Bengal Tiger and Sloth Bear Expedition

This trip will feature some of India’s most famous wildlife, including two major stars, the Bengal Tiger and the Sloth Bear. We’ll see lots of mammals and if you are interested in birds, you can build a list of more than 150 species on this trip.

The tour begins in Delhi where you’ll overnight following your arrival. The next morning, we fly to Raipur and then continue by land to Kanha National Park where we’ll spend three nights.

Kanha is home to one of the largest Bengal Tiger populations in the world. Its forest is the backdrop of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. It’s the best place to see the Barasingh, or Swamp Deer, the jewel of Kanha. These are large deer; because mature stags can have from 10 to 14 times on their antlers, its Hindustani name is bārah-singgā, meaning "twelve-horned." Another park specialty is the Nilgai, or Blue Bull, the largest Asian antelope species. Other mammal species that we’ll search for include the Dhole (or Indian Wild Dog), Striped Hyena, Small Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet, Flying Squirrel, Indian Fox and Indian Wolf. Mouse Deer have also recently been discovered in the park. Bird targets will include Painted Francolin, White-rumped Vulture, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Golden-fronted Leafbird, and several kinds of owls: Brown Fish Owl, India Scops-Owl, Oriental Scops-Owl, and Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl.

The Pench Tiger Reserve, established in 1977, is considered to be prime tiger habitat and its location in central India makes it critical to tiger conservation. We will spend three nights here. In addition to tigers, Indian Leopards can also be found at Pench. It’s also a good location, too, for our other major tour target, the Sloth Bear. This vulnerable species is myrmecophagous, meaning that ants and termites make up a large part of its diet—it’s a very different sort of predator than the tiger! Ungulate species include the Sambar, a large species of deer: the smaller Chital, also known as the Spotted or Axis Deer; the Chousingha, or Four-horned Antelope; and the Gaur, or Indian Bison, the world’s largest bovine. The Gaur is memorable for its appearance - the massive dark-colored bodies of the bulls appear to be precariously perched on its white legs.

Golden Jackals and two species of primate—the Hanuamn Langur and the Rhesus Macaque—are also found here. Birding targets include three kinds of storks—Painted, Black and Lesser Adjutant—and the Stork-billed Kingfisher. Others are the Jungle Owlet, Black-naped Monarch, and the Black-Hooded Oriole.

Our final national park will be the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve where we will spend three nights. Tadoba is India’s oldest and largest national park. It’s an excellent place to see both of our target species, Bengal Tiger and Sloth Bear. It’s also shares some of the other species we’ve been seeking: Indian Leopards, Gaur, Sambar, and Nilgai. We might also encounter Jungle Cats, Barking Deer, or Honey Badger. Reptiles include the Marsh or Mugger Crocodile (once common in the area but now listed as Threatened), the Indian Monitor, and the Indian Python. This reserve has a number of raptors we’ll be watching for, including Black Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, and Changeable Hawk-Eagle. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, and Indian Gray Hornbill.

On our last day, we’ll drive from the park to Nagpur where we’ll catch a flight to Delhi where guests will connect with their return flights to home.