8 day safari

Prices from

£3200

Excluding international flights

Tour Highlights

  • 12 private small group safaris in Nagerhole national park
  • An expert guide who has found the Black Panther on previous trips
  • Limit of 6 people in a vehicle designed for 9
  • Chance to see Wild Dogs, Leopards and Tigers in same park

Black Panther Wildlife Tour and Safari in Nagarhole Kabini Wildlife Trails

Black Panther wildlife safari in Nagarhole national park

Sometimes circumstances come together at just the right time in the world of wildlife travel and big cat safaris, to inspire you to put together a specialist photography wildlife tour that will focus on just one species; and this is exactly what we have here with this small group Black Panther safari in Nagarhole national park. Not only was I lucky enough while in India during May 2017 to make contact with a wildlife guide who has seen and photographed the Black Panther on a number of occasions; but he also agreed to be our main guide for the entire stay at Nagarhole national park – this is crucial to the success of the Black Panther wildlife tour due to the ‘intense’ bureaucracy in India’s national parks. Not only do we need to apply for special permissions to have the right type of vehicle for our photography group; we also need a wildlife guide at Nagarhole that can optimise our choice of zone or route in order to maximise our opportunities to see the Black Panther in Nagerhole.

Best time to see Black Panthers in Nagarhole national park?

According to sources in Nagarhole national park the best time of year to see the Black Panther is March and April, so on this basis we have meticulously planned our dates to (1) Avoid the very busy Easter Holidays and (2) Avoid some local holidays in South India to be at the park at a ‘relatively’ quieter time. This is relative, as with such a longer, specialised safari lasting 7 days, it is impossible to avoid the weekend; which is what we would normally do.

Nagarhole national park – what did we see during the March 2018 and 2019 tours?

Both trips in 2018 were a huge success, with both groups enjoying a single sighting of the Black Panther which was the main objective of the trip. However, even more enjoyable was the almost constant action inside the park, as we enjoyed up to 7 tiger sightings, 5 leopard encounters and multiple superb encounters with a pack of 8 wild dogs, that were an absolute joy to photograph. It is important to point out that a rapidly growing tiger population could make seeing leopards in general (not just the Black Panther) more difficult in the future, so we would strongly suggest visiting ASAP. We just completed our third trip for the Black Panther in March 2019 and this time we missed out on a sighting of the melanistic male leopard. However, the great combination of good quality tiger and leopard action continued for our group members.

TOUR UPDATE: All big cat sightings change over time, and it’s clear as per our Black Panther tours in March 2023, that due to the increased tiger population in Nagerhole, Saya – although still in good condition from the camera trap photos – has become a lot more elusive and we now sell our trip more as a Nagerhole wildlife holiday, with the chance to see Indian wild dogs, leopards and tigers. However, we are now running a Black Panther wildlife tour in Kenya where the chances of seeing Giza the Black Panther are much higher.

Client feedback from 2018.

Seeing 6 tigers ( 3 very good sightings) and 4 leopards (one amazing sighting) in Nagarahole (including the one with the all important black features) was truly beyond our expectations. Arjun was really very helpfull in managing the jeep safaris into the park. We only had to go on a boat safari once and the 2 last days he even arranged it so we could go both morning and afternoon drives into zone A. Thanks Arnie

Just a brief note to thank you for a superb trip to Nagarahole. We were fortunate to see the black panther, albeit briefly, early on during the trip. It was not through lack of trying that we didn’t see him again but had excellent big cat sightings of leopard and tiger as well as other wildlife including elephant, squirrel, mongoose, otters and python. Good food and great company with Richard, Arnie and Edith. Thanks John

When to Go:
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Best time to visit -

APR

Safari Style -

Small Group

Day 1

ARRIVE IN BANGALORE AND TRANSFER TO KABINI

Arrive at Bangalore airport, where you will be met and transferred 5-6 hours by air-conditioned mini-bus to ‘Kabini Jungle Lodge’ (staying in the upgraded Maharaja cottages) – ideally situated for direct vehicle access to Nagerhole national park. This evening we will enjoy a short presentation from our experienced local wildlife guide, who will accompany us in Nagerhole national park.
Accommodation: Kabini Jungle Lodge

Days 2-6

FIVE DAYS OF MORNING AND AFTERNOON JEEP SAFARIS

Five full days and 10 separate game drives into Nagerhole national park in search of the Black Panther. Our guide will talk directly with the park management and other park guides to see how we can change our daily routine and route to maximise our chance of seeing the Black Panther. Overnight at Kabini Jungle Lodge.

Day 7

Final day in Kabini with option for boat safari

Morning and afternoon wildlife viewing by shared private bolero in Nagerhole national park. If we have been lucky with Black Panther sightings, we can always look at including a boat safari on Kabini Lake in search of Wild Elephants grazing near the shoreline.

Day 8

DRIVE BACK TO BANGALORE TO CONNECT WITH ONWARD FLIGHT

Sadly, this is the last day of our small group black panther safari and wildlife tour, but please remember that we can provide a tailor-made extension to this holiday anywhere in India.

