The Jungle Book Wildlife Adventure

14 days from £7,480 for 2023 per person

• Mumbai
• Tadoba Tiger Reserve
• Pench Tiger Reserve
• Kanha National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park

This itinerary features in our Top 10 Family Holidays.

The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is the stuff of legend; home to Shere Khan, Bagheera and Baloo the Bear, this itinerary will bring to life the magical story of The Jungle Book. Tracking big cats in some of India’s best tiger territory, including Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Kanha and Bandhavgarh, this adventure also offers the chance to see other rare wildlife including black Indian leopards and sloth bears.

Tadoba Tiger Reserve is a rare jungle jewel amongst India’s leading tiger reserves and national parks, and is affably called the Land of the Tigers. It is teeming with indigenous flora and fauna, but unique to Tadoba, are the enormous ‘ghost trees’ with ghostly white bark. Here you will stay at Svasara, a luxurious jungle lodge situated just 300 metres from the Kolara gate at Tadoba Tiger Reserve. The next stop is Pench, the true inspiration for Kipling’s Jungle Book, and just one look at the mighty tangle of wild jungle, huge tree trunks and rich foliage rustling with animals and birds, will reveal why. Tiger sightings are consistent in the rolling terrain, and the bird life is abundant. Stay at the Jamtara Wilderness Camp, a colonial style tented camp and the ideal place to surround yourself with the sounds of the jungle.

Travel through the Indian countryside to the eastern flank of Madhya Pradesh where you will reach Kanha, one of three sanctuaries in “tiger territory”. The undulating countryside is vast and varied, with dense forests, wide meadows and thickets of bamboo. The population of wild Bengal tigers is reasonably healthy, attracted by the large numbers of deer grazing in the river valleys, and with patience it is possible to see leopards and sloth bears. The Banjar River is a haven for indigenous birds, a paradise for bird watchers! Whilst staying at Flame of the Forest Safari Lodge, a breakfast trip to the old airstrip used by the Maharajas and their guests, at the highest point in the park is a must for stunning views over the vast expanse of this stunning region.

The final stop on this adventure will take you to Bandhavgarh. Drive through the park gates and a great panorama of grassland opens up, sweeping up to a dramatic red sandstone escarpment. The grasslands and sal forests harbour a healthy population of tigers, as well as deer, langur monkeys, sloth bear and wonderful birds. Early morning and afternoon game drives are by jeep, but when tigers are positively sighted in the forest, elephant-back is the best way to get as close to them as possible.

This luxury holiday is purely a suggested itinerary; it can be booked as it is, or used as a starting point for creating your perfect tailor-made tour of India. If you would like to see similar trips, take a look at our collection of Epic Journeys and Family Holidays, as well as our favourite Wildlife and Active itineraries.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.
Bill Bryson