Luxury Tiger Safari Holiday in India (16N/17D)
From $3,880£2,920€3,470A$5,570C$5,490
Prices are per person, twin share, private departure, and are rounded. They are estimates and vary with the accommodation you choose and the season. Contact us for a final price.
This itinerary is completely customisable, including accommodation that is not on our list. Speak to our safari specialists and they will design a fully bespoke journey around a romantic dinner in the forest, a family adventure or a serious wildlife photography expedition.
About This Luxury Tiger Safari
India has long been ruled by two kinds of sovereign: the royal houses of Rajasthan and the tigers of its forests. This luxury tiger safari holiday brings both together. It begins among the palaces of Jaipur and the fort-crowned lakes of Ranthambore, then travels deep into the sal and teak forests of Central India, where Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench reveal the Bengal tiger in its most majestic setting.
You take one safari a day, setting out at dawn on some days and in the late afternoon on others, in a private 4x4 jeep, reserved for your party alone, with naturalists who know each reserve and its resident tigers intimately. A VIP meet and greet in Delhi, chauffeur-driven private SUVs and domestic flights make every transfer effortless.
Every journey is curated for you alone. Choose any hotel on our list in each destination, and your programme stays the same while the hotels and lodges change to suit the way you like to travel. In Jaipur you ascend Amber Fort by private vehicle rather than by elephant, and each journey contributes to TOFTigers, winner of a Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award in 2025, supporting responsible tiger tourism and the communities beside the forest. The best time to travel is November to April.
Destinations Covered
Delhi (3 nights), Jaipur (2 nights), Ranthambore National Park (3 nights), Bandhavgarh National Park (3 nights), Kanha National Park (3 nights) and Pench National Park (2 nights).
What You Will Experience
- Four of India's finest tiger reserves: Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench, each with its own terrain, history and resident tigers.
- Private 4x4 jeep safaris, one a day in the morning or the afternoon, reserved for your party alone and led by expert naturalists.
- Tigers among the ruins of Ranthambore, whose tenth-century hilltop fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- A royal interlude in Jaipur, with a private historian, a vintage car drive and time with the city's master artisans.
- The meadows of Kanha and the teak forests of Pench, home to barasingha, dhole and leopard.
- Breakfast in the forest during the morning safaris in Pench.
Design your journey with a safari specialist
Every journey is private, bespoke and curated around you: share a few details and one of our safari specialists will be in touch within 24 hours.
Thank you
Your enquiry is with our safari specialists, who will be in touch within 24 hours to begin shaping your bespoke, curated journey.
Luxury Tiger Safari Itinerary: Day by Day
Safaris included: eight private 4x4 jeep safaris with an expert naturalist, one a day and alternating between morning and afternoon: three in Ranthambore (afternoon on Day 4, morning on Day 5 and afternoon on Day 6), two in Bandhavgarh (morning on Day 9 and afternoon on Day 10), two in Kanha (morning on Day 12 and afternoon on Day 13) and one in Pench (morning on Day 15). If time allows during the day and park tickets are available, we can add further safaris at an additional cost.
Day 1: Arrival in New Delhi
A VIP representative meets you as you leave the aircraft and guides you through immigration, baggage reclaim and customs, then a chauffeur-driven private SUV takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to recover from your flight.
Day 2: New Delhi to Jaipur
Drive: about 5 hours (270 km)
Drive: about 5 hours (270 km). After breakfast, drive to Jaipur, the rose-pink capital of Rajasthan, in time for a late lunch. As evening falls, stroll through the gardens of your hotel and dine in its restaurants.
Day 3: Jaipur
A private historian guides you through the city's great monuments: Amber Fort, which you ascend by private vehicle, the courtyards of the City Palace and the honeycomb facade of the Hawa Mahal. The afternoon is yours to shape from the leisure menu, perhaps a vintage car drive, a block-printing session with master artisans or a private evening of folk music and puppetry.
Day 4: Jaipur to Ranthambore National Park
Drive: about 3.5 to 4 hours (170 km)
Drive: about 3.5 to 4 hours (170 km). Drive through the Rajasthan countryside to the edge of the reserve in time for lunch. In the afternoon you set out on your first safari, through dry, open forest where tigers are often seen in full daylight.
Day 5: Ranthambore National Park
A morning safari explores Ranthambore's zones, winding past the lakes of Padam Talao and Rajbagh, where sambar wade among the water lilies and mugger crocodiles bask on the banks. Ruined pavilions rise from the forest, and your naturalist shares the lineage of the tigers who hunt around them, many descended from the legendary tigress Machli. The afternoon is at leisure at your lodge.
