Ranthambore National Park

Corbett National Park was the first park to be brought under the ‘Project Tiger’ umbrella due to its magnificent scenery and large unspoilt wilderness area, which in turn supported a healthy tiger population. The reality for many visitors over the years had been occasional sightings glimpsed on elephant back and a feeling that the park is a better location for birders than more general wildlife enthusiasts; based on our visits in April 2006, April 2010 and March 2011 and our clients trips, we can confirm this view point is now completely redundant.

Not only does this beautiful park afford the visitor an excellent chance to see tiger, it also provides spectacular elephant sightings in the hotter months, with groups as large as 30 animals making the daily crossing over the Ramganga river. It is possible to view both wild elephant and tigers in a jeep safari from Dhikala, and the real highlight, is the rare chance to stay inside a Tiger Sanctuary at one of the simple lodges and you have a wildlife experience that rivals anything else in India.

When we first visited Kanha Jungle Lodge way back in 1999 and stayed with Taron and his family we were blown away by his passion and the beauty of the park. One of my all time favourite memories is seeing a tigress shortly after having breakfast inside the park. A Kanha national park safari is not just about tigers. It is a full sensory immersion in the most beautiful park in central India and a chance to see multiple species of great scientific interest.

India is famous in wildlife circles as the place to see wild tigers, but is also home to some lesser known but even rarer and more endangered species like the Asiatic Lion, Asiatic Wild Ass, and Great Indian Bustard. India also boasts an impressive array of canids including the Striped Hyena, Indian Wolf, Jackal, Indian Fox, and Desert Fox. This bespoke Gujarat wildlife holiday will take you to an India which few explore and will reward you with rare wildlife, stunning landscapes and a tribal culture that shines brightly in the desert.

Back in the early 2000’s, rumours drifted across from rural southern Rajasthan, that there was a new big cat paradise in India and this was one where the Leopard – not the Tiger – ruled! It is important to remember that tiger sanctuaries are far from the best place to see leopards as they are out competed by their striped cousins. A visit to the Bera region of Rajasthan, is like stepping back in time two hundred years. The traditional Rabari trbes still make a living from their colourful goat herds and it is these goats that form a large part of the Leopards diet. Astonishing levels of tolerance by local villages to see beautiful spotted cats have created an unofficial sanctuary for leopards and it has become one of our very favourite wildlife locations in India – Yes, we are regular visitors!

Wildlife Trails first visited Khajuraho and Panna tiger reserve way back in 2002 and during the last 17 years there have been more ‘downs’ than ‘ups’ in this beautiful reserve bordering the idyllic Ken River. Like Sariska, Panna lost all its tigers in the mid-2000’s and it is now one of the main recipients of translocated tigers from famous tiger reserves like Bandhavgarh and Kanha, as they attempt to recapture former glories. For us, Panna was never just about the tigers, as we enjoyed starting our trip with time wandering around the beautiful temples at Khajuraho, before the short drive to our wilderness lodge at Panna. Here we will not just enjoy morning and afternoon jeep safaris, but also boat safaris on the Ken River and two nights of nocturnal drives in the buffer area – not permitted in most national parks in India. From there we head to the world famous Bandhavgarh tiger reserve – on a much better road these days thankfully – before enjoying 7 jeep safaris in a park that is just exploding at the moment with tiger action.

Safari vehicles will have a maximum of 4 guests per jeep.  At Bandhvagarh we have handpicked a specialist local naturalist to accompany all safaris.

After spending 30 days in West Bengal and Assam during April 2018, Allan Blanchard and his friend and expert wildlife guide, Avijit Dutta, wanted to bring together the very best wildlife experiences these two beautiful states have to offer and put together a completely unique and unmatched Wildlife Trails small group wildlife tour of North East India. The result is a beautiful overland trip, visiting some of the regions most iconic wildlife sanctuaries; including Gibbon Sanctuary, Kaziranga, Manas, Pakke and Nameri. Far fewer international and domestic visitors make it across to these beautiful national parks and as a result we have the chance to enjoy the amazing wildlife without the crowds that can affect your enjoyment in north and central India.

We have been visiting Ranthambhore since 1997 when the owner Allan Blanchard spent a month there looking at conservation projects in the buffer zone areas the park. His fascination and love for the area brought him back many more times, and along with local guides that are now close friends, he has developed many interesting side trips away from the park to help spread the income from tourism further afield. There is a great road from Ranthambhore which takes you to the village of Bhoori Phadi and the small but beautiful Banas River; which forms one of the boundaries of Ranthambhore National Park. There are activities here organised by local people, such as boat and camel safaris and the chance to camp wild for the more adventurous. In addition, you can take a wonderfully rural 4-wheel drive route from Ranthambhore to the imposing Ramathra Fort, and create a tiger safari with a twist. Don’t just go to Ranthambhore with a standard tour operator and stay locked behind your hotel walls when not on safari. Go with Wildlife Trails and see a side of this park and the surrounding country that few get to see.

