‘Kipling’s India’                                  April/May  2016

Christne Margry is a solo traveller who was looking for a luxury safari experience visiting some tiger reserves she had previously visited and some new ones. We organised a modified version of our Kiplings India Safari to give Christine a friendly and sociable experience suitable for a single traveller. It was a pleasure helping Christine plan her safari with us and she enjoyed herself so much that she is planning another trip.

“My holiday was fantastic, everything went to plan, my choices of lodges were perfect and I met some really charming, interesting and fun people along the way, both staff and other guests.

I very much enjoyed my stay at Forsyth Lodge in Satpura NP where I had excellent sightings of 11 sloth bears with cubs, Indian wild dogs and lots of jackals.  The scenery in Satpura is very varied and beautiful.

I was happy to return to Baghvan Lodge in Pench where the staff were fantastic and I met some very nice guests too, also I had my first very good sightings of a male tiger basking in a waterhole.

I had previously had very good sightings at Kanha Tiger Reserve, this time it was just one female in the distance.
The rooms at Baanjar Tola Lodge were sumptuous but I did not like the massive bed set on a round wooden plinth which, quite frankly, was really awkward to get in and out of;  I commented on this and received a very gracious email apology from the manager!

Finally, in Bandhavgarh I had the best tiger sightings of all (7) with several adult males and females as well as sub-adults; there was a BBC film crew there so I will look out for a documentary probably in about a year’s time.
The staff here at Mahua Kothi Lodge were first class (most amazing food), the accommodation was just right: rustic but with all the mod cons.  I was put with 4 other guests about my age and we had great fun.

Importantly all my transfers were extremely comfortable with most competent and caring drivers and all went to plan – as smooth as clockwork – no glitches whatsoever and I was very well looked after by the local agent.

So, all in all, a great safari experience,  and thanks to India Wildlife Safaris for organising this trip for me and using such excellent local representatives.

I am formulating a plan for another trip to India to include Chitwan in Nepal so when I have a clearer idea of a possible itinerary I will contact you with the hope that you can arrange this for me and a friend.

With thanks and kind regards

Christine Margry May 2016

Bandhavgarh and Kerala            March 2016

David and Lorna Prydie have recently returned from a short safari and beach holiday organised by India Wildlife Holidays visiting Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and the beach destination of Kerala. Ths trip was planned at short notice and the guests found it to be a great success.

“We had a great time thanks.  we saw tigers and particularly enjoyed the elephant trip that you organised on the special, full day, photograhic permit.  On the jeep game drives we only saw 2 tigers at quite a distance away.  On the elephant we spent 3 hours watching four 10 months old cubs from less than 8 metres away.  Other people also said that the best view of the tigers was from the elephant.

The Kerala retreat was brilliant.  Thoroughly recommend for total relaxation and escapism.

Thank you for you help.

Kind regards

David and Lorna

 

‘Kipling’s India’                                  February/March 2016

Marguerite Maccurtain, a solo traveller has recently returned from her six day India wildlife holiday after spending time in Kanha National Park and Pench National Park.  We’re delighted she had such a wonderful time, here is what she had to say about her experience…

“Exceptional tiger viewing in Kanha, I was fortunate enough to see tigers every day there!  I  watched a male tiger in competition for his tigress who we spent 30-40 minutes observing whilst she rested, we were within 20 feet of her.  Just wonderful!

The Naturalist at Kanha ‘Varun’ was so knowledgeable re wildlife, birds and sounds.  A self-assured and steady influence on the safaris with great judgement.  We looked forward to going out with him.  I meet a great couple who took all the photos.

Tented lodge, Banjaar Tola at Kanha was exceptional!

Pench was lovely, lots of birds and quite a few thunderstorms.

Claridges hotel; very lovely, middle priced hotel in the most beautiful part of New Delhi.

It really was a sensational trip and I cannot believe how fortunate I was with the best tiger sightings.  Absolutely loved it, beautifully arranged through out and your contacts in India were very efficient.

I just wanted to thank you personally!

I’ll keep in touch.”

Marguerite Maccurtain – March 2016

 

“Best of Central India”                              February 2016

Roger and Janet Day took a twelve day Indian Wildlife holiday exploring the lesser known national parks of India in search of varied wildlife, birds and landscapes. They visited Delhi, Tadoba Reserve, Pench National Park and Satpura National Park during February 2016.  On their return they were delighted to share some of these amazing photos with us as captured by themselves whilst on safari.  Read their feedback on their experience with India wildlife holidays…

“The trip went very smoothly and all the connections worked perfectly. The representatives were very professional and the standards of food and accommodation were excellent.

We had great sightings of Tigers at Tadoba and Pench and Leopards at Tadoba and Satpura plus wild dogs and Jackals at Pench and Satpura, but only a glimpse of a Sloth Bear at Satpura.  Janet enjoyed the elephant ride at Satpura, we saw a wild dog from the elephant, and the canoe trip where we saw Indian skimmers which are apparently critically endangered.  It was a lovely experience.

