During the course of this extraordinary journey, the riders become a part of the breath-taking landscape, almost ‘at one’ with the surroundings, and get to see historical monuments and scenery which might be missed on a more conventional Safari. Add to this, the expertly schooled horses and professional guiding, you will have the Safari of a lifetime.
Type of Holiday: Responsible
BIRDING IN INDIA
This premier birding journey takes you to some of the best birding spots in India. Arrive in Delhi and then travel to Bharatpur, hop off point for Kheoladeo National Park, one of the great ornithological wetland wonders of the world. A birders’ paradise for long, the historic park continues to attract birding enthusiasts from around the globe.
Next you will travel to Chambal Sanctuary which is well known for the gharials and marsh crocodiles. The Sanctuary boasts of a rapidly increasing and impressive bird list of over 330 species of resident and migratory birds and is gaining a reputation as one of the most reliable places to see the Indian Skimmer. It is one of the last surviving habitats of the Gangetic River Dolphin. A quick visit to Taj Mahal in Agra before you head to the national parks in central India. – Satpura and Pench National parks. Satpura is one of India’s best kept secrets; this thick, dry deciduous forest is characterized by hilly backdrops, gorgeous water bodies and a rather stunning blend of landscapes. This is the only Park allowing walking safaris in India.
The forests of Pench National Park were the setting for Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. Pench National Park is a wild playground harbouring country’s maximum density of prey animals, chased by estimated 65 Tigers. It has an appealing landscape of dry and moist deciduous forest and the vegetation is of undulating scrublands as well as bamboo patches around hilly areas.
IN SEARCH OF THE SNOW LEOPARD
Ladakh has a fauna very different from that of the rest of India. The appeal of Ladakh’s wildlife lies not only in this uniqueness, but also from the remoteness and harshness of the land. Ladakh, consisting mainly of high plains, brackish lakes and deep valleys, is situated 2700 metres above the sea level. It is very sparsely populated and it is so cold in places like the Zanskar region that people and cattle remain indoors for much of the year. It gets less than 10 centimetres of rain on average annually. Its vegetation is stunted. The region has over 300 bird species and 30 mammals. This tour is meant for those who are purely interested in tracking and viewing the elusive snow leopard. The best time for this tour is between December to March when the Blue sheep come down the valley. The snow leopard of Central and South Asia has a life span of 15-18 years and is unable to roar because of the absence of the larynx. Well known for its beautiful fur, the snow leopard has a whitish-tan coat with ringed spots of dark, ashy-brown and rosettes of black. Its tail is heavy with fur and the bottoms of its paws are covered with fur for protection against snow and cold. Early snow can push wild animals on to lower slopes. It is also a time of rut of one of the major prey of snow leopard – the blue sheep or bharal. These large wild sheep aggregate on the lower slopes in large numbers. The rut takes place among the most rugged terrain and it allows us to watch them at relatively close range without having to climb the steep mountain slopes. Since these ungulates are favourite snow leopard prey and higher slopes are under snow cover, snow leopard follows its major prey to these slopes which means sightings are easier.
ACTIVE ADVENTURE AND WILDLIFE
This tour offers you the thrill of coming face to face with untouched cultures as well as wilderness regions of great natural beauty. You will travel to Central India’s three most famous national parks, each with diverse wildlife, landscapes and tribal communities. These make it a fascinating region to cycle through forested animal corridors which connect the parks. Also on offer will be Night Safaris, Walking Safaris in the buffer zones and Canoe Safaris.
You will also visit Agra to marvel at the wonder that is the Taj Mahal.
TIGERS OF CENTRAL INDIA
This tour takes you on a wild journey through Kipling’s countryside in India’s fïnest National Parks. With Kanha and Bandhavgarh rated the best for tiger-spotting the world over because of their high numbers of the apex predator of Indian jungles, you can be rest assured of a fabulous range of photo op and exhilarating moments in the wild.