Tiger and Snow Leopard safari Christmas 2024

Wildlife Trails have been visiting India since 1997 and one of our very favourite hotels is the Old Dame herself, ‘the Imperial’. We will book international flights which allow us to arrive in the morning and full appreciate her charm and location.

Precise logisitics are everything when it comes to the design of our Indian wildlife holidays. By picking the best flights from Delhi to Jabalpur we always ensure our clients have time for an afternoon safari on arrival. Overnight at the stunning ‘Tree House Hideaway’ in Bandhavgarh

Because we are personally connected with local teams, guides and drivers in Bandhavgarh, who look after our VIP clients and also work with professional photographers, we get the best insight into big cat movements and book our safari zones accordingly. (on wednesday afternoon when the core zones close we will explore the buffer)

If you work with the right people and adopt an ethical approach to game drives (not staying at a sighting too long if there are too many vehicles!) you will be rewarded in many ways

Although our main focus will be big cats, we love all wildlife and sometimes an encounter with a species such as Sloth Bear can be equally rewarding.

Yes, this will be a very different Christmas Eve for six lucky clients, as we enjoy a final full day of morning and afternoon jeep safaris in Bandhavgarh.

Well we cannot guarantee that, but for sure we will enjoy our final and 10th tiger safari in Bandhavgarh before catching the flight back to Delhi and overnighting at the ‘Novotel Aeroocity’

We go straight from sea level to 3300m so the absolute number one priority for us is your health. Allan has made this journey multiple times and has always followed the advice of the local guides; which is basically ‘to do nothing’ that first day in Leh and drink plenty of fluids – black tea works well.

This is the second full day of acclimitisation and as we have done before with all our groups, we still take it easy, but we can do some gentle walks and enjoy the vibrancy and culture of Ladakh’s capital city.

A stunning drive to the beautiful village of Ulley in the Sham region of central Ladakh, north of the Indus River, at the head of the valley of the Ulley Chhu at an altitude of about 13,000 feet.

Ulley and Mangyu are both situated within a network of valleys that are well-connected by motorable roads. This allows us to cover a hugely greater area with our own dedicated vehicles than is possible on foot thus increasing our chances of tracking snow leopards

Over the past 10 years this area has been developed for snow leopard tracking and has gained a reputation not just for the high numbers of snow leopards but as one of the best areas to see Ibex, Urial, Wolf, Himalayan Fox, Bearded and Himalayan Griffon Vultures and Golden Eagles.

We continue exploring the many beautiful nearby valleys as we approach the start of a New Year. However, sometimes in Uley you don’t have to walk too far from the lodge to see Snow Leopards – take it from me! I remember the first time I visited Uley in 2012 and we had to walk the last 1km to the simple homestay due to the thick snow on the roads. We found an Ibex kill just off the road with the fresh pugmarks of both Snow Leopard and Wolves there- spine chilling!

It’s our last day in the home of the Snow Leopard, so let’s make the most of it. Our amazing spotters will be up early scanning the mountains and with a little luck we will have one final special encounter with this magical big cat.

All good things have to come to an end, but we still have the stunning mountain drive back to Leh where we will once again overnight at the Grand Dragon Hotel

Treasure those last few views of the Himalayan mountains as our plane takes off and we head back to the big smoke of Delhi. We will enjoy a sumptuous farewell dinner together on our last night in Delhi.

What an adventure we have just experienced together and I am sure we are already planning our next. We will ensure you are safely escorted to international departures for your flight home…………………or not!