India : Tiger Tours in with Taj Mahal

Morning full day city tour of Mumbai.

Overnight at Mumbai Mumbai formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Maharashtra state. One of the four metros of India, Mumbai is referred to as the financial capital of the country. The city deals with all the major business houses and also the headquarters of many Indian companies. Situated on Salsette Island, Mumbai is made from a cluster of Seven Islands and derived its name from Mumbadevi, the goddess of the Koli fisher folk. Mumbai has a deep natural harbour, which handles more than half of India's passenger traffic and a large amount of cargo. The city which never sleeps, cannot be bounded by time frame of day or night. It remains always active with its attractive shopping arcades, exciting sport activities, night clubs, discotheques, theaters, music, restaurants and picturesque sights. Mumbai is home to world famous Hindi Film Industry known as Bollywood, which is one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world. The fast foods like Pani puri, Bhel Prui and Bada Pau, offered by the roadside vendors are a major attraction of Mumbai

Breakfast and lunch at Chitvan Jungle Lodge. Morning and afternoon Jeep safari to the National park.

The Kanha National Park, stretching over 940 sq km, the vegetation, chiefly made of sal and bamboo forests, grasslands and streams, this park is the sole habitat of the rare hardground barasingha. The forests of the Banjar valley and Halon valley, respectively forming Kanha's western and eastern halves, had even , at the turn of the century, been famous for their deer and tiger population. By a special statute in 1955, Kanha National Park came into being. Since then, a string of stringent conservation programmes have been launched, for the overall protection of the park's fauna and flora. It is one of the most well-maintained National Parks in Asia, and a major attraction for avid wildlife buffs all over the world.

Kanha boasts of about 22 species of mammals. Some of the inhabitants of this park are the gaur, the largest of the world's cattle; the sambar, the largest Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelope in the world. Other frequent visitors include the Nilgai antelope, the sloth bear, the dhole, or Indian wild dog, and an occasional panther. Some 200 species of birds inhabit the park, that include the cattle egret, black ibis, hawk eagle, and the red-wattled lapwing. Shravantal is an old, earthenbound tank in the central Kanha meadows, which happens to be an important watering hole, for a large number of water fowl in winter. Bamni Dadar, known as Sunset Point, is the most beautiful section of the park, and the view of the sunset from this spot is absolutely mesmerizing. Quite a few animals can be sighted around this area which include the sambar, gaur, the four-horned antelope and the barking deer.

Evening bar be que dinner followed by Tribal Dance. Overnight at Chitvan Jungle Lodge

Morning and afternoon game drives, meals and overnight Jungle Lodge

The best way to tour the Bandhavgarh National Park is on an elephant’s howdah which increases the chances of spotting a tiger.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Lodge. Morning & Evening Jeep drive in the park. Overnight In Bandhavgarh.

HISTORY

Bandhavgarh has been a center of human activity and settlement for over 2000 years, and there are references to it in the ancient books, the Narad-Panch Ratra and the Shiva Purana. Legend has it that Lord Rama, hero of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, stopped at Bandhavgarh on his way back to his homeland after defeating the demon King Ravana of Lanka. Two monkey architects, who had engineered a bridge between the isles of Lanka and the mainland, are said to have built Bandhavgarh's fort. Later Rama handed it over to his brother Lakshmana who became known as Bandhavdhish "The Lord of the Fort". Lakshmana is the particular God of the fort and is regularly worshipped in a temple there. The oldest sign of habitation in the park are caves dug into the sandstone to the north of the fort. Several contain Brahmi inscriptions dating from the 1st century B.C. Various dynasties have ruled the fort, for example, the Maghas from the 1st century A.D., the Vakatakas from the 3rd century A.D., From that time onwards Bandhavgarh was ruled by a succession of dynasties including the Chandela Kings of Bundelkhand who built the famous temples at Khajuraho. The Baghel Kings, the direct ancestors of the present Royal family of Rewa, established their dynasty at Bandhavgarh in the 12th century. It remained their capital till 1617 when the center of court life moved to Rewa, 75 miles (120Kms) to the north. Without royal patronage Bandhavgarh became more and more deserted until forest overran the area band it became the royal hunting reserve. This helped to preserve the forest and its wildlife, although the Maharajas made full use of their rights.

At independence Bandhavgarh remained the private property of the Maharaja until he gave it to the state for the formation of the National Park in 1968. After the park was created poaching was brought under control and the number of animals rose dramatically. Small dams and water holes were built to solve the problem of water shortage. Grazing by local cattle was stopped and the village within the park boundaries was relocated. The Tigers in particular prospered and the 1986 extension provided much needed forest to accommodate them.

Bandhavgarh is justifiably famous for its Tigers, but it has a wide range of other game. The undergrowth is not as dense as in some northern terai forests, but the best time to see the park inhabitants is still the summer months when water becomes more scarce and the undergrowth dies back.

Morning game drive to the National park and later drive to Khajuraho 280 /6 hrs drive.

The Khajuraho temples are India's second biggest single tourist attraction and largest group of medieval temples. Once the religious capital of the Chandela Rajputs they are with sculptures of extraordinary grace celebrating the path to God through physical pleasure.

Evening Sound and light show at Khajuraho. Overnight at Khajuraho.

Morning : visit the Eastern and Southern group of temples. The Parsvanath temple of the Eastern group is the group’s largest Jain temple. The themes depict, in charming detail, everyday activity. Also visit the Duladeo temple dedicated to Shiva and the Chaturbhuj temple of the Southern group

Later drive to Jhansi 180 kms /4 hrs drive to Board a A/C Chair car train to Agra at 1750 hrs. Arrive Agra at 2000 hrs. Overnight at Agra.

This morning guests are treated to a sightseeing tour of the city of Agra and the Taj Mahal. If the Taj Mahal is a poem in white marble then Agra Fort is a sonnet in red sandstone. Rigidly defined by practical and defensive considerations Agra Fort contains distinctly beautiful buildings which were built and rebuilt by three successive Mughal Emperors.

Afternoon drive to New Delhi 220 kms/5 hrs drive. Overnight at New Delhi