India is vast and there is so much to see. But in 18 days: you can experience some of India’s unforgettable wildlife – from endemic to endangered species – let’s get to it!
From the Old and New Delhi, Ruins of Mughal Empire, you will venture it all with a rickshaw ride, then zipping a flight to Kanha to sight tigers and tour the Bandhavgarh National Park. Then onward to experience more wildlife at Pench and Satpura National Parks. Jeep safaris, boat safaris and walking safaris – we have got it all ready for you!
A great highlight next: you’ll travel back to Delhi to board your flight which will be followed by a road trip to reach and see a rare creature: the rhinoceros as well as other wildlife creatures in the Kaziranga National Park. After that incredible trip, you will fly back to Delhi, then we will transfer you to the airport, for your flight back home or your onward destination.
Read MoreWe have handpicked an assortment of comfortable Lodges and Hotels, with the minimum transfer time to get to them from the city & to reach the parks – giving you more time to enjoy your stay, the many wildlife safaris, and even some attractions in between.
Ideal For – Adventure seekers/ Solo travellers/ couples/ friends / families with teenagers / small groups consisting of friends and family.
As this journey is available throughout the year, it is ideal for those who have busy schedules and are uncertain about the period of their holidays.
Highlights at glance
- You’ll be in Delhi, India’s capital city and visit the ruins of the Mughal Empire as well as check out New Delhi – all on a rickshaw ride – getting you about quicker and gaining a truer experience of local culture and lifestyle.
- Then onward to Bandhavgarh National Park. In most parks you have to be lucky to see a tiger – in Bandhavgarh you have to be unlucky to not see a tiger!
- Another safari at the Kanha National Park. Among the highlights of this park is to see 2 endangered species:the Tiger and the Barasingha in their natural habitat.
- GIven your penchant for wildlife, we will take you to Pench National Park. The park with its expansive land boasts the highest density of herbivores in any Indian park.
- Then onto you Satpura National Park where you can roam around learning and identifying the wilderness of this park. Enjoy your adventure here by Jeep Safaris, Boat Safaris and Walking Safaris.
- Finally, a sight of a rare creature existing in this world, the rhinoceros, a unique blessing of the Kaziranga National Park, Assam in North Eastern India.
01st Night: India’s Capital Delhi
A city that offers both ancient and modern day India, is Delhi. Not only the nation’s capital city it is the third largest city in India and one of the fastest growing in Asia. The various ancient ruins seen in the city are seemingly silent witnesses to its magnificent history. Old Delhi brings to focus a maze of narrow, maddening alleys and back roads amidst old buildings betraying a colonial past but not overshadowing freshly prepared, piping-hot street food and vendors wooing you to yards of colourful materials and an assortment of craft. Juxtaposed is New Delhi, hi-tech, shopping malls, wide roads and a never-ending bustle of shoppers, teenagers and visitors from all over the country. You’ll find anything to everything: cosmopolitan New Delhi never sleeps.
On your arrival at the International Airport in Delhi, our representative will receive and escort you to your hotel. You will have the time to unwind and chill in your room, perhaps exploring the hotel and its facilities. Talking to the hotel staff is a great way to get first hand details about the city, if you like to do that.
02nd, 03rd & 04th Nights: Bandhavgarh
Spread on the Vindhya Hills of Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh reaches about 105 sq km and boasts of India’s highest density of tigers. The Park consists of sal trees and a mixed forest of bamboo, flatland, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests – once the hunting grounds of the Maharaja of Rewa.
A Morning Safari awaits you – which in the winter months would require some warm clothing. Accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park tracker in a 4x 4 jeep, the whole drive comes alive with your tracker who keeps a track of the tigers’ movements by checking their spoor of the tigers and listening to the warning calls of animals – in a bid to sight the tigers of Bandhavgarh. Energised by a picnic breakfast, this safari will truly be an adventure.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to board your flight to Jabalpur. The flight will be 2 hours and upon arrival in Jabalpur, you will be driven to Bandhavgarh. This road trip will cover 160 kms, and the drive will take about 3 hours to cover.