Pricing Info & Dates

Costs £3200 based on two people sharing and not including flights. Costs valid for multiple departures in 2024

Includes:

  • £100 donation to the Tiger Trails Foundation
  • Services of an expert Naturalist throughout
  • Quality AC vehicles for main transfers
  • Private Bolero vehicle limited to 6 photographers
  • All meals at Kabini Jungle Lodge

Excludes:

  • Cost of your international flights
  • Visa fees for India
  • Gratuities for main driver and guide
  • Some meals in Bangalore

Tour Route Map

What

Our Clients Say About Us

★★★★★
Outstanding from planning, throughout the whole trip and home again

We had a 13 day tour to India, mostly wildlife as this was what we wanted and a little element of city & culture. Day in Delhi staying at the Imperial, apart from noisy traffic getting to the el it was an iconic place to be, so much hitory and staff who had been there 30yrs and proud of what they did. then onto 5 days at Ranthambor - 2 incredible Tiger sightings with so many other species, onto Agra and the Taj Mahal and then the Saptura National Park. Great time was taken in the planning, we were given lots of options as to how to make the trip up including time of year and how to maximize wildlife sighting.

BySarah
★★★★★
A truly stunning holiday, wildlife and photography experience

Three weeks in India with the fantastic wildlife photographer and teacher, Trai Anfield, concentrating on finding and photographing tiger and leopard, as well as experiencing all the cultural ders of this extraordinary country. The trip exceeded all expectations. We stayed in a wonderful selection of safari lodges, tented camps, forts and palaces, experienced the food and customs of the regions, visited and spent time with the local people and were in Udaipur to celebrate the paint festival, Holi. Out of all the game drives we did over the three weeks, on only two did we return without having seen either tiger or leopard. A truly outstanding experience in every respect, made even more special by the dedication of Trai Anfield to make sure that her clients had the best possible tuition and opportunities to take the photograph of a lifetime. Excellent in every respect. Everything worked perfectly. The booking arrangements, information and assistance before the trip, local guides and local arrangements all worked extremely well and the trip content, compiled in collaboration with Trai Anfield, was outstandingly brilliant.

ByAndrew and Nichola
★★★★★
Fantastic Trip to India with Wildlife Trails

We have recently returned from a 16-night trip to India, organised by Wildlife Trails. It was a tailored trip, encompassing safari in Kaziranga and Corbett with city breaks in Mumbai, Kolkata and hi to catch some IPL cricket. Essentially we were on a 16-night, 5 centre itinerary, no more than 3 nights in any one location, involving many and varied transfers by road, rail and air. The chaos which characterises India, and is certainly part of its charm, can cause frustration for travellers – unless they are travelling with Wildlife Trails, who have partnered with ground agents in India who have the knack of short-circuiting the chaos and arriving everywhere with comfortable punctuality, every time. A thoroughly professional service, enabling our party of 4 to fully enjoy the wonderful experiences India has to offer. We had dedicated wildlife drivers/guides during our stays at both Kaziranga and Corbett – in both cases they were very friendly, we were very well looked after by them, and they greatly enriched our experience of the wildlife. We were blessed with tiger sightings at both Kaziranga (2 different tigers on 2 different days!) and Corbett – where we close enough to the tiger to consider it an encounter rather than a sighting. And Rhino galore (including being amongst a sizeable herd on elephant safari), and wild elephant galore, and deer, and monkeys, and fabulous birds. Accommodation at both National Parks was very good, as were the meals. During our city breaks we had guided tours of each city. Our guides were all punctual, very knowledgeable and friendly – our experience of all 3 cities was certainly enriched by our guides. The agents and drivers who assisted with our transfers to and from airports and railways stations were unfailingly polite and helpful – we were delivered to our seats on the train in Kolkata and met at the carriage door when we arrived 19 hours later in Delhi. Kirsty from Wildlife Trails worked with us over several iterations of our itinerary – always offering positive suggestions and responding promptly and fully to our questions. Putting the trip together with Wildlife Trail was a pleasure in itself – and I’m very happy and impressed to be able to say that everything went according to plan. We would all four have no hesitation in recommending Wildlife Trails to anyone considering a wildlife adventure in India.

ByDave and Alison
★★★★★
Our 1st time to Kipling Camp, amazing holiday

WE had 2 nights in Delhi at Claridges, perfect as always, 3 nights at Kipling Camp,excellent staff, guide, rooms and best of all picnic by the river to bath the beautiful 'Tara' the phant. Went on to Bandhavgargh 'Bandhav Villas' where we have stayed 5 times, treated like Royalty, the rooms have been upgraded, 6* service and most of all 22 Tiger sightings including mother and 3 cubs, wild dogs and other wild life. What else can one ask for? We have used 'Wildlife Trails' now for at least 7 times. They are very knowledgeable, flexible, good listeners as to what you want to do/see, have really become our 'travel friends'. They arranged tours to India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania for us. They have give an excellent service and have good 'local partners' to be there for you.

BySarah and Klaus
★★★★★
An excellent way to see iconic & endangered Indian wildlife.

It was a great itinerary that allowed us to see all the iconic and unique wildlife of India in the company of excellent guides, thoughtful drivers and accommodation hosts. In Gujarat we saw wild , birdlife including migrating bar headed geese, asiatic lions - which are not as easy to see as you might think and need persistence, Black buck, Indian wolf & jungle cat with leopard, tiger and a very fast moving sloth bear in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The accomodation was excellent particularly Blackbuck Lodge @ Velavadar and Reni Pani @ Saptura and everywhere had top notch hospitality. Travel was by car, train and plane - travelling in India takes some acclimatisation but the drivers and meet & greet guides were very professional and made it as easy as they could! overall it was a well put together holiday which flowed and allowed us to experience India and Indian wildlife at its best. Very efficient and put together; a well thought through itinerary.

ByJulie