Best of Wild India

Day 01 Arrive Delhi

Arrive Delhi at mid night and transfer to your hotel.

Day 02 Delhi

Enjoy a sightseeing of New Delhi in the morning. (Including the Qutub Minar, Humayun's tomb and Lutyen's buildings)

New Delhi stands in formal splendour, like a lone sentry guarding an outpost of a long-gone empire. It is a city of wide boulevards, which offers ever-changing perspec¬tives of Lutyen's landscaped city. It is a city rich with formal parks and you will see the magnificent Parliament Building and the Rashtrapati Bhawan (the official residence of the President of India in the 330 acres of land and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens), once the awe-inspiring residence of the British Viceroys and now the Presidential Palace, India Gate (a majestic 42-mts high arch, built as a memorial to the Indian Soldiers killed in World War I), Qutub Minar (the 72.5 mts high tower dating back to 13th century and one of the greatest bequests of Islamic Culture), Humayun's Tomb (built in the 16th century and architecturally the fore runner of the Taj Mahal, has Mughal Architecture at its graceful best).

Enjoy a sightseeing of Old Delhi in the Afternoon.
(Including Red Fort, Jama Masjid and the bazaars of Chandni Chowk)

Note: Red Fort is closed on Mondays

Old Delhi pulses with the energy and colour, the hustle and bustle of thronged bazaars and is laced by a maze of narrow lanes which twist and turn between tall, leaning houses full of the sights, sounds and aromas of the Indian sub-continent. In Old Delhi you will see the famous Red Fort surrounded by shops, and bazaars (built by the Emperor Shah Jehan – the builder of Taj Mahal), the Jama Masjid mosque with its tapering minarets and wonderful marble domes, Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi's business nerve center), the hustle-bustle of everyday Indian life all around you and chattering voices.

Overnight at Hotel

Day 03 Delhi – Jabalpur – Kanha National Park

Departure transfer to the airport to connect flight to Jabalpur (0710 hrs / 0900 hrs)
Arrive Jabalpur and drive to Kanha National Park (04 hours)
You will reach in time to enjoy your first game drive in the evening. Lunch would be served before game drive.

Kanha is one of India's largest and most remote national parks, covering 1945 sq km of forest and lightly wooded grasslands. An extensive network of rivers and streams supports it. The setting of Kipling's "Jungle Book", Kanha National Park has an excellent variety of wildlife including Leopards, Chital, Sambar, three striped palm squirrel, common langur, jackal, wild pig, chital or spotted Deer, Barasingha or swamp Deer, (The park is the only habitat of the rare hardground Barasingha). Indian Hare, Dhole or Indian wild dog, barking deer, Indian Bison or Gaur, Indian Fox, sloth bear, striped hyena, Jungle Cat, Panther, Mouse Deer, Chausingha or four horned antelope, Nilgai or blue bull, Ratel, Indian Porcupine, wolf, Chinkara, Indian Pangolin, the smooth Indian otter, small Indian Civet and, most famously, the tiger. It's possible to make elephant-back excursions into the park in the early morning and evening to see tigers. Although wildlife can be seen throughout the season, sightings increase during the hotter months of March and April, because the animals move out of the tree cover in search of water. The park is closed from July to October.
Enjoy your dinner at the resort.

Stay at your resort for three nights.

Day 04 Kanha National Park

Enjoy morning and evening game drives in the National Park.
Breakfast would be served at the resort after morning game drive. We have the option of providing packed breakfast in the park during the game drive.
Lunch / dinner would be at the resort.

Day 05 Kanha National Park

Enjoy morning and evening game drives in the National Park.
Breakfast would be served at the resort after morning game drive. We have the option of providing packed breakfast in the park during the game drive.
Lunch / dinner would be at the resort.

Day 06 Kanha National Park – Bandhavgarh National Park

Enjoy game drive in the morning.
Breakfast would be served at the resort after morning game drive. We have the option of providing packed breakfast in the park during the game drive.
Travel by surface to Bandhavgarh (224 kilometres, about 6-7 hours) visiting Fossil Park enroute. You will carry packed lunch with you which can be had at Fossil Park.
Enjoy your dinner at the resort.
Stay at your resort for three nights.