The Park takes its name from the Bandhavgarh Fort which is located on top of the highest (800m) hill in this region. The origins of this fort are thought to be at least 2000 years old. The fort is surrounded by 32 smaller flat-topped hills covered by a maze of well forested valleys and flatlands.
Home to more than 25 species of mammals and 250 species of birds, Bandhavgarh boasts of 80 types of butterflies and a variety of reptiles. Bandhavgarh has always been an excellent tiger habitat and is known for India’s highest density of tigers. Trackers will be on the lookout not just for tigers but also the likes of panthers, wolves, hyenas, sambar and barking deer, sloth bears and so much more.
05th, 06th & 07th Nights: Kanha
You will make your way to Kanha by car. The drive will take you through rural countryside eventually stopping in the sleepy town of Mandla (sacred city for Gond tribes) where the Narmada River, second holiest to the Ganges, is the centre of activity. Enroute you will briefly break journey to enjoy your picnic lunch.
We will be staying with the family whose commitment to Tiger Conservation goes back 3 generations. Kailash Sankhala, initiated and is the founder of Project Tiger Reserves. The Kanha Jungle Lodge and the travel company you are travelling with in India – belong to this conservationist family. You will have the first hand opportunity to interact with them and discover what inspires their commitment to Tiger Conservation.
After one more Morning Safari at Bandhavgarh National Park, we drive on to Kanha. This is a 4 hour journey covering 200 km.
You will start your day with a Morning Safari in a 4×4 jeep accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest guide. They will take you on trails for optimum sightings of Kanha National Park. There will be a break for lunch and a good rest before returning for the Afternoon Safari by 4×4 open jeep. Kanha’s mixed forests, grasslands (known as ‘maidan’) and vast meadows create the ideal habitat for grazing by chital or spotted deer (Barasingha). Famously known for its vast spread of Sal forest, referred to as ”the Ngorongoro of India”, where the Barasingha frequent midst its teak and bamboo trees – brought back from the brink of extinction.
08th, 09th & 10th Nights: Pench National Park
With five corridors stretching through three states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, the seven tiger reserves of Satpura-Maikal region are very special. The Kanha-Pench landscape is vital for both wildlife protection and natural resource-based livelihoods. The Parks have played a huge role in conserving the Tiger and the Swamp deer (the Barasingha) – both endangered and vulnerable species. Simultaneously, sustaining the biodiversity of the area and the fact that it is a watershed for Narmada river has been important – while accommodating and monitoring mining, infrastructural work and agricultural activities by human communities, just outside the protected zones. The management of the Parks, its wildlife and people’s livelihoods, makes the Satpura-Maikal region a unique case study for environmental and social issues.
After enjoying a final Morning Safari at Kanha National Park, you will drive to Pench National Park which is located in the state of Madya Pradesh and is the 19th Project Tiger Reserve. This is a fairly long drive of 4 to 5 hours. You should be able to take a break along this 240 km journey.
Early Morning & Evening Game Safaris in the Pench National Park. After checking in at the Jamtara Wilderness Camp, you will set off to enjoy one of your Safaris in Pench, in 4×4 open jeeps. You will be accompanied by a resident naturalist and a forest guide. An area characterised by prominent teak trees amidst grassy patches and mixed forests, Pench is a habitat rich in fauna and flora. Leopard, tiger, Sloth bear, Jungle cat, Wild dog (Dhole) to Spotted deer (known as Cheetal) and Sambar deer, the biodiversity of this Park will keep you alert to all there is to see and experience.
11th, 12th & 13th Nights - Satpura
The Satpura National Park is a dynamic place for wildlife adventure. Besides Jeep Safaris which is the most effective way to explore large areas, Satpura National Park offers you Boat Safaris as well as Walking Safaris.
If you are a fan of aquatic birds and amphibious wildlife, then you may be tempted to try a canoe or motor boat to explore along the Park’s waterways. Similarly, if you like taking your time and just immersing yourself in the wilderness and admiring the not so prominent members of the Park: such as squirrels, butterflies, snakes and birds – then a Walking Safari is a perfect way to enjoy this experience.
