India Tiger Safari

Embark on a comprehensive wildlife tour of the best tiger parks in India

Bengal tigers are a highly seductive class-A predator; they are also desperately endangered. Seeing one in the wild is intoxicating, which is why this comprehensive safari visits three of the best tiger parks in India. Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh national parks are all ideal for viewing both predator and prey, and with 15 game drives included the chances of seeing the magnificent Bengal tiger are greatly increased. There are many other animals to see, too, but tigers remain top of the agenda throughout.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony though practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate) with a Wildlife Rating of Five. Please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page for more information on our trip gradings, or our Wildlife Holidays page for more on our Wildlife Ratings. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

This tour is not physically demanding; however, days can be long (up to nine hours) and busy on occasion, especially when taking the overnight train and driving from park to park. The roads are generally pretty good, but local traffic and/or road damage after the monsoon can slow us down. We travel on comparatively quiet roads for at least half the journey but the road between Pench and Kanha is known to be bad.

Please be aware, there are very early morning starts (4.30am for example) on consecutive days at each national park as this is the best time to get out and spot tigers, which can make for much longer days. We do expect you to have several tiger sightings across this trip; however, the wildlife is free-roaming and unpredictable and we, unfortunately, cannot guarantee you will see tigers or other animals on every game drive. Some days may feel long and uneventful on your search for the elusive tiger but the sightings you do have, are always an exhilarating reward for the wait!

The jeeps throughout the national parks are simple and will often require you to step up into them and have a noticeable step down from them. On the game drives, you will be navigating bumpy tracks for most of the day and this can be uncomfortable for some after a long day in the jeep.

Monuments

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is responsible for the conservation of many monuments in India, including the Taj Mahal. Very occasionally, this means work is taking place at sites visited on this trip. The ASI schedule is never published, so it is impossible to predict when work will take place.

Game drive regulations – book early!
The management of national parks by the Indian authorities and the system for booking game drives is very rigid. The number of 4x4s that can enter national parks has been reduced, and all game drives need to be booked and paid for well in advance.

We must provide a list of client names and passport details at the time of booking each game drive. Once game drives are booked, they are non‐refundable and name changes are not permitted. If you renew your passport after the game drives are booked, you must travel with both your old and new passports so the authorities can ascertain the authenticity of the previous passport mentioned in the booking.

You cannot change or swap 4x4s during the trip. It is four people per vehicle, so please let us know at the time of booking if you are a group of five or more travelling together with separate bookings to ensure you are seated appropriately.

Due to ongoing changes in the system, the following guidelines and conditions now apply to all bookings:

1) We cannot guarantee the operation of any departure until we have the necessary game drives secured. We aim to secure game drives from a variety of gates/zones as per the itinerary, but please be aware that this is subject to availability. The date at which we book the game drives will vary depending on when the booking system allows us to do so for your departure, usually will be around 120 days before travel but this is subject to change.

2) Within 120 days prior to travel it may be possible to book passengers onto a departure after the game drives have been confirmed but additional supplement costs are likely to be incurred. If we have made initial game drive bookings for a departure, we may need to wait until we have a further three or four clients ready to book before we can secure an additional vehicle and spread the cost of any supplement.

3) At the time of booking the game drives, approximately 120 days prior to travel, they are non‐refundable. If for any reason we are unable to secure the game drives and we must cancel the trip, you receive a full refund.

4) We want to encourage you to book this trip as far in advance as possible; we are confident we can secure the game drives needed if passengers are book four to five months in advance of the departure date.

5) It is important we have your correct passport details at the time of booking. If you end up travelling on a different passport, you must carry your old passport, or a photocopy of it, with you. If this isn’t possible, you will need a letter from the passport agency regarding the change of passport, specifying the details of the old passport and the details of the new passport issued.

We regret that these measures are necessary, but we are keen to ensure we secure the game drives as early as possible.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

India

You require a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Proof of a polio vaccination may also be required by some visitors. Please confirm all requirements and recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

You may also want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in India. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Some of our India trips spend time at altitude. In regions over approximately 6,560ft (2,000m), there is little risk of mosquito-borne diseases. For trips above 9,840ft (3,000m), there is a risk of being affected by acute mountain sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. Please see the Trip Notes for further information.

Visa

India

To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.

Travellers from the UK, US, CA and EU normally need a visa to enter India. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/india
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/india
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html

Travellers eligible for an e-visa, which includes those from the UK, US, CA and EU, can apply at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html.

For more information on applying for your Indian Visa, including details required for your start hotel and local reference contacts, please click on this link: Indian Visa Information

Food & Drink

Breakfast and 11 dinners are included.

Allow around 1,400 – 2,400 rupees (US$20-US$35) per day for lunch and dinner. You can eat out very cheaply in India, but if you go to the more expensive restaurants, you will spend more than the suggested amount. In Agra and Delhi, there is a good choice of restaurants and a selection of Indian and Western food. If you are a vegetarian, India is probably one of the best destinations to travel to with a wide range of dishes on offer. Please note, there are usually some non-spicy curries while we’re at the national parks, but these are in limited supply. Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. A (large) bottle of beer is approximately 600 rupees (US$7). Mineral water is widely available. Please note, service in restaurants can be quite slow.

Weather

September to April is the ideal time to visit these areas of northern India. Days are normally warm to hot and nights cool or mild. Humidity is very low with little or no rain. In March/April and September/October, it can get very hot during the day. Evenings in Delhi and at the game parks can be surprisingly cool. It gets very cold in the early mornings and evenings between December and February.