Wildlife Trails of 3 Indian States
Day 01. Arrive at Mumbai International Airport, Our representative will be here to assist you and arrange the transfer to the hotel. Relax at the hotel or you can go out and do local sightseeing of must-see tourist spots of The Business Capital of India. Return to your hotel for Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 02. After buffet breakfast today the tour starts from the Gateway of India, which is a major landmark of Bombay, Gateway of India (Apollo Bunder, Colaba) designed by Scotland-born architect, George Wittet. Sporting exquisite Mughal-style design elements, this imposing basalt arch overlooks the Mumbai Harbour. The arch was completed in 1924, during the British Raj, to commemorate England’s King George V and Queen Mary’s 1911 visit to India. Board the motor launch, which will take you to the famous Elephanta Caves. {Elephanta Caves is closed every Monday}. The beautifully sculpted rock-cut temples on Elephant Island are 9 nautical miles from Bombay and are reached by taking a motor launch from Gateway of India. They are believed to have been created between 450 and 750 AD when the island was known as Gharapuri, the Fortress City. The Portuguese renamed it Elephanta because of a large stone. Elephant near the shore. The caves are reached by climbing 100 steps to the top of the hill. Later, you will proceed for a half-day sightseeing tour of Mumbai. Return to Gateway of India. Lunch at the Taj Mumbai on your own. Day free for shopping – Return to your hotel early evening, Stay at the Hotel.
Not always a national park, Pench was declared as a sanctuary in 1965 but in 1975, it rose to the status of a National Park. And since it is home to a huge amount of tigers, it was established as a tiger reserve in 1992 and now is working under Project Tiger. Also, the beauty of this place has been mentioned in the classic “ The Jungle Book” by the great Rudyard Kipling.
Day 03. After early morning breakfast, drive to Mumbai domestic airport to board your flight for Nagpur Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. On arrival at the Nagpur airport, our representative will meet you and introduce you to the driver who will be with you for your Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Trip. Drive to Pench National Park { 90 km – 2 hrs} - Post lunch spends the afternoon exploring Pench and its dry deciduous forests, dissected by the Pench River, which preserves 758 sq. km of prime Tiger habitat. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 04. Am/ Pm game drives in open jeeps in Pench National Park, from sunrise to mid-morning, and again from mid-afternoon until dusk, with midday periods free to relax or for bird watching walks around our lodge. Pench is part of a contiguous stretch of the forest that extends to Kanha, but with the forests here distinctly dry when compared to Kanha's moist deciduous woodland, Pench is home to a contrasting combination of species, and a good selection of water birds that congregate around the Pench Reservoir which dominates the park's southern boundary. Alongside Tiger, of which an estimated 65 individual animals reside here, Pench hosts a good population of Leopard, which can be found in peripheral areas of the park avoiding an encounter with a Tiger, Jungle Cat, Dhole (Wild Dog), Indian Wolf, Jackal, Sloth Bear, Hanuman Langur, and Rhesus Macaque. Pench is home to the highest density of herbivores in India of 90.3 animals per sq. km - this the number is primarily made up of Chital (Spotted Deer) and Sambar, with smaller populations of Nilgai, Chinkara (Indian Gazelle), Chowsingha (Four-horned Antelope), Barking Deer, Gaur (Indian Bison), and Wild Boar. Birdlife is surprisingly rich given the distinctly dry habitat, with notable species including Alexandrine Parakeet, Common Wood shrike, Large Cuckooshrike, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow-fronted Pied and Indian Pygmy Woodpeckers, Brahminy Starling, Indian Black Robin, Crested Tree Swift, White-eyed Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Spotted and Jungle Owlets, Collared Scoops Owl and Mottled Wood Owl. The gently undulating topography opens out into the floodplain of the Pench River and its reservoir, the waters of which are a lifeline for wildlife in the dry summer months, Birdlife around the reservoir includes Black-headed Ibis, Painted Stork, River Tern, Lesser Pied Kingfisher, and Oriental Darter. Dinner and overnight in a wildlife lodge on the edge of the park.
Day 05. After a leisure breakfast drive to Kanha National Park {250 km – 6 hrs drive} enjoying birding en-route in roadside fields. Spend the afternoon of day 5 and the following three days exploring Kanha's moist deciduous forest and vast grassy meadows. The evening is kept free for nature walks or activities at the resort.
