India Tiger Safaris - Main Attractions

India Tiger Safaris, Wildlife Safari Vacations, Pristine Palaces, Rustic Forts and Untouched Beaches...

Kanha National Park - a beautiful park with a huge diversity of fauna and flora. Kanha lies to the east of the Central Indian highlands of Madhya Pradesh in the Maikal hills. With 1,945 sq kilometres of parkland Kanha has a variable topography with flat-topped hills (500 -1,000 m.), grassy meadows, and well watered valleys that provide an excellent source of water for the diverse wildlife.

The main attraction of this park is the world famous Bengal Tiger; tiger tracking through the forests from the comfort of your jeep, or if you are lucky elephant back,  is one of the ultimate wildlife highlights and the climax of your India holiday! This striped predator blends effortlessly into the forest undergrowth making it even more of a thrill when you eventually spot one hiding in the bushes, sleeping in a fresh water pool or maybe even crossing one of the forest tracks!

Kanha's rich diversity of wildlife and strong eco-system makes this one of the best areas to track tigers in the wild. Other wildlife in the park, which provides a plentiful prey base for the predators such as tigers and leopards, includes the famous barasingha (which has been rescued from the brink of extinction), chital, sambar, wild boar, the lolloping but powerful sloth bears, jungle cats, wild dogs and a variety of reptiles mean that there is plenty to see aside from the tiger! Throughout your tiger holiday in Kanha National Park you can expect to be tracking wildlife through a variety of sal forests and bamboo thickets.

During your India tiger safari you have a choice of accommodation with one of our preferred luxury camps being Shergah - a cosy tented camp with ensuite bathrooms, located at Mukki gate, other suitable alternatives include Tuli Tiger Corridor with its luxury tents or cottages and the soon to be completed CC Africa and Taj luxury lodge.

Bandhavgarh National Park - a smaller but wildlife rich and picturesque park located approximately 4hrs by car north of Kanha National Park is another great location for an Indian tiger safari. The ruins of Bandhavgarh Fort dominate the 800m high central plateau that look out over the rocky hilltops, monsoon and sal forests of the park that are home to a variety of fauna and flora including approximately 90 tigers, 25 leopards, chital, sambar, langur monkeys, jackals and a number of birds including the crested serpent eagle, white eyed buzzard and parakeets! Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the newer members of Project Tiger but its history is believed by some experts to reach back as far as the 1st century BC; with its numerous cave systems and ancient ruins, discoveries are still being made today! Bandhavgarh is one of the highlights during your tiger holiday...

During your tiger safari in India you have a variety of luxury lodges and accommodation available including the luxury lodge of Mahua Kothi blending effortlessly into the surrounding countryside, the unique Tree House Hideaway Lodge with cosy rooms built up in the branches of trees on the park boundary, or the conservation orientated Anant Van a small and cosy camp...

Corbett Tiger Reserve/National Park - a fantastic park! Located in the foothills of the Himalayas this park feels much more remote and in combination with some of the wildlife camps available you really feel as though you are getting away from it all. Corbett is the oldest reserve in South East Asia and the third oldest in the world!

Corbett National Park has a dense prey base making it one of the best areas in India to go on a  tiger safari. Mammals that one may see on a visit include: Asiatic elephants, two species of crocodiles (Mugger & Gharial), otters, jackal, sloth bears, leopards and of course the ultimate predator, the elusive tiger the highlight of your holiday! From a census completed in 2005 there are said to be approximately 100 tigers in Corbett National Park and 85 leopards...Corbett National Park was where the world-famous Project Tiger started and is proud of its past history in conserving this endangered predator.

The Ramganga River is the main source of water running through the park and is one of the main reasons for Corbett being home to such a wide range of mammals including a herd of 450 Wild Asiatic Elephants and the avid birder having the possibility of seeing up to 550 species of bird!

Accommodation in Corbett varies in standard however the most upmarket option being the Corbett Hideaway Lodge with ensuite chalet rooms and three restaurants to choose from on site; this also has a fantastic sister property located on the border of the park called Corbett Hideaway River Lodge - as well as stunning views this provides excellent access to some great wildlife viewing including having wild elephants in the area and at the time of writing a tigress with cub and also a male tiger! Another comfortable mid-range option would be Tiger Camp - this is a cosy lodge with clean ensuite rooms located amongst tropical gardens and a thatched dining area...

Pench National Park - one of the nicer smaller wildlife parks in India with the Pench River running through it providing a great water source for tigers and leopards. The dam also provides an area for good sightings of birdlife and the larger mammals of the park. Rocky terrain and stunning scenery makes this one of the preferred locations to spot the Asian leopard in the wild and on our last visit four were spotted in the space of two days!

Lodges that we recommend during your tiger safari to Pench National Park include the luxury lodge of Baghvan which blends seemlessly into the surrounding landscape with ensuite rooms, outdoors showers and a lovely fresh water pool located above the river, excellent service and high quality local naturalists. Tuli Tiger Corridor Lodge is one of the newest lodges with a mid to upmarket option with cottages and luxury tented accommodation located around a lake. The most economical option is Pench Jungle Camp which has comfortable ensuite tents and is situated only minutes from the park entrance.

Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary - another small park of 165 sq kilometres with large grasslands bordering the mighty Brahmaputra River which floods dramatically during the wet season. This flooding therefore limits the seasons of travel to between January and May. The main reason for visiting Kaziranga as part of your Indian holiday is to get a sighting of the mighty one-horned rhino! From elephant back this can be quite a sight as the elephants often manage to approach fairly close without the rhino feeling threatened; tigers do also populate this park and there are estimated to be approximately 80 however these are rarely sighted as they are often camouflaged by the tall grass and forest cover.

Cultural Attractions - India is only just emerging as a wildlife safari destination as traditionally it has always been overshadowed by the diversity of wildlife of the African continent and the fact that it has so many breathtaking and beautiful areas of cultural interest.

The cultural interests of India are too many to go into individually on this website so please feel free to give us a call in the office to discuss the various options in more detail. Some obvious interests include the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal which took 22 years to construct by the master craftsmen of the time, the renowned Red Fort of Delhi or the forts and palaces of Rajasthan...

Beach Relaxation - along with its wildlife and culture India has some of the worlds best beaches! Why not combine a tiger safari or cultural adventure with a few days to relax at the end on the beaches of Kerala or Goa...