Central India Tigers

Itinerary

Day 0: Delhi

You will be met and transferred to the hotel.

Depending on your arrival time, we can arrange some birding in the Delhi area, such as at Okhla Bird Sanctuary. Despite the pressures of an urban population approaching 20 million people, this small sanctuary on the banks of the polluted Yamuna River offers some excellent birding, with a good chance of the resident Striated Grassbird, Striated Babbler and possibly White-tailed Stonechat.

Day 1: Delhi to Jabalpur to Kanha National Park

With a local flight from Delhi airport to Jabalpur, this exciting tour begins. On arrival we will transfer to Kanha Tiger Reserve, check in at the hotel and settle in for the first night’s stay.

Days 2 – 3: Kanha Tiger Reserve

The most famous and largest of the national parks in Central India, Kanha Tiger Reserve hosts a similar array of wildlife to Bandhavgarh, but also herds of Swamp Deer or Barasingha. The “hard-ground” southern subspecies, which is found exclusively here, was once close to extinction but now thrives in the picturesque Kanha meadows.

Our two full days will include morning and afternoon safaris. (Note that the park is closed for safaris on Wednesday afternoons, so if our stay here includes a Wednesday, we will have the afternoon for some local sightseeing or birding, or at leisure.)

Day 4: Kanha to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

After breakfast, check out and drive to Bandhavgarh National Park (5.5 hours), arriving in time for a late lunch. Then out on the afternoon jeep safari to the national park for tiger tracking and wildlife viewing.

Days 5 – 6: Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is situated in the Vindhyan Hills of Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh. The name Bandhavgarh (literally “Brother’s Fort” in Sanskrit) comes from the largest hill in the area, and the prominent fortress at the top. The landscape is a mix of hills and plains, with mixed forests and grasslands. There is a wide range of flora and fauna here, with one of the highest densities of tigers in the world. It also has a good population of Leopards, and a large prey base of Spotted Deer or Chital, Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, and Nilgai. Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Striped Hyena and Four-horned Antelope or Chousingha may also be seen with a bit of luck, whilst rarer mammals include Caracal. Gaur are present in the park having been introduced from Kanha – the native population unfortunately all died from a disease passed on from domestic cattle.

We have two full days with morning and afternoon safaris in different ranges of the park, which will maximise our chances of seeing tigers. (Note that, as with Kanha, the park is closed for safaris on Wednesday afternoons.)

Day 7: Bandhavgarh to Jabalpur to Delhi

After our early morning arrival, we will drive to our lodge at Bandhavgarh in time for lunch and our first afternoon safari in the National Park.

Day 8: Depart

After breakfast it is time to check out and drive to Jabalpur, where we will catch a flight back to Delhi.

Important information

As with all Bubo Birding tours, your booking is handled by Asian Adventures.

All our tours are guided by experienced local birding guides, with the support of Mike Prince in the planning, plus post-trip if you are struggling to identify some species from your photos! Mike also leads a few of these trips himself, and this will be made clear to you in the initial planning.

• Prices quoted are per person, assuming a group of 4 or more people.
• International flights are excluded.
• All travellers will require valid visas. Please apply via https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/. Most travellers will be able to apply for an eVisa, and we recommend doing this 6-8 weeks in advance of your trip, although they are usually issued in a few days.
• We may change the itinerary described due to various reasons such as latest birding information, availability of accommodation, state of the roads, and other unexpected factors that, this being India, do pop up from time to time!
• The price includes most meals, except typically where there are options at different prices and it makes sense for guests to decide for themselves at the time. See Asian Adventures for details.
• The final price and itinerary will be confirmed before booking and depending on your expected arrival and departure plans.

See Asian Adventures for full tour details, including accommodation, meal plans, what's included, other exclusions, prices for different group sizes, single room supplements, cancellation policy, and booking process.