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"India is among the most difficult of places to travel, and the most rewarding. So many say India stands for "I'll Never Do It Again,” many more are drawn back time and again because India is the best show on earth, the best bazaar of human experiences that can be visited in a lifetime.”
Travelers Tales, India
James O'Reilly & Larry Habegger
Intoxicating…incomparable…bewitching…exhilarating…India has it all. Superlatives are seldom enough to describe this amazingly vibrant and vivacious land, where the ancient mixes with the modern and the senses are constantly tempted with sights and sounds of the most exotic kind. India is more than a country; it is a continent in its own right. Indeed, it may be even more than this – perhaps a microcosm of all that the world has to offer.
What makes India such a special place and such a worthwhile travel destination? Is it the art and architecture or unique wildlife, be it Taj or tiger? The culture or cuisine? The breath-taking natural beauty, be it Himalayan precipice or pristine, sandy beach? Perhaps it is the deeply ingrained sense of spirituality that permeates a land responsible for the birth of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh faiths. It is undeniably all of these things. But what makes India uniquely extraordinary is the charm and vitality of her people. India is a land of immense antiquity, a nation that proudly displays a vast cultural diversity. India’s name is derived from the Indus River, whose valleys were first settled five thousand years ago. Since then India has been enriched by successive waves of migrants from distant lands, each adding to the cultural heritage of the Subcontinent. Now home to a plethora of languages, religions, ethnicities, and cultures, it is this diversity that truly inspires and continues to breathe life into modern India, and which is displayed in her people to this day.
We are pleased to share a selection of special places with you!
Details:
Day 1: Arrive Delhi
Overnight at Shangri la Hotel
Day 2: Delhi – Kanha National Park
Delhi to Raipur by flight – 6E-2076 @ 0700/0855 Hrs. & drive to Kanha National Park (approx. 4 hour drive) (B,L,D)
Early this morning with packed breakfast, transfer to Delhi airport to connect with flight to Raipur.
We will be met on arrival at the Raipur Airport, where we start our 4 hour drive by private vehicle to Kanha National Park. The drive passing through small farming villages, teak forests offers many photo ops that we will take advantage of. On arrival, check in to the Hotel & relax. Later, in the evening, proceed for a nature walk. Dinner at the hotel. 3 nights at the Kanha Jungle Lodge
Day 3: Kanha National Park
Often called Tiger Land, Kanha is located in a horseshoe-shaped valley with two distinctive hills on either side. In the centre is the maiden (open grassy meadow), dotted with stands of majestic evergreen Sal trees to form a savanna countryside reminiscent of Africa. This park has been designated a “Tiger Reserve” and comes under the protection of Project Tiger — the single largest conservation project mounted by the Government of India.
Kanha is known for its large population of gaur, and this large animal is an important food source for the tiger. Other predators in the park include sloth bear, the common (or golden) jackal, the striped hyena, and the dhole or Indian wild dog (which, like the African wild dog, lives and hunts in packs). Leopards also live in Kanha, but are much more difficult to see. Other interesting mammals include the Indian rate (honey badger), Indian porcupine, and various species of mongooses. Primates are represented by troops of monkeys of two species—the rhesus macaque and the silver (or common) langur. Kanha’s bird life is equally impressive, with more than 200 recorded species.
We take sunrise and sunset excursions, departing your hotel pre-dawn that last 4-5 hours. You will have breakfast inside the park in a designated area, returning to your lodge by late morning.
Day 4: Kanha National Park (B,L,D)
Kanha has a large, healthy population of tigers. But this park features more than tigers; it supports the full range of Indian wildlife described in The Jungle Books. The variety and abundance of wildlife in Kanha is remarkable. The park is famous for its herds of hard-ground Barasingha – also called swamp deer, a large and beautiful endemic animal with 12-point antlers (it has probably been saved from extinction by careful management in Kanha). Also found are herds of the beautiful chital (common name is spotted deer), and sambar, the biggest of the Indian deer. Other commonly seen herbivores include barking deer, nilgai antelope, four-horned antelope, wild boar, and the imposing gaur (also called the Indian bison), which is considered the largest wild bovine in the world. A gaur bull can stand over six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh more than a ton!
Explore the national park by morning & afternoon Safari.
Day 5: Kanha – Raipur by road (approx. 4-5 hour drive) & flight to Kolkata (6E-801 at 1640/1810 hrs.) (B)
We have an option to go for a nature walk or just relax at the hotel enjoying the nature setting of the lodge before we leave for Raipur airport to connect with flight to Kolkata. Arrive Kolkata and check-in to the hotel near the airport. 1 night Oberoi Grand or similar
Kolkata, also known as the City of Joy, name comes from the lively and friendly and loving behavior of all the citizens all over the places making the city more lively and enjoyable.
In the evening a driving tour to visit the Howrah Bridge; this amazing feat of engineering is similar in size to Australia’s Sydney Harbour bridge. It is considered the busiest bridge in the world and everything from pedestrians to bullock carts to push carts to automobiles to bicycles cross every day. Also drive by some of the neighbourhoods of the bustling city.
Day 6: Kolkata to Guwahati by flight -6E 207 at 1025/1140 hrs. & drive to Kaziranga (approx. 4 hour drive) (B,D)
After breakfast, transfer to Kolkata airport to connect with flight to Guwahati. Arrive Guwahati and drive 5 hour to reach Kaziranga National Park. On arrival, check-in to the hotel. 3 nights Hotel Borgos
Day 7: Kaziranga National Park
The most prized inhabitant of Kaziranga is the Greater One-Horned Indian Rhinoceros, but the Park is home to as many as 180 different mammals including wild elephant, tiger, deer, Asiatic wild buffalo and a rich variety of birds. We reach the Kohora Mihimukh range of the National Park and are ready to start our morning adventure. An elephant-back safari is an experience, to search for the elusive rhinoceros, tigers, swamp deer, hog deer and more besides a large number of very interesting birds. The park never ceases to surprise its visitors!!! (Elephant safari is subject to availability)
After breakfast at a resort in Kaziranga, we drive on to Bagori, the Western Range of Kaziranga and get into the open jeeps for some more wildlife adventure and an extensive coverage of this magnificent park.
Day 8: Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park – a world heritage site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros. Kaziranga also boasts the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. Though sighting of tigers are difficult because of the tall grasses that provide excellent camouflage, their presence can be felt everywhere by way of pug marks, kills and territorial markings. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo and swamp deer. Morning and afternoon jeep safaris to explore the national park.
Day 9: Kaziranga National Park to Guwahati (B,L)
Morning in Kaziranga National Park. Afternoon drive to Guwahati for the flight to Delhi.
Extensions to Bhutan or India can be added.
Overnight Shangrila or similar.
Day 10 Departure (B)
After breakfast, drive to airport for the flight home.
***Happy Journey***
