India’s Tigers On A Budget – With Private Game Drives
Tour Introduction
Seeing a majestic Bengal tiger softly padding through a forest in its natural habitat is surely one of the greatest wildlife experiences there is and this itinerary has been designed to offer just that – and more. Staying in reasonably priced accommodation close to three of the very best National Parks for tigers, this itinerary is perfect for the big cat enthusiast. Spending good amounts of time in each of the locations affords not only ample tiger watching opportunities but also the chance to see a wide variety of other wildlife including leopard, jungle cat, packs of Asian wild dog, sloth bear, mongoose and abundant birds. Private game drives mean that you are not having to compromise with any of your wildlife sightings and you are sure to return home with a renewed respect and enthusiasm for India and its truly diverse fauna.
Full Itinerary
Arrival Jabalpur. Met on arrival and transfer to Kanha National Park and to your lodge.
Staying at Tuli Tiger Resort. Includes Lunch and Dinner.
A full day of morning and afternoon private safaris in the park. Kanha was the setting for The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, and is noted for the last remaining population of the hard-ground race of the swamp deer, known as the barasingha. The park is mostly forest with hills topped by sizeable plateaus (locally called dadars) characterized by extensive grasslands. The rich habitat supports abundant herbivores including spotted and sambar deer, muntjack, gaur and the rare four-horned antelope. The park is among the best places in the world to see tigers and is also home to leopard, sloth bear, mongoose, golden jackal and dhole (Asian wild dog).
Staying at Tuli Tiger Resort. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon private game drives in the park.
Staying at Tuli Tiger Resort. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon private game drives in the park.
Staying at Tuli Tiger Resort. Includes All Meals.
Transfer to Pench National Park and enjoy an afternoon game drive. Pench is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hill range. Most of the park is covered by small hills, beautiful dry deciduous forest and rolling grassland. There is a healthy population of both tiger and leopard here, and with luck dhole and sloth bear can be seen. There is a wide variety of other wildlife too, such as reptiles including rock pythons and abundant birdlife including grey-headed fish eagle, Malabar pied hornbill and Indian pitta.
Staying at Tuli Tiger Corridor. Includes All Meals.
Enjoy a full day of private morning and afternoon game drives in the park in search of tigers and other wildlife.
Staying at Tuli Tiger Corridor. Includes All Meals.
Enjoy another full day of private morning and afternoon game drives in the park in search of tigers and other wildlife.
Staying at Tuli Tiger Corridor. Includes All Meals.
Transfer by road to Tadoba National Park. On arrival at the lodge the rest of the day will be at leisure.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
A full day of private morning and afternoon game drives. The reserve comprises a beautiful assortment of meadows, lakes and dense mixed forests of bamboo and teak that support an wide diversity of wildlife. Tadoba is home to large populations of spotted and sambar deer, wild boar, gaur and antelopes such as nilgai and the elusive four-horned antelope (chousinga). Carnivores such as leopard, sloth bear, dhole and jungle cat can been seen here from time to time; however, the top predator is the Bengal tiger. The tiger population has surged in recent years from a population of around 40 in the 1990s to a present day adult population of almost 70, and sightings are now very reliable.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Enjoy a full day of private morning and afternoon game drives in the park in search of tigers and other wildlife.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Enjoy another full day of private morning and afternoon game drives in the park in search of tigers and other wildlife.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Transfer to Nagpur airport and take flight home.
Includes In-flight Meals.
Tour Accommodation
Tuli Tiger Resort Kanha
Overview
Tuli Tiger Resort is a mid-range lodge run by the Tuli hotel group. It is a highly comfortable jungle lodge located just 5 minutes from the main Kisli gate into Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh state. The resort sits within the buffer zone of the park and has its 26 cottage-style accommodation arranged in blocks of 4 throughout the tropical gardens.
The en suite private cottages have air-conditioning and basic amenities with comfortable beds and modern private bathrooms with hot water showers.
The pleasant restaurant has friendly service and maintains a comfortable airflow due to its open walls. The meals are usually offered buffet style with Indian and continental cuisine usually available. The evening meal is sometimes offered as a BBQ and picnic lunches and breakfasts are often taken in the park. There are always plenty of vegetarian dishes available too.
The gardens are full of beautiful flowering plants and trees attracting many birds and butterflies and there is a small swimming pool and seating area with bar service. A laundry service is available on request. On occasions a local dance is performed by the villagers in the evenings after dinner.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Restaurant, swimming pool, hot water showers, laundry service, and tea and coffee making facilities. 220-volt electricity is supplied for charging of equipment.
Local Wildlife
Kanha National Park is famous for a high number of tigers that have become very accustomed to human presence, making it one of the best places in the world to see the king of cats. Kanha is also home to a plethora of other wildlife, with dhole (Asian wild dog), sloth bears and leopards seen infrequently. Gaur, wild boar, plains grey langur, rhesus macaque, sambar, spotted and swamp deer (the local hard ground race called barasingha) can all be seen with ease. The birding in Kanha is also very good with over 200 species recorded in the park.
Optional Activities
Game drives in Kanha National Park and excursions to local villages.