Some days it was difficult to find much wildlife because the weather was unusually dry fewer birds than we expected at Satpura.  Tadoba is a busy park and very focused on looking for tigers.  Roger’s photos at Taroba are fantastic, the tigress and her cubs did not seem disturbed by the vehicles.

Janet felt “jeeped out” by the time we got to Satpura and enjoyed the alternative trips. We did a village walk from Jamtara which was really enjoyable.

As a photographer, it was useful having the extra weight allowance as my camera equipment was double the 7kg!

We were very pleased with the trip, nothing went wrong.  It was a full and enjoyable schedule, we were up at 5am and in bed by 9pm most days.

Your representative in Delhi, Tilak, was great and gave us a mobile phone for emergencies which we did not need.  The rep who assisted us for the transfer back to Delhi from Bhopal mad e the most of our time and took us to a mosque on the way to the airport as our flight had been put back an hour.   

We understand you also organise trips to Africa so would be interested in finding out more about these.

Regards.”

Roger & Janet Day – February 2016

 

‘Tigers & Culture Special’                           November 2015

Sarah and Phil Jones took a sixteen day cultural and wildlife adventure with us in November 2015, exploring Delhi’s mix of old and new, along with Khajuraho, well known for its magnificent temples.  They witnessed the Aarti ceremony of the holy river Ganges in Dashaswamedh, the living traditions of one of the world’s oldest religions and took in sights at Varanasai.  In Agra of course they visited the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, before moving onto Jaipur “The Pink City” for Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and Bazaar walk.  On route they also managed to visit Bandhavgarh National Park which boasts  healthy numbers of the incredible Bengal tigers.  Here’s what they have to say about their experience with India Wildlife Holidays…

“We have had a fantastic trip and feel that we’ve really had a flavour of India. It is such an amazing country, so vast and a complete assault of the senses with so many sights, sounds and smells!

Thank you for putting together a fantastic itinerary as always – you never fail to please. Thanks also go to your associates in India who provided a seamless service – everything went according to plan.

Our hotels were all fantastic – a great diversity of culture within each one. The Imperial in Delhi was just as expected, a smart hotel with great service and ideally placed for our tours.

Samode Safari Lodge was perfect – lovely and quiet after the hustle and bustle of Delhi and everyone went the extra mile to make sure our stay was perfect. The accommodation was beautiful and so well appointed. We even saw two tigers on our first game drive which was exceptionally lucky. We didn’t see any for the other two days, but it didn’t really matter! Our naturalist, Hatsy was very helpful, informative and as a photographer himself knew exactly the kind of shots that Phil wanted.

Gateway to the Ganges Hotel in Varanasi was a great place to go back to after the excitement of the city, Varanasi was an amazing experience and we are so glad that we added that into our itinerary!

The ITC Mughal was a great modern hotel with an amazingly huge room. We saw the Taj Mahal at sunset and sunrise – viewed best at sunrise. The sunset visit was notable for vast numbers of visitors (many thousands) since the trip coincided with Diwali and a multitude of Indian tourists (think UK Bank Holiday crowds and multiply!).

The Samode Haveli was the most beautiful place with such a characterful room.

Deogarh was a great experience and as you say off the beaten track. The Hotel was stunning and so full of character. The staff were all great and it was lovely to be able to walk through the town without being heckled or hassled in any way. This hotel needs to be publicised more we feel!

Last stop was the Lake Palace in Udaipur – what a place to end the trip – just stunning! We had a very relaxed, pampered stay there and all so peaceful.

All in all we had some amazing guides, who were all so helpful and knowledgeable. Our drivers were great, particularly Sonu who drove us around for the second week.

Thank you Paul once again for arranging such a seamless, perfect itinerary for us.

Best Wishes.”

Sarah & Phil Jones – November 2015

 

‘Tigers Galore’                             October/November 2015

Pam and Doug Cuff took a nine day Indian wildlife holiday for wildlife enthusiasts wanting to see the highlights of India’s unique natural environment, visiting Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha National Park.  Here was their response upon their return…

“We just wanted to thank you all and Paul especially for what was an absolutely fabulous holiday – we wouldn’t have missed it for the world!  All arrangements were perfect from start to finish.

We’d also like to mention Talek Raj, who was always there to meet and assist us during our time in India, the man is a genius and so nice to be greeted by.

We were so fortunate in Kanha, where we had the most marvellous tiger sightings.

Diphlu River Lodge in Kaziranga was idyllic, we had lovely walks along the riverbank and spent some time just peacefully watching the fishermen. The park has many one horned Indian rhinos and they are easy to spot in the grass although we had no luck with the tigers.

Thanks again!”

Pam and Doug Cuff – November 2015