Explore Diverse Safaris in Central India

Day 1: Arrival in Delhi

Arrival in Delhi. Meet at the airport and move to the hotel by air-conditioned coach.

Reception at the hotel – flower necklaces and welcome drink. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 2: Delhi

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Morning transfer by bus to Old Delhi, walking tour of the old market and visit to the Great Mosque Jama Masdjid, the largest mosque in India, facing the Red Fort.

Visit the tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun. Humayun’s tomb was the prototype of the Mughal tombs of which the Taj Mahal is the most illustrious model.

Visit of the Qutab Minar (the tower of victory), the highest artificial tower of the country with its 72,5 m height. Then, passing in front of the Gate of India and the Presidential Palace and by the Connaught Place, the commercial center of the new city of Delhi.

Return to the hotel. Buffet dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: Delhi – Agra

Morning: Visit the Taj Mahal funeral mausoleum, built by the Great Mughal Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The building, surmounted by an enormous dome framed by delicate bells, is located at the bottom of a splendid Mughal garden with various water bodies. Lunch in town.

Visit of the Red Fort, replica of the one in Delhi and like the latter, symbol of the Mughal power. (Taj Mahal is closed on Friday).

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4: Agra – Jaipur

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Morning departure by road to Fatehpur Sikri.

En route visit Fatehpur Sikri, an amazing capital of a few decades that was abandoned. Fatehpur Sikri was, for a short time, the capital of the Mughal Empire. Built of red sandstone in 1571 by the emperor Akbar, it is a set of palaces and mosques placed on a rocky plateau and abandoned.

Classified as a World Heritage Site, this site is of great beauty and according to the purists, the most beautiful site built by the Mughals, superior even to the Taj Mahal.

Visit of the site and departure for Jaipur. Arrival in Jaipur and transfer to the hotel: Buffet dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 5: Jaipur

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the visit of Amber Fort in Jaipur, elephant ride to Amber Fort.

Founded by the Minas tribe, it was taken in 1037 by the Rajputs, who made it their capital until they abandoned it for Jaipur, a modern city built in 1728 on a checkerboard plan by Maharaja Jai Singh II.

Visit the majestic halls, marble and sandstone pillars, corridors and secret passages, small rooms which still keep vestiges of their refined decoration, paintings, mirrors, stained glass of Murano. And temples, at least one of which is still active, dedicated to the goddess Kali.

Descent by jeeps and return to Jaipur in air-conditioned coaches. Buffet lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon, departure for the visit of Jaipur.

Visit the City Palace – A City within a City. At the heart of the city, the sprawling City Palace occupies two of the nine quarters that originally made up the city of Jai Singh II. The Palace, in the Rajput style, is remarkable for the abundance of detail and richness of decoration, and is distinguished by a succession of palaces with different functions. Its walls house a textile and costume museum, collections of miniatures and weapons, the audience hall and courtyards with richly decorated doors. The most remarkable buildings are Diwan-i-Am, the public audience hall, Chandra Mahal, the moon palace, where the current Maharajah lives, which is closed to the public.

Then, visit the Jantar Mantar, observatory of the maharajahs of Jaipur: huge astronomical instruments in sandstone painted in yellow and marble testify to the passion of Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II for the sciences of the sky. Futuristic architecture of sundials, signs of the zodiac and other astrolabes. A huge triangle dominates this science fictional space, the Samrat Yantra allows to read the time and the position of the planets…

On the way to the hotel, you will admire the amazing : Hawa Mahal “Palace Of The Winds” a facade of pink sandstone finely carved behind which hid the women of the court. On five floors, its facade, decorated with niches, has no less than nine hundred and fifty-three curved windows. Return to the hotel. Buffet dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6: Jaipur – Ranthambhore

Drive to Ranthambhore through the landscapes of Rajasthan: 190 km / 3h30 drive

Day 7: Ranthambhore – Jabalpur (by night train) (only one train runs with good schedules, so book well in advance).

