Indian Tiger Trails

Duration: 14 Days

Destinations: New Delhi - Agra - Ranthambore - Khajuraho - Bandhavgarh National Park - Kanha National Park - New Delhi

Indian Tiger Trails

Day 1 - Arrive Delhi

Arrive Delhi International Airport

Meet/Assist upon arrival by our travel executive.

(Check-in time 1400hrs)

Transfer to your Hotel.

Briefing of the tour by the executive

Overnight at hotel

Day 2 - Delhi

Breakfast in the Hotel.

Depart for full day tour of Old & New Delhi

Visit Jama Masjid – the Great Mughal Mosque, It is the largest mosque in India. Located in Old Delhi, the mosque has the capacity to accommodate 25000 devotees. Jama Masjid was completed in 1656 AD and again the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan is behind this architectural masterpiece. Close to some 5000 craftsmen were involved in the construction of the mosque.

Enjoy Cycle rickshaw ride in Chandani Chownk.

Then visit Raj Ghat (The cremation ground of the father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi)

After Lunch visit New Delhi

Visit Humayun's Tomb (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE) - Humayun's tomb is believed to have been designed in 1565 AD by the widow of Mughal emperor Humayun. Its plan is based on the description of Islamic paradise garden and is known to have inspired the TajMahal and many later Mughal tombs. This type of garden is known as a charbagh and is based on a grid.

Continue your tour with Qutab Minar(UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE)–Qutab Minar is 73 meters high which tapers from a 15 m diameter base to just 2.5 m at the top. The walls consist intricately carved quotations from Koran and is one of the most perfect towers of the Persian world),at last enter the Lutyens Delhi and drive through India Gate(The war memorial) and President's Palace.

Overnight at Hotel

Day 3 - Delhi/Ranthambhore by Jan Shatabadi Exp

Breakfast in the hotel

Morning is free to relax

Transfer to Delhi train station in time to board train to Sawai Madhopur (Travel in AC Chair Car)

Meet/Assist on arrival and transfer to hotel

Ranthambore National Park is one of the biggest and most renowned National Park in Northern India.Located in Eastern Rajasthan at the confluence of the Aravali hill ranges and the Vindhyan plateau, the Ranthambore National Park comprises of six man-made lakes and many perennial streams. Nestled between the Aravali and Vindhya mountain ranges, the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan is a rugged terrain with dense deciduous forests.

This park in Rajasthan, which was declared a game sanctuary in 1955, was given the status of a national park in 1980. This tiger reserve in India occupied an area of 1,334 sq km.

Late afternoon enjoy sharing Jeep safari into the park.

Overnight at Hotel

Day 4 - Ranthambore

Early morning enjoy shared jeep safari into the park.

Breakfast in the hotel.

Afternoon is free to relax.

Late afternoon again enjoy shared jeep safari into the park.

Overnight at hotel

Day 5 - Ranthambhore/Agra via Fatehpur Sikri

Breakfast in the hotel

Depart for Agra en route visiting Fatehpur Sikri

The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpūr Sikrī about 35 km from Agra, and moved his capital there. Later abandoned, the site displays a number of buildings of significant historical importance. A World Heritage Site, it is visited by most tourists. The name of the place came about after the Mughal Emperor Barbar defeated Rana Sanga in a battle at a place called Sikrī . Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted to make Fatehpūr Sikrī his head quarters, so he built a majestic fort; due to shortage of water, however,

Continue your drive to Agra and check in at hotel

Overnight at hotel

Day 6 - Agra

Breakfast in the hotel

Depart for sightseeing tour of Agra visiting Taj Mahal (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE)

Described as a most extravagant monument ever built for love, this sublime Mughal mausoleum is India’s most ogled icon. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, MumtazMahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The death of Mumtaz left the emperor so heartbroken that his hair is said to have turned grey virtually overnight. Construction of the Taj began in the same year and was not completed until 1653. Not long after it was finished, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned in Agra Fort where, for the rest of his days, he could only gaze out at his creation through a window. Following his death in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried here alongside Mumtaz

After Taj visit local market and a marble factory where you can actually see the inlay work being done on marble like it was done for Taj in the past.

Continue your drive to Agra Fort (sometimes called the Red Fort), which was commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565, and is another of Agra's World Heritage Sites. A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort states that it had been built before 1000 but was later renovated by Akbar. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during Shah Jahan’s time, and reworked extensively with marble &Pietra durainlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Diwan-e'Ām and Dīwān-e-Khās (halls of public and private audience), Jahagir Palace, KhāsMahal, Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace),

Overnight at hotel

Day 7 - Agra/Jhansi by 12011 Shatabadi Expre

Breakfast in the hotel.

Transfer to Agra train station in time to connect train to Jhansi

Meet/Assist on arrival and drive to Khajuhrao via visiting Orchha

Orchha Fort -

Reached by an arched bridge and the three palaces set in an open courtyard within the fort are the first buildings to explore. The tiered Jahangir Mahal was built in 1606 to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jahangir in 1606. The Raj Mahal, to the right of the courtyard, was built by Madhukar Shah and has bold colorful murals inside. The third palace, is the Rai Praveen Mahal, which is a two storey brick structure set in the gardens of Anand Mahal.

