With the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rudyard Kipling in December 2015, and the first of two new ‘The Jungle Book’ films released in April 2016, tour operator Gane And Marshall highlight their best trips for spotting ‘Shere Khan’.
Gane and Marshall is offering several holidays to India’s National Parks and Tiger Reserves. These itineraries are perfect for travellers wanting to set off on their own Jungle Book adventure, hoping to spot Shere Khan and his jungle companions in the wild!
Dudhwa National Park
Dudhwa National Park attracts far fewer visitors than most of India’s wildlife parks, making for a more authentic experience and the chance to see the resident wildlife in their unaffected environment.
The six-night ‘Dudhwa National Park India Safari’ itinerary begins in Delhi, where travellers will take a train journey to Lucknow for a two-night stay at a luxury hotel and the chance to explore the beautiful colonial-era city. A scenic drive to the Tree of Life Jaagir Lodge in Dudhwa comes next, for a three-night stay. Days are spent on game drives by private jeep into Dudhwa National Park. This protected area is home for tigers, leopards, Asiatic black bears, sloth bears, swamp deer, horned rhinoceros, elephants, cheetahs, hog deers, barking deer, sambars and around 400 bird species. On departure from Dudhwa, one more night is spent in Lucknow.
Opened in spring 2015, The Tree of Life Jaagir Lodge is a former hunting lodge in Dudhwa, set in a sugarcane plantation and built in the 1940s for use by British governors. The lodge has three luxury rooms, three suites and six deluxe villas known as “Jhaalas”, each individually styled and named after a local animal. The lodge also boasts an old library, whisky and cognac lounge, a large veranda, dining area serving delicious cuisine five times a day, pavilion, swimming pool and a full-service spa.
Prices start from £1,245 per person, based two travellers sharing. This includes accommodation, most meals, train travel and transfers, tours and game drives, services of an English speaking guide and taxes. International return flights from London to Delhi start from an additional £600 per person.
Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore National Parks
‘Eye to Eye with the Indian Tiger’ is a nine-night itinerary visiting Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore National Parks. Bandhavgarh was established in 1968 as a National Park and in 1993 recognised as a tiger reserve. It is a land of dense jungle hills, forest and vast stretches of grassland, with one of the highest densities of tiger in the world.
One of India’s most famous tiger parks, Ranthambore National Park occupies a large swathe of territory in southern Rajasthan. Formerly the royal hunting grounds of the Jaipur Maharajas, today the national park is a prominent conservation zone, home to a huge diversity of species, including Bengal tiger, sambal deer, jackal, fox, sloth bear, civet, mongoose and an array of birdlife.
The nine-night tour starts with a night in Delhi, but soon guests fly and transfer to Bandhavgarh National Park for three nights at Kings Lodge, staffed by a knowledgeable naturalist team. Days spent on the park’s famed jungle safaris by 4×4 jeep, on guided cycling tours and on guided jungle hikes. After a return to Delhi for one night, the next day sees guests catch the Golden Temple Express train to Sawai Madhopur for three nights in a luxury cottage at the Pug Mark Hotel, situated at the edge of Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. There are early morning and afternoon game drives by Jeep each day, with meals served at the hotel.
Prices start from £1,195 per person, based two travellers sharing. This includes internal transfers, flights and rail travel; accommodation in Delhi, Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore; most meals; safari activities and tours; all currently applicable taxes. International return flights from London to Delhi start from an additional £600 per person.
Satpura National Park
The ‘Satpura Under Canvas’ itinerary, available since only October 2015, brings the first ever chance for guests to camp in a National Park. Satpura is the only tiger reserve in central India where comfortable mobile camping is possible, with trekking on foot offered in the core area of the reserve.
Guests on spend the first night at ‘Reni Pani Jungle Lodge’, a conservation and wildlife-focused lodge, and then stay in exclusive mobile camps for the next two nights in the National Park itself. The mobile camp leaving no trace to the local environment. The camps are well equipped with beds/mattresses, a dining area, portable bathrooms, etc. This unique camping opportunity leaves guests more time per day to explore Satpura, with local expert guides accompanying the treks and educating guests about local wildlife and its tracks, as well as birds, insects, trees, plants and much more.
Prices start from £745 per person, based two travellers sharing. This includes return transfers from Bhopal airport; two nights at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge on a full-board basis with one shared safari and one wildlife activity; two nights at mobile camps in Satpura National Park on a full-board basis; services of guides and camp staff; and all currently applicable taxes. The trip is priced for four nights, but can be tailor-made to be extended or matched with another India itinerary. International return flights from London to Bhopal start from around an additional £600 per person.
For more information, please go to www.ganeandmarshall.com or call 01822 600 600.
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