The historic Ramathra Fort stands on the Daang plateau between Ranthambhore and the Chambal River Valley, with spectacular views of the villages and countryside below.  The surrounding landscape is characterised by a network of gorges, scrubland and small traditional farms, and on evening drives there is a chance to see Indian Fox, Jackal and Hyena. It is just 10 minutes away from a large lake which attracts a wide variety of bird species and on which a leisurely boat safari can be taken.

Our Red Panda wildlife holiday is meticously designed to maximise your time in the field for observation and photography. Using superb local trackers and guides in a similar fashion to the gorilla trekking guides in Africa, we first locate the Red Panda’s, transmit that information back to our private group in the homestay and then sensitively approach them to enjoy an intimate and productive wildlife viewing session in the company of these amazing mammals. Most of the Red Panda trekking on this India wildlife holiday will take place on the India/Nepal border in Singalila National Park.

The ingenious assortment of cool climate, generous precipitation and the right mix of warmth and humidity throughout the year have shaped the unique eco-system of Singalila National Park in the northern most reaches of Darjeeling district of West Bengal and the adjacent forest in Ilam, Nepal. The wide range of vegetation ranging from subtropical forests and temperate coniferous forests which exists in the altitude range 2000 to 3500 meters has made the Singalila National Park a prominent biodiversity hotspot. This sub-temperate Himalayan broadleaf ecosystem is home to wide array of elusive Himalayan wildlife such as Red Panda, Asiatic Black Bear, Clouded leopard, Common Leopard, Melanistic Leopard, Leopard Cat, Himalayan Sherow, Himalayan Musk deer, Melanistic Barking deer, Himalayan Brow Goral, Yellow-throated Marten, Himalayan Palm Civet, Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel and many more.

In terms of timing Kaziranga has a relatively short season compared to the north and central parks; it reopens after the monsoon in November and closes at the end of April.  The main migratory bird season is mid-November to late February.  During late December and early January the early morning chill can result in some rather misty conditions that can hamper wildlife viewing (lifted by midday), and Christmas/ New Year is best avoided due to increased domestic and international visitors.  During January the process of grass burning begins, working on contained patches the elephant grass (and any invading trees) are burned, so for a short time mammals become more visible as they graze and move more openly on the new growth but within a few months it regains its enveloping height, meanwhile vegetation levels in the forest and riverine areas become more sparse. So on balance the best times can be mid-November to mid-December (if birds have a strong appeal) or mid February to late March (for increased mammal visibility) – the rhinos can be seen in all months.

In the last few years, the mountainous Spiti Valley in the state of Himachel Pradesh has become a hotspot for sighting Snow Leopards. Although a winter trip to this valley, presents serious logistical challenges and is not for the faint-hearted; the rewards are considerable – when it comes to photography of this beautiful feline. I have seen many amazing photos of Snow Leopard taken by our Indian guide in Spiti and am very confident that this trip will produce some exceptional sightings. However, it is not uncommon for there to be delays reaching the valley due to weather conditions and road closures due to landslides, so people joining this Snow Leopard safari, need to have a flexible, open mind and a real sense of adventure. Once we reach the valley, we will have a very comfortable, heated local homestay; which we will use as our base to explore the mountains. Expect a lot of long walks and the need for patience, as we try to track down the grey ghost of the mountains.

Tadoba national park is now well known as one of the BIG 3 of India’s tiger reserves and we can even say, that with the amazing expansion of tiger populations into the many buffer zones, this is the place to be for tiger lovers. Add to that, a wide diversity of habitats, several large lakes which attract the tigers during the hot summers, and a chance to see both wild dogs and a melanistic leopard, and there is something for everyone.

Imagine an Asian wildlife holiday which combines amazing and diverse jungle experiences with a spectacular view of the Himalayas and the chance to take a tiger safari and stay at the legendary Tiger Tops jungle lodges. If this is your dream then we have created the perfect Nepal wildlife safaris for you, with 2 nights in Kathmandu at the fabulous Dwarika’s Hotel, before staying 5 nights at Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge, then 5 nights at Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge, where we should have our best chance to see tigers, and finishing off this ‘Big 3’ Nepal wildlife safari with 4 nights at the up and coming Shuklaphanta wildlife reserve.

Very few people in the world attempt to see wild tigers and snow leopards in the same trip. This bespoke Wildlife Trails tiger and snow leopard safari takes Allan and a small group of adventurous souls back to Ladakh where he was lucky enough to see 7 snow leopards on his first visit in 2012. Since then he has returned to both Ladakh and visited Spiti Valley and always enjoyed excellent encounters. Some of our regular clients have asked for more comfortable accommodation than basic tents or homestays, so this small group Indian wildlife holiday specifically addresses that issue and takes your Christmas and New Year celebrations to another level!

Wildlife Trails have been fortunate to visit Nagerhole wildlife sanctuary many times in the last decade, but it was not until our success in 2018 finding and photographing the Black Panther, Saya, in this beautiful park that we realised it was also an incredible location for Indian wild dogs, or Dhole as they are known locally. A few national parks in India, including Nagerhole, stay open during the Monsoon and so this immediately planted in our minds the possibility of putting together a small group tour to Nagerhole in July/August with the focus on Wild Dogs and maybe the chance to see their cubs as well. We have incredible connections in South India and our guides are very much the best in the business and regularly work with professional photographers and film makers.