This is Wild Navigator’s first series on Campfire Deals where Travel Companies showcase their tours to our readers. Our first itinerary comes from India -

India’s Land of the Tiger Tours

Duration: 13 Nights / 14 Days

Places Visiting: Mumbai - Nagpur - Kanha - Bandhavgarh - Umaria - Agra - Delhi 

Day 1: Arrive Mumbai

You will arrive in Mumbai by an International flight.

Meeting and assistance on arrival at Mumbai Airport and transfer to hotel.

Mumbai (Bombay) is the vibrant and pulsating capital of Maharashtra. For over a century, Mumbai has been a commercial and industrial centre of India with a magnificent harbour, imposing multi-storeyed buildings, crowded thoroughfares, busy markets, shopping centres and beautiful tourist spots. The British acquired Mumbai from the Portuguese in 1665 and handed it over to the East India company in 1671 for a handsome annual rent of Sterling Pounds 10 in Gold !. Later, these seven islands were joined together by causeways and bridges in 1862. Overnight in Mumbai.

Day 2: Mumbai

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Visit the 19th century Jain Temple with its silver doors, the Kamla Nehru Park and the Ferozshah Mehta Gardens known as the Hanging Gardens of Bombay and the Towers of Silence where the Parsis dispose their dead. Visit Mani Bhavan where Mahatma Gandhi spent 17 years of his life working for the freedom of India. The Prince of Wales Museum has an excellent collection of miniatures (closed on Mondays).

Afternoon at leisure (No vehicle at disposal)

Overnight in Mumbai.

Day 3: Mumbai - Nagpur - Kanha

Morning departure transfer from the hotel to the airport to board flight (9W 111: 0710 / 0825 hrs) to Nagpur.

Meeting on arrival at Nagpur airport and drive to Kanha (275 kms / 7 hrs)

Kanha, 175 kms southeast of Jabalpur, is one of India’s largest national park and Asia’s finest park. India’s one of the most successful conservation efforts of saving the Barasingha (Swamp Deer) was done here. Kanha National Park covers an area of 1945 sq kms including a core zone of 940 sq kms. The setting of Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’, it is a beautiful area of forest and lightly wooded grassland with many streams and rivers. It is the home of a variety of animals including tiger, panther, and many species of deer, wild pig, bison, a variety of monkeys and other animals besides some 200 species of birds. It is also part of ‘Project Tiger,’ one of India’s most important and successful conservation efforts.

Overnight in Kanha.

Day 4: Kanha

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Lodge.

Game drives are organized by The Park both in the early mornings and late afternoons by open jeeps and will be accompanied by a trained naturalist. Once the tiger is spotted anywhere in the jungle, through radio contact with the drivers, visitors will be driven to the location and then taken by elephant back to the actual site to see the tiger. This is an excellent arrangement and is very exciting.

The park is closed between July 01 and October 31 owing to the monsoons.

Morning and afternoon proceed on a game drive to the sanctuary.

Overnight in Kanha.

Day 5: Kanha

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Lodge.

Morning and afternoon proceed on a game drive to the sanctuary.

Overnight in Kanha.

Day 6: Kanha - Bandhavgarh

Breakfast at the lodge.

After breakfast drive to Bandhavgarh (325 kms). On arrival check in at the resort.

The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is relatively high. The possibility of spotting Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Leopard and Tiger is very good. The park is also densely populated with animals like the Chital (Spotted Deer), Sambar, Barking Deer, Nilgai (Blue Bull), Chowsingha (Four Horned Antelope) and is rich in bird life.

The terrain is rocky, rising sharply from the swampy and densely forested valley. The finest of these hills is Badhavgarh, which is bounded by great cliffs and eroded rocks. The Bandhavgarh Fort, believed to be 2000 years old, stands at the highest point. There is a temple at the fort that can be visited by jeeps. Scattered throughout the park, particularly around the fort, are numerous caves containing shrines with ancient Sanskrit inscriptions. The ramparts of the fort provide a home for vultures, blue rock thrushes and crag martins.

Overnight at Tiger Den Resort, Bandhavgarh.

Day 7: Bandhavgarh

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Lodge.

Morning and afternoon proceed on a game drive to the sanctuary.

The Forest Department has devised an ingenuous system of trackingthe tiger at this Park. Every day, early in the morning, elephants and their “Mahouts” (drivers) are sent out into the jungle, in search of the Tiger. Once it has been sighted, a radio message is flashed to the Forest Ranger, who in turn informs the visitors in their jeeps, who are then taken on elephant-back, into the bush, to see the elusive Tiger.

Overnight in Bandhavgarh.

Day 8: Bandhavgarh

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Lodge.

The mornings and afternoons will be consumed by the safaris to the sanctuary on a game drive and believe us this will be extremely adventurous and entertaining.

Overnight in Bandhavgarh.

Day 9: Bandhavgarh

Day begins with a delicious breakfast and then our representative will take you to the sanctuary for the game drive which continues after lunch too.This day is also as interesting as the by gone day.