After your Morning Jungle Safari, we will get you on the road, driving to Satpura. This is a 220 km road trip that will take roughly 5 hours. You will get the chance to break the journey and give those legs a much-needed stretch. Nestled in the Mahadeo Hills, Satpura National Park stretches over 1400 sq km and abounds with mountains, waterfalls, sandstone peaks and most importantly, it is a tiger habitat. The Sal and Teak trees are quite prominent amongst the rich biodiversity of dense jungles and wooded forests. The Park has about 50 tigers, deer, the endangered Indian skimmer and geckos!
We will take you on a Morning and Afternoon game drive. Perhaps a Boat Safari or a Walking Safari around the camp or village. The Tawa reservoir is a great picturesque body of water and when it recedes in the summer, proves the breeding ground for the Indian skimmer. The four-horned antelope, Indian giant squirrel, Indian gaur, among other residents of the Park can be seen. The tiger and the leopard do like to keep a low profile but your tracker will be scouting them out.
Before a final goodbye to your wildlife adventures in Satpura, we will take you for one last Morning Safari by… the choice is yours really! Whether you want to take a walk, boat ride or the jeep. Right after lunch, you will be taken to the Bhopal Airport to board a flight for Delhi. This drive will take about 3.5 hours as we cover 120 km.
15th, 16th & 17th Nights - Kaziranga
After breakfast, you will betransferred to the airport to board your flight for Guwahati. On your arrival in Gawahati after a 2.5 hour flight, you will be transferred to The Kaziranga National Park within 4 to 5 hours’ time. This is India’s famous natural habitat of the Great Indian Rhinoceros. A feature only seen at this park in the entire country.
During your visit to Kaziranga you may also visit Tea Gardens and the local villages. The Park itself is located in the state of Assam.
Located in the Assam region, the Kaziranga National Park is a key sanctuary as it is home to two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros. The Park is also a designated UNESCO World Heritage SIte. Although difficult to sight due to a landscape of tall grasses, it is also been a Tiger Reserve since 2006. Just as prominent are the Asian Elephants which roam in their herds here. The Park has several other mammal species to sight, such as : sambar and swamp deer, hoolock gibbon, capped langur, water buffalo and gaur – to name a few. The rich biodiversity of this area makes it home to over 400 species of avifauna. Migratory birds count for over 100 species that come to the Park to enjoy its abundance of food and water, in addition to it being a good breeding ground. Birds as far as Siberia make it to Kaziranga. You may spot: Hornbills, Greater and Lesser Adjutant Storks, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle, Spotted Owl among many other birds. The Assam roofed turtle, water monitor, Indian python, common cobra and king cobra – make up the Park’s reptilian family.
At the Kaziranga National Park, you will spend two days of Morning and Evening Jungle Safaris in 4×4 jeeps. Whether you are an avid birdwatcher, on the lookout for the: Bengal Florican, Swamp Partridge, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Green Imperial Pigeon, Silver-Breasted Broadbill or Jerdon’s Bushchat – this Park is a wondrous place to see the Great One-horned rhinoceros, tigers and elephants among all the other wildlife to be captivated by. Delight yourself by the sight of Hoolock gibbon primates taking to the trees, or deer scampering when alerted.
After breakfast and check out, you will be transferred to Guwahati airport to board your flight to Delhi. This flight will last 3 hours. On your arrival in Delhi, you will be taken to your hotel to refresh yourself and prepare for your onward journey. We will make sure you reach the Delhi Airport on time for check in, for your onward flight to your next destination. We welcome Solo travellers and Groups consisting of friends and family. Please do contact us for an attractive and customised quote – we are here to plan it all, so that you enjoy the journey, the adventure!
What more to add?
You may see the hotels which we have handpicked for you under each accomadation style. However, there are hundreds of other alternative properties for you to select if you wish to and you may mix and match hotels in different categories as well.
Modest
Accommodation
$ 2,000
1-2 persons
$ 3,000
3-4 persons
$ 4,000
5-6 persons
If you’re looking for a no-frills stay that’s easy on the wallet, and love to spend time with locals and explore the surroundings at your own pace, this is the perfect choice for you. This hotel style is wonderfully cosy, unique, mostly owner-run and provides you with a more personalised service.
