The mighty Bengal Tiger is withoutdoubt one of the most stunninglyhandsome and awe-inspiringcreatures on Earth. Whether achieved froma vehicle, or elephant-back, a glimpse ofthis most powerful of all the great cats isan unforgettable highlight of any naturalhistory visit to India. Just to set off insearch of a Tiger is guaranteed to sendadrenalin coursing through the veins;whilst every movement in the undergrowthraises the expectation of a suddenappearance by that so-familiar stripedbody, footprints in the dust or the warningcries of deer serving only to heighten thealmost unbearable sense of excitement.Over the past 20 years Naturetrek hasenabled many hundreds of our clients toachieve their dream of seeing a Tiger andthis outstanding new tour is perhaps ourmost comprehensive Tiger-watchingholiday so far, embracing the four IndianTiger Reserves that currently provide themost consistent record of Tiger sightingsin the subcontinent. The holiday isdesigned to maximise the chances ofTiger observation by spending ample timein each of these reserves where, even ifthe Tigers prove elusive, you can beassured of a host of other mammalsincluding Grey Langur, Sambar and bothSpotted and Swamp Deer. We should alsosee Gaur (the huge Asiatic bison), WildBoar, Asiatic Jackal and, with luck,Leopard or Dhole (the Indian wild dog).Although the focus will be very much onthe mammals, the birdlife is prolific andeven non-birdwatchers cannot fail to beimpressed by the variety of form andcolour displayed by the avifauna.We begin our tour with an afternoon arrivalinto Nagpur airport after a comfortableflight via Mumbai on one of the world'sbest international airlines. From here wedrive straight to Pench National Park, ajourney of less than two hours. Thispreviously little-known reserve was thesetting for the popular BBC TV series'Tiger - Spy in the Jungle' whichportrayed the life of a resident family ofTigers and, almost overnight, transformedthe profile of Pench. Designated as Project Tiger's 19th Tiger Reserve in 1992, Pench today protects 758 squarekilometres of prime Tiger habitat in thesouthern reaches of the Satpura Hills,which lie in the region which inspiredRudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book'. Wespend two nights here and can savour the reality of the television images!Next we will take a scenic drive into theheart of rural Madhya Pradesh and spendthree nights in Kanha National Park.Kanha encompasses 1,945 squarekilometres and is one of the largestreserves in India. It occupies a beautifullocation on a plateau in the Maikal rangeof hills, and comprises a crescent offorested hills surrounding broadundulating grasslands dotted with clumpsof bamboo and Sal forest. Small pools anda perennial lake provide essential drinkingholes for the animals. Here, as elsewhere,we will undertake morning and afternoongame drives in search of Tigers and other wildlife.Another long drive, through farmland andthe Vindhyan Hills, brings us toBandhavgarh National Park. This park, likeKanha, has acquired a reputation as oneof the very best for consistent Tigersightings. It lies in a region steeped inhistory and, in the heart of the reserve,atop an 800-metre plateau, stands the ruin of the magnificent hilltop fort whichbears testament to the succession ofdynasties which once ruled this area. Regular game drives in the park should bring us yet more encounters with the main objective of our tour.Finally we drive to Panna National Park, astunning reserve that protects over 543square kilometres of rolling hills andplateaux, grassy meadows, gorges andwaterfalls. The broad waters of the RiverKen pass through the park and a boat triphere provides superb wildlife-viewing withabundant waterbirds and many largeMarsh Mugger Crocodiles. Tigers havesuffered badly from poaching here, but wehave a slim chance of an encounter in thisbeautiful park.We will fly back to Delhi from the famouscity of Khajuraho, and thence to London.However, for the aficionado, we