Formerly known as Bombay, the bustling city of Mumbai sprawls along India’s West Coast and is the largest city in the country. This thriving metropolis is a go-to destination for travellers curious to experience a modern Indian city. It serves as the heart of India’s world-renowned film industry, the incomparable ‘Bollywood’, and offers a kaleidoscope of culture, colour and flavours to enjoy. Lapped by the Arabian Sea, this urban seaside peninsula is a melting pot of old and new India. Towering office blocks and shiny apartment buildings shoulder crumbling grand dames of architecture. People play cricket in the leafy central parks, taxis navigate the jam-packed streets, and families stroll along the seaside promenades of Mumbai. Visitors can look forward to viewing the iconic Gateway of India stone arch at the Mumbai Harbour waterfront, visiting the ancient cave temples on the nearby Elephanta Island or hopping on a tuk-tuk tour to experience the magic and madness of this incredible city.
Sprawled across a total area of 1412 square kilometres of scrub and deciduous woodlands, Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is best known for its Asiatic lions – which make up the sole remaining wild population on earth and have elevated the park’s status to one of India’s most important protected areas. The lion breeding programme which extends through the park and surrounding areas has produced about 180 lions in captivity since it was started, and the 2010 census recorded 411 lions in Gir, an increase of 52 from five years previously. Besides these majestic cats, other animals found in the reserve include spotted hyenas, Indian leopards, civets, crocodiles, antelope, pythons and cobras, as well as roughly 300 bird species and over 400 plant species.
Dubbed ‘Orange City’ due to its thriving citrus industry, Nagpur is a vibrant city which serves as the commercial and political centre of the Vidarbha region, in the Maharashtra state of India. With its neat roads, landscaped gardens and countless religious and historical monuments, the city is considered to be India’s most livable city and a popular tourism hotspot. While the main attractions are undoubtedly the numerous national parks and tiger reserves of the surrounding area, the city itself features a number of visitor highlights including, among others: the Zero Mile stone, which marks the geological center of the Indian subcontinent; the impressive Sitabuldi Fort, dating back to 1757; and the Raman Science Center, which features an impressive planetarium, an interactive science gallery, and a prehistoric animal park.
Located in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India, the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park. The park is comprised of Tadoba National Park, Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary as well as large expanses of protected forest. The northern and western boundary of the park features densely forested hills which morph into smooth meadows and deep valleys as the terrain slopes from north to south. In the southwestern region the lovely Tadoba lake serves as a vital water source in which Muggar crocodiles thrive. In fact, the entire reserve area constitutes a unique ecosystem which boasts a diverse array of flora and fauna including, among others: leopard, wild dog, sloth bear, gaur, sambar, barking deer, flying squirrel and wild boar. However, the reserve’s prime attraction is undoubtedly its impressive population of over forty wild tigers which are frequently spotted roaming the exquisite natural landscapes that make up this remarkable wildlife haven.
Resting in the lower southern reaches of the Satpuda Hills, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Pench National Park is renowned for having the highest concentration of prey, compared to any other park in India. Visitors, therefore, have an increased chance of spotting predatory cats such as leopard and tiger. This impressive expanse of wilderness features a typical central Indian teak jungle and is bisected by the scenic Pench River. Aside from the river, the park also contains several bamboo-lined jungle streams providing a valuable water source for the local wildlife, which includes, among others: wild dog, sloth bear, wolf, jungle cat, hyena, jackal, gaur, sambar, and chital. Pench is also a bird lover's paradise, with over 250 species inhabiting the area, including; parakeets, hornbills, kingfishers, orioles, wagtails and a large selection of birds of prey.
Also known as the Kanha Tiger Reserve, the Kanha National Park is widely considered to be the greatest of India’s wildlife reserves and the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s classic, 'The Jungle Book'. This impressive expanse of wilderness is set in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, encompassing about 950 square kilometres of lush rolling hills, peaceful rivers, saal and bamboo forest, and endless stretches of savanna grassland. This spectacularly scenic environment provides a diverse range of habitats for an extraordinary array of wildlife including tigers, leopards, jackals, swamp deer, foxes, porcupines, sloth bears, pythons, hare, chitals, gaur monkeys, mongooses, and hundreds of species of bird.
Located along the eastern bank of the Hooghly River in the lower Ganges Delta, Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. This 350-year-old metropolis is the heart and soul of eastern India, and is known for its crumbling colonial architecture, elegant gardens, countless temples and bustling bazaars. Celebrated as the birthplace of the early 20th-century Bengal Renaissance, Kolkata is a major centre for drama, art, film, theatre, literature, spirituality and music. Visitors can roam the streets and soak up the atmosphere of faded grandeur, or take a ride in a rickshaw to one of the many Indian restaurants serving mouth-watering Bengali cuisine. Must-see highlights include the Victoria Memorial, with its east-meets-west architecture; the Indian Museum, with its range of rare artefacts; and the Kali Temple, an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus.
Set within the heart of Assam state in India, Kaziranga National Park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by human presence and inhibited by the world's largest population of the renowned one-horned Rhinoceros. This world heritage site, bordering the southern banks of the Brahmaputra River, boasts many protected wildlife species, including one of the largest populations of tiger in the world, as well as large breeding populations of elephant, water buffalo, swamp deer and an abundance of birdlife. The extensive grasslands, forested highlands, marshes and flood plains are a wildlife and nature lover’s paradise. Don't miss out on an Elephant Safari, as it is the best way to get up close and personal with the park’s famous rhinoceros.
