Northern India
Siana Garden
Siana is a small village situated in south west Rajasthan, 175km south of Jodhpur and bordering the Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert.
Siana featured in the BBC’s Life of Mammals series, when David Attenborough sat in a tent in the village monitoring a CCTV camera on his laptop as it tracked a leopard sniffing around his tent’s door. Sir David stayed in Siana Garden during the filming as a guest of Pradeep Singh, the local hereditary ruler.
Accommodation is in fifteen bungalows and rooms within the gardens of the residence of the local “squire”. Authentic regional meals are taken either with the family or in a separate dining room.
Nearby, the hills contain many leopards, often spotted early in the morning on jeep drives. Leopards are seen regularly but it is recommended to do at least 3 or 4 game drives to increase your chances.
The terrain is a unique mixture of granite hills bordered by scrubland, sand dunes and agricultural lands. This part of Rajasthan offers a rare and fascinating insight into an intact traditional way of life: it is also one of the best locations in India for leopard sightings, and boasts other species such as caracal, striped hyena and the large though elegant blackbuck.
Besides game drives and birdwatching walks, excursions to local tribal villages, camel and horseback treks and overnight camping are all available. The village is reached by road and is about 40km from Sirohi.
Facilities
Private bathrooms, communal dining area, air-conditioning, internet facilities and laundry service.
Local Wildlife
The area has a high concentration of leopard which can be spotted on morning and evening game drives. The beautiful blackbuck and Indian gazelle are abundant in the arid areas, and with luck striped hyena, caracal, Bengal fox and civets could be seen. The birdlife here is also interesting with many special species such as the Indian bustard, Indian eagle owl, cream-coloured courser, Indian bush lark, Indian thick-knee, rock bush quail, painted sand grouse, ashy-crowned sparrow lark and many species of vulture.
Optional Activities
Game drives, horse riding, camel safaris, overnight camping trips and visits to local villages.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
Siana specialises in horse riding safaris deep into its part of rural Rajasthan, a region well off the tourist track where the villages are traditional and the people dress and live according to time-honoured customs. The varied semi-desert terrain is especially beautiful and rugged, with ravines, dunes, sandy plains and rocky hills. Let us know if you wish to ride.
If you have any questions regarding our India tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
The highlight of our trip was Siana. We were so well looked after by the owner who made us feel completely at home with his hospitality. We really felt part of the family and learnt so much about the real India as a result. Our safaris were really enjoyable and exciting, and it was really humbling to visit a local village and be invited into the people’s homes. Everywhere we went the children were waving and shouting greetings to us – it really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!