For the wildlife enthusiast, few parts of the great Indian subcontinent can rival the remote national parks of Bandhavgarh and Kanha. Situated in Madyha Pradesh, together they enclose some 2000 sq kms of lush grassland and forest at the very heart of India. The setting for Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book, this region also has a relatively low human population. All are factors which are important in maintaining the healthiest population of that most magnificent of all India’s wild creatures - the Tiger!
Currently, there is perhaps nowhere better than the fabulous setting of Bandhavgarh to see this, the world’s ultimate feline predator. With the aid of elephants, it is sometimes possible to get close enough to seemingly smell their breath – truly a spine-tingling moment in one’s life! During our searches we should also encounter a fine variety of other mammals, including herds of the lovely Chital. With luck, we might even chance upon a pack of Dhole, the rare Indian Wild Dog. Birds will be conspicuous too, forming mixed roving parties in the woodlands at this time of year when India’s many resident species are joined by winter visitors from both Siberian and Himalayan forests. Lakes and watercourses should be attractive to an equally exciting range of wetland birds following the end of the monsoon.
After starting our birdwatching at Sultanpur near Delhi, we travel south to one of India’s largest national parks: Kanha. In post-monsoon November there should be plenty of water about, with fresh growth of grasses for the deer and antelope - and good hunting for Tigers! In March, as water becomes scarcer, the mammals become increasingly drawn to the park’s wetlands. It’s at Kanha that we might also come across a group of massive Gaur grazing silently at the forest’s edge.
Following four-nights at Kanha, we transfer to Bandhavgarh National Park. Set amid the rocky hills of the Vindhya range, Bandhavgarh is barely one-third the size of Kanha - but is simply the most reliable place in all India to regularly see and experience close encounters with Tiger! The sought-after Mottled Wood Owl, Orange-headed Thrush and beautiful Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher feature among the park’s many avian attractions.
As a fitting finale, our tour concludes with a sightseeing visit to Agra. Join us for a superb ‘Birds & Tigers’ tour, as we combine the thrill of exploring India’s top two reserves for Tiger with the marble splendour of the ethereal Taj Mahal.
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India 2010 (Heart of India)
Tiger Special!
Tour 1:
Wed 10th - Sun 21st March 2010
Leaders:
Brian Small, local guides
Tour 2:
Wed 17th - Sun 28th November 2010
Leaders:
David Cottridge, local guides
• Our ‘Tiger Special’ at the heart of India • An excellent tour for birds and mammals alike • Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks • The best chances of Tiger - at least 13 sightings on both our Nov 2007 and 2008 tours! • Leopard, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Dhole, Jungle Cat, Chital and Swamp Deer also possible • Avian highlights include Crested Serpent Eagle, Pied Harrier, Red Junglefowl, Indian Peafowl • Malabar Pied Hornbill, Black-rumped Flameback, Orange-headed Thrush, Scarlet Minivet • Concludes with sightseeing visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal
Tiger at Bandhavgarh © tour participant Don King
Picture of perfection, Indian Peafowl © Brian Small
Tour Overview
"... getting so close to Tiger as to seemingly smell its breath is truly a spine-tingling moment in one's life!..."
Brian Small (guide), India Tigers tour
Outline Itinerary
Days 1 - 2: Fly London-Delhi. Visit to Sultanpur. Delhi (2 nts)
Days 3 - 6: Fly Delhi-Jabalpur. Transfer to Kanha National Park (4 nts)
Days 7 - 9: Bandhavgarh National Park (3 nts)
Day 10: Bandhavgarh. Overnight sleeper train from Umaria-Agra
Day 11: Sightseeing Taj Mahal, Agra. Evening train to Delhi and transfer to airport
Day 12: Fly Delhi-London, arriving same morning
Trip Information
What to Expect:
A 12-day Tiger Special to the heart of India - ‘Kipling country’ - focusing on the birds and mammals of the twin Tiger reserves of Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks, and concluding with a sightseeing visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal.
Group Size:
Maximum of 12
participants plus leader/s.
Accommodation:
We use a good, medium-grade tourist hotel in Delhi, with comfortable but simple lodges elsewhere. All rooms have air-conditioning and private facilities (also, should they be needed, mosquito nets).
One night is spent on board a sleeping car train, travelling from Umaria-Agra in 2nd class air-conditioned accommodation (though simple this is the highest class available on this route), with berths arranged in two tiers. Each car is equipped with western and eastern-style WCs. An attendant travels with the carriage and provides clean linen. Please note that we have no control over the allocation of berths on the train, which are assigned solely by Indian Railways, but our guides will do their best to ensure everyone is kept together, if possible.
Meals:
All included in the price. Most meals are taken at the hotels and lodges with picnics on travelling days. As one would expect, food is generally Indian in style, though the lodges will endeavour to meet special requirements if given a little prior warning.
Walking:
Easy. Please note: owing to the presence of Tiger and other large mammals, away from the lodges and other designated areas the majority of bird and mammal-watching within India’s National Parks must be done by jeep – or elephant back! - so little opportunity for any sustained walking exists.
Travel:
We use the scheduled services of British Airways, Emirates or similar from London to Delhi. Domestic flights within India (Delhi-Jabalpur) are included within our tour price.
Ground Transport By coach (or 4WD taxis) and train (as described above), and 4WD vehicles in the National Parks. In the event of successful Tiger tracking by the mahouts, some excursions within the parks may also be made by elephant, as opportunity arises and subject to availability. Our tour cost includes provision for a maximum of two elephant rides per person. It may be possible for those that wish to arrange and pay for an additional elephant ride/s locally (again, subject to availability).
Please note that the local ‘jeeps’ are designated routes by the park authorities (i.e. we have no say in this) and it may be that the different vehicles go their own separate ways. However, each vehicle carries an experienced guide to help with the animal and bird identification, and our guides will endeavour to distribute themselves equally between all participants during our stay.
All visitors to India should keep in mind that large parts of the subcontinent are remote from regional airports, with distances that are frequently too great, too slow or too congested (sometimes all three!) to cover easily by road, making rail by far the best and most comfortable way in which to travel. There are two rail journeys on this tour: travelling overnight on the Utkal Express from Umaria-Agra in air-conditioned sleeper carriages (see above); and an evening return on the modern and comfortable Shatabdi Express from Agra-Delhi at the end of the tour (a journey of 3hrs).
Birds:
Birds: 200-240 species
Mammals:
15-25 species
Tour Cost
TOUR 1
£2995
Deposit: £400
Single Supp: £245
TOUR 2
£2995
Deposit: £400
Single Supp: £245
Cost includes Return scheduled flights London-Delhi; domestic flight Delhi-Jabalpur; all accommodation and meals; surface transport by coach and train, with 4WD vehicle and/or elephant-back in the National Parks (as described above); entrance fees at the national parks and monuments; sightseeing excursions as per itinerary; porterage; tips and airport taxes; map; bird and mammal checklist; and services of the leader/s.
Cost excludes Insurance, Indian visa costs (our office will send UK residents the necessary visa application form and guidance notes), drinks & other items of a personal nature. Camera fees in national parks, wherever these are levied (often nothing or a very small nominal charge at Sultanpur; for a video camera it is more - allow approx. £5 per day in the parks).
Travel Insurance 
Booking Conditions
Tel: 01263 578143 • Fax: 01263 579251 • Email: info@limosaholidays.co.uk
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