Day 07 Bandhavgarh National Park

Enjoy morning and evening game drives in the National Park.
Bandhavgarh National Park with an area of 105 sq km is in the Vindhya hills of Madhya Pradesh. There are 32 hills in the park, which has a large natural fort at its center. The fort's cliffs are 2625 feet (800 meters) high, 1000 feet (300 meters) above the surrounding countryside. Over half the area is covered by Sal forest although on the upper slope it is replaced by mixed forest of sali, saj, dhobin, and saja. The marshes support a vast grassland savanna. Before becoming a National Park in 1968, it was the game preserve of the Maharajas of Rewa, a place close by where the White tiger (Albino) originated. Though it involves quite a journey, it has a wide variety of game. Its main wild beasts are tiger, leopard, sloth bear, sambar, chital, muntjac, nilgai, chinkara, wild pigs. The flowering and fruit trees attract woodland birds, which include green pigeon, jerdon's leaf bird, crested serpent eagle and variable hawk eagle. There are also interesting cave shrines scattered around the park.
Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner would be at the resort.

Day 08 Bandhavgarh National Park

Enjoy morning and evening game drives in the National Park.
The fort still belongs to the Maharaja of Rewa and permission is required to visit it. However permission is available locally and no trip to Bandhavgarh is complete without making an effort to climb up the fort. There are two ways up on the plateau, a jeep track and a footpath - both steep. It is far easier to see the fort by the jeep but much more rewarding to make the journey on foot. There is a convenient to park vehicles on the southern side of the fort in the lush jungle which surrounds its base. The natural ramparts of the fort give breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. Vultures wheel around the precipice, which also attracts blue rock thrushes and crag martins. The fort has a small population of Blackbuck, which have been reintroduced and to some extent protected from Tigers in the park below by repairs to the masonry walls at the edges of the fort.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner would be at the resort.

Day 09 Bandhavgarh –Umaria – Over Night Train

Enjoy morning and evening game drives in the National Park.
Travel by surface to Umaria railway station (32 kilometres, about 1 hour) in the evening in time to board your train to Agra.
(Utkal Express, 2050:1010*, daily)

Overnight in air-conditioned second sleeper carriage
Breakfast / Lunch would be at the resort. We suggest early hot dinner at the resort before leaving for Umaria railway station. However we have the option of providing packed dry dinner for train.

Day 10 Agra – Bharatpur

Arrive Agra at 1010 hours.
You will be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel (where room is reserved for you for wash & change – sharing basis up to 3 pax in a room). Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel.
Enjoy sightseeing tour of the city.
(Including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah)
(Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays)

A sprawling industrial town, Agra is situated 204 kilometres from Delhi. Agra was established in 1475 by Badal Singh and came into its own when Sikander Lodhi of the Lodhi dynasty chose it for his capital because of its proximity to the Yamuna. Babur defeated the Lodhis to capture not only Agra but also to lay the foundation of the Mughal Empire. Places of interest in Agra include the most extravagant monument, Taj Mahal; Agra Fort, the tomb of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, Itmad-Ud-Daulah and tomb of Akbar, Sikandra.

Lunch would be provided at a local Indian Restaurant during the sightseeing tour (On direct payment).
After lunch you will drive to Bharatpur visiting Fatehpur Sikri en-route

Fatehpur Sikri, was built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 and abandoned after fifteen years due to scarcity of water. The attractions in Fatehpur Sikri are Jama Masjid – a beautiful building containing elements of Persian and Hindu Design, The main entrance is through the 54 m high Buland Darwaza, the Gate of Victory, constructed to commemorate Akbar's victory in Gujarat. The Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) is a projecting room with walls made entirely of stone latticework. Birbal Bhavan, built either by or for Raja Birbal, Akbar's favourite courtier, this small palace is extremely elegant in its design and execution. Hiran Minar (Deer Minaret) is said to have been erected over the grave of Akbar's favourite elephant. Panch Mahal – This amusing little five-storey palace was probably once used by the ladies of the Court and originally had stone screens on the sides. The lower floor has 56 columns, no two of which are exactly alike.
Arrive Bharatpur and check in at your hotel for two nights

Day 11 Bharatpur

After an early breakfast you will have a full day birding at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. You can enjoy birding with Man pulled Cycle Rickshaw