Plush
Accommodation
$ 3,000
1-2 persons
$ 4,000
3-4 persons
$ 5,000
5-6 persons
Indulgence without breaking the bank? Well, this is the category for you. Personalised and high-quality service, attention to detail, comfort and all modern amenities are hallmarks of this category, whilst being situated in some amazing locations.
Dreamy
Accommodation
$ 1,000
1-2 persons
$ 2,000
3-4 persons
$ 3,000
5-6 persons
The absolute best in comfort and experience, these high-end properties will make your jaw drop! Unique designs, private plunge pools, personal butlers… the list goes on at these boutique properties. Luxury here is not about star ratings and amenities, it’s about being away from crowds and having authentic, personalised experiences.
Everything you need to know about the tour
We’ve taken every possible measure to ensure your safety and comfort during this tour.
The hotels, tours, add-ons, guides and chauffeurs who are part of this programme are carefully vetted, so that you enjoy the highest quality standards and enjoy your tour with peace of mind. At any given point of the tour you will always be within reach of your guide or chauffeur, either physically or via phone (e.g: when you are out exploring on your own), for any assistance.
The important stuff:
- Airfare is quoted on the basis of the best available average fare which is subject to change. This fare can be low or can be higher at the time of booking. Exact fare will be advised at the time of booking.
- Kindly note that on every Wednesday afternoon the safari drives are not conducted in all the National Parks in Madhya Pradesh. However, alternatively we can organise various activities at the lodges like nature walk/bird watching in and around the lodges.
- Standard check in time is 1400 hrs and check out time is 1200 noon at most of the hotels.
Included:
- Accommodation on double/twin sharing basis at hotels in their base category (unless otherwise specified) mentioned or in similar category with meals as indicated (B, L, D stand for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively).
- All meals with a combination of packed lunch / hot lunches to be served as required depending upon feasibility.
- Services of Air Conditioned Toyota Innova Crysta for all transfers, sightseeing and drives.
- Safari on an exclusive basis in Kanha & Bandhavgarh National Parks by 4X4 Open jeep inclusive of entry fee to park, resident naturalist services and local onsite naturalist.
- Shared safari at Satpura National Park
- Services of resident naturalist services at Kaziranga National Park.
- Exclusive Jeep Safaris by 4 x 4 open jeeps at Kaziranga National Park inclusive of entry fee to park
- Meeting / assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport / railway station and during check in/out at hotels in major cities.
- Mandatory Government service tax
Not Included:
- Any Airfare, any insurance fee (supplement given for domestic sector)
- Anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any Visa fee (India Visa is a must for all the visitors before boarding on their flight except nationals of 11 countries who enjoy visa on arrival. For more details visit Indian Visa https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/)
- Services of accompanying escort.
- Any optional tour.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tipping, table drinks, laundry, tip, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks, still/video camera fee (if any) etc. However, supplements for the same have been quoted above.
- Anything ordered from room service at any hotel including mineral water (other than what is being offered by the hotels on their complimentary basis).
- Any sudden increase in price due to steep hike in fuel cost, change in government tax policy or for any reason beyond our control like natural calamity, law and order situation, riots etc. and any forced change in itinerary for any unforeseen situation or reason beyond our control.
About pricing:
Although it may sound strange for a tropical country, Sri Lankan hotels operate on seasonal rates. This is simply due to a particular region having attractions or weather that’s best enjoyed during a specific time of the year and also due to the demand coinciding with the European winter season. So it’s not uncommon to have two rates that apply on different dates in the same month.
But to make things less complicated for you, Experiential Journeys does things differently by giving you the lowest season ball-park rate on the website, and follows up with the exact rate upon receiving an inquiry or booking request along with the confirmed travel dates. You will not be charged anything until the final price is agreed upon.
Experiential Journeys is an Australian based company and uses AUD as the main currency. We serve a global community of travellers predominantly from New Zealand, U.K., U.S.A., Canada & U.A.E.