On The Trail Of Pug Marks

DAY 01. ARRIVE DELHI.
Arrive Delhi. You will be met by our representative outside the customs enclosure and then escorted till hotel for an overnight.

DAY 02. IN DELHI
Post breakfast proceed for the city tour of Old and New Delhi. Drive past the opulent Red Fort. Visit Jama Masjid - the biggest mosque of Asia, Rajghat - memorial site of Mahatma Gandhi and later enjoy a rickshaw ride through the busy streets of Chandni Chowk, the shopping center of Old Delhi. Later drive on to New Delhi and visit Humayun's Tomb - the mausoleum of Emperor Humayun, Qutab Minar built by Qutab-ud-din Aibek. Drive past the secretarial offices, Parliament. Visit the India Gate - war memorial and Connaught Place the city center. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 03. DELHI - JAIPUR (260 KMS/163 MILES)
Post breakfast proceed by surface to Jaipur. Arrive in the afternoon and check in at the hotel. Afternoon enjoy the city tour of Jaipur visiting the City Palace, Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Jantar Mantar (Largest stone observatory) and if time permits walk around the local bazaars and have a first hand experience with life of a commoner. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 04. JAIPUR - RANTHAMBORE (195 KMS/122 MILES)
Early morning breakfast at the hotel and then proceed for the excursion of Amber Fort where you will ascend the fort on elephant back. Afterwards continue the surface journey to Sawai Madhopur, which nestles the Ranthambore Tiger reserve. Relax in the evening amidst nature. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 05. IN RANTHAMBORE
This Park sprawls over an estimated area of 400 sq. Kms. Steep crags embrace a network of lakes and rivers, and a top one of these hills, is the impressive Ranthambore Fort, built in the 10th century. The terrain fluctuates between impregnable forests and open bushland. The forest is the typically dry deciduous type, with dhok, being the most prominent tree. The entry point to the Park goes straight to the foot of the fort and the forest rest house, Jogi Mahal. The latter boasts of the second-largest Banyan tree in India. The Padam Talab, the Raj Bagh Talab and the Malik Talab are some of the lakes in the area that attract the tiger population. They have been spotted at the edges of these lakes, and Jogi Mahal itself. Old crumbling walls, ruined pavilions, wells, and other ancient structures stand witness to the region's glorious past. The entire forest is peppered with the battlements and spillovers of the Ranthambore Fort - tigers are said to frequent these ruins, too. As a result of stringent efforts in conservation, tigers, the prime assets of the Park, have become more and more active during the day. More than in any other park or sanctuary in India, tigers are easily spotted here in daylight. They can be seen lolling around lazily in the sun, or feverishly hunting down Sambar around the lakes.
Enjoy early morning and afternoon enjoy the jungle safaris. Evening at leisure and overnight.

DAY 06. RANTHAMBORE - BHARATPUR (371 KMS/232 MILES)
Morning post breakfast proceed by surface to Bharatpur, where Keoladeo bird sanctuary is situated.

Keoladeo is famous as one of Asia's finest birding areas, with over 380 resident and migrant species, including the Common, Demoiselle and the rare Siberian Cranes. It is also an excellent place to watch mammals like Golden Jackal, Striped Hyena, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Nilgai, Sambar, Blackbuck and wild Boar. The park derives its name from the temple of Keoladeo (Shiva) and 'ghana', which locally means dense, implying the nature of the vegetation. During the cool winter months it is also possible to see large Indian Pythons sunning themselves.
Upon arrival check in at the hotel and overnight.

DAY 07. BHARATPUR - FATEHPUR SIKRI - AGRA (56 KMS/35 MILES)
Early morning enjoy another ride in this bird sanctuary and return to the hotel for breakfast. Later proceed by surface to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur sikri. This city was built by Emperor Akbar and later abandoned due scarcity of water. Arrive Agra and check in at the hotel. Later in this day proceed to visit the world famous Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Evening at leisure and overnight.

DAY 08. AGRA - JHANSI BY SHATABDI EXPRESS TRAIN AND THEN BY SURFACE TO KHAJURAHO ENROUTE VISITING ORCHHA (172 KMS/108 MILES)
Morning after an early breakfast proceed to railway station to board shatabdi express train in A/C chair car for Jhansi. You will be met on arrival and then by surface proceed by surface to Khajuraho enroute visiting the medieval city of Orchha. Arrive late evening in Khajuraho and check in at the hotel. Overnight.

DAY 09. KHAJURAHO - BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK (250 KMS/156 MILES)
Post breakfast proceed for half day tour of Khajuraho visiting eastern and western group of temples. Later in the afternoon proceed by surface to Bandhavgarh National Park. Relax in the evening and overnight.

DAY 10. IN BANDHAVGARH
Set amidst the Vindhyan ranges and the eastern flank of Satpura hill range Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the best places to see and enjoy wildlife in India. The Reserve is named after the highest hill Bandhavgarh (807 m.) in the center of the Reserve. A chain of smaller hills, 32 in all, surrounds this hill, forming a number of valleys and spurs in between. This park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers. White Tigers, now a major attraction around the world's zoos, were first discovered in Rewa, not far from here. The terrain is broken, with rocky hill ranges, running roughly east west, interspersed with grassy swamps and forested valleys. The rivers Johilla and Son flowing on the eastern side, the river Umrar passing through the western fringes and the Bandhavgarh hill, visible from as far as 30 km., are some of the landmarks of the Reserve. Much of the park is covered in Sal forest, replaced by mixed forests in the higher elevations of the hills. There are extensive strands of bamboo, which flowered in 1984-85, and grasslands. Generally the forests have less undergrowth here, thus offering better sightings of wildlife, notably mammals, including the daylight sightings of Tigers in the grassy 'maidans'.

Early morning and afternoon enjoy the safaris in this tiger reserve. Evening at leisure and overnight.

DAY 11. BANDHAVGARH - KANHA
Post breakfast continue your surface journey to Kanha National Park. Arrive early afternoon and check in at the hotel.

Kanha is Kipling country and the nearby forests were the setting for the "Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling. It's an outstanding national park of Central India, noted for its last remaining population of the hard-ground race of the Swamp Deer. Spotting wild animals is always a matter of luck, but Kanha National Park is so rich in wildlife that the odds are tilted in your favour. There are a healthy numbers of the Tiger found over here, which may be seen during the day, and is one of the best places left to see them. There are herds of spotted deer to be seen. With a little luck, you could also spot the timorous barking deer. There is also a very strong possibility that you will see the rare hard-ground Barasingha, the Swamp Deer. Once there were only 66 of these in Kanha National Park, but careful conservation and management raised their population to over 400. It was in Kanha National Park that the eminent zoologist George Schaller studied the relation-ship between predators and its prey and came out with the book 'Deer and The Tiger'.
Rest of the evening free to relax. Overnight.

DAY 12. IN KANHA
Early morning and afternoon enjoy the safaris in this tiger reserve. Evening at leisure and overnight.

DAY 13. KANHA - NAGPUR (270 KMS/169 MILES)
Morning at leisure. Late afternoon drive on to Nagpur. Upon arrival check in at the hotel and overnight.

DAY 14. NAGPUR TO DELHI OR BOMBAY BY AIR
Early morning transfer to airport to connect flight for New Delhi/Bombay. You will be met on arrival and transferred to International terminal to connect flight for onward destination.

DAY 15. LEAVE DELHI OR BOMBAY

Note: The above parks are closed during the monsoon months from June till September every year.