Jungle Book Trails: A Tiger Safari Through Central India

Arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport and transfer to your hotel for a restful overnight stay. Depending on your arrival time in Delhi, you can enjoy the hotel’s amenities or take a brief orientation stroll in the surrounding area.

Accommodation: JW Marriott Aerocity, a sleek, modern, upscale hotel near the airport.

On the 2nd day of your tiger safari in India, you will fly to Jabalpur and drive through rural landscapes to Bandhavgarh National Park, once the private hunting grounds of Maharajas and now famed for its high density of tigers, lush Sal forests, and dramatic hilltop fort ruins.

Over the next two days, enjoy morning and afternoon private jeep safaris through different parts of the park. Ride across open meadows where spotted deer graze, slip quietly through bamboo thickets that may hide leopards, and watch langurs leap between branches in sunlit clearings. Guided by expert naturalists, follow the calls of wildlife that could lead you to a sighting of a Bengal tiger.

Accommodation: King’s Lodge, Bandhavgarh, an eco-conscious retreat nestled in the buffer forest.

Continue to Kanha National Park, which is one of India’s largest and most picturesque reserves. The inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, Kanha is home to rare swamp deer (barasingha), wild dogs, leopards, and majestic Bengal tigers.
Spend the next two days on morning and afternoon game drives, journeying through Kanha’s diverse habitats, Sal forests, open grasslands, and serene waterholes. Watch gaur herd across the meadows, track pawprints on dusty trails, and listen for the jungle’s calls.

Accommodation: Kanha Earth Lodge, an award-winning boutique jungle lodge, tucked into 16 acres of natural forest.

Drive south to Pench National Park, straddling the border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The park is a mosaic of teak forests, grasslands, and the meandering Pench River, attracting a wide array of wildlife.

Over the next two days, enjoy private jeep safaris that reveal Pench’s quieter magic, sloth bears snuffling near termite mounds, jackals streaking through the underbrush, or a shy leopard resting in the crook of a fig tree. Birdwatchers will delight in hornbills, crested serpent eagles, and paradise flycatchers. Between safaris, unwind in a treehouse, journal your sightings, or join a lodge-led nature walk.

Accommodation: Pench Tree Lodge, a unique forest retreat featuring elevated wooden treehouses and elegant cottages.

Your final safari stop is the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, one of India’s oldest and most thrilling wildlife parks. With its dry deciduous forests and bamboo thickets, Tadoba is known for regular tiger sightings, sloth bears, Indian bison, and wild dogs.

Enjoy two days of morning and afternoon safaris, traversing lesser-explored routes with your private guide. Tadoba’s terrain feels raw and alive. Here, nature holds sway, and every drive offers the chance of rare encounters. Capture these moments with your camera or breathe them in from a watchtower as the forest speaks in rustles and calls.

Accommodation: Svasara Jungle Lodge, an eco-conscious conservation-focused jungle lodge.

Transfer to your Mumbai airport hotel, where you can unwind and reflect on days of dust, claw marks, and starry jungle skies.

Accommodation: The Leela Mumbai, a deluxe-grade modern hotel near the airport.

In good time, you’ll be transferred to Mumbai International Airport for your onward flight, carrying unforgettable memories of tiger trails and the wild beauty of India’s heartland.