In Search Of The Tiger
Independent Tour (16 days)

London - Delhi - Ranthambore - Bharatpur - Agra - Bandhavgarh - Kanha - Pench - Mumbai - London

Visiting all the well-known parks of Central India, with Corbett in the North optional, this tour is designed for wildlife enthusiasts. Detail to design ensures a rewarding experience. Staying in some of the finest resorts in each park and in deluxe hotels in cities the tour uses a combination of road and train travel.

The international flights are on scheduled direct services of British Airways.
The extension to Corbett is recommended if you have the time.
You travel by yourself on a departure date of your choice.

Meal Plan: Full Board in the game reserves (except Bharatpur), bed & breakfast elsewhere.
Season: October to mid-May
Clothes: Cottons with light woollens. Warm clothing is advised in mid-winter as early morning game drives can be very cold. Natural colours are recommended, as are binoculars.

Itinerary
Day 1 London-Delhi Fly Heathrow-Delhi and transfer to the Grand Intercontinental or Park Royal for the night.

Day 2 Ranthambore Take a train to Sawai Madhopur and transfer to the Sawai Madhopur Lodge (or Sher Bagh/Vanya Vilas - suppl.) for 2 nights. Ranthambore is a dry deciduous forest with rocky hillcrests and open valleys dotted with water pools and fruit trees. A 1000-year old fortress looms above the forest. The park is home to the sambar deer, nilgai, wild boar, bear, panther, tiger and a variety of birds including the partridge, green pigeon and red spur fowl.
Day 3 Ranthambore Begin your search for the tiger with morning and afternoon game drives. These are usually in shared jeeps or open 18-seater vans called canters. Due to heavy traffic jeeps are now becoming increasingly difficult to arrange here.

Day 4 Bharatpur In the morning enjoy another game drive. At midday take a 3-hour train ride in AC 2 Tier to Bharatpur. Transfer to the Laxmi Vilas Palace for 1 night (or at The Bagh - suppl.). Bharatpur is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the world with over 300 species in season. The most common are the Siberian crane, cormorant, open-bill and painted stork, spoonbill, quail, coot, heron, teal, tern, egret, pelican, ibis and snakebird. Birdlife is best viewed punting through the rushes or on cycle-rickshaws (visits are not included but are easily arranged locally).

Day 5 Agra The morning is free to explore. In the afternoon drive to Agra visiting Fatehpur Sikri en route. Stay the night at the Mughal Sheraton (or Amar Vilas - suppl.).

Day 6 To Bandhavgarh In the morning visit the sights including the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. In the afternoon board an overnight train for Umaria, in air-conditioned sleeper.

Day 7 Bandhavgarh Arrive Umaria in the morning and transfer to the Bandhavgarh. Check into the Nature Heritage or Tiger Trails (or Churhat Kothi - suppl.) for three nights. The park is situated in the Vindhya hills with an undulating terrain and is home to spotted deer, blackbucks, wild oxen, sloth bear, sambar, nilgai, barking deer, leopard and tiger. The rich and varied birdlife includes golden orioles, parakeets, hornbills and partridges. Visit the park in the afternoon.

Days 8 & 9 Bandhavgarh Enjoy two full days of jungle activity.

Day 10 Kanha Drive to Kanha, one of the largest parks in the country, with some 22 species of mammals. Most commonly sighted are the spotted deer, swamp deer, blackbuck, langur, jackal and three-striped palm squirrel. Less commonly seen are the tiger, Indian hare, dhole or wild dog and bison or gaur. Rarely sighted are the fox, sloth bear, striped hyena, panther, mouse deer, etc. Over 200 species of birds are found in the mixed forest and its bamboo breaks. Stay 3 nights at the Wild Chalet Resort (or Kipling Camp/Royal Tiger Reserve - suppl.).

Days 11 & 12 Kanha Enjoy two full days of jungle activity.

Day 13 Pench After a morning game drive, proceed to Pench for 2 nights at the Bagh Van. Nestling in the undulating terrain of the Satpura Range, with Pench and Wainganga rivers running through it, the forest is covered in prime teak and grassland. The wildlife includes spotted deer, sambar, gaur, barking deer, nilgai, wild boar, wild dog, sloth bear, leopard and tiger. Over 200 species of birds have been sighted here.

Day 14 Pench Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives.

Day 15 To Mumbai Enjoy a morning game drive. Drive to Nagpur for an evening flight to Mumbai and transfer to the international airport.

