Day 01: Arrive in Mumbai (Bombay).
Arrive in Mumbai in the morning and catch connecting flight to Rajkot where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel in time for breakfast.
Later on, drive to Gir National Park. Relax over a leisurely lunch at the Lion Safari Camp where you will stay for 4 nights in a luxury tented accommodation.
Days 02-04: Gir National Park.
The Indian lion is another name for the Asiatic lion, Panthera Leo persica, the sub-species that once ranged from Greece to central India. Before they were completely wiped out, the lions came under the protection of the Nawab of Junagadh, a local monarch, who banned all lion hunting in the area. Soon, the lion population began to rise in number. By the declaration of Indian independence in 1947, the government had come to realize the importance and fragile nature of this last bastion of the Asiatic lion, and the Nawab’s conservation policy was upheld.
Naturalists were assigned to study and take a census of the Girs lion population. At that time there were around 200 lions. The Indian government then created the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary – collectively known as the Gir Protected Area (PA), covering over 1000 km². The area is made up of dry scrubland with hills, rivers, and teak forest. In addition to the lion population, the Gir PA contains leopards, antelope, deer, jackals, hyenas, and marsh crocodiles. The largest Asiatic lion on record measured 2.9 m from nose to tail-tip & the current population is in excess of 300.
Full programme of morning & evening game safaris during our stay in Gir National Park. Safaris in Gir are organized in jeeps. Local guides and naturalists are at hand to enhance the experience.
Day 05: Gir National Park to Mumbai via Rajkot.
Take an early morning game drive in the park to see the Asiatic Lions in their natural environment. Have a packed-lunch in the safari park, before driving to Rajkot in the afternoon for your flight to Mumbai. Arrive in Mumbai in the evening where you will be transferred to hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 06: Mumbai to Kanha National Park via Nagpur.
After breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to Nagpur. Upon arrival, drive to Kanha National Park, where you will check into the Tuli Tiger Resort for 3 nights. After lunch, enjoy a game drive in Kanha NP, before returning to the resort for a leisurely dinner and overnight stay.
Days 07-08: Kanha National Park.
Kanha Tiger Reserve is a stunning natural area filled with dense forests, scenic mountain areas and crystal-clear streams and situated in the Madhya Pradesh central-highland area of India. Preserved as a ‘reserve forest’ as early as 1879, the beauty of the natural landscape and wealth of animal life inspired Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”.
Overlooking the luxurious landscape of meadows, streams and forest areas is ‘Bomm Dader’ or Sunset Point, the most scenic area of the park. The reserve has one of the largest populations of Indian tigers across the country. As well as tigers, the park is home to many bird, reptile and mammal species, including spotted deer, antelopes, flying squirrels and buffaloes. The ‘jewel’ of the park however is the ‘Barasingha’ or swamp deer, which have become endangered and feed on the park’s rich grass-land areas.
Full programme of morning & evening game safaris during our stay in Kanha National Park. Safaris in Kanha are organized in jeeps. Local guides and naturalists are at hand to enhance the experience.
Day 09: Kanha to Pench National Park.
After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in the reserve. Break for a packed lunch, and then drive to Pench Tiger Reserve and chec k into Tuli Tiger Corridor on arrival. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 10: Pench National Park.
The Pench Tiger Reserve is part of Pench National Park, and is a haven for a wide range of wildlife species. Named after the Pench River, which winds its way through the park from north to south, there is a wealth of plant-life, fish as well as 285 varieties of bird including the Indian Pitta, the White-eyed Buzzard and the endangered White Scavenger and King Vulture. Tigers are the main predators in the park but there are also leopards, wild dogs and wild Indian cats. The wildlife population also includes numerous herds of ‘Gour’ or wild bison, deer, sloth bears and an enormous range of butterflies and fish.
Spend the morning and afternoon enjoying game drives in Pench NP, with a break for lunch. Dinner and overnight at the Tuli Tiger Corridor.
Day 11: Pench to Kolkata via Nagpur.
After breakfast take a morning game drive in the park. The morning is when tigers are most likely to be seen wandering the park. After lunch at the Tuli Tiger Corridor, drive to Nagpur for your flight to Kolkata. Overnight at hotel in Kolkata.
Day 12: Kolkata to Kaziranga National Park via Jorhat.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and fly to Jorhat. Upon arrival drive to Kaziranga and enjoy a leisurely evening and overnight at the Wild Grass Lodge (or similar) for 3 nights stay.
Days 13-14: Kaziranga National Park.
Home to the world’s largest population of endangered One-horned Rhinos and India’s densest population of tigers, Kaziranga National Park has been a World Heritage Site since 1985 and boasts some spectacular scenery set in the heart of the Assam region. A survivor from prehistoric times, the incredible One-horned Rhino once roamed across the North Indian plains, but after centuries of hunting the creature is almost extinct, existing only in this part of India. The reserve also runs a program to preserve its dense community of tigers, and other wildlife includes the Indian Elephant, leopards, buffalo, raptors and wild boar, to name just a few. It is also home to a diverse range of birdlife, much of this endemic to India.
During your stay in Kaziranga, you will undertake elephant safaris in the morning inside the park. Mornings are when one-horned rhinos are most likely to be spotted and one can get quite close to them. After breakfast back at the lodge, you will return to the park on jeeps to spot other denizens of this superb habitat.
Day 15: Kaziranga to Mumbai via Guwahati.
After breakfast, enjoy a final morning game-drive. Packed lunch at the hotel. In the afternoon transfer to Guwahati airport for your flight to Mumbai, where you will connect to your onward destination.
Date and price to suit individual arrangements based on 2 people sharing. Breakfast included. Private air-conditioned car and driver with English speaking guides for sightseeing.
