Follow the tiger trail and enter two of India’s premier tiger reserves – Pench National Park and Kanha National Park. Both host an outstanding abundance of flora and fauna and a diversity of species that only the Indian subcontinent can deliver.

Pench National Park. Pench is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hill range in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Spread over 275km the park hosts a good population of Bengal tiger. The park is mostly covered by small hills and well-stocked teak mixed forest. Tigers, though for the greater part elusive, tend to inhabit the prey-rich belt by the Pench River, which meanders through the undulating terrain. Leopards, Sambar, Nilgai, Chital also operate in the peripheral areas. Jungle cats, Indian and Palm Civets can also be spotted. Additionally, there are more than 170 species of birds including several migratory species.

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in jeeps. Overnight will be spent at reserve camps featuring semi-permanent tented or cottage accommodation with solid flooring, a spacious living room, bedroom and en suite bathroom with hot and cold running water, flush toilet and electricity connection with battery recharging facility. Game drives.

Kanha National Park is widely considered the greatest of India’s wildlife reserves, encompassing some 940-sq km of deciduous forest, savannah grassland, hills and an extensive network of rivers and streams. The park has been part of the Indira Gandhi’s Project Tiger, since the 1950’s, and it is home to an estimated 200 tigers.

Also present in the natural habitat is a variety of wildlife including Leopard, Chital, Sambar, Swamp Deer, Indian Bison, Striped Hyena, Panther, Antelope, Barasingha or Swamp Deer (plucked from near extinction in the 1960s) and of course, tiger. Safaris are undertaken in jeeps, with closer views of tiger sightings sometimes available on elephant back. Game drives.

Tour highlights of Old Delhi includes the impressive Red Fort – a ghostly vision of Mughal splendour and Jama Masjid – India’s oldest and largest mosque. Tour of New Delhi. Offering a real contrast to the congestion of Old Delhi, open andrelatively streamlined New Delhi was built as the imperial capital of India by the British. Highlights include the majestic India Gate, Rajpath and bustling Connaught Place. A visit is also made to Qutab Minar, a massive tower built to proclaim the arrival of Islam in India in the 11th century and then visit a carpet emporium.