Wild Escapes A Guided Photo Tour to Bandhavgarh and Kanha

What People Are Saying About Us

Don’t just take it from us, let our participants do the talking!

Tour Spotlight

Overview of the Photo Tour

You start early. Looks like a lazy day. Wait for your turn to enter the park. You hold your cameras tight, ready to click the moment you sight a striped beauty. The jeep stops with driver and the guide trying to listen to the “call” and the tiger emerges slowly.. all you can hear is the crispy sound of dry leaves getting crushed under the mighty paws of tiger and the sound of shutters closing and opening in a frenzy. And then it vanishes in the thick forest. You are convinced your day is made and now nothing else matters.

This best describes a typical day in Land of Tiger.

The Beauty of Bandhavgarh and Kanha

About Bandhavgarh they say, that you have got be really unlucky not to see a Tiger in Bandavgarh. One park which is on top of the charts as far as Tiger sightings are concerned is Bandhavgarh. One park which is a hot favorite today with Wildlife Photographers is Bandhavgarh. One park for the true Wildlife Lover is Bandhavgarh.
It is not only the Tiger sightings here, but the natural and archaeological splendor that awaits a visitor which is totally unexpected, and beyond imagination. Every time people have asked me “Jassi, you seem to be in love with Bandhavgarh”, and I always proudly tell them, yes I am, and you will be too if you visit Bandhavgarh.
The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel “Jungle Book”. The Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh came into being in 1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger. The Park’s landmark achievement is the preservation of the rare hardground Swamp Deer (Barasingha), saving it from near extinction. Stringent conservation programs for the overall protection of the Park’s fauna and flora, makes Kanha one of the most well maintained National Parks in Asia.

Kanha also shelters one of the largest populations of the tigers in the country. Some of the other larger animal species found in the park are sloth bear, leopard, striped hyena, spotted dear, wild boar, jungle cat, jackal and a variety of monkeys. Over 200 spices of birds have been spotted in the park. There are many folklore about how it got Kanha name. Some say it came from Kanha, the clay like soil of the river bottoms, other say the area is named for Kanha a holy forest sage, who once lived here and was the father of Shakuntala, whose son was Bharat and whose story was told in our legends.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1, Jan 07: Arrival and Initial Foray

Leaving Jabalpur / Katni early in the morning, participants arrive in Bandhavgarh. After check in, freshening up and lunch, and a round of brief introduction, your Tour Leader will share some tips on Wildlife photography and tourist rules of the Park and set the tone for the Tour.

Then it’s time for the much-awaited first safari, during which we acquaint ourselves with the park and if lucky get to spot the striped beauty. Following our first photo safari, we return to resort, where the Tour’s first interactive foto gup shup session will ensue. These unique Xploring Light sessions, which are highly fruitful and great fun, are reported by earlier participants to be as enjoyable as the safaris themselves and should entertain you as much as educate you.

Having spent a noteworthy day replete with exploration, photography and frolic, we enjoy a scrumptious supper before hitting the sack for the night with dreams of what lies ahead.

Day 2, Jan 08: Morning and Afternoon Safaris in Bandhavgarh

The morning safari lasts for a full four hours, giving us a splendid chance to not only track tigers but also see and photograph many other inhabitants of this Central Indian Eden. We exit the park at 9:45 a.m and return to our comfortable resort for a refreshing shower and a rejuvenating breakfast.

After a brief repose, we meet for a session of bird photography where you shoot birds under the expert guidance of your Tour Leader.
Lunch will be followed by the second safari at 3:30. Afternoons are great for bird-watching, and while we wait for Tigers to start moving towards open areas to counter the winter cold, we have a great time photographing some of the winged attractions of Bandhavgarh, which may include Indian Roller, Serpent Eagles, Red Wattled Lapwings and Greater Adjutant Storks. Meanwhile your Tour Leader will constantly monitor the situation and strategize with the guide and the driver to maximize Tiger sighting opportunities.

After hopefully a fruitful excursion, we return to the resort for a cup of tea and later meet for a review session of followed by dinner and shuteye.

Day 3 Jan 09: More Morning and Afternoon Safaris in Bandhavgarh

On Day 3, we follow the same schedule with variations in strategy and approach if and as required. Your Tour Leader will always be thinking a step ahead and will collaborate with the drivers and naturalists to take strategic decisions both proactively and driven by need, in an effort to achieve a rewarding time.

Day 4 Jan 10: Checkout and Head for Kanha

We end our most enthralling and fruitful Bandhavgarh stretch of this tour. We depart Bandhavgarh after breakfast and drive to Kanha for a second round of this tour to ensure that you have the best of Wildlife photo sessions at the heart of India. Reach Kanha, check in and embark on an evening safari. Return after our first photo safari in the pristine forest of Kanha, some Gup Shup and retire after dinner.

Participants Registered for only KANHA reach Kanha today and wait for the batch from Bandhavgarh to arrive.

Day 5, Jan 11: Morning Safari and Afternoon Safaris in Kanha
The morning safari lasts for a full four hours, giving us a splendid chance to not only track tigers but also see and photograph many other inhabitants of this Central Indian Eden. We exit the park at 9:45a.m and return to our comfortable resort for a refreshing shower and a rejuvenating breakfast.

After a brief repose, we meet for a session of bird photography where you shoot birds under the expert guidance of your Tour Leader.
Lunch will be followed by the second safari at 3:30. Afternoons are great for bird-watching, and while we wait for Tigers to start moving towards open areas to counter the winter cold, we have a great time photographing some of the winged attractions of Kanha, which may include Indian Roller, Serpent Eagles, Red Wattled Lapwings and Greater Adjutant Storks. Meanwhile your Tour Leader will constantly monitor the situation and strategize with the guide and the driver to maximize Tiger sighting opportunities.

After hopefully a fruitful excursion, we return to the resort for a cup of tea and later meet for a review session of followed by dinner and shuteye.

Day 6, Jan 12: Morning and Afternoon Safaris in Kanha
On Day 6, we follow the same schedule except that now we have evening safaris to explore the wildlife with variations in strategy and approach if and as required. Your Tour Leader will always be thinking a step ahead and will collaborate with the drivers and naturalists to take strategic decisions both proactively and driven by need, in an effort to achieve a rewarding time.

Day 7, Jan 13: Morning Safari and Dispersal
On Day 7, We venture into the Park for one final throw of the dice in the way of a morning safari. Upon our return, having completed a fruitful stint in the land of the tiger, we depart Kanha after breakfast and drive back to Jabalpur whence we return to our abodes.

Your Tour Mentor

Jassi Oberai

Virtual Tour of Bandhavgarh and Kanha

through the eyes of Xploring Light