Day 16 London Fly back to London just past midnight.Main Tour

What Is Included
The following elements are included in your holiday for group as well as independent travel. For tailor-made holidays/extensions/amendments there can be individual variations.

International flights in economy class from London Heathrow apart from the following tours, which do NOT include international flights: Cambodia Tour, Laos Tour, Singapore Stopover. For upgrades to higher classes and departure from ports other than Heathrow please ask us for a quote. The airport taxes are additional to the holiday price and are subject to change.

Airport taxes are included in your holiday price except for places where they are payable locally directly on departure.

Assisted transfers for all arrivals and departures by air or rail, using a private coach or chauffeur-driven car. In some resorts the hotel may provide a courtesy transfer. For courtesy transfers and arrivals/departures by road assistance may not be available in some places.

Accommodation in the hotels listed, or similar. Unless otherwise specified standard grade rooms are booked. For booking superior rooms or suites please ask us for a quote.

Meals as indicated in the "Meal Plan" with each tour. Most tours have a bed & breakfast arrangement, except in game parks and remote places where full board is provided. Given the wide variety and choice of restaurants in most hotels it is preferable not to be tied down to a fixed meal. It is also more cost effective to have a la carte dining in most hotels.

All scheduled sightseeing including English-speaking guides and entrance fee to monuments and other sites listed in the tour details. 

All scheduled game viewing in game reserves. This is usually in shared jeeps, seating up to five, or a larger open vehicle, seating up to eighteen, accompanied by a naturalist. For booking exclusive jeeps a higher charge may apply. These are subject to availability as only a limited number of vehicles is allowed inside a game park in a day.

All trekking expenses including guide & cook, porters, camping equipment, environment fee and insurance for porters. Sleeping bags are provided but you are welcome to bring your own. When travelling independently the entire retinue is organised just for you.

All internal travel including flights in economy, trains in the class specified, boat cruises - normally using exclusive boats for your private use, and road travel by a private coach or your own chauffeur-driven car. For road journeys spread over many days a daily allowance for the driver to cover for his accommodation and meals is included in your price. Again for such long journeys the vehicle and driver are normally available for local use, within reasonable limits, at each place of halt at no extra cost. When adding extra days to a tour using a car circuit, the cost of retaining the car is also included in your supplementary accommodation costs.

The assistance of our local agents - we have a wide network of tried and tested agents who are on hand to assist you during your travel.

The services of an experienced local tour escort for published group tours with minimum 5 persons. If the number falls below 5 we may still, at our discretion, provide an escort. The escort joins you on arrival and remains with you for the main body of the tour. For some portions of the tour, normally at the end, the accompanying escort may leave you. In such instances local assistance is provided. For example in North India & Nepal the escort remains with you from Delhi through till Varanasi and the Nepal portion is assisted locally

Prices
The basic tariff is per person, based on twin share
SRS: single room supplement, to be added to basic tariff for those requiring single accommodation
LTS: lone traveller supplement, to be added to basic tariff for those travelling alone

Details Tariff SRS LTS
1 Jan 06 - 30 Apr 06 £2198 £529 £699
1 May 06 - 31 May 06 £2098 £529 £699
1 Oct 06 - 30 Nov 06 £2409 £529 £699
1 Dec 06 - 31 Dec 06 £2745 £529 £699
Supplement for Sherbagh in Ranthambore £35 single room supplement on request
Supplement for Vanya Vilas in Ranthambore £498 single room supplement on request
Supplement for The Bagh in Bharatour £29 single room supplement on request
Supplement for Amar Vilas in Agra £189 single room supplement on request
Supplement for Churhat Kothi in Bandhavgarh £259 single room supplement on request
Supplement for Kipling Camp in Kanha £145 single room supplement on request
Supplement for Royal Tiger Reserve in Kanha £120 single room supplement on request


Suggested Tour Extensions
Corbett
Fly to Delhi three days earlier and transfer to Corbett for 3 nights at the Infinity Resort. Enjoy game drives and elephant ride. Drive back to Delhi to board your train for Sawai Madhopur.

Meal Plan: Full board in Corbett
Costs: See below.

We are also happy to arrange extensions tailor-made to suit your requirements.

Details Tariff SRS LTS

Tour price		 £349 £119


For further enquiries or to book please call or mail 020 8566 2109 or 07947 628 268 rab@bonvoyageonline.co.uk