India Tiger Safari

The overall trip experience was superb and the opportunity to see the tigers at three different National Parks was incredible. The inclusion of a visit to Agra (and its attractions) was a great way to finish a wildlife holiday. The overall itinerary was well thought out, the accommodation and transport were good, all local staff were always friendly, helpful and efficient. Himanshu’s knowledge, manner and professional leadership were particularly outstanding.

26 encounters with tigers,(I lost track of how many different ones - think it was 17) one sloth bear and a leopard. That’s a safari. Loved the landscape and all the animals from Langurs to Deer to the beautiful Indian Rollers.Tiger moments from 3 brothers in a water hole to single sightings were wonderful. Taj Mahal took my breath away.

WE HAD A MOST WONDERFULL TRIP AND SAW 7 TIGERS SOME AT DISTANCE AND TWO AT WATERHOLES WE HAVE GREAT PICTURES OF THEM FOR OUR FUTURE REFERENCE AND TO REMIND US OF JUST HOW WONDERFULL THE TIGERS ARE.SADLY WE WERE NOT PLEASED ON ONE OF THESE SIGHTINGS THERE WERE 17 JEEPS ALL TRYING TO PUSH AND SHOVE TO GET BEST PICTURE. THIS HAS TO HAVE AN AFFECT ON THE TIGERS SURELY THERE SHOULD BE BETTER POLICING OF THE JEEPS AS WE WERE TOLD ONLY 5 AT A TIME .CAN UNDERSTAND WANTING TO GET GOOD PICTURES BUT NOT AS TO AFFECT THE TIGERS.

What an amazing trip. 12 days of peace and quiet to just be alone with nature at it's finest. If you don't get too hung up on the Tigers and go for the whole package you will have an amazing time (and take some beautiful photos to come away with). If you do just go for the Tigers, you will still have an amazing time, you'll just come back dissappointed a few more times than I did. That said, we still saw 11 of them! The remaining 4 days are not quite as peaceful but traveling is a necessity and the Taj is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen, even if it means enduring city life. I would definitely recommend it to other solo travellers, even on a non solo specific tour. Our group number was 5 in total and we were extremely lucky for that. As expected the tour was full of like minded people and we all had a great time together. 

I was apprehensive before i went , fears of Delhi Belli, revolting toilet facilities, not being able to cope etc.  i am in my early seventies.  In the event my fears were unfounded and I feel younger for having made this trip and so very glad not to have missed the opportunity.  16 days of pleasant warm sunshine are a tonic anyway

We had such a good holiday, it was wonderful seeing tigers in their natural environment and visiting the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal at the end of the holidays was a special experience. There were only 6 of us in our group and our fellow travellers were lovely friendly people and we all got on well. Our trip started a day later than usual because of Diwali so we didn't get the chance to do an optional game drive (we'd have done a 16th drive just to maximise any tiger sightings) as Bandhavgarh park is closed on Wednesday afternoon so our 15th drive was on the Thursday morning before leaving for the train. And, again because of the day's delay, we went to the Taj at sunrise rather than at sunset and were treated to a beautiful blue sky and lovely light. We saw tigers on our very first game drive, a mother and her cubs were resting on rocks at a bit of a distance but easily spottable once we got our "eye" in. We saw a glimpse of a stripey back on drive 2 but then nothing tiger-wise until drive 8 when a magnificent male briefly stepped out in front of our jeep before melting back into the bush. We saw a leopard in the far distance on drive 14 and then on drive 15 at the very last minute we had a tiger dash past all the waiting jeeps into the bush. The other jeep with our fellow travellers had a wonderful tiger sighting in Bandhavgarh (the jeeps did different zones) and, I must admit, it's hard not to be envious when others have an experience that you don't. We were happy for them but.....

This was a wonderful trip. Balvinder, our group leader, could not have done more to make the holiday memorable and fun. All the travel went smoothly, the accommodation was fine and the game drives lovely.

Tigers are illusive animals in the middle of what can be a very large area, but they have habits. These habits are known by the spotters, so given a bit of luck you may well see one or more if there are cubs. Patience and understanding is required when seeking out these majestic animals. It does not come easy but the rewards when one breaks cover or is found at a water hole is just simply fantastic. Along the way you will come across some of the most beautifully coloured birds. There are lots of other animals/ predators which roam the tree and Bamboo lined grounds, you might see a kill or a carcase. This is life in the National Parks of India.

This trip, for me, was all about the wildlife and did not disappoint. Although I met people who went on countless game drives and never saw a tiger. I was fortunate (we became known as the lucky jeep) and had 16 sightings of these beautiful creatures; ranging from a dot in the distance to watching them at close quarters. As mentioned in other reviews the wild life is not as profuse and varied as in Africa however the excitement on seeing a tiger is overwhelming. We also saw spotted, barking and swamp deer, Samba, wild boar, jackal, wild dog, gaur (Indian bison), mongoose, rat snake, macaques, langur, peacock and huge variety of birds. The parks use local people as guides who speak varying amounts of English - you are allocated as you arrive at the gate - consequently, the quality varies considerably. A keen driver and guide made all the difference. We had some that sat quietly and barely said a word and others that were constantly searching for wildlife and communicating. The hotels we stayed at were all clean, comfortable, had air-conditioning and ensuite bathrooms. Two had swimming pools and all the staff were warm friendly and helpful. The food was nice if a little the same. The overnight train journey to Agra was an experience and quite fun. We bought a lock and chain to secure our bags below the bottom bunk so we could sleep without having to keep an eye out. I had a top bunk and slept really well. I felt that the amount of city time v wildlife was correct. We spent one day in Agra seeing the Taj and Red Fort. Our train had been delayed and I felt that therefore it was all a bit rushed and crammed into the heat of the day. I would have liked to have had a break (lunch cold drink) between the two. The Taj was beautiful although I was a tad disappointed it had scaffolding on it! The Red Fort, I am glad I have seen - the smell on approaching the main gate will not be forgotten.

So much down to luck and timing, it was like looking for an orange needle in a large haystack! We certainly saw a lot of the land where tigers are but the animals themselves are not so easy to see.