Wildlife India Itinerary

Namaste and welcome to India!

Arrive Delhi, and after immigration, baggage, and customs, exit the arrival halls. A Geringer Global Travel representative will greet you with a placard bearing your name.

Transfer to the hotel.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Jabalpur.

Upon arrival, transfer to your lodge in Bandhavgarh National Park (approx. 4 hours). A former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa, Bandhavgarh National Park is known for the Royal Bengal tigers. Declared a national park in 1968, Bandhavgarh was named after an ancient fort built on an 800-meter-high (2,624 foot) cliffs in the park. The population of the tigers at Bandhavgarh is the highest in India. The park contains 37 species of mammals that include not only the Royal Bengal tiger but also sloth bears, deer, leopards, and jackals, more than 250 species of birds, about 80 species of butterflies, and several reptiles.

On arrival, check into the lodge and enjoy lunch.

After lunch, set out for a jeep safari in the park.

Enjoy an early morning game drive in the park. A packed breakfast is provided.

When returning to the lodge, time is at leisure or to enjoy the activities at the lodge.

Lunch is at the lodge.

After lunch, enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park.

Late afternoon, return to the lodge and enjoy an interactive session with your naturalist and other fellow residents. Share stories as you learn more about the place, its habitat, flora, and fauna.

Enjoy an early morning game drive in the park. A packed breakfast is provided.

Lunch is at the lodge.

After lunch, enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park.

In between the safari drives, enjoy activities at the lodge. Take a walk in Tala Village which gives you an opportunity to see an Indian village, where the pace of life is still measured by the rhythm of the seasons. The mud clustered houses and the elders smoking hookahs sitting on a cot are some of the common scenes which show that time stands still in certain areas of the world even today. You may also choose to walk on a trail accompanied by a naturalist. Learn about Bandhavgarh’s rich flora and fauna and its rich biodiversity. The lodge has a butterfly farm with over 40 species of butterflies and an organic garden.

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and transfer to Jabalpur Airport (approx. 4 hours) for a flight to Mumbai.

Lunch is at a local restaurant in Jabalpur.

On arrival in Mumbai, transfer to the hotel for check-in.

The rest of the day is at leisure.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel, and transfer to Mumbai Airport for your flight to Bhavnagar.

Lunch is at a local restaurant in Bhavnagar.

After lunch, drive to the lodge in Velavadar National Park (approx. 1.5 hours).

On arrival, check into the lodge.

Velavadar National Park is a beautiful 35 sq. km tract of largely treeless savannah grasslands and bushes that makes a stunning and enchanting sight. The beauty of the grasslands is enhanced by its abundance of wildlife from butterflies and dragonflies to India’s largest antelope, the Nilgai.

In the afternoon, ride a bicycle to explore the wilderness around the lodge at your own pace. Cycle through the village and interact with the locals. This is an opportunity to see rural life.

After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Velavadar National Park.

Velavadar’s savannah grasslands and scrub provide an optimum habitat for the Blackbuck, the Indian antelope. Some of India’s largest herds of this antelope can be seen in this park. Another antelope commonly seen in Velavadar, the nilgai or blue bull, gets its name from its resemblance to a cow. The key predator of Velavadar is the Indian wolf, an endangered species. Velavadar is also one of the most likely places to view a striped hyena, a species that is rarely seen elsewhere because of its nocturnal habits. The drivable track through the national park can yield sightings of many smaller mammals like the golden jackal, jungle cat, and hare. Indian foxes can be seen in the scrub habitat outside the park.

Lunch is at the lodge.

In the late afternoon, take a village tour which is a great opportunity to experience the rural culture of this area. Observe the lifestyle of the local Bharwad community in their colorful attire.

Enjoy the bush dinner at the lodge under a starlit sky surrounded by the wilderness of the savannah grasslands.

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and drive to Gir National Park (approx. 5.5 hours).

On arrival, check into the resort and enjoy lunch.

After lunch, set out on the first safari drive in Gir National Park. Gir National Park was once the hunting grounds of the Nawabs of Junagadh. It is the only home of the Asiatic lion that once prowled from the Middle East to India but now survives only in Gir National Park. The national park has around 38 species of mammals that include Asiatic lions, leopards, cobras, sloth bears, jackals, striped hyenas, and ratels. There are also 300 bird species, 37 reptile species, and over 2000 insect species.

