The Wildlife Highlights of India
Tour Introduction
The impressive diversity of India’s wildlife and natural habitats is reflected in this extraordinary itinerary. You will visit some of the country’s less-known wildlife reserves which nevertheless offer superlative wildlife viewing, while staying in comfortable lodges. Start by tracking the endangered Indian one- horned rhinoceros grazing alongside water buffalo, elephants, wild boar and herds of deer in the grasslands and swamps of Kaziranga in Assam. Then, moving to the centre of the country, enjoy the wildlife of the rugged hills and teak forests of Tadoba and Satpura National Parks. Here there will be high chances of encounters with the regal Bengal tiger and impressive gaur, and the possibility of sightings of sloth bears, Asian wild dogs and leopards among a plethora of other mammals, birds, reptiles and butterflies. Few Indian wildlife tours can offer so much to the wildlife enthusiast while avoiding the more popular (and hence crowded) reserves.
Full Itinerary
Met on arrival in Delhi and private transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, pick up by a private guide for a tour of old Delhi including iconic sites such as Jama Mosque and the Red Fort, and a fun rickshaw ride through the old streets and busy markets.
Staying at Claridges. Includes Breakfast.
Transfer to the airport and fly to Guwahati, Assam. Met on arrival and transfer to Kaziranga National Park. The predominant habitat is a mixture of tall grasslands and riverine forests, marshes, interconnecting streams and ox-bow lakes. Kaziranga is famous for large concentrations of mammals and in particular its important population of the endangered greater or Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Other wildlife includes abundant wild water buffalo, swamp and hog deer, wild boar, Asian elephant, Ganges river dolphin and hoolock gibbon. There are many exciting birds present too including the rare Bengal florican and Pallas’s and grey-headed fish eagles.
Staying at Diphlu River Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Early departure today for a morning elephant-back safari through the park: this often allows close viewing of rhinoceros. Afternoon game drives and/or walking safaris.
Staying at Diphlu River Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Morning elephant-back safari through the park, with possible close viewing of rhinoceros. Afternoon game drives and/or walking safaris.
Staying at Diphlu River Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Transfer to Guwahati airport and fly to Nagpur. Met on arrival and transfer to a town hotel.
Staying at Tuli Imperial. Includes Breakfast.
Transfer to Tadoba Tiger Reserve. After lunch depart for a game drive through the park. Tadoba reserve comprises a beautiful assortment of meadows, lakes and dense mixed forest of bamboo and teak that support an abundance of varied wildlife. The park is home to large populations of spotted and sambar deer, wild boar, guar and antelopes such as the Nilgai and the very rare four-horned antelope. Carnivores such as leopard, sloth bear, Asian wild dog and jungle cat can often be seen here; 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 and sightings are now very reliable.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Enjoy morning and afternoon private game drives in the reserve looking for tigers and other fabulous wildlife.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Enjoy another day of morning and afternoon private game drives in the reserve looking for tigers and other wildlife.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes Breakfast and Lunch.
Final day for morning and afternoon private game drives in the reserve looking for tigers and wildlife.
Staying at Svasara Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Drive to Nagpur and take the Sanghamitra Express train to Pipariya and then drive to Satpura and check into your top class lodge which is particularly popular with our clients.
Staying at Reni Pani Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Full day of guided wildlife activities in Satpura National Park with its undulating topography of rocky hills, meadows and teak forests. Satpura is bordered by the Tawa reservoir providing good opportunities for boat safaris, canoeing and observing a wide range of resident and migratory water birds. The park supports a healthy population of gaur and other mammals and is one of the best for leopard, sloth bear and packs of Indian wild dog. There are many tigers here too but they are more timid and remain in the hills during the day, stalking the meadows at night.
What really sets the park apart is that you can take boat trips and explore certain areas on foot and on elephant-back: a great way to experience the sights and sounds of the park outside the confines of a vehicle.
Staying at Reni Pani Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Another day of guided excursions by game drive, canoe, walking safari or elephant-back.
Staying at Reni Pani Lodge. Includes All Meals.
A last morning game drive through the park before transferring to Bhopal and catching flight to Delhi and your onward international flight home.
Includes In-flight Meals.
