India Tiger Safari

Exceptionally well organised trip with a good standard of accomodation throughout. The focus on maximising the chance of seeing tigers in three different parks meant there was a good balance between spending time wildlife viewing, seeing a variety of habitats and having a cultural experience of India. There was a much higher density/abundance of other wildlife than I had expected which was also a real pleasure to see.

Went looking for Tiger and found 18.   A fantastic trip.

What an amazing holiday! We were incredibly lucky with our sightings, not only of tigers but also of leopards (I think our group had 6 individual leopard sighting by the end), wild elephants, Indian Wild Dogs, jackals and the most fabulous array of colourful birds (peacocks, rollers, eagles, vultures - the list is long!). As has been mentioned in previous reviews, there are things to be aware of with the trip, but providing your participate with your eyes open, patience and the right attitude, you will have an absolutely wonderful time: 1) Jeeps are assigned per national park, so the people you share the jeep with will remain the same throughout that national park. Our jeeps were changed up between the parks, so we had three different jeep combinations by the end. 2) If you have one jeep which is not full, the Exodus guide tends to stick in that jeep due to space and comfort. Whilst this is understandable, it does mean that some group members had much more access to the trip leader and his expertise compared to others. 3) Do not expect tigers on every drive or even every day. They can be very elusive and with all things in nature, nothing is guaranteed. We had our first tiger sighting on Drive 2 (one jeep had an amazing view of two separate tigers, the other three jeeps had much lesser views of one tiger). We then did not get another good tiger sighting until Drive 8. And then on Drive 10, the tigers decided to give the most amazing show, with 6 tigers in one day. There was a point when we were leaving Pench where we were joking that we would have to rename the trip 'India Leopard Safari', as my jeep had had 3 good leopard sightings and only one glimpse of the backside / ears of a tiger, but by the end of the holiday, the tigers were most definitely the star of the show. 4) As has been mentioned before, it can be difficult when the different jeeps are in different sectors of the parks and thus seeing different things. On our trip, one jeep got two incredible sightings on Day 1, whereas with the different jeep allocations between parks, it took until the very end of the holiday for two members of our group to have an equivalent amazing sighting. Some members did not get a good leopard sighting at all, whereas other jeeps got two or three. It really is just luck and you have to go with the knowledge that each person's experience will be different. 5) There is so much more to see than just the tigers, so it is important to not get hung up on just seeing them. You can go for days without a glimpse of stripes, so take the time to appreciate the beauty of the parks and the other incredible wildlife that is available. 6) The success of the safari drives can be rather dependent on the quality of the park-assigned driver and guides, some of whom are better than others. I think that every jeep in our group had issues with their driver / guides at some point; however as these change almost every day, you just have to put it behind you and focus on the next drive. Thankfully, with 15+ drives, there is plenty of time for everyone to have the amazing encounters and experiences within the parks.

This trip from start to finish was just absolutely amazing.

This is a truly special trip. I've done a fair few of these and my advice to you is - Just book it!

It was absolutely brilliant from the start to the finish ,it was the most wonderfull holiday I have ever had full marks to exodus.

Absolutely brilliant holiday. Have waited so long to see Tigers in the wild and this trip did not disappoint. Would definitely go again. We were so lucky as had good , even exceptional signings in all three reserves. All of our group had sightings some more and better than others , but no one was disappointed. We also saw a leopard , and sloth bears , jungle cats, and so much more wildlife. The lodges were all good, the food in Penchants being the best, although all were a bit the the same. Breakfasts were on the drive and were a bit uninspired I have never eaten so many boiled eggs. The one day we had samosas was great. Hotel in Agra good the one in Delhi not so . The overnight train trip was an experience! enough said!

A brilliant introduction to Indian culture, nature and wildlife.

If you've been to India before then this is a bit different. The National Parks are beautiful and this is a relaxing trip away from the craziness of the cities. However there is an early start every single day and there are two long overnight train trips. The first is an "experience" the second a bit tiresome. Hotels were generally good and the food was excellent. Take snacks though as it is a long time between meals. Of course the highlight of the trip is tigers. They are fantastic (although there seem to be a lot less of them this year than normal) and the other wildlfie is a bonus. Great trip!

5 February to 21 February 2016 Well organized trip again by exodus, run like clock work as always.