Wild India – Responsible Travel Tour

Your itinerary begins in Delhi where having taken your included flight from London Heathrow (other departure airports may be available on request), you will be greeted by your tour representative and transferred to your hotel in Aerocity New Delhi. This afternoon you can enjoy an included half-day city tour designed to showcase the diverse heritage of India’s capital city.

Accommodation: 1 night’s accommodation at the Lemon Tree Premiere, Aerocity on a Bed & Breakfast basis.

Activities Included: Half-Day City Tour

Your India wildlife adventure begins with an experience that will take you back in time as you explore forests as they were explored 100 years ago. After an early breakfast this morning you will take your transfer to Marchula on the northern boundary of Corbett Tiger Reserve where the Ramganga River enters into the tiger reserve and where you will find the wonderfully remote Vanghat Lodge, your home for the next 2 nights. Your adventure begins as soon as we reach the river front, as the Vanghat team meet us at the suspension bridge over the river and we take an approximately 2.5km hike to the river edge where we will hop into a small raft that will pull us across to the lodge on the other side of the river. The lodge will be worth the travel as you check in and soak up the fabulous surroundings.

When you have had time to settle in, this evening you can enjoy the first of your 4 included walking explorations here in the company of an expert naturalist.

The following day you can enjoy a full day of exploration here. Mornings usually begin early, as you awake to the sounds of the great hornbills flying over the lodge. Your exploratory walks today will each last around 4 hours (although these can of course be shortened on request) and will take you through various trails and tracks in search of wildlife and birdlife in the surrounding wilderness, in the morning, afternoon and evening. Breakfast is usually enjoyed within the jungle, by a small waterfall or a vantage point overlooking the river, and throughout the day you will be on the lookout for the wide variety of animals that call this area home. Species you may encounter include Bengal tigers, leopards, smooth coat otters, serow, ghural, Great Hornbills, Pallas fish eagle, lesser fish eagle, crested kingfisher, pied kingfisher, spotted forktail, long billed thrush, red-billed blue magpie, great barbet, blue throated barbet, a variety of sunbirds, and flycatchers to name just a few.

Once back at the lodge, if weather permits, a swim in the pristine Ramganga River is a must. Its cool waters are an amazing way to cool off after your walks.

Accommodation: 2 nights’ accommodation at Vanghat Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 4 Walking explorations with a naturalist guide.

Following a shorter walking exploration this morning, after breakfast you will join your private transfer to the southern periphery of the National Park to enjoy a different perspective of this remarkable area. After a drive of approximately 1.5 hours, you will check into the famous Jim’s Jungle Retreat and take your first included private jeep safari. Corbett Tiger Reserve is a large park and is currently divided into many different tourist zones: Dhela, Jhirna, Bijrani, Pakhro, Garjiadevi, Dhikala and Durgadevi. The park is an excellent place to seek out a variety of wildlife such as tiger, leopard, Asiatic elephant (summer months are better as elephants migrate), yellow-throated marten, rhesus macaque, jungle cats, and a huge variety of birdlife.

Over the course of your 2 days here, you can expect sightings of many of these iconic animals as you enjoy your 4 included private jeep safaris. Each safari usually lasts around 3 hours and will take place in the morning and afternoon.

Accommodation: 2 nights’ accommodation at Jim’s Jungle Retreat with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 4 Private Jeep Safaris in Corbett Tiger Reserve.

After an adventurous 4 days, following a final jeep safari this morning, you will transfer back to Delhi for some relaxation in the 5-star Suryaa Hotel. The hotel is located in the heart of South Delhi, close to many district centres. You may wish to venture out for some exploration or enjoy the wonderful cuisine on offer from the hotel’s 2 fine dining restaurants, one of which offers a fantastic rooftop dining experience.

Accommodation: 1 night’s accommodation at The Suryaa Hotel on a Bed & Breakfast basis.

This morning you will have an early start as you depart from your hotel after breakfast in your private transfer vehicle and begin your journey to the Chambal National Park area. Along the way you will discover one of India’s most famous highlights as you stop at the iconic Taj Mahal to enjoy a visit accompanied by a local city expert. After time to enjoy this famous monument, you will continue on to Chambal Safari Lodge where you will be based for the next 2 nights.

