Chris Weston Wildlife Photography

There is something very special about seeing tigers in the wild and there’s nowhere better to photograph tigers than the legendary Kanha and Bandhavgarh national parks in central India. On this photo-packed 11-day adventure we have plenty of time to explore both Parks. We use spacious, private open jeeps and our National Geographic-commended naturalist Nanda Rana and highly experienced professional photographer Chris Weston are there to ensure you capture once-in-a-lifetime images of these majestic big cats, as well as other wildlife, such as birds, Indian wild dog, deer and primates. Our cleverly-organised itinerary minimises travel and maximises your photographic time in both parks, which, together with our attention to detail, including small groups, high quality accommodation and sumptuous cuisine, all make for the ultimate wild tiger photo-safari.

Highlights

• The ultimate tiger photo-safari
• Two of India’s very best tiger reserves - Kanha NP & Bandhavgarh NP
• Other wildlife includes birds, primates, Indian wild dog and rare species of deer and antelope
• National Geographic-commended naturalist
• Small group - max. 8 guests
• Private open vehicles - max. 2 photographers per vehicle
• Experienced pro’ photographic guide
• High quality accommodation
• Amazing value for money

Description

Our ultimate two-centre Tiger Photo-Safari begins in Delhi, where, on arrival, you will be welcomed by our experienced guide in the Arrivals Hall and transferred to your airport hotel (approx. 15 minutes) in a private vehicle. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and explore the city at your leisure.

The following morning, we take a private transfer to the Domestic Terminal for the air transfer to Jabalpur (approx. 2 hours). On arrival into Jabalpur, we have a private road transfer (approx. 4 hours) to our luxury lodge on the edge of Kanha National Park. After settling in and lunch, there is time for an afternoon game drive in private vehicles and our first potential sightings of tigers.

Our jeeps are open sided giving you an excellent sight line and each jeep has no more than two photographers, meaning you have plenty of space for unrestricted photography.

In the evening, after relaxing in the Guest Lounge, a sumptuous dinner of local cuisine is served in the well-appointed dining room.

For the next three days, we explore the Park during morning and afternoon game drives, in search of tigers and other wildlife, including birds, deer, primates, guar, and the exceptionally rare upland barasingha, endemic to Kanha National Park. Kanha is one of the most important parks in the Project Tiger network and covers an area of almost 2,000 sq. km. Established in 1974 as a Tiger Reserve, it was previously a hunting ground as well as being the inspiration behind Kipling’s legendary novel The Jungle Book.

The terrain is varied from large grassy meadows to sal trees and bamboo, which provide extensive cover. Kanha has two main rivers, Halon in the east and Banjar in the west, and the grassy maidans spread throughout the centre. The hills offer support to sizeable plateaus that are much favoured by gaur and four-horned antelope. There are a number of water pools, which are excellent for photography.

Aside from the healthy tiger population, estimated to be around 120, Khana is also home to the upland barasingha, which has been saved from extinction, cheetal, sambar and chausingha - the only four-horned antelope in the world. Other species such as the wild dog, Indian fox, sloth and bear are less commonly seen. There are many colourful birds including the peacock, Indian roller, hornbill, eagle and woodpecker.

After Kanha, on the sixth day, we transfer by private vehicle to Bandhavgarh National Park (approx. 6 hours), arriving in time for an afternoon game drive. Lying on the northern side of the Satpura Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh’s terrain includes low hills covered with sal and bamboo forest, and many small streams interspersed by wider flat marshlands. This variety of habitat makes it ideal for a range of wildlife, which makes the chances of spotting tigers very high.

A surprising variety of bird life can be seen here, too, including steppe eagle, hornbills, and bee eaters. Game viewing in the park is well organised: wardens track tigers day-by-day, and then alert visitors to their location. We cover a lot of ground by jeep, and (at the time of writing) there is the option of photographing from the back of an elephant. As with Kanha, we have three further days to explore and photograph in Bandhavgarh, with both morning and afternoon game drives.

On Day 10, we take a private transfer by road (approx. 4.5 hours) to Jabalpur, spending the night in a local hotel. The following morning, we transfer to Jabalpur airport for the connecting flight back (approx. 2 hours) to Delhi International Airport.