12 Nights/13 Days
Would you like to witness India’s Big Five? If so, this tour is for you. The One-Horned Rhinoceros, Tigers, Elephants, Water Buffaloes, and Indian Gaur, all these big mammals, form India’s big five you can see on this tour. The national parks of Kanha, Kaziranga, and Bandhavgarh offer you the best sightings of these mammals, and together, they are home to nearly 700 species of birds. With such extremely rich biodiversity, would you really want to miss the chance to explore these wild treasures? We didn’t think so.
If you wonder where to see the One-horned Rhinoceros in India, then the answer is Kaziranga National Park, situated in the Brahmaputra flood plain of Assam, which offers a rare opportunity to see the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros from an elephant-back safari. You can also enjoy a boat cruise along the mighty Brahmaputra River. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kaziranga, is a conservation success story of the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros. From a time when One-Horned Rhinos were reduced to double digits, the population today has rebounded to over 2,600 individuals thanks to sustained conservation efforts.
Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks are among the most reliable destinations for tiger safari in India. While other parks also offer chances to see these majestic big cats, the experience of encountering them in the landscapes of Kanha and Bandhavgarh is simply unparalleled. In addition to tigers, these parks are also home to leopards, sloth bears, Indian wild dogs, jackals, sambar deer, Indian gaur, spotted deer, barking deer, blackbuck, blue bull, and several other mammal, reptile, and bird species.
National Parks Covered
Day 1
Arrival in New Delhi
Arrive New Delhi. Overnight stay at the hotel in New Delhi.
Day 2
New Delhi – Guwahati – Kaziranga (by flight + 250 kms/5 hrs drive)
After breakfast, you will be transfered to the airport to board your flight to Guwahati. Upon arrival, you will be met by our representative and driven to Kaziranga National Park, this will be a journey of 250 kms, which will take approximately 5 hours. On arrival, check in at the lodge. Enjoy lunch at the lodge, followed by an afternoon jeep safari in the national park.
Day 3 - 4
In Kaziranga National Park
Morning and evening safari at the park to see the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros and other animals. All meals and overnight at the resort. Kaziranga National Park lies in the floodplain of the River Brahmaputra of Assam. It is the oldest park in Assam and covers an area of 625.58 sq km along the River Brahmaputra in the North and the Karbi Anglong hills in the South.
Kaziranga National Park is a world heritage site and famous for the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros. The landscape of Kaziranga is of evergreen forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes & shallow pools, etc. It was declared a National Park in 1974.
Kaziranga National Park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by human presence. It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, water buffaloes, leopard cats, otters, different species of primates, and monitor lizards. Some of the birds that can be commonly sighted are the flamingo, crane, grey-headed fishing eagle, whistling teal, crested serpent eagle, open-billed stork, swamp partridge, osprey, cormorant, heron, and marsh harrier.
Day 5
Kaziranga – Guwahati – New Delhi (250 kms/5 hrs drive+ flight)
Morning jeep safari to the national park, and after breakfast, drive to Guwahati, 250kms to board a flight at 1720 hrs. to arrive in New Delhi at 2015 hrs. Meeting and assistance on arrival at New Delhi and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in New Delhi.
Day 6
New Delhi – Raipur – Kanha (flight + 220 kms/4-hour drive)
Early morning transfer to the domestic terminal to board a flight to Raipur. Met at the airport and drive to Kanha National Park, 220 km / 4-hour drive. Check in at the resort on arrival. Lunch. Afternoon safari in the national park.Â
Kanha is located right in the heart of India, which also gives you an opportunity to experience the rural, tribal, and agricultural parts of India. Dinner and overnight at Singinawa Jungle Lodge.
Day 7 - 8
In Kanha National Park
Kanha’s sal and bamboo forest and its rolling grasslands, and meandering streams stretch over 917.43 sq km in dramatic natural splendor, which form the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1973 under Project Tiger. The park is known for its conservation success story of the rare hardground-Barasingha.
This is the part of the Kipling country of which he wrote so vividly in his Jungle Book. Packed breakfast, which comes from the Lodge, is served at a designated spot and spread on the bonnet of the Safari vehicle. Enjoy your breakfast in the wilderness of Kanha. Continue your search for the elusive Tiger if you have not yet seen the same, and soak in the fresh and energizing environment.
Return from Safari around 1130hrs. Freshen up, and lunch is served.Â
The forests of the Banjar valley and Halon valley form Kanha’s western and eastern halves. By a special statute in 1955, Kanha National Park came into being. Since then, a string of stringent conservation programmes has been launched for the overall protection of the park’s fauna and flora. Kanha boasts about 38 species of mammals. Some of the inhabitants of this park are the gaur, the largest of the world’s cattle; the sambar, the largest Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelope in the world. Other frequent visitors include the Nilgai antelope, the sloth bear, the dhole, or Indian wild dog, and an occasional Leopard. Some 300 species of birds inhabit the park, which includes the storks, egrets, black ibis, raptors, owls, and the red-wattled lapwings.
Day 9
Kanha – Bandhavgarh (by surface 280 kms/6 hrs drive)
Morning jeep safari to the national park, and after early lunch, depart for Bandhavgarh, 280 km, 6-hour drive. On arrival, check into the Lodge. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge.
Day 10 - 11
In Bandhavgarh National Park
Morning and afternoon safaris in the park. All meals and overnight at the resort.
The national park is mainly known for its tiger population. The other wild attractions in the park include Leopards, Blue Bulls, Indian Gaur (Bison) Chausingha (Four-Horned Antelopes), Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Sloth Bears, Fox, Jackals, Wild Dogs, etc. There are at least 35 mammal species and about 250 bird species in the Park. The other animals found in Bandhavgarh are Ratel, Porcupine, Small Indian Civet, Palm Squirrel, Lesser Bandicoot rat, the Jungle Cat, and the striped Hyenas.Â
The reptile population in the park includes Cobras, Kraits, Vipers, Ratsnakes, Pythons, Monitor Lizards and turtles. The two primate species – the rhesus macaque and the Hanuman langur – inhabit Bandhavgarh.
Day 12
Bandhavgarh – Jabalpur – New Delhi (by road 200 kms / 4 hrs drive)
Morning Jeep safari in the park. After lunch drive to Jabalpur airport 200 kms /4hrs drive to board a flight to New Delhi at 1845 hrs. Arrive New Delhi at 2045 hrs and transfer to hotel.
Day 12
New Delhi Fly back home
Morning free for leisure activities and later transfer to the international airport to board a flight back home or onward destination.
