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 bamboo forest of Tadoba and rugged hills of Satpura Tiger Reserves. 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, as well as taking a fun rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk market.
Staying at The 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.
Morning and afternoon private game drives.
Staying at Diphlu River Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon private game drives.
Staying at Diphlu River Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Transfer to Guwahati airport and fly to Nagpur, via a flight change in Delhi. Met on arrival and transfer to a city hotel.
Staying at Radisson Blu Nagpur. Includes Breakfast.
Transfer to Tadoba. After lunch at your lodge 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 around 90 and sightings are now fairly 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 All Meals.
A final private game drive in Tadoba this morning. After lunch transfer by road to Bori, originally a separate wildlife sanctuary, that now forms the western part of Satpura Tiger Reserve.
Staying at Bori Safari Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon private game drives within the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the greater Satpura Tiger Reserve.
Staying at Bori Safari Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Full day Bori to Satpura safari drive. Start the morning with a drive through the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary before taking a break for lunch and some rest at the Forest Department camp in Churna. Continue onwards through the central region of the reserve before reaching the Tawa Reservoir. Cross this scenic water body by boat before your final road transfer to Reni Pani.
Staying at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Either two private game drives from Satpura's Madhai gate, or one private game drive and another private jungle excursion of your choosing. Satpura Tiger Reserve 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.
Staying at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Either two private game drives from Satpura's Madhai gate, or one private game drive and another private non-jeep excursion of your choosing. Non-jeep excursions include a walking safari, canoe ride, boat safari, or buffer patrol safari.
Staying at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge. Includes All Meals.
A last morning game drive through the park before transferring to Bhopal and catching flight to Delhi. Connect with your international flight home.
Includes No Meals.
Tour Accommodation
The Claridges
Overview
The Claridges, New Delhi, is a luxurious hotel located in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi. Established in 1955, this iconic hotel seamlessly blends old-world charm with modern amenities. Guests can enjoy a variety of dining options, including Mediterranean cuisine at Sevilla, North Indian fare at Dhaba, and delectable pastries at Ye Old Bakery. The hotel also features a temperature-controlled outdoor swimming pool and a health club.
The Claridges offers elegantly furnished rooms with wooden floors, flat-screen TVs, and a pillow menu, catering to the needs of discerning guests. The hotel’s prime location provides easy access to major attractions such as the Delhi National Museum and Lodhi Gardens. The Claridges boasts a rich history, exceptional hospitality, and a brilliant range of facilities, within a superb location for a stay in Delhi.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
A brilliant range of eateries includes: Lutyen's Deli (buffet and high tea), Jade (Chinese-Cantonese), Pickwick (multi-cuisine), Dhaba (North-Indian), Erawaan (Thai), Sevilla (Spanish and Mediterranean). There is also a bakery and various bars.
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 private 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
Private jeep and walking safaris in the park. Traditional Assamese dances are performed at the lodge and excursions to rubber and tea plantations, local villages and craft shops can be arranged.
Radisson Blu Nagpur
Overview
Radisson Blu Hotel Nagpur, located about three kilometres from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport , offers a convenient stopover when flying to or from Nagpur. Guests can relax by the outdoor pool or enjoy a massage at the spa. If you have some time you could explore the nearby Seminary Hills and Ambazari Lake. Dining options include four restaurants serving local and international cuisine, and Ethyl Bar for cocktails.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Svasara Jungle Lodge
Overview
Svasara Jungle Lodge is located barely three hundred yards from Tadoba’s Kolara gate. It is very much a conservation-focused wilderness lodge offering a luxurious and immersive jungle safari experience, set over a sprawling 10 acre campus right on the edge of Tadoba’s bamboo forests.
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve spans 1,727 square kilometres, incorporating the Tadoba National Park, established in 1955. The Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary, formed in 1986, was merged with the park in 1995 to create the current Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve. 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 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.
Bori Safari Lodge
Overview
Bori Safari Lodge, nestled in the serene Dhapada village of Madhya Pradesh, serves as a perfect gateway to the exceptional Churna and Bori core zones of Satpura Tiger Reserve. This charming lodge features wonderfully designed bungalow units, each equipped with modern amenities and en suite facilities, ensuring an extremely comfortable stay.
The lodge is set on a 7.5 acre estate, offering a swimming pool, spa, and both indoor and outdoor dining options. With a focus on ecotourism, Bori Safari Lodge provides exclusive safaris led by experienced naturalist guides, allowing visitors to explore the rich biodiversity of the western side of Satpura, home to tiger, leopard, sloth bear and a huge variety of bird species.
The lodge not only emphasises wildlife experiences but also immerses guests in the local culture. Visitors can engage in village tours, interact with locals, and learn about traditional lifestyle. The tranquil surroundings, combined with the lodge’s commitment to sustainability and comfort, create a high quality retreat for those wishing to get off the beaten paths of Central India’s tiger reserves.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Spa, swimming pool, library and lounge area, restaurant (with dining hall and open-air dining spaces), WiFi, laundry service.
Some of the units contain two bedrooms, suitable for groups of travellers or families. All rooms come with an en suite bathroom, private viewing deck, air-conditioning, and tea and coffee making facilities.
Local Wildlife
Tiger, leopard, sloth bear, wild dog, jungle cat, rusty spotted cat, small Indian civet, Indian palm civet, jackal, Bengal fox.
Malabar giant squirrel, Indian crested porcupine, rhesus macaque.
Sambar, gaur, nilgai, chital, wild boar, hard ground barasingha.
Birding highlights include: White-throated woodpecker, black-shouldered kite, brahminy starling, Tickell's blue flycatcher, black-capped kingfisher, knob-billed duck, northern pintail, mottled wood owl, river tern, emerald dove, ashy-crowned sparrow-lark, yellow-crowned woodpecker, spangled drongo, common iora, golden-fronted leafbird, tawny-bellied babbler, Indian paradise flycatcher, scarlet minivet, Malabar pied hornbill, shikra, painted francolin, peregrine falcon, common sandpiper, common-hawk cuckoo, Indian cuckoo, Eurasian coot, black-winged stilt, Oriental darter.
Optional Activities
4x4 game drives, night drives in the buffer zone, cycling and walking tours in the buffer zone, village and anthropological excursions, full day 'safari transfers' to other lodges around Satpura, sundowners on the banks of the Tawa River.
Reni Pani Jungle Lodge
Overview
Reni Pani Jungle Lodge is a conservation camp on the outskirts of Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, featuring 12 independent cottages, each with a private deck. The lodge includes a lounge, bar, dining room, library with Wi-fi, and a swimming pool. Located 11 kilometres from Satpura’s Madhai Gate, it offers guests private jeep safaris, walks through the buffer zone, night patrols, and boat tours on the Tawa Reservoir, an excellent spot for birding that offers fabulous views of the Satpura Range. If travelling to or from Bori, at the western edge of Satpura, guests can choose to transfer by a scenic boat ride, or a thrilling all day safari through the park.
The lodge is a hotspot for wildlife including tiger, sambar deer, chital, nilgai, wild boar, leopard, and sloth bear. Langurs and macaques frequently visit the lodge grounds, and leopards often prowl through the lodge grounds at night. Guests can enjoy bush breakfasts and dinners in picturesque locations. The lodge employs four knowledgeable resident naturalists, making it an ideal base for an enriching wildlife experience.
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 tiger, along with 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. 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:
November to April
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.