Of the many temples within the fort, three are especially worth visiting. The Ram Raja Mandir was originally a palace and became a temple more by accident than design. An image of Ram was installed while the temple, The Chaturbhuj was being built for it. For some reason the image could not be moved from the palace and despite its spires and ornate decoration became a sacred place. Linked to the Ram Raja is the Lakshminarayan temple, the interiors of which have some of the best preserved murals and wall paintings in Orchha.

Continue your drive to Khajuhrao a small town located in the Bundelkhand region (Chhatarpur District) of Madhya Pradesh and is famous for groups of Hindu and Jain temples. These temples are UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their beautiful and erotic rock carvings. On arrival check in at hotel.

Rest of the day is free to relax.

Overnight at Hotel.

Day 8 - Khajuraho

Breakfast in the hotel

Depart for sightseeing tour of Eastern or Western Group of Temples of Khajuraho.

Western Group of Temples

Lakhmana Temple - The oldest and finest of the western group of temples, named after the ruler that built the temple. The A horizontal beam over the entrance of this beautiful Vaishnavite temple shows the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva with Lakshmi, Vishnus consort.

Kandariya Mahadeo Temple - This temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures that are among the greatest masterpieces of Indian art.

Devi Jagdamba Temple - Dedicated to the Goddess (devi), this is smaller and much more delicately proportioned temple and is home to some of the finest sculptures of Khajuraho.The garbha griha has a huge image of the Devi of the Universe (Jagdambi), though it appears to have started as a Vishnu temple. It has the usual three bands of sculptures, but the third and most uppermost of these houses some of the most erotic sculptures.

Chaunsat Yogini - The only granite temple in the Khajuraho group

Chitragupta Temple - is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya), it faces eastward to the rising sun

Matanageswara Temple - A temple dedicated to Shiva, a huge 8ft Lingam adorns the temple.

Eastern Group of Temples

Parsvanath Temple - Largest among the group, with exquisite carvings in detail. The sculptures on the northern outer wall are the highlights of this temple. The image was installed in 1860.

Ghantai Temple - This Jain temple has a frieze which depicts the 16 dreams of Mahavira's mother, and a jain goddess on a winged Garuda.

Adinath Temple - Dedicated to Jain saint, adinath, the temple is lavishly embellished with sculpted figures, including yakshis.

Hanuman Temple

Brahma Temple - considered to be one of the oldest temples of Khajuraho made entirely in granite and sandstone, is dedicated to Vishnu.

Vamana Temple - is the dwarf form of Lord Vishnu, located in a secluded place and is known for its simple architecture.

Overnight at hotel

Day 9 - Khajuraho/Bandhavgarh

Drive to Bandhavgarh and check in at hotel

Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the wild life sanctuaries in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The national park is situated at 197 km away north-east of Jabalpur. This wild life park derived its very name from an ancient fort in the area. Bandhawgarh National Park belongs to the Vindhyan mountain ranges of central India and it boasts to have the highest density of tiger population in the country. Now there are about 46 to 52 tigers one can spot here. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is one of the highest known in India. The park has a large breeding population of Leopards and various species of deer

Overnight at hotel

Note: Bandhavgarh & Kanha National Park are closed on Wednesday afternoons (in lieu of this walks to the village, village school, nature walks, birding, bicyle trips class etc are done)

Day 10 - Bandhavgarh

Morning enjoy the Jeep Sarai into the park & in evening enjoy Elephant safari into the park.

The forests of Bandhavgarh are the white tiger jungles of the yesteryears. However, no white tigers have been reported from the wild in the last 50 years, and it is believed that less than a dozen have been seen in India in about a hundred years. And yet when white tigers were sighted, it was right here in Bandhavgarh.

Wandering through the Bandhavgarh national park on an Elephant Back, the chances of seeing a tiger are quite good. Among the other wild attractions include, Nilgai, Chausingha, Chital, Chinkara, Wild Boar and sometimes a Fox or Jackal.

Overnight at hotel

Day 11 - Bandhavgarh/Kanha

Breakfast in the hotel

Depart for Kanha National Park & check in at hotel.

Rest of the day is free to relax

Overnight at hotel

Day 12 - Kahna

Morning & Evening Jeep Ride into the park for game Viewing into the park

Kanha boasts of about 22 species of mammals. Some of the inhabitants of this park are the gaur, the largest of the world's cattle; the sambar, the largest Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelopein the world. Other frequent visitors include the Nilgai antelope, thesloth bear, the dhole, or Indian wild dog, and an occasional panther. Some 200 species of birds inhabit the park, which include the cattle egret, blackibis, hawk eagle, and the red-wattled lapwing. Shravantal is an old, earthen bound tank in the central Kanha meadows, which happens to be an important watering hole, for a large number of water fowl in winter. Bamni Dadar, known as Sunset Point, is the most beautiful section of the park, and the view of the sunset from this spot is absolutely mesmerizing. Quite a few animals can be sighted around this area which include the sambar, gaur, the four-horned antelope and the barking deer

Overnight at hotel