Tuli Tiger Corridor Pench
Overview
Tuli Tiger Corridor is a comfortable jungle camp perfectly situated for the Pench Tiger Reserve. It’s true nature lover’s paradise that presents a world of contrast and excitement. Set in 22 acres of lush green, the Corridor is well placed in the buffer zone of the park. Ethnically designed in keeping with the native culture, the Corridor showcases a pastoral jungle theme making it a unique holiday getaway.
Two accommodation options are available – 15 luxurious cottages or eight glamping-style large tents. Either option provides comfortable, stylish accommodation for your safari adventure, and both include king size beds, large ensuite bathrooms with bath tub and lavish furnishings to create a warm and cosy ambience.
‘The Habitat’ is the restaurant and bar area, offering great views of the jungle and serving Indian, Chinese and continental cuisine. The restaurant make an effort to only use fresh organic produce, grown in the local village. The onsite spa specialises in Ayurvedic treatments, offering a whole host of options to help ailments and incite relaxation.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Restaurant, bar, library, pool, Ayurvedic spa. Rooms include ensuite bathroom and bath tub, and modern amenities and toiletries.
Local Wildlife
Pench is part of the Project Tiger network of special reserves and one of the most accessible tiger reserves in the country, at just 90 kilometres north of Nagpur. It is also one of the most beautiful of the tiger parks with mature teak forests, rolling hills and the central Pench River from which the park gets its name. Descriptions of its natural beauty and richness of flora and fauna have appeared in numerous wildlife books dating back to the 17th century. Books written in the 19th and early 20th century by famous naturalists like Captain J. Forsyth explicitly present the detailed panorama of nature’s abundance in this precious forest tract. There are around 54 tigers in the park and sightings are not always as regular as the nearby parks of Kanha and Bandhavgarh. This means that the park receives fewer tourists than its neighbours and game drives are focussed more on seeing the general wildlife of the park such as leopards, sloth bears, wild dog, barking deer and more than 170 species of bird.
Optional Activities
Morning and evening safaris in the national park are included in the accommodation package, and sometimes it is available to take a safari on elephant back rather than in the jeep. During daytime at the hotel guests can take a nature walk, read about the local species or simply relax by the pool or with a spa treatment. Slide shows or wildlife films may be shown in the evenings, and a bonfire is lit around which guests can mingle, or watch a local tribal dance display.
Svasara Jungle Lodge
Overview
The Svasara Jungle Lodge is the premier luxury lodge in the area and is located barely three hundred yards from Tadoba National Park’s Kolara gate. Svasara is a conservation focused wilderness lodge offering a luxurious and immersive jungle safari experience. The upscale Svasara Lodge is set over a sprawling 10 acre campus next to Tadoba jungle.
The Tadoba national park (also called Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project), a 623 sq km reserve, is the oldest national park in the state of Maharashtra. There are a number of waterholes situated around the park which attract tigers and other wildlife during the dry months of October to June, with particularly good chances of sightings when bamboo and other vegetation shed their leaves from January onwards. May and June are particularly hot months (40 degrees Celsius and above) when tigers spend most of the daylight hours wallowing.
The reserve is very much off the mainstream tourist radar and is served by only a couple of quality lodges, meaning very few foreign tourists venture here. It can get busy with local day-trippers, particularly at weekends and holidays.
The lodge itself features 12 spacious suites with all the modern amenities and luxuries, multi-cuisine dining including delectable Indian, Continental, and local Varadi cuisine, and its own custom-fitted comfortable jeeps accompanied by expert naturalists for thrilling jungle safaris at Tadoba.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Pool, spa, outdoor and indoor dining facilities, exclusive safari jeeps, open air ‘jungle cinema’, modern amenities in the rooms and en-suite bathrooms.
Local Wildlife
Tadoba national park comprises assorted meadows, lakes and dense mixed forests of bamboo and teak, home to large populations of spotted deer, sambar deer, wild boar and antelopes. Carnivores such as leopard, sloth bear, wild dog and jungle cat can be glimpsed here from time to time: however, the reserve is primarily the domain of the Bengal tiger. The tiger population has surged in recent years from a population of around 40 in the 1990s to a present day adult population of almost 70. The birth of around 30 new cubs over the last year is testament to the health of the reserve and bodes well for the future tiger population here and throughout the whole of India.
Optional Activities
Guests usually partake in morning and afternoon game drives to the national park. Walking trails are available within the lodge’s ten-acre reserve, and there are also bicycles for use by guests. The open-air cinema often plays documentaries about the wildlife and the area, and there is also a library.
Route Map
Departure Dates
Travel Information
Are International Flights Included?
No. Please contact us for a quote if required.
Flight Info:
Flights not included. Please contact us for a quote.
Best Visited:
October to May
Are you ATOL Registered?
Yes. This means we are legally able to book your international flights in conjunction with your ground arrangements so you can book with us with complete confidence. Read more about our ATOL license here.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
Add a cultural extension to Agra, to marvel at the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
If you have any questions regarding this Tour, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
We were very pleased with the way you handled our tour planning and the information you provided. A very enjoyable trip, all arrangements went very well and the tigers [10 adults and 14 cubs] were better than we had hoped for.
