Tigers of Central India with Stephen Mills
Friday 4th to Thursday 17th April 2009
From £4,425 per person in twin share including flights from UK
An exclusive focus on tigers with wildlife expert Stephen Mills.
Visit a superb Tiger reserve that is still little known and never visited.
A journey in the most dense tiger habitat left in the world.
Experiences and interaction with local communities and park experts
Each tour raises over US$1000 for tiger conservation efforts
A comprehensive Tiger insight tour, with expert Stephen Mills, to the ‘Tiger State’ of India.
Home to one of the richest diversities of life forms on earth, the Indian sub-continent is a veritable Eden. Today it is under siege from one fifth of humanity and yet remarkably it survives in all its diverse forms, especially the sal and teak forests of Madhya Pradesh, the ‘Tiger State’ of India.
You will enjoy guided vehicle safaris and the chance to take an elephant-back safari for a closer encounter. In the evenings there will be opportunities for discussions with Stephen and other local guides and park staff.
The parks have a myriad of other species including over 200 species of birds and a number of other cat species such as leopard and Jungle cat. Wolves, Wild dogs, Sloth bear and numerous species of deer and antelope or ‘tiger food’ also inhabit the forests and plateaus. Evidence from rock paintings thousands of years old suggest that human habitation has been here for centuries.
One visit to India can never hope to reveal all its natural wealth but here is one that whet’s the appetite and goes beyond the very conventional ‘Tiger show’.
Make an Enquiry & learn more
Price
From £4,425 per person including international flights from the UK (based on twin share room).
Single supplement
No single supplement is payable if you are willing to share, even if we cannot find you a room mate. If you would like a guaranteed single room the additional cost is from £745 per person
Booking on this trip
To confirm your participation on this trip we will require a deposit of 20%.
Includes
Return scheduled international flights in economy, all meals (excluding Delhi), all domestic flights, transport, all lodge accommodation on full board basis, all expertise of project team and arrangements as per the itinerary, plus a contribution to Travel Operators for Tigers campaign and Global Tiger Patrol.
Excludes
Travel insurance, visas, vaccinations, meals in Delhi, gratuities and items of a personal nature.
*Elephant Back Safari
During your stay you will have the opportunity to see tigers from the back of an elephant from the closest road point if, during their morning patrol, the park elephants have sighted a tiger on or near a kill. This is called a ‘tiger show’ and all the visitors in the park at that time are allocated a ticket on a first come first served basis.
The elephants are not native to the jungles of central India (Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Satpura) as the terrain and vegetation is not naturally suitable. The elephants belong to the park management and are meant for patrolling and monitoring the tiger population. Thus we are subject to the park management’s permission for using the elephants as tourist transport. We will endeavour to give you the opportunity to view by elephant, subject to availability. We can not hire the elephants privately.
This Trip Supports..
Global Tiger Patrol
Travel Operators for Tigers
Global Tiger Patrol (GTP) is a conservation agency prioritising protection of the tiger in the field, funding projects that support tiger and habitat conservation. GTP concentrates its work in India, as the sub-continent is home to about 55% of the world’s remaining wild tigers. Discovery Initiatives makes regular contributions to this organisation through its group and tailor-made journeys to tiger reserves.
‘Travel Operators for Tigers’ is a campaign set up by a number of Travel Operators who believe there is a need for change in the way that nature and wildlife tourism is developing in India. The desire is that all those involved in ‘tiger tourism’, including tour operators, accommodation providers, local services, park management and, of course, visitors will join together to halt the demise of the tiger, through collective action and adherence to a Code of Conduct. Discovery Initiatives are a founding member of this campaign.
Field Expertise
Stephen Mills
Stephen Mills has been a professional naturalist all his working life. As a leading wildlife film-maker he has been nearly ‘eaten’ or ‘trampled’ on by most of the world’s big animals. More recently he has been leading trips to many destinations for Discovery Initaitives including Namibia, India and Tanzania.
“My special interest is in all aspects of animal behaviour. Sharing insights like this is genuinely rewarding and when my guests go home even more enthusiastic than when they set out, the job feels really worthwhile.” Sustaining enthusiasm helps to keep conservation on the boil.
Stephen has made over 30 television films, has worked on major BBC series like Land of the Tiger, and The Private Life of Plants and is a past chairman of the International Association of Wildlife Film-makers. He also writes in BBC Wildlife Magazine. He recently published a beautiful book entitled ‘Tiger’.
This is a once off tour so direct feedback on this specific trip is not possible, but we have lots of wonderful feedback from our Tiger tours led by Stephen Mills over the past 6 years to India.
Alternatively please do contact us if you would like to get feedback from previous trips.