Since Kipling penned his tale of Mowgli and his animal friends in 1897, the story of India’s tigers – full of poaching, hunting and pitiful population numbers – makes for shocking reading. At the end of the 19th century, there were 10,000 wild tigers on the Indian subcontinent. Today there are just 2,500, but a new chapter in conservation and wildlife tourism is being written, and tiger numbers are slowly on the rise.

Since 1972, tigers in India have been protected by the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger, which safeguards the habitats of tigers and other rare species, too. Today, many of India’s 50 tiger reserves lie within the boundaries of its national parks and, thanks to conservation, education and the funds from wildlife tourism, tiger numbers are very slowly rising. Still drastically endangered and hard to spot, tigers nevertheless remain the jewel in the crown of a handful of India’s national parks.

Small group holidays to India might take in one or two national parks as part of an itinerary that also includes some key cities and sights. Northern India’s best tiger havens – Kanha and Bandhavgarh – can be combined with a visit to Delhi and the Taj Mahal, while Ranthambore National Park is often included in Rajasthan and Golden Triangle tours. Tailor made tiger safaris that focus on just one or two national parks, with accommodation in forest lodges and safari camps, are designed for true wildlife fans. They trim out the other sightseeing options but offer the best chance of a sighting by sticking firmly to tiger territory.

Most parks have naturalist guides to lead each safari, often employed from the local community, with jeeps the preferred mode of transport. In Periyar National Park you can also take walking safaris and boat trips on the huge lake created here when a dam was built in 1895. In Satpura National Park, as well as jeep safaris, you can walk with a guide or canoe the back waters of Tawa reservoir.

It’s unlikely that you’ll spot a tiger the second you board your safari 4x4, though. They are elusive, well camouflaged and just plain rare. If spotting a tiger is your goal, be sure to allow plenty of time in each national park. If you can stay long enough to go on four separate game drives, your chances of seeing a tiger in parks such as Kanha and Bandhavgarh are high. Go on just two game drives and the odds are halved. Ideally, stay in a lodge in the immediate environs of the tiger reserve, too, so you can be up and out early on dawn game drives, for the best chance of seeing tigers and other wildlife as they start their day.

India’s national parks also showcase a range of beautiful landscapes. Within the boundaries of the vast Kanha National Park, you’ll find undulating terrain, expansive grasslands, plateaus and dramatic rocky escarpments which are home to hundreds of species of wildlife, making game drives here really memorable, tiger or no tiger. Bandhavgarh National Park, meanwhile, has a 2,000-year-old fort, hand-carved hermit caves, temples and 10th-century shrines lying within its forests, rocky hills and valleys.

The majority of people on tiger safaris in India, by far, are Indians themselves. So, Indian public holidays and festivals are times to avoid, as they book up far in advance. Big ones include 26 January for Republic Day and Diwali which falls in October or November.

Photo credits: [Intro: Wildnest Travel & Photography] [The NPs: Mahesh Patil] [How to see tigers : Brian Gratwicke] [Our NP highlights: Shahin Olakara] [Best time to go: Anupom sarmah]

Written by: Joanna Simmons