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Tiger Safari Holidays India Bandhavgarh Kanha Pench Tadoba Satpura

Birding Holiday, India + Tiger Reserves (Satpura + Pench + Kanha) + Taj Mahal

Birding Holiday, India: Taj Mahal + Satpura + Pench + Kanha
7IPP12D
12 NIGHTS
FROM $4,782
Per person sharing
Flights quoted separately
Birding Holiday India Tiger Reserves Satpura Pench Kanha Taj Mahal

This wildlife and birding holiday in India visits three famous tiger reserves - Satpura, Pench & Kanha. Accompanied by your own private birding guide, discover the birds and other wildlife of these national parks, including sloth bears in Satpura, if you are fortunate. Also visit the Taj Mahal on a day trip from Delhi. English speaking birding guide, all transfers, jeep safaris & park fees included.

Birding Holiday India Tiger Reserves Satpura Pench Kanha Taj Mahal
• 
Birding Holiday, India
• 
Delhi
• 
Taj Mahal
• 
Satpura
• 
Birding on Foot & by Canoe
• 
Pench National Park
• 
Birding Game Drives
• 
Kanha National Park
• 
Birding Guide
• 
India Tiger Reserves
• 
Birding Holiday, India
• 
Delhi
• 
Taj Mahal
• 
Satpura
• 
Birding on Foot & by Canoe
• 
Pench National Park
• 
Birding Game Drives
• 
Kanha National Park
• 
Birding Guide
• 
India Tiger Reserves
Day 1
You will be met at Delhi Airport by your driver and transferred to your airport hotel in this ancient capital of kingdoms and empires that is now a sprawling metropolis.
 
Delhi's strategic location was one of the main reasons why successive dynasties chose it as their seat of power and today it is a conglomerate of seven cities. The division between the old walled city and New Delhi marks a division in lifestyles, with the old city retaining its past traditions whilst New Delhi strives to match the pace of the 21st century.
Day 2
We leave Delhi early this morning and drive 3.5-hours to the ancient city of Agra, set along the banks of the Yamuna River and originally the capital of the Mughal Empire.
 
Agra is world renowned as the home of the Taj Mahal - that great symbol of love built by emperor Shah Jahan in the 16th century as a memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. On arrival we visit this magnificent white marble mausoleum that took 22 years to build. Apart from its stunning design and perfect symmetry, it is noted for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best marble inlay work ever done.
 
Afterwards we visit Agra Fort, a massive structure with walls over 70-ft high and 1.5-miles long that encompasses an astounding collection of well preserved buildings, many of them completed during the reign of Shah Jahan. After he was deposed by his son, he was imprisoned in this fort where he remained until his death - spending the rest of his life looking out along the river to the final resting place of his beloved wife. We drive back to Delhi in the late afternoon.
 
Note: Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. You are allowed a maximum of 3-hours at the monument and cannot take in anything except your camera, water and essential medicine.
Day 3
Transfer to Delhi Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Bhopal Airport by your guide and driven 3.5-hours to Satpura National Park.
 
Named after the Satpura Range, this rugged reserve has sandstone peaks, narrow gorges, ravines and dense forest preserves. It is spread over 850 square miles (2,200 sq.km) of the central Indian highlands eco-system, together with the adjoining Bori and Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuaries.
 
With an altitude ranging from the level plains of Churna (984 ft / 300 m) to the Dhoopgarh Peak (4,430 ft / 1,350 m), this park sustains a wide diversity of birdlife, animals and plants.
Day 4
This morning enjoy exploring the dense vegetation of Satpura National Park on foot with your birding guide, followed by a canoe ride down the Denwa River. In the afternoon venture further afield on a jeep safari.
 
Satpura is home to a wide variety of butterflies and over 300 species of birds that live in these lowlands, wetlands and mountains. During the winter months many build their nests and roost here, making this a particularly rewarding time to visit. You can hope to see the Peacock, Grey hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, Black shouldered kite, Treepie, Shikra and many more species.
 
This park is very rich in biodiversity and in this sanctuary you can also hope to see sambar, nilgai, chital, Indian muntjac, four-horned antelope, chinkara, wild boar, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, Indian giant squirrel and the elusive leopard. Leopard and Sloth bear sightings in this park are particularly good, but tiger sightings are rare.
 
