Overview
Nothing gets grander than this. For the wildlife lover and the die-hard tiger fan in you, we have the right plan! This 16-day-long journey will take you through five of India's most revered and fabled tiger locales. For us, these reserves are love and magic, such are the stories they hold, the experiences they bestow. It is an absolute honor to undertake this tour, almost a pilgrimage of sorts.
We start with Ranthambhore, a forest which, in the true sense of the word, puts the 'royal' in the 'Royal Bengal Tiger'. Iconic tigers like Noor and Arrowhead grace the fabled landscapes of this iconic reserve and our team will ensure you are at the right spot at the right time to observe these fantastic tigers.
After exploring the ancient forest of Ranthambhore, we move onto the fabulous woods of central India! Tadoba is our first stop, aptly regarded as the world's best place to see a tiger in the wild! Maya, Choti Tara, Matkasur, Madhuri, Sharmili, Junabai are just some of the famous cats here! After making excellent images of tigers in Tadoba, we go to Pench. Pench's white sands, beautiful rolling hills and superb sightings of leopards, wild dogs and tigers will leave us enthralled. Mataram or Collarwali, a tigress who holds the world record for having given birth to 30 cubs till date, is Pench's most sought after tiger which we shall track.
Kanha and Bandhavgarh, two of central India's colossi. These are tiger reserves known throughout the world for their gorgeous landscapes, fabulous tiger sightings and opportunities to make landmark images of tigers in their natural habitat.
These are five of our most iconic jungles and having done over two thousand combined departures to these reserves, we know what we are doing!
From selecting the right safari zone to ensuring we get the best tiger viewing and photographing opportunities, our fabulous team of naturalists, guides and well-trained safari drivers would leave you spellbound with their mastery of this craft! Our passion is infectious, our drive is contagious and our tiger tracking team is, well, very, very good! Come on this fabulous tour where we do not waste any time doing anything but tracking the gorgeous tiger! This is the iconic Indian Tiger tour – the great tiger pilgrimage!
Itinerary Day
Day 1 - Arrival in Delhi.
We arrive in Delhi and visit the iconic city of Agra located on the banks of the river Yamuna. We will head to the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous attraction by far! We spend our night in Agra after a sumptuous introductory dinner and an orientation session.
Day 2 - Reach Ranthambhore and do an afternoon safari.
We reach Sawai Madhopur in the morning and check-in at the resort. A delicious lunch would be awaiting you here, following which you get leisure time. Over lunch we will discuss our plan of action over the next few days. In the afternoon, we go on our first safari, where, we shall straight away start tracking the Royal Bengal Tiger, Ranthambhore's most glamorous denizen! As the sun sets over the Ranthambhore Fort, we return for chai-pakoda and some fun group discussion. Dinner and retire.
Day 3 & 4 - Four safari rides into the magical Ranthambhore forest.
In the form of morning and afternoon safari rounds, we take a total of 4 safaris on these 2 days. From the grassy yet rocky Kundal to the enchanting banks of Rajbaag, from the dense waterholes at Pandudeh to the mesmerizing landscapes of Maalik talab and from the high and handsome area at Semli to the dense bushes around Guda chowki, we shall explore the whole of this iconic landscape! We will hope to spend some quality time with the many natural wonders that Ranthambhore houses.
In the evenings, we spend time at the machan in the resort overlooking the forest as we sit for hot tea.
Day 5 - Explore the 1000 year-old Ranthambhore Fort.
In the morning we shall visit the magical Ranthambore fort, overlooking the entire forest! We explore this great wilderness for one last time before having lunch and then driving back to Delhi to board the flight to Nagpur. Overnight in Nagpur.
Day 6 - Drive to Tadoba. Afternoon safari.
Our favourite team of drivers would receive you at the Nagpur hotel, after your hot breakfast but before long we would be on the highway to Tadoba. Post check-in, we have lunch and without further ado, step into our wildlife attire and go for the first of our 4 jungle safaris. This would be a fantastic introduction to Tadoba and if luck is on our side, we will get our first Tiger today! The beauty of this great reserve and the astounding variety of mammals would fill your heart with joy, and cameras with images! After the safari, as our friends at the lodge serve you piping hot tea and coffee, our experts would do what they are best at - conduct a fun-filled but extremely informative session about Tadoba and its many animals. Over dinner, we have an informal talk about the nuances and tricks of wildlife photography, for the next week does require you to be at your best!
Day 7 - Morning and afternoon safaris.
We shall undertake two safaris in Tadoba today. Based on the sightings over the last few days and areas where cubs are currently found, we shall focus our attention there and spend a greater time in tracking tigers around those hotspots. Tadoba's core and buffer together harbor more than a hundred tigers and our endeavor would not only be to see as many as possible but spend quality time with them, while making some cherished images of this most iconic of nature's creations.
Day 8 - Morning safari in Tadoba. Drive to Pench.
After one last morning safari in Tadoba, we say goodbye to Maya and Matkasur and drive to Pench. Evening at leisure.
Day 9 & 10 - Morning and afternoon safaris.
We spend two entire days in the jungle and in process undertake four jungle drives. We shall explore all the famed tiger and leopard areas such as Gadsekia, Junewani, Sita Ghat, Mahadev Ghat, Saatmod, etc. Our drives and guides would give their very best to provide you with the experience you came to this fabled jungle for. After a hard day of safaring through those bumpy jungle paths, we come back to the resort for a steaming hot cuppa, some games, some sessions and a lot of fun!
Day 11 - Onward to Kanha. Afternoon safari.
The three hours' journey takes us through the beautiful Pench forest buffer before we enter the Kanha landscape. After a hot lunch, we go on our first safari drive in this beautiful forest. The entry into the reserve, the merry herds of spotted deer and the startled sambhar and the aroma of the mighty Sal woods would leave you enchanted. We come back to the resort for chai - coffee following which we have ice-breakers and introduction. An early dinner would send you into your warm beds.
Day 12 - Morning and evening jungle safaris. Overnight in Kanha.
(We spend an entire day in the jungle and in process undertake two jungle drives. We shall explore all the famed tiger areas such as the Kanha meadows, the Sonph maidans, the hills of Digdola and Salghat, the ponds near Kisli and the iconic region east of Kisli - the happening Mukki zone with Chota Munna, Dhawajhandi and many other legendary tigers. Our drivers and guides would leave no stone unturned in making this as enriching an experience as possible.
Day 13 - Morning safari in Kanha. Drive to Bandhavgarh.
We go for a morning safari in Kanha following which we move toward Bandhavgarh, the Temple of the Tiger, and our final forest on the tour.
Day 14 & 15 - Morning and evening jungle safaris. Overnight in Bandhavgarh
Four safaris in India's second most filmed national park would definitely give us the Tiger and much more. We continue exploring the woods for the many wonders that it holds. From the fabled meadows at Sehra where dwells Solo and her cubs to the mountain pass of Bagh Dalaka where we search for Dotty and her litter, and from the mysterious woods at Andhyari where lives Spotty to the bamboo woods of Khitauli, we shall explore Bandhavgarh like you have never before.
Nights would be dedicated to crackling campfires, camp stories, photography sessions and everything that Beyond Wild is known for when on camp!
Day 16 - Tour Ends!
After a sumptuous breakfast, we drive to Jabalpur and take the flight to Delhi.
Our iconic tiger tour thus comes to an end!