Overnight at Tiger Den Resort, Bandhavgarh.

Day 10: Bandhavgarh - Umaria - Agra

Breakfast and Lunch at the Lodge.

Morning proceed on a game drive to the sanctuary.

Late afternoon drive to Umaria railway station (45 Kms) to board Kalinga Utkal Express to Agra. Board the train at 1930 hrs.

Overnight enroute on board the train.

Day 11: Arrive Agra

Arrive at Agra railway station at 0930 hrs.

You will be received at the railway station by our representatives, who then will take you to the hotel booked for you.

Agra is famous as the home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces in Agra is a vivid reminder of the opulence of the legendary Mughal Empire. Agra was their capital for nearly a hundred years from 1564. A pleasant town, with a comparatively easy pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soapstone by artisans who are hereditary crafts persons. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes.

Afternoon excursion to Fatehpur Sikri.

Fatehpur Sikri - This exquisite city built by Akbar the Great in 1569, in red sandstone, with its forts, palaces and mosques was abandoned 14 years after its creation due to political reasons. The Diwan-i-am - a vast courtyard in which the emperor gave daily public audience; Diwan-i-khas - a large quadrangle which contained all the major functions of the Palace, Pachisi court, the Emperors private living quarter, Jodha Bhai’s Palace, Mariam’s Palace, Birbal’s Palace, Hawa Mahal and Panch Mahal are some of the important buildings of this residential complex. The Friday Mosque and the exquisite tomb of Sheik Salim Chisti are in the religious grounds set aside in a separate enclosure adjacent to the secular buildings.

Overnight in Agra.

Day 12: Agra - Delhi

Morning: Proceed on a city tour of Agra. Visit the Agra Fort, built by three Mughal Emperors starting from Akbar the Great in 1565 AD, which is a masterpiece of design and construction. Within the fort are a number of exquisite buildings including the Moti Masjid, Jahangir’s Palace, Khas Mahal and the Sheesh Mahal, Diwane-i-Am, Diwane-i-Khas and Musamman Burj, where Emperor Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor, died a prisoner. Later visit the Taj Mahal - the inimitable poem in white marble. Built over a period of 22 years, by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1630, for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains, it is one of the seven modern wonders of the World. The Taj is closed on Friday.

Afternoon transfer to the railway station to board the train for Delhi.

Leave Agra for Delhi by Punjab Mail (1645 / 2020 hrs).

Meeting and assistance on arrival at New Delhi Railway Station and transfer to the hotel.

Delhi - the capital of India, is a fascinating city with complexities and contradictions, beauty and dynamism, where the past co-exists with the present. Many dynasties ruled from here and the city is rich in the architecture of its monuments. Delhi is not only the present metropolis of India but also a Necropolis. Because of its location, being on the banks of the river Yamuna, many cities have risen and fallen over the last five millenniums.

Overnight in Delhi.

Day 13: Delhi

Morning: Proceed on a tour of Old Delhi visiting the historic Red Fort - Shah Jehan’s elegant citadel in red sandstone, which was built as an octagon measuring 900m by 550m and surrounded by a 9m deep moat which was at its inception fed by the waters of the Yamuna river. The fort is entered from the Lahori Gate and leads to a roofed passage called Chatta Chowk. The Naqqar Khana (drum house) at the end of this passage marks the entrance to the royal enclosure. A spacious lawn leads to the Diwan-i-Am - the pillared Hall of Public Audience, Diwan-i-Khas - the Hall of Private Audience where the Emperor met select visitors and to the Pearl Mosque built by Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangazeb, the last of the “Great Mughals”. Very near the Fort is the Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque), India’s largest mosque, also built by Shah Jahan. See the colourful bazaar of Chandni Chowk and take a cycle rickshaw ride through the back streets of Old Delhi to get a first hand experience of the hustle and bustle of this traditional city. This ride through the small by-lanes will be most fascinating.

Afternoon: Visit the city of New Delhi visiting the Qutab Minar, a Tower of Victory, built in the 12th century by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. Within its spacious courtyard stands the Iron Pillar, which dates back to the 4th century AD and bears a Sanskrit inscription in the Gupta style. The pillar has puzzled scientists, as its iron has not rusted in all these centuries. The tomb of Humayun - the magnificent structure in red sandstone and white marble is one of the finest examples of the garden tomb, and a precursor to the Taj Mahal. Its proportionate spaces, double dome and refined elegance are characteristic of Mughal architecture. Also visit India Gate, the memorial of the First World War and drive along the road that leads from there to Rashtrapathi Bhawan - the residence of the President of India which is flanked by the houses of Parliament and the Government Secretariat buildings.

FAREWELL DINNER at a nice restaurant in the city.

After Dinner, transfer to the international airport to board the flight back home.

Day 14: Depart Delhi

Leave Delhi by an International flight.

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All information provided & tour organised by Babita Tours (India). For bookings, please contact Mr. Vinod Goswami directly with reference of Wild Navigator. Wild Navigator does not take any commissions on this booking and all tour fee goes directly to the agents.