India | Into the Wilds of India: Tigers and Beyond

Depart from the U.S. Please note: Dates to travel are October to May as National Parks are closed from June to early October.

Arrive at the international airport in Delhi, clear customs and immigration, meet your representative, and travel to the hotel. Check-in is available beginning at 2 pm. Continuously inhabited since sixth century B.C.E., Delhi has been the capital of kingdoms and empires, and today is a sprawling metropolis that encompasses this fascinating blend of past and present. It is a perfect introduction to the composite culture of this ancient land.

After breakfast, be transported back in time to the grandeur and eventual ruin of the Mughal Empire, which ruled from the 16th century to the mid-19th century. Visit Jama Masjid, India's second largest mosque, and admire its tapering minarets and marble domes. Stroll through streets and markets where royalty once roamed, savor the fragrances of boisterous spice markets, be dazzled by India's largest jewelry markets, and glimpse the once glorious havelis (royal mansions) of Old Delhi. Alternating between walking and rickshaw rides, discover hidden gems while exploring the narrow alleys and 350-year-old markets of this city built at the pinnacle of the Mughal period. Afterward, visit the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, once the residence of the former Prime Minister of India, and the site where she was assassinated in 1984. Learn more about her life, death, and politics, as well as that of her son Rajiv Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister after his mother's assassination, and who himself was assassinated in 1991. The museum houses a collection of rare photographs documenting the Nationalist Movement, which sought independence from Great British colonial rule, as well as personal mementos of the Nehru Gandhi family and clippings of Rajiv Gandhi's funeral pyre. Learn about Indira Gandhi's work as a champion of tiger conservation, and later hear a lecture about Project Tiger, a government conservation program launched in 1973 during her tenure.

After breakfast, leave the bustling city behind and journey into the tranquility of India's wilderness. First, take a flight to Raipur, and then drive for approximately 4 to 5 hours to Kanha. Kanha National Park, on the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Madhya Pradesh, is under the purview of Project Tiger and provides breathtaking views of grassy plains and strands of mixed sal/teak forests. This 366-square-mile preserve was planned to save two endangered species, the Bengal tiger and the Barasingha deer. This evening, watch the award-winning Discovery Channel documentary, "Tigerland," which partly focuses on Kailash Sankhala, the founder of Project Tiger. Sankhala's grandchildren run and manage Kanha Jungle Lodge, your accommodation for the next three nights. Spend the evening getting to know this family whose heritage in tiger conservation dates back three generations.

Today, embark on early morning and afternoon visits to Kanha National Park in a 4x4 Jeep accompanied by a naturalist guide. Enjoy the opportunity to see dhol (wild dogs), chital (spotted deer), gaur (Indian bison), munjak (barking deer), sambhar (deer), leopard, and sloth bear. Kanha is also the only place in the world where it is possible to spot Barasingha deer in the wild, thanks to the successful conservation program that brought them back from the brink of extinction. Enjoy a picnic breakfast in the middle of the jungle, and later have lunch at the lodge. In the winter months, warm clothes, woolen caps, and gloves are needed for morning safaris in the open 4x4. Blankets are provided for extra comfort and protection.

Continue with morning and afternoon wildlife drives in Kanha National Park in a 4x4 Jeep accompanied by a naturalist guide.

This morning, drive from Kanha to Pench, which takes around 4 to 5 hours. Pench National Park is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, nestled in the lower southern reaches of the Satpura Mountain Range. Named for the Pench River, which meanders through the park from north to south, Pench covers 295 square miles. Notably, the present-day Pench Tiger Reserve and its surroundings are the original setting for Rudyard Kipling's famous work, "The Jungle Book." The undulating topography supports a range of vegetation, from moist, sheltered valleys to open, dry deciduous forest. More than 1,200 plant species have been recorded here, including several rare and endangered plants and plants of ethnobotanical importance. The area is also rich in wildlife; the high habitat diversity favors large populations of chital and sambar. In fact, Pench Tiger Reserve has the highest density of herbivores in India.

As soon as dawn breaks, set out on a morning wildlife viewing drive aboard 4x4 Jeeps through the Pench National Park jungle and accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guide. After lunch, return to the 4x4 Jeeps with your guides to go on another drive and continue the search for target species.

Continue the exploration of Pench National Park with morning and afternoon wildlife viewing drives.

After breakfast, depart Pench and drive to Satpura National Park, located in south Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh. The 820-square-mile park is the core area of the Panchmarhi Biosphere Reserve, and has an elevation of 1,050 to 4,350 feet, with tall sandstone mountains, narrow gorges, ravines, waterfalls, streams, and dense forests. The area boasts two distinctive species of trees, the sal and the teak, as well as many varieties of ferns, mango trees, butterflies, and birds.

Go on morning and afternoon wildlife viewing drives in Satpura National Park aboard a 4x4 Jeep with a naturalist guide. Enjoy the opportunity to explore the park outside of the safari vehicle - on foot or by boat. Satpura is the only tiger reserve that permits walking safaris in small groups of four, plus a guide, through the heart of the park and encourages a wide variety of activities that give visitors a much deeper insight into tiger country than is possible by Jeep only. Park management, along with Forsyth Lodge, are involved in training local community members to become naturalist guides in order to provide surrounding communities with access to skilled work and discourage potential future involvement in poaching.

Continue with morning and afternoon visits to Satpura National Park aboard a 4x4 Jeep and accompanied by a naturalist guide.

Spend this morning at leisure. After lunch, drive to Bhopal, which takes around 4 hours. Upon arrival, travel to the airport and board the flight to Delhi. Once in Delhi, go to the hotel to freshen up and relax before traveling to the airport for your international flight home.

Arrive to the U.S.