Central India Wildlife Tour

Upon arrival, you will be met by our TIME representative at the airport, who will escort you till check in at the Hotel.

  The area occupied by Mumbai three hundred years ago, was 7 islands inhabited by Koli fisherman and their families. With land reclamation, the islands were connected, so that now Bombay occupies a thin isthmus. Mumba Devi or Mumbai was part of Catherine of Braganza’s marriage dowry when she married Charles II in 1661. Four years later, the British took possession of the remaining islands and neighboring mainland area and in 1668 the East India Company leased the whole area for 10 pounds per year.   Overnight in Mumbai.  

Early morning, you will be transferred to the Gateway of India. Then there is Elephanta Caves, located on an island about 10 kilometers away from the shores of Mumbai. These caves comprise of temples carved from solid rock dating back to the 7th century. The main attraction is the three-headed bust of Lord Shiva, famously known as ‘Trimurti’. Thereafter, proceed on a city tour. Later, halt at the Gateway of India for photo stop, drive past monuments built during the British era such as Mumbai University, Rajabai Clock Tower, High Court and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (VT). You may choose to stroll across Fashion Street, a stretch famous for its export clothing and accessories. Later drive past Marine Drive also known as the Queen’s Necklace. And last but not the least, make a brief photo stop at “Dhobi Ghat” the Indian laundry system. Overnight in Mumbai.

Take an early morning flight to Nagpur, on arrival drive to Pench National Park. On arrival Check in to the hotel. Pench National park, nestling in the lower southern reaches of the satpuda hills is named after Pench river, meandering through the park from north to south. It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara.Pench National Park, comprising of 758 SQ Kms, out of which a core area of 299 sq km of Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary and remaining 464 sq km of pench national park is the buffer area.The area of the present tiger reserve has a glorious history. The undulating topography supports a mosaic of vegetation ranging from moist, sheltered valleys to open, dry deciduous forest. Over 1200 species of plants have been recorded from the area including several rare and endangered plants as well as plants of ethno-botanical importance. The area has always been rich in wildlife. It is dominated by fairly open canopy, mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. The high habitat heterogeneity favours high population of Chital and Sambar. Pench tiger reserve has highest density of herbivores in India (90.3 animals per sq km). Overnight in Pench.

Early morning proceeds for the 01st Jungle Safari with the naturalist. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Later in the afternoon proceed for the second Jungle safari. Overnight in Pench.

Morning after breakfast, drive to Kanha National Park. On arrival check in at hotel. This is the country about which Kipling wrote so vividly in his Jungle Books. The same abundance of wildlife and variety of species still exists today and the park which forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve (1,945 sq. km) within the game reserve, created in 1974, also protects the rare hard-ground-adapted barasingha (swamp deer). The park has deciduous hardwoods including sal and stands of bamboo, rolling grasslands and meandering stream of the Banjar River. It lies in the Mandla District in the Makai Hills in the eastern part of the Satpura Range. Originally the area was famed as a hunter’s paradise but now the valley has been well developed as a national park. Balance day free at leisure. Overnight in Kanha.

Early morning proceeds for the 01st Jungle Safari with the naturalist. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Later in the afternoon proceed for the second Jungle safari. Overnight in Kanha.

Morning after breakfast, drive to Bandhavgarh National Park. On arrival check in at hotel. Bandhavgarh (pronounced Bandogarh) is famous as the place in which the (albino) white tiger originated. Now it is only found in zoos. Before becoming a National Park in 1968, it was the game preserve of the maharajas of Rewa. Though it involves quite a journey, you may be rewarded with sighting one of the few tigers. There are also interesting cave shrines scattered around the park, with Brahmi inscriptions dating from the 1st century BC. You can visit the archaeological remains of a fort believed to be 2,000 years old where you may spot crag martins and brown rock thrush. Balance day free at leisure. Overnight in Bandhavgarh.

Early morning proceeds for the 01st Jungle Safari with the naturalist. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Later in the afternoon proceed for the second Jungle safari. Overnight in Bandhavgarh.

Morning after breakfast, drive to Khajuraho. The Khajuraho temples are India’s unique gift to the world, representing a paean to life, love and joy: perfect in execution and sublime in expression. Life, in every form and mood, has been captured in stone, testifying to the craftsman’s artistry and the extraordinary breadth of the vision of Candela Rajput’s. The Khajuraho temples were built in the short span of a hundred years from 950 – 1050 A.D., in a truly inspired burst of creativity. Of the 85 original temples, 22 still survive constituting one the world’s greatest wonders. Later proceed for the sightseeing of Temple in Khajuraho Overnight in Khajuraho.

Morning after breakfast, take a flight to Delhi. On arrival Check in to the hotel. Delhi, the Empress of Indian cities has a fascinating history and a stimulating present. She has often been sacked and left naked and desolate. But she could not be despoiled of the incomparable situation that marks her for the metropolis of a Great Empire. The capital of India, Delhi has been the seat of power of a number of dynasties – the Rajputs, the Afghans, the Turks and the Mughals who continued their imperial line until the British. Scattered over are surviving ruins, remnants of mighty edifices, tombs of warriors and saints, which in an impressive sense of magnificence are memorials not of a single city but of supplanting nations. Balance Day free at Leisure. Overnight in Delhi.

Morning after breakfast proceed for city tour of Old Delhi. Visit the Red Fort (Closed on Monday), the 300-year-old walled city built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648 as his capital and named after him. The magnificent Red Fort built of red sandstone dates from the very peak of the Mughal power; opposite the fort are the black and white onion dome and minarets of the Jama Masjid, the most elegant mosque in India. Drive past Kotla Firoze Shah, ruins of an old fort of the 14th century with the 13-meter-high Ashoka Pillar of 3rd BC. Visit Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in 1948. Drive through the old city subject to traffic restrictions. On arrival, proceed for a rickshaw ride through the market place of the capital city to experience the unique environment of Delhi streets. Later in the afternoon proceed for the sightseeing of New Delhi. Visit the new capital designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. Drive past the Presidential Palace, the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the secretariat buildings - the center of all government activity and down the main avenue, the impressive Rajpath to the World War I memorial arch, the India Gate, the High Court Building and the Old Fort. Visit Humayun’s Tomb built in 1565 AD by his grieving widow Haji Begum, the Qutab Minar, 72 meters high and the ruins of Quwat-Ul-Islam (Light of Islam) Mosque. See Delhi’s most curious antique, the uncorroded Iron Pillar, which dates back to the 4th century AD. Visit the Birla Temple (Laxmi Narayan) with its many idols. Overnight in Delhi.

In time transfer to the international airport to connect flight to onward destination.