Chambal Safari lodge is an owner-run property in Jarar. Jarar has been the main seat of the family since 1472. Rai Saheb Ch. Suraj Pal Singh, the Zamindar of Jarar, built the Mela Kothi in the late 1890s. Nestling amidst acres of woodland and pasture, the Mela Kothi was ideally located to serve as a camp office for the family’s biannual cattle fair. In 1999 Rai Saheb Suraj Pal Singh’s great grandson, IIT engineer and conservationist Ram Pratap Singh, and his environmental scientist wife, Anu, began restoring their neglected inheritance. The product of their labour set within 35 sprawling acres of the original heritage plantation, surrounded by farmland - Mela Kothi - The Chambal Safari Lodge is an oasis of peace, tranquillity and gracious hospitality.

After checking into the lodge, you can enjoy an included boat safari along the Chambal River. Set against a stunning backdrop, framed by the ravines and sandbanks, the calm waters of the Chambal River are best explored on boats. The gentle pace of the River Safari is designed to provide spectacular sightings of the gharials, muggers and turtles basking in the sun, whilst the many migratory and resident birds fly above and the Gangetic river dolphins occasionally break the surface.

Accommodation: 2 nights' accommodation at Chambal Safari Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 1 Boat Safari, 1 Sarus Wetland Safari and 1 Blackbuck Safari, all accompanied by an expert naturalist.

This morning you will take a jeep safari to explore the Sarus Trail. The Sarus Crane Conservation Reserve starts around 30 km from the Chambal Safari Lodge, extending to about 100km. It is a widespread wetland area, interspersed by cultivated fields, where large numbers of the Sarus Cranes breed. Although not a protected area, since 1999 the Supreme Court of India, recognizing its importance as a habitat, has designated the area a reserve, with restrictions on development. Several species of wetland birds and raptors are also found along the course of this safari.

In the afternoon you will take another jeep safari in search of Blackbuck, a handsome antelope that is endemic to India. The Blackbuck jeep safari heads southwest towards the countryside between the Chambal and Yamuna ravines, for excellent sightings of Blackbuck deer and numerous dry land birds including the Indian Courser. It is also a fascinating journey through remote hamlets and habitations.

An early start on day 9 as you check out of the lodge and take your private transfer to Agra Railway station where you will catch the Bhopal Shatabdi Express train to Bhopal. The train leaves Agra at 0805 and arrives in Bhopal by 1430. Your included Executive Class train ticket entitles you to snacks and meals onboard.

Upon arrival in Bhopal you will join your 3.5 hour private road transfer to Satpura where you will check into the Reni Pani Jungle Lodge in the heart of the amazing highlands of Central India.

Satpura Park is a very special park as there are various ways in which to explore it. On day 10 you can enjoy 2 included jeep safaris to search for some of the larger fauna such as tigers, leopards, sloth bears and dhole (Asiatic Wild Dogs) which reside here.

Accommodation: 2 nights' accommodation at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 3 Private Jeep Safaris accompanied by an expert naturalist.

The next 2 days will offer a unique experience as you join a 2 night/3 day exploration of Satpura on foot, while camping in predetermined locations at night. This mobile camping experience is an authentic and truly memorable way of discovering this fascinating area. Accompanied by an expert naturalist and a forest department guide, over the 3 days you will cover around 35km of the park, hiking approximately 10-15km each day. Each night you will arrive at your camp, which will have been already set up by the team from the lodge, and enjoy dinner around the bushfire and some relaxation under the stars in the heart of the Indian jungle wilderness.

Accommodation: 2 night Satpura Under Canvas Mobile Camping Experience with all equipment and meals included.

This morning the lodge team will pack up the camp as you set out on foot back to the Reni Pani Jungle Lodge, arriving in time for lunch at the lodge. After 2.5 days of hiking through the Satpura jungles, an afternoon of relaxation is on the cards. Spend some time chilling out around the beautiful swimming pool, enjoying a refreshing dip or a relaxing massage, or simply soak up the sights and sounds of the jungle from your room’s private viewing deck. In the evening you can join an included Dusk Drive to seek out sightings of species such as leopards, nightjars, owls, rusty-spotted cats (one of the world’s smallest wildcats which is also endemic to the Indian subcontinent) and chausingha (four horned antelopes).

Accommodation: 1 night’s accommodation at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 1 Dusk Drive accompanied by an expert naturalist.

On the morning of day 14 you can enjoy a final jeep safari into the Satpura Tiger Reserve before an early lunch at the lodge. After checking out, you will then take your private transfer to Bhopal Airport where you will join your included flight back to Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi your transfer will take you back to the Lemon Tree Premiere Hotel in Aerocity for your final overnight stay. The following morning, your itinerary will come to an end, and you can take your transfer to the airport for your included flight back to London Heathrow (alternative airports available upon request).

Accommodation: 1 night’s accommodation at the Lemon Tree Premiere, Aerocity on a Bed & Breakfast basis.