The flora is also very interesting, consists of mainly sal forest with teak, tendu and mahua trees. You will also find bamboo, Indian gooseberries, bel fruits and many grasses and medicinal plants.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle. This reserve is closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (July to September).
Day 5
Enjoy another day of birding in Satpura National Park with your guide.
 
In the morning explore by private jeep safari, before returning to your lodge. In the afternoon you can do more birding or visit the local village. You can also visit a Silk Farm and see the processes by which India's famous silk is produced.
 
Then at dusk set out again on an exciting private Night Drive, searching for the elusive nocturnal birds and animals of Satpura by spotlight.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle. This reserve is closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (July to September).
Day 6
Today enjoy a full day jeep safari, taking the 20-mile (30 km) Churna Route deep into the forests of Satpura National Park.
 
Birdlife is prolific, but this route is notable for its Sloth Bear sightings. You can also hope to see leopard, wild dogs, Indian gaur (bison), malabar squirrel and nilgai. The probability of seeing a tiger is also higher in this zone, but sightings are still relatively rare.
 
A hot lunch is included today at Churna Forest Guest House.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle. This reserve is closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (July to September).
Day 7
This morning enjoy another jeep safari in Satpura National Park.
 
Afterwards we drive 4-hours to Pench National Park, situated in the lower reaches of the Satpura Hills. Check into your lodge in this beautiful tiger reserve that is rich in diversity and supports an abundance of flora, fauna and aquatic life.
Day 8
This morning enjoy a private jeep safari in beautiful Pench National Park that inspired Rudyard Kipling to write his famous children's story - The Jungle Book - featuring Mowgli the man cub, Shere Kahn the tiger, Baloo the sloth bear, Kaa the snake and King Louis the amusing ape.
 
There are over 170 different species of birds in this small reserve, which is divided by the Pench River. Tiger sightings are also good but are never guaranteed. You may also see chital, sambar, nilgai, wild boar, jackal and barking deer. Jungle cats and leopards are also present but rarely seen.
 
In the afternoon return to the park for another private game drive.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. Please note that we have no control over the driver and vehicle allocated to you, as this is done by the local park authorities according to a rota. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle.
 
This tiger reserve is closed every Wednesday afternoon, when only a morning game drive is offered. The park is also closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (July to early October).
Day 9
Enjoy another early morning jeep safari in Pench National Park today.
 
Afterwards we drive 4.5-hours to Kanha National Park - one of the largest and most scenic national parks in India and an ideal habitat for tigers and their prey.
 
Five times the size of Bandhavgarh, Kanha's mixed forests are interspersed with vast meadows known as maidans. Perennial streams run through these, providing a source of water for wildlife even in the hot summer months. As a result hundreds of chital deer graze on carpets of green grass, against a backdrop of majestic sal tree forests. On arrival check into your lodge in this premier wildlife sanctuary.
Days 10 To 11
Rise at dawn to observe the birds and other wildlife of Kanha National Park, which is particularly well known for its endangered swamp deer (or hardwater barasingha) which live on large open grassy meadows amongst the lush sal and bamboo forests. Brought back from the brink of extinction, these handsome animals are a remarkable conservation success story.
 
Early morning is the best time to track tigers, but be aware that it is extremely difficult to find tigers in the jungle and sightings are never guaranteed. Best viewings are generally at the end of the dry season (March to May, although it is extremely hot from April onwards), when the tigers search out the waterholes - but you need to take at least 4 game drives for a good chance of a sighting. Sloth bears are also found in this park.
 
Two private jeep safaris per day are included - one in the early morning and one in the late afternoon.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. Please note that we have no control over the driver and vehicle allocated to you, as this is done by the local park authorities according to a rota. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle.
 
This tiger reserve is closed every Wednesday afternoon, when only a morning game drive is offered. The park is also closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (July to early October).
Day 12
Enjoy a final early morning private jeep safari in Kanha National Park.
 
Afterwards transfer 4-hours to Jabalpur Airport for your flight to Delhi,  where you will be met and transferred to your hotel situated near the airport.
Day 13
Transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight home.