Ranthambore National Park is a vast nature reserve located near the town of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. The park is also home to the imposing 10th century hilltop fort of Ranthambore, the Ganesh Mandir temple and the Padam Talao Lake, known for its abundance of water lilies.

Formerly a royal hunting ground, tigers, leopards and swamp crocodiles abound.

Safari in 4×4 for this day.

In the evening, transfer to the train station. To take the night train 02282 AJMER – JABALPUR

Departure at 19:55 from SAWAI MADHOPUR (SWM) station / Journey time: 12 H 50

Arrival at 08:45 at JABALPUR station (JBP)

Day 8: Jabalpur – Bandhavgarh

On this day, you can include an optional visit to Beda Ghat after lunch and then proceed to Bandhavgarh.

Bheda  Ghat is famous for its high marble boulders that form a valley through which the Narmada River flows with a remarkable waterfall known as Dhuandhar Falls (literally meaning “smoke stream“).

Day 9: Bandhavgarh

(morning and afternoon safari)

Bandhavgarh National Park, located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, is a former hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Rewâ. Declared a national park in 1968, Bandhavgarh National Park covers an area of 105 km². The name Bandhavgarh is derived from the most important hill of the Umaria region. The area is rich in biodiversity, the place is also known to be home to the highest density of tigers in India. Similarly, the park is home to the largest breeding population of leopards and various species of deer.

The park consists of mixed vegetation, ranging from high grasslands to thick Sal forest and is therefore an ideal habitat for a wide variety of animals including birds.

Early departure for the first safari in Bandhavgarh Park, with naturalist guide and experienced English-speaking driver. Return to the lodge. Late morning relaxation.

Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon: new safari in the park.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Day 10 : Bandhavgarh – Kanha

In the morning, safari in the national park of Bandhavgarh or free morning: rest, then departure for Kanha by the road, approximately 220 km / 5 h.

Day 11 : Kanha

(morning and afternoon)

With 940 square kilometers in the central zone and 1,009 square kilometers including the buffer zone, Kanha is the largest park in central India. The park occupies a vast forest area in southern Madhya Pradesh, near Mandla.

The actual Kanha area is divided into two protected areas, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300 square kilometers, respectively.

On the wildlife side, the park is home to tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, foxes and jackals. The barasingha (Cervus duavcelli branderi) is adapted to hard soils. The gaur (Bos gaurus) lives in grasslands and waterholes.

Exceptional natural environment: jungle forest with more than 1000 species of flowering plants: lowland forest mixed with sal (Shorea robusta) and other mixed forest trees, interspersed with grasslands, upland forests of humid tropical type with deciduous trees or bamboo(Dendrocalamus strictus).

Day 12: Kanha – Pench

Morning game drive in Kanha Park. Departure for Pench by land, about 210 km / 4h30.

Day 13: Pench

Pench National Park, Pench River, which winds through the park from north to south. It is located on the southern border of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, and covers 758 km2.

The Pench Tiger Reserve and its surroundings are the original setting for Rudyard Kipling’s most famous work, The Jungle Book.

The rolling topography supports a mosaic of vegetation ranging from wet, sheltered valleys to dry, open deciduous forests. More than 1,200 plant species have been recorded in the region, including several rare and endangered plants, as well as plants of ethnobotanical importance.

The great heterogeneity of the habitat supports a high population of chitals and sambars. The Pench Tiger Reserve has the highest density of herbivores in India.

Morning and afternoon safari.

Day 14: Pench – Nagpur airport (by surface) – Mumbai

Departure from Pench to reach Nagpur airport: about 100km; 2h to 2h30 drive.

Flight to Mumbai.

Hotels: Selection of charming hotels with the best quality / comfort ratio for the region. Please send us a program request for more information.

Included : Full board, superior hotels, tour guide, transportation by air-conditioned bus and entrance fees

Not included : international airfare, visa to enter India, insurance, drinks and tips for driver and guide