The extensive grasslands and temperate
forests of India are home to a vast range of wild life and some of the
world's most stunning national parks. These reserves were once the hunting
grounds of the various rajas and maharajas, and their hunting lodges have
now been converted into hotels.
DELHI
/ CORBETT / AGRA / KHAJURAHO / BANDHAVGARH / KANHA / KAWARDHA / RAIPUR /
DELHI DAY 1. DELHI / CORBETT (6 hrs) :Drive
to Corbett National Park.Check into your jungle lodge. Post lunch park
safari on elephant back accompanied by naturalist. Evening bonfire and
barbecue.
Overnight Corbett.
DAY 2. CORBETT:Morning
and evening park visits to see a variety of wildlife in jeeps and elephant
back. Evening at leisure at the pool side or the riverside or view a tiger
film. Overnight Corbett.
DAY 3. CORBETT / AGRA:Early
morning repeat safari, later drive to Agra. Check into hotel in Agra.
Afternoon city sightseeing of Agra fort and visit the Jag Mahal in the soft
light of the setting sun. It is the world's greatest monument to love, built
by Shah Jehan as a memorial to his beloved wife, Mumtaz. Overnight Agra
DAY 4. AGRA / KHAJURAHO :Morning
transfer to airport to board flight to Khajuraho. Transfer to hotel in the
afternoon. Visit the Chandela dynasty temples,famous for their spectacular
sculpture and erotic carvings. Overnight Khajuraho.
DAY
5. KHAJURAHO / BANDHAVGARH (5 hrs)
Drive to Bandhavgarh tiger reserve. Check into the jungle lodge. Evening
park safari on jeeps. Overnight Bandhavgarh.
DAY
6. BANDHAVGARH / KANHA (5 hrs):Drive to Kanha your journey takes
you deep into The Madhya Pradesh heartland and the setting of Rudyard
Kipling's Jungle Book. Check into the fascinating Kiplings camp. This
national park is the only one in the country which can boast of having the
same abundance of wildlife and variety of species since the days Kipling
wrote his book Originally the area was famed as a hunters parade but now the
valley has been developed as a national park. The park has deciduous forest,
rolling grasslands and meandering streams. It has over 22 species of
wildlife including The rare barasingha (swamp deer) and over 230 species of
birds. Evening jungle drive. Overnight Kanha.
DAY
7. KANHA: Morning and evening jungle drive you will spend time on
machans (viewing platforms) near water holes.Overnight Kanha.
DAY
8. KANHA / KAWARDHA (4hrs) : After early morning jungle drive,
proceed to Kawardha. Check into Palace Kawardha, which has been recently
opened to visitors by the Maharaja. It is delightfully quiet and unspoiled
in contrast with India's other "palace circuits". Kawardha is in
the centre of the Baiga tribe who live in the forest surrounding The town.
The Radha Krishna family temple with underground roofs and The holy water
tank are fascinating. It is a unique experience for visiting the tribal
settlements. Overnight Palace
DAY 9. KAWARDHA /
RAIPUR / DELHI: connecting evening Morning at leisure with the
Royal family. Later transfer to Raipur for flight to Delhi.
BEST
TIME: November to June
OPTION 1.
DELHI / SAMODE / RANTHAMBORE / BHARATPUR / AGRA / GWALIOR / SHIVPURI /
ORCHID / KHAJURAHO / KANHA / KAWARDHA / RAIPUR / DELHI
2.
DELHI / RAIPUR / KAWARDHA / KAN HA / BHANDHAVGARH / KHAJURAHO / VARANASI /
KATHMANDU / CHITWAN / DELHI