Kanha is the largest protected area in central India, and one of the most effectively managed in India. The reserve is divided into 5 ranges and our base will be the traditionally quieter Mukki range where we hope to avoid the hustle and bustle of the busier Kanha and Kisli Ranges. A prominent feature of Kanha's landscape is the wide-open 'maidans' or meadows, popular converging points for herbivores, and highly conducive to wildlife sightings, particularly in the drier summer months.
Day 06 & Day 7. Am / Pm – 04 jeep safaris in total at Kanha National Park - Despite its importance as a Tiger reserve, Kanha was originally designated to protect the 'hard-ground race of Barasingha (Swamp Deer), found here alongside Chital, Sambar, Barking Deer, Nilgai, rarer Chousingha and Blackbuck, Wild Boar, Dhole, and with luck Sloth Bear and Leopard. Over 300 species of resident and migratory birds have been recorded here, including a good selection of larks and pipits, Indian Roller, Painted Francolin, Red, and Painted Spur fowls, Red Jungle fowl, Rufous and Heart Spotted Woodpeckers, Lesser Yellow nape, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Brown-headed and Coppersmith Barbets, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Red Collared and Emerald Doves, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Black-hooded Oriole, Indian Peafowl, Crested Hawk Eagle, Black-winged Kite, and Oriental Honey Buzzard. Lunch and Dinner will be at the resort.
Day 08. After leisurely breakfast drive to Bandhavgarh {230 km – 4 hours’ drive} Check in at wildlife resort prebooked for you. The rest of the day is kept to relax on enjoy nature walks. Dinner and overnight at the wildlife lodge.
Bandhavgarh National Park is situated in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. The park is popular among wildlife enthusiasts for containing the highest density of tigers in India.
Day 09 & Day 10. During these 2 full days, you will have 4 jeep excursions into the park's Magadhi and core Tala zones will be on the morning and afternoon game drives in open jeeps, from sunrise to mid-morning, and again from mid-afternoon until dusk, with midday periods free to relax or for bird watching walks around our lodge. Alongside Tiger, of which an estimated 59 individual animals reside here, Bandhavgarh hosts Leopard, which can be found in peripheral areas of the park avoiding an encounter with a Tiger, Jungle Cat, Dhole (Wild Dog), rarer Indian Wolf and Striped Hyena, Jackal, Sloth Bear, Hanuman Langur, and Rhesus Macaque. Akin to other reserves in this region, Bandhavgarh hosts a high density of herbivores which provide a steady prey base for the tiger and other carnivorous populations. Primarily made up of herbivores Chital (Spotted Deer) and Sambar, the park also hosts smaller populations of Nilgai, Chinkara (Indian Gazelle), Chowsingha (Four-horned Antelope), Barking Deer, Wild Boar, and a re-introduced population of Gaur (Indian Bison). Over 250 species of birds have been recorded here, including Lesser Adjutant, Indian Black Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Sarus Crane, Black-winged Stilt, Indian Stone-curlew, Great Thick-knee, Stork-billed, and Lesser Pied Kingfishers, Black-bellied and River Terns, Crested Tree-swift, Emerald Dove, Bay-backed Shrike, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Black-naped Blue Monarch, Blue-headed Rock-thrush, Indian and Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Eurasian Wryneck, White-capped, and Crested Buntings and Jungle Bush-quail. Stay in a comfortable wildlife lodge on the edge of the park.
Day 11. After early or packed breakfast drive to Khajuraho {240 km – 5 hrs}. Post early lunch today visit Khajuraho Temples. Originally it had 85 temples until the 12th century. When during the 13th century, central India was seized by the Delhi Sultanate, some of the temples were destroyed and the rest were left in neglect. Now, only 22 temples managed to survive and stood the test of time. The famous Khajuraho temples of Madhya Pradesh have been hogging the limelight now and then for various reasons. And the most popular psyche is that many find the carvings on the Khajuraho temples as offensive pornographic scenes. Perhaps, in all this, we tend to miss the most important point, i.e., the basic purpose of building these temples. This UNESCO World Heritage site is far from being a petty representation of the Kama Sutra. The temples here, in fact, illustrate the idea of life that engaged aesthetic objects to create something inspirational.
Later visit Lakshman Temple which appears similar to Kandariya Mahadev Temple, however, it is the oldest and the largest in the Western Group of Temples. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight at Khajurao.
Day 12. Post breakfast the driver will drop you at Khajuraho Airport / Railway Station for your onward journey to Delhi. Transfers to a comfortable hotel in the city area or near the airport. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 13. Post early breakfast transfers to International Airport.