offer anopportunity to extend your holiday with a visit to Ranthambore, one of India's most spectacular and best-known Tiger Reserves.India - Tiger MarathonAn exciting tour taking you straight into the heart of Tiger country on a 13-day safari that combinesPench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna National Parks, four of India's finest Tiger Reserves, plus anoptional extension to Ranthambore National Park.Thursday 3rd November - Tuesday 15th November 2011 Cost: £2,795Thursday 26th January - Tuesday 7th February 2012 Cost: £2,895Thursday 1st November - Tuesday 13th November 2012 Cost: £2,895Ranthambore extension available on all tours Cost: £750Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationTIBET NEPAL PAKISTAN NEW DELHIKHAJURAHOPANNA TIGER RESERVE AGRAKOLKATABAY OF BENGAL INDIAKANHA TIGER RESERVE NAGPURMUMBAIPENCHTIGER RESERVERANTHAMBORE TIGER RESERVE (EXTENSION) BANDHAVGARHTIGER RESERVE Outline itineraryDay 1Depart London.Day 2Arrive Nagpur; transferPench National Park.Day 3Pench National Park.Day 4/6Kanha National Park.Day 7/9Bandhavgarh NationalPark.Day 10/11Panna National Park.Day 12Transfer Khajuraho; flyDelhi.Day 13Fly London.Ranthambore extensionDay 13Train to Ranthambore.Day 14/15Ranthambore TigerReserve.Day 16Train to Delhi.Day 17Fly London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotel in Delhi;comfortable forest lodgeselsewhere. All rooms have privatefacilities.FoodAll included in the price.Grading A. This is a wildlife safari, with littlewalking.Focus Tigers, other mammals and birds.LeaderDhanya Venkatesh, Harish Sharma,Bunty Mandhayan or Indrajit Latey,plus local guides.Single room supplement£395 (extension: £195).Web quick search: IND21227Bandhavgarh National ParkTiger

This Naturetrek holiday specificallyfocuses, in equal measure, on bothwildlife and India's fabulous historical,cultural and architectural heritage. Aboveall, and unusually for India, our itineraryachieves a maximum of variety with aminimum of exhausting travel. A briefdomestic flight, two short and comfortabletrain journeys, and just a few hours ofdriving on the peaceful roads of rural Indiaare all that are required to complete thisfascinating and colourful circuit. We will visitsuch fabulous sights as the Taj Mahal, AgraFort, Fatehpur Sikri, the temples ofKhajuraho, and both Old and New Delhi, allof which so magnificently encapsulate thelavish history of northern India over the pastmillennium. We will also visit Panna NationalPark and Tiger Reserve - one of India'smost scenic sanctuaries and currently afavourite amongst wildlife connoisseurs onaccount of the sheer abundance and varietyof both its mammals and birds - andconclude our tour in the world's mostfamous bird reserve . Bharatpur. We begin in India's capital, New Delhi.Here, we will drive to our comfortable hotel.Later, after a rest and a light lunch, anoptional afternoon tour of Old Delhi willinclude such magnificent Moghulmonuments as the Jama Masjid mosqueand the Red Fort, though the keenbirdwatchers in our party may chooseinstead to visit the Sultanpur National Parkand Bird Sanctuary.In 1839 a British army engineer stumbledupon a complex of the most remarkableHindu temples. Lost for centuries in remotejungle, these magnificent examples of Indo-Aryan architecture had escaped thedestruction that Moghul rule inflicted onvirtually all other Hindu monuments innorthern India at the time. Today,Khajuraho's temples, so skillfullyconstructed between 950 and 1050 ADunder the later kings of the Chandeladynasty and boasting exquisite (and manyerotic) carvings, are listed as a WorldHeritage Site. Now beautifully restored, theyare set within delightful gardens favoured byabundant birdlife and marauding Rhesusand Common Langur Monkeys. A night inKhajuraho will give us ample time to explorethe temple complexes before we make theshort drive to Panna Tiger Reserve.Panna, a stunning national park of 543square kilometres, has remained largelyunknown and