Tour Accommodation
Diphlu River Lodge
Overview
The relatively new, upmarket Diphlu River Lodge in Assam has taken the accommodation for Kaziranga to another level, in more ways than one. Separated from the National Park by the Diphlu River, the property has 8 detached and 4 semi-detached air-conditioned cottages raised on stilts over paddy fields. The well-appointed cottages are constructed from bamboo and thatch and feature a spacious bedroom, private bathroom and outside seating area.
The rooms are linked by raised walkways to a central machan with a library, bar, open fire and dining area serving scrumptious food. The paddy fields attract a good deal of wildlife, with elephants and rhino often seen across the river. As well as game drives by elephant and jeep, you can also arrange walks in nearby tea gardens. The lodge enjoys unique approval for nature walks within Kaziranga National Park itself – a very rare treat in Indian national parks.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, restaurant, bar, lounge area, library, air-conditioning and laundry service.
Local Wildlife
Kaziranga National Park is famous for its large concentrations of mammals and in particular its large population of endangered greater Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Other wildlife includes abundant (but endangered) wild water buffalo, swamp and hog deer, wild boar, Asian elephant, Ganges river dolphin, capped langur and hoolock gibbon. The park actually holds the highest density of tigers left in India but they are difficult to see here because of the height of the elephant grass. There are many exciting birds present in the park too including the rare Bengal florican, and Pallas’s and grey-headed fish eagles.
Optional Activities
Elephant back, jeep and walking safaris in the park, encounters with domestic elephants including the opportunity to bathe them. Traditional Assamese dances are performed at the lodge and excursions to rubber and tea plantations, local villages and craft shops can be arranged.
Tuli Imperial Hotel
Overview
Tuli Imperial is a modern hotel conveniently located in the centre of Nagpur. The stylish hotel has a relaxed ambience with grand architecture and attractive décor. There are 31 large, air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms and comfortable seating. The room amenities include a flat-screen cable TV, digital safe, fridge, direct-dial telephone, climate control and tea and coffee making facilities.
Guests can enjoy relaxing in the property’s communal living area with perhaps a drink at the bar, bathing in the large swimming pool or using the well-equipped gym. There is an excellent restaurant serving traditional Indian and international cuisine and a coffee shop for light snacks and drinks.
The hotel is popular as a stopover on the journey to or from Tadoba or Satpura.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Restaurant, bar, swimming pool, gym, coffee shop, air-conditioning, lounge area, cable TV, climate control, direct-dial telephone, in-room safety deposit box and laundry service.
Optional Activities
Use of hotel facilities including swimming pool, gym and tours of the city can be arranged.
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.
Reni Pani Lodge
Overview
With just 12 luxury cottages nestled in a 30-acre wooded site within the buffer zone of uncrowded Satpura National Park, Reni Pani Lodge offers perhaps the best accommodation in the area. Each of the cottages has a private deck, en suite bathroom and some also benefit from an additional outdoor shower.
There is a small swimming pool and library plus a water hole attracting smaller mammals and birds. Meals are often served alfresco at various spots around the property with evening drinks served around a campfire. In addition to game drives, the hotel offers exciting walking tours, boat trips and elephant-back safaris within the Satpura National Park and they are soon to introduce horse riding within the buffer zone. As well as three delicious meals each day, snacks, laundry and soft drinks are usually included in your stay.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Restaurant, bar, communal area, swimming pool, en suite bathroom with hot water and 24-hour electricity.
Local Wildlife
The park supports a healthy population of gaur, blackbuck, four-horned antelope, jungle cat, Indian giant squirrel, various mongooses and plenty of other mammals and is one of the best places to see leopard, sloth bear and packs of dhole (Asian wild dog) in all India. There are many tigers here too but they are more timid and remain in the hills during the day, stalking the meadows at night. The water in the park attracts plenty of bird life and marsh mugger crocodiles are commonly seen.
Optional Activities
Game drives, walks, canoe and small boat rides in Satpura National Park. Excursions to visit the local village are also available.
Route Map
Departure Dates
Travel Information
Are International Flights Included?
No. Please contact us for a quote if required.
Flight Info:
Domestic flights within India are included.
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 few nights at the end to see the iconic sites of Agra including the Taj Mahal.
If you have any questions regarding this Tour, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
Another excellent holiday from Reef and Rainforest. Everything was well organised and coordinated throughout our trip. Very knowledgeable and friendly guides, clearly keen to ensure we had an excellent experience. Highlights were Udaipur, Tigers, rural India and the three wildlife lodges.
