India 路 Big cats
Bandhavgarh
Bandhavgarh is small, and that is the point. Seven hundred square kilometres of sal forest and grassland around a sandstone fort, with one of the highest densities of tiger anywhere in Asia. You are not searching a wilderness. You are working a known cast of animals across ground you can learn in a week.
The park splits into three core zones. Tala carries the reputation and the meadows. Magadhi gives you the dry riverbeds and the best low-angle light. Khitauli is thinner forest and fewer vehicles, which matters more than most people expect when you are trying to hold a position.
We run two expeditions here a year and stay in the same lodge on the Tala side both times. Familiar drivers, familiar trackers, and enough seasons on the ground to know which tigress uses which nullah in April.
Density is what lets you stop chasing sightings and start choosing light.
At a glance
- Established
- 1968
- Core area
- 716 km虏
- Open
- Oct - Jun
- Nearest airport
- Jabalpur (JLR)
- Drive from airport
- 4 hours
What you are likely to photograph.
- Bengal tigerThe reason to come. Feb to June, best in the last hour.
- Indian leopardPresent and photographable, usually on the fort road at dusk.
- Asian elephantSmall numbers, forest herds rather than open plains.
- Sloth bearApril to June, on termite mounds in the dry heat.
- Indian gaurGrassland edges at first light.
Twelve months at Bandhavgarh.
Solid marks the peak weeks. Half tone works but is not the reason to go. The park is closed July to September.
Getting there
- Fly to
- Jabalpur (JLR) or Khajuraho (HJR)
- Via
- Delhi or Mumbai
- Road transfer
- 4 hours from JLR
- Rail
- Umaria, 35 km
- Included
- All transfers from JLR
On the ground
- Drives per day
- Two, plus a full-day option
- Vehicle
- Open 4脳4, six guests maximum
- Permits
- Arranged and included
- Altitude
- 440 m - no acclimatisation
- Temperature
- 4 掳C at dawn in Jan, 44 掳C by day in May
Two departures, one park.
Join a mentor-led departure with a small group, or build your own around your dates, your pace and your party.
Connect with us. Not sure which suits you? Tell us who is travelling and what you hope to photograph, and we鈥檒l point you to the right one.
Every departure is priced and confirmed by enquiry. There is no online payment on this site.
4 days 路 6 guests
Bandhavgarh Tiger Safari
India's forests, at their most alive.
What the ground gives you.Placeholder frames
Written at Bandhavgarh.
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There is no booking engine on this site and there will not be one. Every expedition is confirmed by conversation, because at six guests the fit matters more than the transaction.