Day 6: Ranthambore National Park
Begin the day with a guided visit to Ranthambore Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site high above the forest, with the ancient Trinetra Ganesh temple within its walls. In the afternoon, a final safari returns you to the lakes and ruined pavilions in the golden light.
Day 7: Ranthambore to New Delhi
Drive: about 6 hours (370 km) on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway
Drive: about 6 hours (370 km) on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway. After breakfast, your chauffeur drives you back to the capital, so that tomorrow's morning flight begins without a moment's rush.
Day 8: New Delhi to Bandhavgarh National Park
Drive: about 4 hours (190 km) from Jabalpur
Drive: about 4 hours (190 km) from Jabalpur. A short morning flight takes you to Jabalpur, where your chauffeur is waiting for the drive into the hills of Bandhavgarh. The afternoon is yours for tea on the veranda and the first evening calls of the forest.
Day 9: Bandhavgarh National Park
A morning safari explores the reserve's zones. In Tala, the tracks wind beneath the sandstone cliffs of the ancient hilltop fort and past Shesh Shaiya, a reclining stone Vishnu. The open meadows and bamboo groves here are among the most rewarding tiger habitats in India. The afternoon is at leisure.
Day 10: Bandhavgarh National Park
A slow morning at the lodge is followed by an afternoon safari, with the chance of tigresses with cubs, leopards and sloth bears. For dedicated wildlife lovers, a full-day permit allows uninterrupted time in the forest from dawn to dusk, subject to availability and at an additional cost.
Day 11: Bandhavgarh to Kanha National Park
Drive: about 5 to 6 hours (250 km)
Drive: about 5 to 6 hours (250 km). After an optional early safari and breakfast, drive through rural Madhya Pradesh to Kanha. Settle in as the evening draws on.
Day 12: Kanha National Park
Dawn mist rises from Kanha's great meadows, where herds of hard-ground barasingha graze and packs of dhole hunt through the long grass on this morning's safari. The heat of the day is for lunch and rest, with the afternoon at leisure at the lodge.
Day 13: Kanha National Park
Spend the morning on a guided walk to a neighbouring Baiga or Gond village, at a Gond art workshop, or simply at rest at the lodge. In the afternoon, a safari explores another part of the park and can end at Bamni Dadar, a plateau where gaur and sambar browse against the setting sun.
Day 14: Kanha to Pench National Park
Drive: about 4 to 5 hours (200 km)
Drive: about 4 to 5 hours (200 km). Drive west to Pench, near the quiet Karmajhiri gate, arriving by mid-afternoon with the evening free to settle in.
Day 15: Pench National Park
A morning safari explores the teak forests of the Seoni hills, the country Kipling chose as the setting for The Jungle Book. Midway through the morning, pause for a breakfast hamper at a quiet spot in the forest. The afternoon is at leisure, and that evening a private farewell dinner is served by lantern light, with your naturalist sharing the season's stories.
Day 16: Pench to New Delhi
Drive: about 3 to 4 hours (145 km) to Nagpur, then a flight of about 1 hour 40 minutes
Drive: about 3 to 4 hours (145 km) to Nagpur, then a flight of about 1 hour 40 minutes. Take a final dawn safari if you wish, then drive to Nagpur for your flight to Delhi.
Day 17: Departure from Delhi
A chauffeur-driven private SUV takes you to Indira Gandhi International Airport, with a VIP escort through departures.
A note from our planners: the Madhya Pradesh reserves rest on Wednesday afternoons and close for Holi and Diwali. Your itinerary is arranged around these dates, and an in-lodge experience takes the place of any affected drive.
Where You Stay
Every hotel and lodge for this journey is listed below by destination, each with a label that describes its style. There are no fixed packages: you may choose any hotel in each destination, and our safari specialists will gladly arrange a stay that is not on this list. Every property is handpicked and has been used by us over many years.
Delhi (Days 1, 7 and 16)
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Colonel's Retreat (Boutique).
A family-run guest house in a townhouse in Defence Colony, on quiet, tree-lined avenues in central Delhi. It was begun some twenty years ago by a retired army colonel and is now run by his son and daughter-in-law, with dinner served on the roof terrace.
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ITC Maurya (Luxury).
A landmark of the Diplomatic Enclave, known for its restaurants, among them Bukhara, long celebrated for its north-west frontier cuisine, and Dum Pukht. It offers established comfort and polished service in the heart of the capital.
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The Oberoi, New Delhi (Luxury).
Opened in 1965 on Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, overlooking Humayun's Tomb on one side and the Delhi Golf Course on the other. Its interiors take their inspiration from Lutyens' New Delhi, and it has a wellness sanctuary, indoor and outdoor pools and several restaurants.
