A Tryst With Tigers
Twelve nights, two parks, six full days inside them. The flagship trip, and the one Lala hosts himself from the airport pick-up to the last goodbye.
At a glance
The shape of it
- Length
- 12 nights — 9 on safari, 3 in New Delhi
- Parks
- Bandhavgarh and Kanha, Madhya Pradesh
- Safaris
- 6 full-day permits — 3 in each park
- Lodges
- Pugdundee Resorts at both parks
- Hosted by
- Lala, throughout
- Open to
- International guests
- Also included
- Taj Mahal day trip, and a visit to an NGO working in Kanha's buffer zone
- Group size
- Small group
- Price
- USD 9,000 per person, in a group of seven
- Other ways to book it
- With a naturalist hosting instead of Lala, or on regular rather than full-day permits — from USD 4,400
- 2027 departures
- Dates on enquiry
Why these two parks
Bandhavgarh and Kanha look nothing like each other
Bandhavgarh is sandstone cliffs and boulder fields dropping into sal forest and meadow, with an ancient temple statue in the middle of it. Kanha is rolling grass maidans opening out of deep forest. Photographically they are two different trips, which is the argument for doing both rather than spending twice as long in one.
They are about five hours apart by road, and the itinerary moves between them once — four nights at Bandhavgarh, then five at Kanha. Three full days in each park is enough to stop guessing: by the third morning the guides know which animals are where, and so do you.
Day by day
The itinerary
Taken from the trip's own itinerary document. Lodges are named because a trip that will not name them is hiding something.
Arrive New Delhi
Radisson Blu Plaza Airport Hotel, or an equivalent if it is unavailable. One night to sleep off the flight — nothing is scheduled.
Delhi to Bandhavgarh
A late morning, then a 90-minute flight to Jabalpur and three and a half hours by road to the park. You meet Lala and the guides at the lodge and get briefed on the days ahead.
Bandhavgarh — three full days
Tea at 4:45, in the park from 5:00 to 18:30, breakfast and lunch eaten inside it. This is the full-day permit doing its work: at ten in the morning, when every other vehicle has gone back to its lodge, you are still there.
Bandhavgarh to Kanha
About five hours by road, through village and farmland. The terrain changes visibly on the way.
Kanha — three full days
The same rhythm in a completely different landscape: grass maidans, barasingha, and light that behaves nothing like Bandhavgarh's.
The NGO visit
A half day with an organisation working on the ecological and economic resilience of the forest-dwelling communities in Kanha's buffer zone. Guests have singled this out unprompted in their reviews.
Back to Delhi, and Agra
Two nights in Delhi and a guided day trip to the Taj Mahal, then the late-night flight home.
What is and is not included
Inclusions
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| Domestic flights, New Delhi–Jabalpur and back | International flights |
| All ground transfers | Visa fees, and the visa itself |
| Full-day jeep safaris — permits, jeep, driver and forest guide fees | Travel insurance |
| 9 nights on safari, 3 nights in New Delhi | Meals at the Delhi hotel and on the Agra day trip |
| Guided Taj Mahal day trip | Medical expenses |
| NGO site visit | Tips to lodge, safari and transfer staff |
| Filtered water | Bar purchases, including bottled mineral water |
Rates are on double occupancy. Single occupancy is charged differently — ask. Quoted from the trip's own itinerary document, not rewritten.
Questions
About this trip
How many full-day safaris do I actually get?
Six — three in Bandhavgarh and three in Kanha. A full-day permit means roughly 05:00 to 18:30 inside the park, with breakfast and lunch taken there rather than at the lodge.
Most operators sell two three-hour drives with the middle of the day at the lodge. That middle is when the park is empty.
Why Jabalpur and not a closer airport?
Jabalpur has the reliable connection from Delhi and puts you three and a half hours from Bandhavgarh's gate. The domestic flights both ways are included.
Is the Taj Mahal day trip worth keeping?
It is included, and it uses the Delhi days that the flight schedule creates anyway. If you would rather spend those days differently, say so — the bespoke track exists for exactly that.
Will I definitely see a tiger?
No, and nobody who tells you otherwise is being straight with you. What twelve nights and six full-day permits buy is a great deal more time in the park than a standard itinerary, with guides who track these individual animals for a living.
Ask about a 2027 departure
Dates and pricing for 2027 are being set. Tell us roughly when you can travel and we will come back with what is open.