Experiences :: Wildlife

India’s wildlife is extraordinary. Where else can you find dancing peacocks, flying monkeys, bathing elephants, striking cobras, swooping kingfishers, lounging lions and legendary tigers? With the steady growth in conservation and wildlife preserves, India is hoping to safeguard its rare and wonderful creatures for future generations.

Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan is one of India’s biggest and most successful tiger reserves. The setting is spectacular, with the ruins of ancient temples adding a romantic touch to the dense woods, rugged ravines, and lakes that were part of the royal hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur.

Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, founded in 1936, is India’s oldest and known for its safaris on horseback. Further afield, in Madhya Pradesh, you can escape from the crowds at excellent tiger reserves like Pench National Park, immortalised in Kipling’s The Jungle Book and popular for its dramatic scenery. As well as tigers, Bandavgargh National Park’s abundant wildlife includes leopard, wild boar, and sloth bears. Kanha National Park is one of the largest in India, while Satpura National Park features guided safaris on foot, by jeep or on elephant back. Exceptional new safari lodges are setting new standards for luxurious yet environmentally responsible tourism.

Birdwatchers will love Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Bharatpur near Agra, a wetland home to thousands of migrating birds like the rare Siberian Crane. Kolkata’s famed Sunderbans National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose marshlands are teeming with exotic wildlife like crocodiles and tigers. In Kerala, at the Periyer Wildlife Sanctuary, visitors cruise along the lake watching families of elephants at play.

Far from city crowds and tourist centres, a world of beauty awaits those willing to explore India’s countryside. Trekking, mountain climbing, river rafting, birdwatching, backpacking and camping - whether on foot, by jeep, on horseback, on a camel, astride an elephant or even on a homestay with a local family- all are eco-friendly ways to discover rural India and its wildlife.