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Roseate House (Luxury).
A contemporary hotel of 216 rooms in Aerocity, about 4.5 km from the international airport, which makes it a practical first or last night. It has a rooftop infinity pool, a spa and a fine dining restaurant, Kheer.
Jaipur (Days 2 and 3)
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Dera Mandawa (Boutique).
A small, family-run guest house in Jaipur with a handful of rooms and suites. It is known for its hands-on cultural experiences, from block printing and mural painting to cooking demonstrations, and for early walks near Amber Fort.
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Jai Mahal Palace (Heritage).
Built in 1745 as the residence of Jaipur's prime minister and now a palace hotel, set in around 18 acres of Mughal-style gardens. Its arcades, courtyards and pool recall the city's royal past, and it is a short drive from the Pink City.
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Rambagh Palace (Heritage).
The former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur, opened as a hotel in 1957 and set in 47 acres of gardens. Marble halls, peacocks on the lawns and a long tradition of royal hospitality make it Jaipur's most celebrated address.
Ranthambore (Days 4 to 6)
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Dev Vilas (Eco-Luxury).
A wildlife lodge close to the main entrance of Ranthambore, with rooms and tented bungalows among mango and guava orchards and views towards the Aravalli hills. It has a swimming pool, a courtyard and a relaxed dining room.
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Khem Villas (Eco-Luxury · Recommended).
A lodge on about 30 acres at the edge of Ranthambore, where grassland, lakes and woodland have been carefully restored. Villas, thatched cottages and canvas tents are designed with the land in mind, with farm-style organic meals and naturalist-led activities on site.
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Sujan Sher Bagh (Luxury Tented Camp).
A camp of twelve canvas tents and two suites in the style of the colonial-era hunting camps, only minutes from the park entrance. It has a pool overlooking the park's buffer zone, a spa and meals made with produce from its own gardens.
Bandhavgarh (Days 8 to 10)
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Kings Lodge (Eco-Luxury · Recommended).
A lodge of eighteen cottages, eight of them on stilts, set on 14 hectares of forest between two sal-covered hills, about ten minutes from the Tala gate. Around 95 per cent of the land remains forested, and many ingredients come from the organic kitchen garden.
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Treehouse Hideaway (Eco-Luxury · Recommended).
Five treehouse rooms set high in large trees on eight hectares of private forest at the edge of Bandhavgarh, built with local materials and craftsmanship. A two-storey central building rises around a mahua tree, with a machan beside a waterhole.
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Mahua Kothi (Luxury).
A small lodge of twelve cottages inspired by the villages of the Baiga people, with hand-painted murals and mahua trees shading the courtyards. It is a refined, intimate base on the edge of Bandhavgarh, with a strong sense of place.
Kanha (Days 11 to 13)
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Kanha Earth Lodge (Eco-Luxury · Recommended).
Twelve standalone bungalows inspired by Gond architecture on 16 acres of forest, built from local stone, recycled wood and mud. It has an infinity pool and an organic garden, and it sits in a small tribal hamlet about 25 minutes from the Khatia gate.
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Bagh Villas (Luxury).
A few tented suites and cottages around a lake on the edge of Kanha, near the Mukki entrance, with an infinity pool that appears to merge with the forest. The design blends the elegance of an old hunting camp with a modern lodge.
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Banjaar Tola (Tented Suites).
Eighteen tented suites in two clusters on the bank of the Banjar river, on the edge of Kanha near the Mukki entrance. The suites are spacious and elegant, with river views, and the lodge is one of the most private and exclusive stays in the reserve.
Pench (Days 14 and 15)
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Pench Tree Lodge (Eco-Luxury · Recommended).
Sixteen units, six of them treehouses built on stilts around mahua trees, on 40 acres of forest in the Karmajhiri landscape. Meals use produce from the organic garden and nearby villages, and breakfast can be served in the forest during a safari.
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Baghvan (Luxury).
Twelve colonial-style bungalows among teak and banyan trees, beside a seasonal dry riverbed a few minutes from the park. It has a pool and a spa, and dining that ranges from breakfast in the safari vehicle to private dinners beneath a mahua tree.
Prices
| Two guests sharing, per person | $3,880£2,920€3,470A$5,570C$5,490 |
|---|---|
| Two guests sharing, total for two | $7,760£5,840€6,940A$11,140C$10,980 |
| Solo traveller | $6,850£5,150€6,130A$9,840C$9,690 |
| Single supplement | $2,970£2,230€2,660A$4,270C$4,200 |
Estimated prices, per person, based on two guests sharing one room, one safari vehicle and one car. A solo traveller pays the per-person price plus the single supplement. Prices vary with the accommodation you choose and the season, and are rounded. Contact us for a final price. See what is included
Tailored Leisure & In-Lodge Experiences
- Royal Vintage Car Tour: a chauffeured drive in a restored vintage car through Jaipur's historic estates and grand boulevards at golden hour.