The marshes of Keoladeo, was the private hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Bharatpur. Popularly known as 'Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary', it is rated as one of the finest waterfowl reserves in the world. It was developed in the late 19th century by creating small dams and bunds in an area of natural depression to collect rainwater and by feeding it with an irrigation canal. Over the years, the lakes attracted great numbers of waterfowl and the Maharajas held grand shoots with family, friends and visiting dignitaries. Two-thirds of the park lies under water, the extent and volume depending on the intensity of the rains. The remaining one-third of the park is covered in dry deciduous forests (with Acacia, Ber, Kadam and Khajur trees) and extensive grasslands. On the raised ground outlining the wetlands grow a profusion of Acacia trees, where the resident water birds nest, often in large mixed colonies, a spectacular sight during the monsoon. The sanctuary gets its name from the ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva which has a residing deity called Keoladeo, while Ghana in local parlance implies 'dense' which refers to the thick forests covering the area.

Keoladeo Ghana, the wetland paradise is entirely man-made and created as a private duck-shooting preserve in the nineteenth century by the then Maharaja of Bharatpur to attract wildfowl. He was successful beyond dreams, and over the years astonishing numbers of birds were shot - without, it seems, causing any appreciable decline in their number. In a shoot in December 1914 held for Lord Harding, 49 guns shot 4062 birds; two years later 51 guns accounted for 4206 birds; and in 1938 a record was set in the presence Lord Linlithgow when 4273 birds were bagged.

Keoladeo is famous as one of Asia's finest birding areas, with over 380 resident and migrant species, the rarest being the Siberian cranes. Mammals like Golden Jackal, Striped Hyena, Fishing Cat, Nilgai, and reptiles like the Indian Python, Water monitor are also visible in this park. Keoladeo Ghana has a bewildering variety of flora representing 64 families, 181 genera and 227 subspecies.

Day 12 Bharatpur – Ranthambhor National Park

You will be transferred to the railway station in time to board your train to Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambhor)

(Golden Temple Mail; 0750/1304 hours; Daily; First AC carriage)
Met on arrival and transferred to your resort (about 20 minutes) for two nights
In the afternoon enjoy a game drive, time permitting, or visit the Ranthambhor Fort

Day 13 Ranthambhor National Park

Enjoy morning game drive
Return to the lodge for breakfast. Spend some time at leisure in the resort or at the pool
Enjoy afternoon game drive

Ranthambhor National Park is one of the prime examples of Project Tiger's conservation efforts in Rajasthan. The forests around the Ranthambhor Fort were once, the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur. The desire to preserve the game in these forests for sport was responsible for their conservation, and subsequent rescue by Project Tiger.

The Park sprawls over an estimated area of 400 sq kms. Steep crags embrace a network of lakes and rivers, and a top one of these hills, is the impressive Ranthambhor Fort, built in the 10th century. The terrain fluctuates between impregnable forests and open bush land. The forest is the typically dry deciduous type, with dhok, being the most prominent tree. The entry point to the Park goes straight to the foot of the fort and the forest rest house, Jogi Mahal. The latter boasts of the second-largest banyan tree in India. The Padam Talab, the Raj Bagh Talab and the Malik Talab are some of the lakes in the area that attract the tiger population. They have been spotted at the edges of these lakes, and Jogi Mahal itself. Old crumbling walls, ruined pavilions, wells, and other ancient structures stand witness to the region's glorious past. The entire forest is peppered with the battlements and spillovers of the Ranthambore Fort - tigers are said to frequent these ruins, too. The tigers can be spotted quite often even during the day, busy in their normal pursuits - especially stalking or hunting and taking care of their young. With the strict measures that have been taken for their conservation, they seem quite accustomed to human activity and are not disturbed by it.

For a relatively small area, the park has a rich diversity of fauna and flora - species list includes 300 trees, 50 aquatic plants, 272 birds, 12 reptiles (including the marsh crocodile) & amphibians and 30 mammals.

Day 14 Ranthambhor National Park – Delhi – Onward Destination

Enjoy morning game drive
Return to the lodge for breakfast. Spend some time at leisure in the resort or at the pool
Later you will be transferred to the railway station in time to board your train to Delhi.
(Golden Temple Mail, 1300: 1930 hours, air-conditioned 1st class)
Arrive Delhi and transfer to the hotel near the International airport
Rooms booked for wash & change and relax (day use room)
Later on you transferred to the international airport in time to connect your return flight for London.