Down to earth holidays

Description

This tiger tour in India offers you the best chance of spotting tigers in the wild as it takes you on safari in both Bandhagarh and Kanha National Parks, both well known for their tiger populations.

The scenery at both parks is truly beautiful and they are sufficiently different to each other to merit being visited on the same trip. As well as tigers, there is a good chance of seeing a wide variety of Indian wildlife, including leopard, hyena, wolf, jackal, deer and monkeys. Accommodation in the parks is in small lodges offering simple accommodation and attentive service.

Your tiger tour starts in the capital, Delhi, and includes a half day guided sightseeing tour to give you an insight into the history and culture of this great city. You travel on to Bandhavgarh by overnight train and car, arriving in time for afternoon game viewing. There are two more full days for you to spend exploring this lovely park with its varied habitats and expert guides will ensure excellent game viewing.

You’ll continue to Kanha where, again, you have 2 full days of game viewing activities, including game drives, elephant-back safaris and guided nature walks. Kanha boasts a high density of wildlife and has some truly stunning scenery, making a magnificent backdrop to your game drives. Visits to local villages can also be arranged.

On completion of your tiger safari tour you will travel back to Delhi, where the rest of the day is free for sightseeing, shopping or simply relaxing at the hotel, located in Connaught Place in the heart of New Delhi.

Detailed Itinerary

1. DAY 1: On arrival in Delhi you will be met and transferred to your hotel, located in the Connaught Place, right in the centre of New Delhi. This afternoon you have a guided tour of Delhi to help you get your bearings and show you some of the main sights of this vibrant capital city.  With over 13 million people, this is a busy city with a full and rich history. The site has been in continuous occupation since at least the 6th century BC and has since been rebuilt several times. There are numerous historical sites and monuments throughout the city, testaments to its varied past.
   
   
2. DAY 2: A free morning in Delhi, after which you are transferred to the train station for the overnight journey to Katni. You are travelling in first class air conditioned compartments. (B)
   
   
3. DAY 3: You arrive in Katni in the early morning and are driven to Bandhavgarh. After settling in to your accommodation, which is conveniently situated close to the main park gate, you are taken on your first game drive of the trip and your first glimpse of the beautiful scenery this park has to offer. The lodge arranges evening wildlife talks and employs in-house naturalists who are able to provide further insight into this special region and its wildlife. (L, D)
   
   
4. DAYS 4-5: Two full days of game viewing in the national park. Bandhavgarh has varied terrain, with fields of Sal forest, deciduous forest and grassland plains. Apart from the tigers, Bandhavgarh is home to a wide range of other species including Sambar deer, spotted deer, four-horned antelope and Nilgai or blue bull, the largest Asian antelope. Jungle cat, hyena, wild boar and Indian wolf are also regularly sighted. The elusive leopard is rarely seen, but you may be lucky! There are also numerous primates and about 250 species of birds, so there will be plenty to see on your game drives. (B, L, D)
   
   
5. DAY 6: After breakfast you leave Bandhavgarh and drive to Kanha, arriving in time for afternoon game viewing. In the evening relax at the jungle resort. This is a small, comfortable lodge, with good food and a swimming pool. There are often evening presentations and film shows about Kanha National Park and tiger conservation. The lodge also has a resident naturalist who is happy to talk to guests about all aspects of the park. (B, L, D)
   
   
6. DAYS 7-8: These days are devoted to game viewing in Kanha. Surrounding the national park is a large buffer area and together these make up the Kanha Tiger Reserve, one of the largest tiger reserves in the world. The vegetation consists mainly of Sal forest, along with some bamboo forests and grasslands. While searching for tigers you are sure to see some of the other 22 species of mammals and the 200 or so species of bird. These will be full days and between game drives you can relax at the lodge and maybe take a dip in the pool. (B, L, D)
   
   
7. DAY 9: Leaving Kanha you travel to Jabalpur, where lunch is provided at Hotel Krishna. Later you board the overnight train back to Delhi. (B, L)
   
   
8. DAY 10: On arrival I Delhi you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to do as you wish. You may choose to do some shopping or simply relax at the hotel. There will also be the option for some additional guided sightseeing (at own expense).
   
   
9. DAY 11: Transfer to the airport for your flight or onward travel arrangements. (B)

Is it for you?

This is an easy trip not requiring any special level of fitness. Accommodation is simple but comfortable. The emphasis is very much on the game viewing. The trip includes 2 overnight 1st class air-conditioned train journeys.

Best times to go

Bandhavgarh and Kanha close in the monsoon from 1st July to 30th September. The best time for wildlife is in the hotter months between April and June when animals are using regular watering spots. It can be very hot from mid-April and if this is a problem for you then you should stick to the cooler months prior to this, when wildlife viewing is still extremely good. It is cool from mid-October to the end of February and wet from June to mid-October.

Getting there

You need to fly and in to and out of Delhi if you’re only doing this trip. We can arrange your flights for you as required, so please contact us if you would like us to help you with this.

Responsible Travel

How your holiday helps:
Employment of local people as drivers and guides and lodge staff at the National Park areas.
Staying in homestays benefits the local family and community.

Carbon Offsetting:
For every client we take on holiday we plant 10 indigenous tree saplings. This is used as a poverty alleviation and biodiversity scheme as well as helping with carbon offsetting. Click for more details…

Giving to grassroots projects:
Our registered charity, The Tribes Foundation, is currently raising funds for a project in Tanzania. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference, so if you’re a travel philanthropist considering donating to a worthwhile charity, please consider backing this excellent community project.

The Nila Foundation provides recreation, snacks, knowledge, and healthy addiction-free life for the children, women and men of Nal area in the state of Gujarat. It also focuses on respecting nature, diverse cultures and religions, and provides herbal medicines. It has introduced the KaamKaaj program, providing fabric for women to make clothes to sell, and is aiming to introduce sewing classes for the unemployed. One of the Foundation’s criteria is that the men and women who work for it must educate their daughters.

We will shortly have a page with photos of the project on http://www.the-tribes-foundation.org/.

Shop ethically:
If you support buying fair trade, ethical and organic goods, please take a look at our online ethical shop for books, maps, travel gadgets, first aid kits etc before you travel. This is also a great place to find organic goodies and handmade crafts, many made in the countries and areas that we visit. Shop at Tribes Trading.

FOR MORE GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL POLICIES, CLICK HERE.

Comments

Trip Code: IN2

Validity: 1-1-09 to 30-06-10

Individual Trip Dates & Prices

2+ people can take this holiday on most days of the year, subject to availability. Please call us to check availability.

Price: 

March 09 to June 2010: £1360 pp (for 2 travelling)

Pricing Notes:

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Duration: 11 days

Included
All accommodation, meals as per the itinerary, all transfers and game viewing (10 game drives), road transport in air conditioned cars, rail journeys in air conditioned 1st class compartments.

Not Included
Meals not specified, tips, insurance, visas, international flights, items of a personal nature.