Golden Triangle & tigers in India
| country: | India |
| location: | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Golden Triangle in India, Kanha, Jaipur |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your requirements for 2 to 12 people. The best time to travel is October to June |
| price: | From £780 per person based on of 2 people sharing (9 days) excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Combine the Palaces of Jaipur, the Taj Mahal & a tiger safari.
In Jaipur you are never too far from its rich tapestry of history. Not only is the architecture a delightful medley of the ancient and the medieval, there are also stunning reminders throughout the city. The bustling bazaars, with their tiny shops and their endless meandering lanes recreate vignettes of life as it must have been centuries ago.
We will also be visiting Agra to see the Taj Mahal now the Seventh Wonder. This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honour the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect Mughal architecture in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.
From Agra we will go direct to Kanha National Park which has a status of best managed National Park in India.
The Kanha National Park in the Mandla District of Madhya Pradesh, spreads over 1,945 sq. km of dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo. This is where you can spot the tiger in all his magnificence or feast your eyes on the rare Barasingha Deer amidst extensive grasslands. The park forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974, under Project Tiger.
It was here at Kanha that the eminent zoologist George Schaller undertook the first ever-scientific study of the tiger. The animals at Kanha are best observed from elephant back and the open country makes the chance of sightings reasonably good. Deer are seen along the maidans and gaur at Bamhindadr or in the Bishanpura Sondhar- Ghorella area of the Mukki range. This area is also ideal for spotting the dhole or wild dog. Langurs, wild boar, water fowl and birds are also commonly seen
You will be on our full board jungle plan which includes deluxe jungle lodge accommodation, all game drives, all park entrance fees, guide charges, elephant ride, services of a naturalist and a daily bonfire. You will be escorted by our trained local naturalist for game drives.
Alternative options: Why not consider a trip to Varanasi & the famous temples of Khajuraho? Please contact us for details.
Price includes: B&B twin share accommodation, sightseeing in AC car in Delhi & Agra with an English speaking guide, all monument fees, transfers, AC sleeper train, full board Kanha accommodation, and all internal taxes.
In Jaipur you are never too far from its rich tapestry of history. Not only is the architecture a delightful medley of the ancient and the medieval, there are also stunning reminders throughout the city. The bustling bazaars, with their tiny shops and their endless meandering lanes recreate vignettes of life as it must have been centuries ago.
We will also be visiting Agra to see the Taj Mahal now the Seventh Wonder. This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honour the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect Mughal architecture in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.
From Agra we will go direct to Kanha National Park which has a status of best managed National Park in India.
The Kanha National Park in the Mandla District of Madhya Pradesh, spreads over 1,945 sq. km of dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo. This is where you can spot the tiger in all his magnificence or feast your eyes on the rare Barasingha Deer amidst extensive grasslands. The park forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974, under Project Tiger.
It was here at Kanha that the eminent zoologist George Schaller undertook the first ever-scientific study of the tiger. The animals at Kanha are best observed from elephant back and the open country makes the chance of sightings reasonably good. Deer are seen along the maidans and gaur at Bamhindadr or in the Bishanpura Sondhar- Ghorella area of the Mukki range. This area is also ideal for spotting the dhole or wild dog. Langurs, wild boar, water fowl and birds are also commonly seen
You will be on our full board jungle plan which includes deluxe jungle lodge accommodation, all game drives, all park entrance fees, guide charges, elephant ride, services of a naturalist and a daily bonfire. You will be escorted by our trained local naturalist for game drives.
Alternative options: Why not consider a trip to Varanasi & the famous temples of Khajuraho? Please contact us for details.
