Up Close With The Wildlife and Culture of India
14 days / October - May
Pricing: Pricing is based on group size and seasonality, please check with us to secure the best pricing.
Highlights:
• Track the elusive and majestic tiger – on Jeep and on the back on an elephant – at two of India’s most beautiful national game preserves. Also, see swamp deer, black bucks, Indian bison, barking deer, and leopards.
• Marvel at the elegant balance and beautiful symmetry of the Taj Mahal, one of the most stunning monuments in the world.
• Revel in the stark contrasts between New Delhi and Old Delhi in a privately guided sightseeing tour.
Start Map
Day 01: DELHI
A guide will greet you at the airport in Delhi and drive you to your hotel. Delhi, the capital of kingdoms and empires, is now a sprawling metropolis with a fascinating blend of the past and the present. It is a perfect introduction to the composite culture of an ancient land.
Day 02: DELHI
After breakfast, start a full-day tour of Old and New Delhi. The sight-seeing tour of Old Delhi includes: the Raj Ghat, the memorial site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated; Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India; and the Red Fort, once the most opulent fort and palace of the Moghul Empire. The tour of New Delhi includes a visit to the Qutub Minar, a drive along the ceremonial avenue called Rajpath, the imposing India Gate, Parliament House, the President’s Residence, and a drive through the Diplomatic Enclave. We end with shopping at famous stores.
Day 03: DELHI-SIKANDRA-AGRA
We’ll drive to Agra in the morning, stopping en route to visit Sikandra. On arrival at Agra, we’ll check into our hotel, followed by a sightseeing tour of Agra including Agra Fort and the Mausoleum of Itmad. Agra Fort is a massive structure with 70-foot high, 1.5-mile-long walls encompassing an astounding collection of well preserved buildings, many of them completed during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. We’ll enjoy a sunset visit to Taj Mahal. Little needs to be said about this architectural wonder, which is the reason for most tourists’ visits to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. Apart from its stunning design balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also noted for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens, and some of the best inlay work in the world.
Day 04: AGRA - JHANSI-ORCHHA-KHAJURAHO
After breakfast, we’ll board a train to Jhansi. Once we arrive, we’ll take a tour of the Orchha sites within the Fort Complex. Orchha’s grandeur has been captured in stone and frozen in time, a rich legacy to the ages. In this medieval city, time has tred lightly and the 16th and 17th century palaces and temples retain much of their pristine perfection. Complementing the noble proportions of their exteriors are interiors which represent the finest flowering of the Bundela school of painting. In the Laxminarayan Temple and Raj Mahal, vibrant murals bring the walls and ceilings to rich life. Enjoy your lunch at Orchha before driving to Khajuraho where you will check into the hotel and relax. You will have the evening free – relax or go for a stroll and explore this fascinating city. A World UNESCO Heritage Site, Khajuraho is better known as the Temple Town. Famed for its magnificent Jain and Hindu temples, Khajuraho boasts some of the country’s best examples of the temple architectural style and aesthetic sensibility. The city is also known for some erotic carvings.
Day 05: KHAJURAHO / BANDHAVGARH
After breakfast, we will spend the morning visiting the Eastern and Western Groups of Temples. In the afternoon, we’ll take a drive Bandhavgarh National Park. Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 square miles of forest, bamboo, and grasslands. We hope to be lucky enough to spot tiger, chital, and Chansingha (four-horned antelope), as well as a number of the park’s 150 species of birds. The Bandhavgarh Fort offers breathtaking views as well as a chance to view a 35-foot-tall reclining statue of Lord Vishnu.
Day 06 to 08: BANDHAVGARH
Wake up to misty mornings and the sounds of birds calling. After breakfast, we’ll leave for our jungle safari, lead by a resident naturalist and forest park guides.
Day 09: BANDHAVGARH / KANHA
After a morning game ride, we’ll drive to Kanha and check into our lodge. Kanha National Park is set on The Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Madhya Pradesh. It offers breathtaking vistas of grassy plains and stands of mixed sal and teak forests. This preserve was set to save two endangered species – the tiger and the barasingha. We are also likely to see swamp deer, black bucks, Indian bison, barking deer, and leopards.
Day 10-12: KANHA
Once again, you’ll awaken to the sounds of morning birds before heading off on another guided safari. The tour will include a picnic breakfast in the middle of the jungle! Early morning is the best time for tracking tiger and other wildlife. “Sher Darshan” or a “Tiger Show” offers you the chance to see a Royal Bengal tiger from elephant back, if you are lucky! After your elephant ride, relax or go for nature walk, visit to nearby village, or take in a cooking demonstration. After lunch, we’ll take an afternoon Jeep safari, followed by stargazing and dinner.
Day 13: KANHA / RAIPUR / DELHI
Enjoy one last morning game drive before driving to Raipur to board your flight for Delhi.
Day 14: DELHI / ONWARD DESTINATION
After breakfast, enjoy relaxing or shopping on your last day in Delhi. We’ll drive you to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in time to catch your return flight.
Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge and Kanha Jungle Lodge were both built with an eco-conscious design that echoes a traditional Indian village. Located near the entrance to the National Parks, the lodges blur seamlessly with their surroundings to allow guests to hear the wildlife around them – birdsong, the alarm calls of the deer, or the occasional roar of a tiger!
The vast majority of our workers and drivers are locals, keeping money in the economy. All of the food we eat is locally grown – more than half of it grown right in our own vegetable gardens! We encourage you to take a “village safari,” and learn about the local communities and cultures, promoting cross-cultural understanding.