- Culinary Masterclass: cook alongside a chef, from royal Rajasthani recipes in Jaipur to Central Indian specialities at your safari lodge, then dine on what you have made.
- Heritage Block Printing Workshop: print your own textile with master artisans near Jaipur, using hand-carved wooden blocks and natural dyes.
- Cultural Evening & Puppet Show: a private performance of Rajasthani folk music and traditional kathputli puppetry beneath the stars.
- Breakfast in the Forest: pause midway through a morning safari in Pench for a breakfast hamper from the lodge kitchen, served at a quiet spot in the forest as the jungle wakes around you.
Something Else in Mind? Our safari specialists can arrange any wildlife activity you would like, depending on the destination and your accommodation, such as a dawn birding walk through the lodge grounds, a guided trail to learn how to read pugmarks and tracks, or a one-to-one wildlife photography session with your naturalist.
Dining & Reservations: in Delhi and Jaipur, our private concierge secures reservations at the finest restaurants each city has to offer, including hard-to-book tables, and arranges private dinners for special occasions.
Popular Fauna
- Mammals: Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, sloth bear, dhole, hard-ground barasingha, gaur, sambar, chital, nilgai, striped hyena and jungle cat
- Reptiles: mugger crocodile
- Birds: Indian paradise flycatcher, crested serpent eagle and Indian pitta
Sightings vary by season and are never guaranteed.
National Parks & Wildlife Reserves
- Ranthambore National Park: where the Aravalli and Vindhya hills meet, a dry deciduous forest of dhok trees, banyans and lakes scattered with the ruins of a royal past. Its tigers are famously at ease in daylight.
- Bandhavgarh National Park: a compact, hilly reserve of sal forest, bamboo and grassy valleys, overlooked by an ancient fort and home to one of the highest tiger densities in India.
- Kanha National Park: towering sal forest opening onto wide meadows in the Maikal hills, renowned for bringing the hard-ground barasingha back from the brink.
- Pench National Park: named for the river that runs through it, with teak and mixed woodland in the Seoni hills that inspired Kipling's The Jungle Book.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
- Ranthambore Fort, part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included
- Sixteen nights of handpicked accommodation, with breakfast in the cities and full board at the safari lodges
- VIP meet and greet on arrival in Delhi
- All transfers in comfortable, chauffeur-driven private SUVs
- Domestic flights: Delhi to Jabalpur and Nagpur to Delhi
- Eight exclusive private 4x4 jeep safaris, one a day, with expert naturalists (three in Ranthambore, two in Bandhavgarh, two in Kanha and one in Pench), and all park entry fees, permits and conservation levies
- Breakfast in the forest during the morning safaris in Pench
- Private guided sightseeing in Jaipur, including monument entrance fees
- Your choice of in-lodge leisure experiences, such as cooking classes, block printing and cultural performances
Not included: international flights, visa fees, travel insurance, personal gratuities, premium alcoholic beverages, additional safaris beyond those listed (arranged on request, subject to park ticket availability), and optional full-day safari permits or experiences marked "on request".
Possible Extensions
Golden Triangle Tour Extension: complete the classic circuit with Agra, where a private sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal adds a final royal chapter to your journey.
Ladakh Snow Leopard Safari Extension: for the ultimate wildlife encounter, journey to the high Himalaya of Ladakh in late winter to search for the elusive snow leopard.
Luxury Tiger Safari FAQs
Which national parks does this luxury tiger safari visit?
Ranthambore in Rajasthan and Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench in Central India, four of the finest tiger reserves in the country, with a royal stay in Jaipur on the way.
When is the best time for a luxury tiger safari in India?
November to April offers pleasant weather. The parks stay open until the end of June, and the hotter months often bring excellent tiger sightings.
What are my chances of seeing a tiger?
Tigers are wild, so sightings can never be guaranteed. With several days in each of four reserves, including Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore, which are famous for their tigers, your chances are excellent.
Can I shorten the journey or change the parks?
Yes. Every departure is private, so our safari specialists can shorten the route, swap parks or add extra days in the field to suit your dates and interests.
How do I book a bespoke luxury tiger safari in India?
Contact our safari specialists, who will curate the journey around your dates and your choice of hotels. Safari permits are limited and the finest lodges fill quickly for peak dates, so we recommend booking four to six months ahead.