tigers across one of the country’s most inspiring wilderness landscapes.

Today’s morning and afternoon safaris explore two contrasting regions of Kanha, offering a rich variety of landscapes and potential wildlife encounters. Your naturalist interprets signs such as fresh pugmarks, alarm calls and movement within the grasslands to anticipate tiger activity. You may also see barasingha grazing in marshes, langurs perched on branches or gaur moving through forest edges. Kanha’s birdlife is equally impressive, with hornbills, barbets and raptors frequently sighted. Between safaris, enjoy lunch and relaxation at your lodge before heading out again into golden afternoon light for further wildlife viewing.

Begin with a final Kanha safari, exploring areas that may reveal last-minute sightings of tigers, leopards or sloth bears. After returning to the lodge for breakfast, you depart for Bandhavgarh—a scenic journey through villages and forests. Arrive mid-afternoon and settle into your lodge before an orientation with your naturalist. Bandhavgarh’s dramatic cliffs, bamboo thickets and ancient fort make it visually distinct from Kanha. This shift prepares you for the next stage of your India tiger safari journey, with opportunities for exceptional photographic encounters.

Your morning safari begins in the soft light filtering through Bandhavgarh’s towering sal and bamboo forests. The park’s high tiger density means your guide pays close attention to fresh tracks, alarm calls and movement along ridges or water sources. Leopards, sambar deer, langurs and diverse birdlife also contribute to the region’s ecology. Return to your lodge for lunch and rest before your afternoon safari explores a complementary zone of the park. Bandhavgarh’s rugged terrain and potential for close tiger encounters make today a highlight of your India wildlife tour.

Begin your day with one final Bandhavgarh safari, exploring a new area of the park in hopes of witnessing fresh predator movement at dawn. After returning to the lodge for breakfast, depart for Jabalpur Airport for your flight to Udaipur. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and enjoy a relaxed evening. This essential transit stop ensures comfortable pacing within your India wildlife tour, preventing long overland journeys and preparing you for the next chapter. Tomorrow, you leave Udaipur and drive into the distinctive granite landscapes of Jawai—home to India’s most remarkable leopard–human coexistence stories.

After your flight from Jabalpur, today is intentionally unhurried. Depending on arrival time, enjoy a slow afternoon to rest and reset. Udaipur’s lakeside setting and calm rhythm provide a soothing contrast to the forests explored earlier. Your guide briefs you on the upcoming leopard safaris in Jawai, explaining how this dramatic granite landscape differs from the national parks you have just experienced. The remainder of the day is yours to relax and prepare for tomorrow’s scenic drive into one of India’s most distinctive big cat environments.

Your journey to Jawai begins with a scenic 4.5–5-hour drive from Jaipur, passing rural settlements, rocky plateaus and the first hints of the granite hills that define this region. After checking into your lodge and enjoying a short break, you head out for your first afternoon leopard safari Jawai Rajasthan, exploring territories where leopards live in close harmony with Rabari pastoral communities. The open landscape offers exceptional visibility, often revealing leopards on boulders or near cave entrances. This introduction sets the tone for the distinctive rhythm of your India big cats safari in Jawai.

Today’s safaris explore additional leopard territories, often focusing on hill systems where females shelter young or dominant males patrol their ranges. Your naturalist interprets fresh tracks, livestock movement and vantage points to anticipate leopard activity. Jawai’s broader story emerges through insights into Rabari communities, whose coexistence with leopards underpins the region’s unique ecological balance. Between drives, enjoy the quiet of your lodge or a guided walk. As your India big cats safari nears its close, today blends wildlife excitement with meaningful cultural depth.

Enjoy one last safari in Jawai, watching the granite hills come alive as morning light reveals subtle wildlife movement across the slopes. After breakfast, check out and begin your scenic drive to either Udaipur or Jodhpur, depending on your flight plans. The journey offers a gentle transition from wilderness back to city landscapes. Upon arrival, settle into a hotel near the airport or proceed directly to your departure terminal. This day completes the wildlife portion of your India big cats safari, blending adventure with seamless travel.