After breakfast, enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in search of the Asiatic lion. The duration of the safari is around 3 hours and accompanied by an experienced naturalist.

Lunch is at the lodge.

After lunch, interact with Rasila, who will gladly share her experience and vision to save and protect the wildlife of the area. She is known for her exemplary courage and love for wild animals and was the first woman to be enrolled in the forest department of Gir National Park in Gujarat. She has rescued a total of 1,100 wild animals including 400 leopards, 200 lions, crocodiles, pythons, and birds. Having led multiple operations over 12 years, from working as a subordinate to now heading a department, Rasila’s journey defines courage, dedication, hard work, and genuine love for animals.

After breakfast, enjoy a narrow-gauge forest trail train to Kansiya Nes. A unique meter-gauge rail journey takes you through the forests of Sasan to Kansiya Nes. A nes is a typical dwelling of the Maldhari community of Sasan. This visit gives you an opportunity to understand the Maldharis’ unique lifestyle and their co-existence with the last lions of India.

Lunch is at the resort.

In the afternoon, explore the park with your naturalist.

After breakfast, enjoy the morning at leisure.

After an early lunch at the resort, transfer to Diu Airport (approx. 2 hours) for the flight to Delhi.

On arrival in Delhi, transfer to the airport hotel.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer to Delhi airport for the flight to Guwahati.

On arrival in Guwahati, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Guwahati.

After lunch, transfer to Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. (approx. 5 hours). Home to more than 2000 one – horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga National Park in Assam, with its dense forests, marshlands, and elephant-grass meadows, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Arrive in Kaziranga and check into the lodge.

Enjoy a dance performance followed by a bonfire and barbecue dinner.

After breakfast, enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in Kaziranga National Park. The duration of the safaris is around 2 hours accompanied by an experienced naturalist.

The park boasts a wide variety of wildlife, birdlife, and flora. Besides rhinos, the park is home to elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga also has one of the highest densities of tigers in the world. There are about 400 species of birds that include the Lesser White-fronted goose, Ferruginous duck, Baer’s pochard duck, Greater adjutant, Black-necked stork, and the Asian openbill stork.

Lunch is at the lodge.

In between the safaris, visit a nearby tea garden. Watch the Assam tea being grown, plucked, and processed.

After breakfast, take a jeep safari in the park.

Lunch is at the lodge.

After lunch, set out in search of the Gangetic dolphins on a traditionally carved wooden boat.

Home to many magnificent freshwater residents, the Brahmaputra River is one of the key waterways in Asia, spanning 3,848km (2,391mi.) in length. The river acts as a natural border between India, Bangladesh, and China, feeding into many smaller rivers and streams. The highly endangered Ganges river dolphin is the apex predator in this vast body of water, part of a complex ecosystem that is slowly diminishing in size. Fondly known as the Susu, due to its powerful sonic pitch, the Ganges dolphin is the national aquatic animal of India. The freshwater dolphin shares its habitat with several other unusual species, such as the mighty river crocodile and the ageless freshwater turtle. This naturally blind aquatic dweller lives in one of the most densely populated regions in the world, resulting in its endangered status and conservation priority label.

In between, spend time with local weavers. The soothing click-clack of the traditional hand-operated throw-shuttle looms can be heard from numerous homes throughout the villages, fondly referred to as taatxaal. Age-old techniques are employed to create the most splendid motifs and designs, depicting figures from the time of the Ahom kings and the wildlife of the Kaziranga National Park.

After breakfast, proceed to the eastern range of the park which is a bird watcher’s paradise, as it is endowed with a number of water lagoons. Large numbers of birds such as pelicans, the Great Adjutant storks, and the Whistling Teal ducks flock to the area.

Lunch is at the lodge.

After lunch, visit the National Orchid Park. The Orchid Park spans over a vast 5.95 acres and is one of the largest of its kind. About 500 species of orchids have been found in the Orchid Park out of the 1314 species found in the country. Apart from orchids, the park boasts 132 species of leafy and sour vegetables, 46 species of bamboo, and 12 species of cane.

In the afternoon, proceed for a game drive.

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and transfer to Guwahati Airport (approx. 5 hours) for the flight to Delhi.

Lunch is at a local restaurant in Guwahati. After lunch, transfer to the airport to board the flight to Delhi.

Arrive Delhi, transfer to the airport hotel, Andaz, followed by dinner at the hotel.

After dinner, transfer to the airport to connect for the flight back home.