Land of The Tiger

You will be arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport late at night. Proceed through Immigration and Customs to the Arrivals area, where you will be met by a Nomadic Expeditions representative and transferred to the airport hotel, a convenient 5 min away. Expect to reach your hotel room approximately 2-3 hours after landing.

(Airport Hotel Pullman)

After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight to Khajuraho. From the airport we head to explore the collection of temples in Khajuraho. Now a quiet little town, Khajuraho was once the religious capital of the Chandela kings. The Chandelas were devout tantric Hindus and were prolific patrons of religious architecture. They built numerous, elaborate temples to serve as emblems of their piety and strength. These beautiful and well preserved Hindu temples, considered to be some of the finest examples of Nagara style architecture. The temples are well known for their lavish use of erotic carvings, which shocked Victorian Britishers described as “a little warmer than necessary,” but to the ancient devotee they symbolized the joy of life and the joy of spiritual liberation through Tantric ritual.

After exploring and photographing the temples, reach our hotel on the banks of the River Ken. Enjoy a sunset canoe ride on the river.

(Sarai at Toria; B, L, D)

Wake early to take a sunrise birding walk along the riverbanks or a yoga session. Following breakfast head out to further explore the millennium old Chandela temples. Returning to the lodge late afternoon, you have the option of enjoying the nature setting of the Sarai or going out on canoes on a gentle float trip downstream.

(Sarai at Toria; B, L, D)

Soon after breakfast we start our 5-6 hour drive to Bandavgarh National Park. The drive passing through small farming villages, teak forests offers many photo ops that we will take advantage off. Arrive at our lodge before dinner.

Bandavgarh National Park is located in one of India’s last remaining areas of substantial forest, in what was originally part of the princely state of Rewa, home of the rare white tiger. Contrary to popular belief, white tigers are neither a subspecies of tiger, nor are they albinos - they are actually white-colored Bengal tigers (currently there are no wild white tigers). Though small, the park abounds in many of India’s endangered animals—spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, nilgai, blackbuck, four-horned antelope, gaur (Indian bison and largest of the world’s oxen), sloth bear, leopard and the Royal Bengal Tiger. Bandavgarh was designated a “Tiger Reserve” and comes under the protection of Project Tiger — the single largest conservation project mounted by the Government of India.

(Deluxe or Luxury Lodge; B, L, D)

We have two full days to explore Bandavgarh, with sunrise and sunset game excursions in this fantastic wildlife park. Daytime sightings of tiger are more likely at Bandavgarh than at any other preserve in India. The Park remains closed to visitors between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and accordingly, your will have sunrise and sunset excursions in private 4-wheel drive vehicles, accompanied by attentive and knowledgeable naturalists, who will expertly introduce you to the area’s rich and varied wildlife. After an early-morning game drive, we picnic at the old fort situated on a hilltop overlooking hundreds of miles of forest. Abandoned in 1935, the complex was once the thriving home for thousands of residents, ruled by the Maharaja of Rewa. Beautiful statuary and buildings overgrown by grass and trees dot the hilltop ruins. We explore and photograph the remains of temples dedicated to the incarnations of Vishnu and marvel at the beauty and serenity of this remote archaeological treasure.

(Deluxe or Luxury Lodge; B, L, D)

PLEASE NOTE: All National Wildlife Parks in India, shut down for visitors in the middle of the day and every Wednesday afternoon. We take sunrise excursions, departing our lodge pre-dawn that last 4-5 hours. Afternoon excursions starting between 2-3 pm, last about three hours, with all visitors required to leave the park boundaries by sunset. All park excursions will be in exclusive, open-air, 4-wheel drive vehicle, with a maximum of 4 participants per vehicle. All vehicles will be accompanied by a park-certified naturalist.

We have the opportunity of one last sunrise excursion into Bandavgarh National Park before bidding it adieu. After returning from the excursion and an early lunch we start our 4 to 5 hour drive to Kanha National Park in private SUV type vehicles. We will stop along the way as various scenic spots and villages.

Often called Tiger Land, Kanha is located in a horseshoe-shaped valley with two distinctive hills on either side. In the center is the maiden (open grassy meadow), dotted with stands of majestic evergreen Sal trees to form a savanna countryside reminiscent of Africa. This park has been designated a “Tiger Reserve” and comes under the protection of Project Tiger — the single largest conservation project mounted by the Government of India. You will arrive late afternoon, giving you some time to enjoy the Lodge’s nature setting.

(Deluxe or Luxury Lodge; B, L, D)

Kanha has a large, healthy population of tigers. But this park features more than tigers it supports the full range of Indian wildlife described in The Jungle Books. The variety and abundance of wildlife in Kanha is remarkable. The park is famous for its herds of hard-ground Barasingha – also called swamp deer, a large and beautiful endemic animal with 12-point antlers (it has probably been saved from extinction by careful management in Kanha).

Also found are herds of the beautiful chital (common name is spotted deer), and sambar, the biggest of the Indian deer. Other commonly seen herbivores include barking deer, nilgai antelope, four-horned antelope, wild boar, and the imposing gaur (also called the Indian bison), which is considered the largest wild bovine in the world. A gaur bull can stand over six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh more than a ton! Kanha is known for its large population of gaur, and this large animal is an important food source for the tiger.

Other predators in the park include sloth bear, the common (or golden) jackal, the striped hyena, and the dhole or Indian wild dog (which, like the African wild dog, lives and hunts in packs). Leopards also live in Kanha, but are much more difficult to see. Other interesting mammals include the Indian ratel (honey badger), Indian porcupine, and various species of mongooses. Primates are represented by troops of monkeys of two species—the rhesus macaque and the silver (or common) langur. Kanha’s bird life is equally impressive, with more than 200-recorded species.

We take sunrise excursions, departing your hotel pre-dawn that last 4-5 hours. You will have breakfast inside the park in a designated area, returning to your lodge by late morning. Afternoon excursions are shorter, lasting about three hours, with all visitors required to leave the park boundaries by sunset. All park excursions will be in an exclusive, open-air, 4-wheel drive SUV-type vehicle, and you will be accompanied by a park-certified naturalist.

(Deluxe or Luxury Lodge; B, L, D)

We head out early morning for our last excursion in the Tiger Park. We will be back at our hotel for an early lunch, last minute packing before driving to Jabalpur for our flight to Delhi.

On arrival in Delhi transfer back to the Airport Pullman Hotel for a few hours of rest. We will have a “Farewell Dinner,” our last as a group, before heading back to the airport for your return flight (most are after midnight). All participants will be transferred to the airport based on their flight departure time (you will have access to your hotel room until your departure).

(Airport Pullman Hotel; B, L, D)