ignored by tourism, mainlybecause its Tigers remain wary and elusive.Though consisting largely of dry deciduousforest, it boasts great scenic beauty throughits combination of rolling hills and plateaux,grassy meadows, gorges and waterfalls.The broad waters of the River Ken passthrough the park and allow us to enjoywildlife viewing, abundant waterbirds andmany large Marsh Mugger crocodiles onboat excursions. The extensive buffer zonesurrounding the park provides theopportunity for some spotlighting on nightdrives, when Jungle and Rusty-spottedCats, Golden Jackal, Bengal Fox, SlothBear, Indian Hare, Common Palm Civet andother denizens of the night such as MottledWood Owl are all possibilities. Primarilythough, we will explore this extensive parkon lengthy jeep tours, and sometimes onelephant back, encountering abundantSpotted Deer, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Boar andtroupes of Common Langurs, the moreelusive Chinkara and Chousingha antelopesand, with luck, a Tiger, Dhole (Wild Dog) oreven a Leopard! With such a variety ofhabitats, Panna also provides a most variedbirdlife, with Painted Sandgrouse, and awide variety of owls and nightjars likely tobe amongst the highlights.We next drive to Orchha, once the capital ofthe Bandela dynasty, and today a mostpicturesque and peaceful village that sitsamongst a proliferation of temples, royalchhattris(tombs) and a striking 16th centuryfort-palace on an island in the Betwa River.There is much to enjoy for a day here,before we take the train from Jhansi toAgra, passing the imposing Gwalior Fort. Astay in Agra will allow us to soak in thesplendour of the Taj Mahal and its environs. and to visit the magnificent Agra Fort. Wewill then drive on, stopping en route toexplore the fascinating abandoned Moghulcity of Fatehpur Sikri, to Bharatpur, the mostfamous bird reserve of them all, where afeast of birds and other wildlife awaits us.So, is there a down side to our managingdirector's favourite Indian odyssey? Yes, justone! Your chance of a Tiger sighting on thistour is a fairly slim one. For this reason, weoffer you the chance to extend your holidaywith a visit to Ranthambore, one of India'smost spectacular and best known Tigerreserves, or any other of the country's finenational parks.Temples & Tigers - The Best of Northern IndiaA 13-day holiday combining the best of India's wildlife and culture, with visits to Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Khajuraho, Panna Tiger Reserve and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, plus an optional 5-day extension to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.Wednesday 2nd November - Monday 14th November 2011 Cost: £2,495Wednesday 1st February - Monday 13th February 2012 Cost: £2,595Wednesday 7th November - Monday 19th November 2012 Cost: £2,595Ranthambore extension available on all tours Cost: £795Outline itineraryDay 1Depart London.Day 2Delhi.Day 3Temples of Khajuraho.Day 4/6Panna Tiger Reserve.Day 7Orchha.Day 8Agra and Taj Mahal.Day 9Fatehpur Sikri; overnightBharatpur.Day 10/11Bharatpur BirdSanctuary.Day 12Evening train to Delhi.Day 13Fly London.Ranthambore extensionDay 12/15Ranthambore TigerReserve.Day 16Evening train to Delhi.Day 17Fly London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotels in Delhi,Khajuraho and Agra; simple butcomfortable lodges elsewhere. Allrooms have private facilities.FoodAll included in the price, except formeals required in Delhi. Allow £30.Grading A. A wildlife and sightseeing tourthat includes no strenuous walking.Focus India's cultural heritage, mammalsand birds.LeaderNick Acheson, Bunty Mandhayan,Dhanya Venkatesh, AshleshSharma or Dilip Saini, plus localguides.Single room supplement£345 (extension: £145).Web quick search: IND32228Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryTIBET NEPAL PAKISTAN NEW DELHI AGRA BHARATPUR KOLKATABAY OF BENGAL INDIA KHAJURAHO ORCHHA JHANSI PANNA RANTHAMBORE TIGER RESERVE (EXTENSION) KhajurahoIndian RollerTiger