India Tiger Safari

We had such a good holiday, it was wonderful seeing tigers in their natural environment and visiting the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal at the end of the holidays was a special experience. There were only 6 of us in our group and our fellow travellers were lovely friendly people and we all got on well. Our trip started a day later than usual because of Diwali so we didn't get the chance to do an optional game drive (we'd have done a 16th drive just to maximise any tiger sightings) as Bandhavgarh park is closed on Wednesday afternoon so our 15th drive was on the Thursday morning before leaving for the train. And, again because of the day's delay, we went to the Taj at sunrise rather than at sunset and were treated to a beautiful blue sky and lovely light. We saw tigers on our very first game drive, a mother and her cubs were resting on rocks at a bit of a distance but easily spottable once we got our "eye" in. We saw a glimpse of a stripey back on drive 2 but then nothing tiger-wise until drive 8 when a magnificent male briefly stepped out in front of our jeep before melting back into the bush. We saw a leopard in the far distance on drive 14 and then on drive 15 at the very last minute we had a tiger dash past all the waiting jeeps into the bush. The other jeep with our fellow travellers had a wonderful tiger sighting in Bandhavgarh (the jeeps did different zones) and, I must admit, it's hard not to be envious when others have an experience that you don't. We were happy for them but.....

Its difficult to write this review without repeating what everybody else has all ready said. We had some fantastic tiger sightings that frankly left me breathless, we also saw sloth bears, leopard and fantastic bird life. Some people saw more some saw less, but that's always going to be the case on these types of holidays. The quality of the guides and drivers is hit and miss, but Exodus has little control over this as they work for the park. Hadn't appreciate that the jeep allocation was so tightly regulated. Who is what jeep, is decided when the jeeps are booked, and passports are checked on each drive to ensure that's the case.. but you are moved around so your not sat with the same people all the time. The accommodation on the whole was better than expected, although some people seemed to have problems getting hot water a few times. Being welcomed back of every drive with a warm flannel and cold drink was very welcome. Everybody gets a bit stressed just before the overnight train, but once we were on and settled it was okay, and I slept okay, and the bedding was clean, and didn't feel the need for a sleeping bag liner. There was a western and Indian style toilet in every carriage, been in worse on UK trains. Make sure you stock up on snacks before you get on the train as the packed lunch taken with you was uninspiring.

The trip was excellent from start to finish. We were met at Nagpur by Krishna who gave us information about the trip and introduced us to the other members of our group. It was a group of mixed personalities and could not have been better. We all got on very well. The drive to Pench Jungle Resort was a bit of a problem due to an accident in the road ahead meaning we arrived late at the Resort, but the staff had kept the Restaurant open so that we could have a meal before bedtime. On our first game drive we saw our first tiger, but saw no more tigers in Pench. We did see a leopard with its kill and lots of monkeys, deer and a large variety of birds. We saw one tiger in Kanha and another 6 in Bandhavgarh. All in all worth every penny!

This trip was everything the trip notes described and more. It gave exciting wildlife encounters; an introduction to the culture of the country and visits to iconic sites such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Dehli city sights. It was action packed from start to finish and not for those who like a leisurely rise in the morning and lounge around the pool. Days started at 5.00am for the game drives and there were some long and rough journeys, but they only added to the adventure. If cities are not your thing, the time in Agra and Delhi were more than enough and an assault of colour smell and noise on the senses, contrasted with the beauty and peace of the game reserves.

Tremendous. Abundant wildlife with highlight of Tigers, Taj Mahal and lots of memories

Three tiger reserves, 15 game drives in total. We saw about 15 tigers of different ages and sexes, lots of very good clear and long sightings.

If you've been to India before then this is a bit different. The National Parks are beautiful and this is a relaxing trip away from the craziness of the cities. However there is an early start every single day and there are two long overnight train trips. The first is an "experience" the second a bit tiresome. Hotels were generally good and the food was excellent. Take snacks though as it is a long time between meals. Of course the highlight of the trip is tigers. They are fantastic (although there seem to be a lot less of them this year than normal) and the other wildlfie is a bonus. Great trip!

A very cohesive group with an exceptional leader. The quest for the tiger was disappointing as we only had a very brief glimpse after 17 game drives! However there was other ,less glamorous wildlife, and the group was good fun.

A well organised and interesting trip but we had disappointing tiger sightings. All the hotels and lodges were of a very good standard for India and the staff helpful and pleasant. The food was good and not too spicy, though a bit repetetive. The lodge at Bandhavgarh was very good with an excellent swimming pool and beautiful gardens.

I had wonderful time and would have given 5 stars but for the bathroom at the lodge at Kanha.   The guide was friendly and both helpful and informative, the accommodation very good (other than mentioned above) and the food also good.   The group was very friendly and despite the age range everybody got on well.  I had one magical encounter with a tiger.   Seeing Simon King was a bonus