Day 1:  Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh National Park

Arrivals this morning into Jabalpur Airport in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.  Spend the remainder of the day driving to Bandhavgarh for a three-night stay, with time for some late afternoon birding around our lodge.

Days 2-3: Bandhavgarh

Occupying gently undulating land in the Vindhya Hills, Bandhavgarh’s Sal forests are a vital refuge for a good population of tigers.  Despite being a somewhat isolated forest fragment, the park hosts a density of tigers that in parts equates to one per every 5 sq km with an estimated 22 or so living in the core area.  Our daily and afternoon jeep excursions into the reserve will focus on the core zones of Tala, Magdhi and Khitauli, where alongside Tiger we can also expect to see Leopard in more peripheral areas, Jungle Cat, Small Indian Civet, Golden Jackal, Chital, Sambar, Nilgai, Northern Plains Grey Langur and Rhesus Macaque.  The predominantly dry habitat hosts a good selection of associated birds, including Great Thick-knee, Emerald Dove, Eurasian Wryneck, Bay-backed Shrike, Blue-headed Rock-thrush, White-capped and Crested Buntings, Jungle Bush-quail, Spotted Owlet and Savanna Nightjar.

Day 4: Bandhavgarh to Kanha National Park

After a final morning safari at Bandhavgarh we drive south into the Maikal range of the Satpura Hills to Kanha National Park, one of India’s oldest and the region’s largest tiger reserve for a three-night stay.  As we drive we will enjoy a selection of India’s more widespread birds, such as Spotted Dove, Green Bee-eater, Indian Roller, Red-wattled Lapwing, Jungle Myna, Black Kite and Egyptian Vulture.

Days 5-6: Kanha

Kanha’s landscape is dominated by open ‘maidans’, or meadows, which punctuate the moist deciduous forest.  Popular converging points for herbivores, these meadows and are highly conducive to wildlife sightings, particularly in the drier summer months.  Our two daily game drives will take us into the park’s Mukki, Kanha and Kisli ranges, where we hope to encounter Tiger alongside the Barasingha or Swamp Deer for which the park was originally established, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Ussuri Dhole, and with luck more elusive Sloth Bear and Leopard.  The park’s luxurious forests support a good selection of birds, butterflies and reptiles all of which make Kanha enjoyable and productive and encourage an all-round appreciation of this region’s wildlife.  As we explore the park in search of tigers and other mammals we will also encounter birds such as Painted Francolin, Painted Spurfowl, Red Junglefowl, Indian Peafowl, Rufous and Heart-spotted Woodpeckers, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Plum-headed Parakeet, Yellow-footed Green-pigeon, Coppersmith Barbet, Black-hooded Oriole, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Crested Hawk-eagle and Oriental Honey Buzzard. 

Day 7: Kanha to Pench National Park

After a final morning game drive at Kanha we drive south to Pench National Park for a two-night stay.

Day 8: Pench

Together with Kanha, Pench is part of a contiguous stretch of forest, of vital importance as others become increasingly fragmented.  Our two game drives will take us into distinctly dry deciduous woodland that opens out into the floodplain of the Pench River and its reservoir, whose waters are a lifeline for wildlife in dry summer months.  An estimated 65 or so Tigers reside here, accompanied by Leopard, Indian Wolf, Sloth Bear and the highest density of herbivores in India, dominated by Chital and Sambar and with smaller populations of Gaur, Chinkara (Indian Gazelle) and Chousingha (Four-horned Antelope).  Birdlife is rich in the mosaic of habitats, with birds of dryland and woodland such as Zitting Cisticola, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Brahminy Starling, White-eyed Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle and Mottled Wood Owl complemented by waterbirds including Painted Stork, Black-headed Ibis and Oriental Darter around the reservoir.

Day 9: Pench to Tadoba National Park

Leaving Pench this morning we continue our drive south out of Madhya Pradesh and into neighbouring Maharashtra to Tadoba National Park where we have our first game drive this afternoon.

Days 10-11: Tadoba

At Tadoba, the dry deciduous woodlands of the densely forested hills merge into the grassy meadows of the Tadoba Lake basin, the lake itself providing water security for wildlife throughout the dry summers and acting as a protective buffer between the reserve and the extensive farmland beyond.  The Tiger density at Tadoba is high, and we can expect some memorable last sightings during our stay here.  The varied habitats also support a rich diversity of other mammals; sightings of Dhole, Sloth Bear and Leopard are regular here, together with a selection of smaller mammals such as Ruddy Mongoose and Common Palm Civet with the usual supporting cast of herbivores and the chance of more elusive Striped Hyaena and Indian Giant Flying Squirrel.  The park also offers excellent birding, with Malabar Pied Hornbill, White-rumped Shama, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Black-naped Monarch and Orange-headed Thrush in the forests, Indian Pitta on summer passage and Grey-headed Fish-eagle around the lake.

Day 12: Tadoba to Nagpur, depart

We will leave Tadoba by mid-morning to drive to Nagpur. Departures from Nagpur this afternoon.

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