Price includes: B&B twin share accommodation, sightseeing in AC car in Delhi & Agra with an English speaking guide, all monument fees, transfers, AC sleeper train, full board Kanha accommodation, and all internal taxes.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Delhi & transfer to hotel. Free to relax. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 2: | Sightseeing in Delhi, the capital city of India. Old Delhi, Kutub Minar, President House, National Museum & India Gate. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 3: | Leave for Jaipur, check-in at heritage hotel, half day sightseeing. Popularly known as the Pink City, Jaipur was founded in 1727 AD by one of the greatest rulers of the Singh. The pink colour was used to create an impression of red sandstone buildings of Mughal cities and repainted in 1876, during the visit of the Prince of Wales. The city is best explored on foot and the adventurous visitor willing to go into the inner lanes can discover a whole new world not visible to the tourist-in-a-hurry. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 4: | Jaipur sightseeing. Places of interest are mainly located within the walled city. The City Palace complex is the most important landmark with its numerous outbuildings, courtyards, impressive gateways and temples. Across the road from the palace is the Jantar Mantar, one of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh. A collection of complex astronomical instruments, chiselled out of stone - most of which continue to provide fairly accurate information to this day - is the highlight of this observatory. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 5: | Leave Jaipur for Agra, visit Taj Mahal & Red fort. Late afternoon we board the train for our onward journey to Jabalpur. Overnight train |
| Day 6: | Reach Jabalpur early morning. Transfer to hotel for breakfast, freshen up. Later we drive to Kanha National Park (3hrs drive), check-in at lodge. Evening game drive |
| Day 7: | Kanha NP. Morning & evening game drive |
| Day 8: | Return to Jabalpur. Today after breakfast we drive back to Jabalpur for lunch. Later we board a direct overnight train to New Delhi, packed dinner onboard. |
| Day 9: | Arrive Delhi. You reach Delhi early morning & transfer to airport for your onward journey or transfer to hotel if you have booked extra nights. |
travellers' tales
You forget how much of an assault India is to the senses until you step out of your arrival airport & India is there up close & in your face - the noise, the smells, the thousands of people, the traffic (rickshaws. bikes, tuk tuks, cows, camels, elephants as well as motor vehicles!). It really is one of the most exciting destinations in the world. (more)
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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This is a special trip where we are supporting an NGO called Jagrit who are involved in giving education, accommodation, clothing & food to small children who are found begging in railway stations.An amount of £5 per person goes to this NGO.
Another feature of this trip is that we use the old heritage palace hotel in Jaipur whose owners have maintained the building very well thus contributing to saving the old Indian architecture and culture. We use only local guides in Agra & Jaipur. This trip aims to help and support a more responsible and sustainable approach to wildlife tourism in Central India by catering to small group of not more than 10-12 people, thus leaving behind the least impact on a particular destination. Our connection with the central Indian National parks & jungles date backs to 1932 when one of our family members Late Lakhpat Rai was the first chief conservator of Forest of Central India during British rule. The trained naturalists who will accompany you for game drives are from the local community who have developed the skills of communicating with clients over the years with our regular in house training. Recently we installed the first ground water recharge unit in one of the lodges in Kanha which we will use. A part of the income (£5 per person) generated from this tour goes straight to the local tribal village school in Kanha. We will be visiting one such school during your trip. The lodge in Kanha: The lodge you will stay in was constructed using locally available material and each cottage was built in the local style without chemical paints. They use waste wood boilers for heating and try to minimise electricity use by using energy saving lamps and solar, hurricane and earthen lamps in the night. There is no air-conditioning. In addition the lodge use recycled stationary, harvests rain water, uses soak pits to collect water and reuses waste water in the garden. All cleaning is done manually (no machines), organic waste is composted, food is cooked on LPG stoves and they do not allow music or televisions to keep noise pollution to a minimum. The lodge is dedicated to the local upliftment of the area. They were the first in the history of Kanha National Park to train the locals in catering, house keeping, steward ship, guiding etc, all of whom had very basic schooling, if any at all. The staff is trained at the parent hotel in Jabalpur, and the majority (all drivers) come from the local community. They have financed one vehicle for a member of our staff who is from the community and use this for game drives. In addition, they do not have washing machines so they can provide work for the local community and have taught the local people cane weaving and pottery, the results of which are all used in the lodge. Raw materials are purchased locally where possible. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |