Tiger Watching Holidays

Few animals trigger a wider range of human emotions than the mighty Bengal Tiger. This supreme predator inspires awe, fear, admiration and even adoration wherever it occurs but whilst it is surely one of the most familiar creatures on earth, instantly recognised by even the smallest of children, it remains paradoxically, an animal that only a privileged minority have observed in the wild. Although supreme in its own domain, the Tiger has suffered greatly from human persecution and was sliding towards extinction in India when the Indian Government made an enlightened decision to create a series of Project Tiger reserves to protect the ever dwindling Tiger population. Despite set-backs from poaching and encroachment on the reserves, the scheme has been successful in preventing what had initially seemed to be an inevitable catastrophe and whilst many dangers remain, there are still wild places in India where the Tiger continues to flourish...

The growth of ecotourism, fuelled in part by a universal desire to observe wild Tigers, has been an important factor in preserving the Project Tiger reserves and provided a sound economic reason for setting aside large tracts of land for wildlife. As the foremost operator of natural history tours in India, Naturetrek has a long and proud tradition of enabling clients to enjoy the very best wildlife viewing in the sub-Continent and over the years many hundreds of our tour members have experienced ultimate wildlife thrill of encountering wild Tigers in their natural environment. The combination of the twin reserves of Kanha in Madhya Pradesh and Ranthambhore in Rajasthan has provided the basic itinerary for the Naturetrek ‘Just Tiger’ tours for over twenty years and with ten departures each winter this continues to be one of the best ways for would-be Tiger watchers to achieve their ambition. As visitor pressure increases at the best known reserves, we have sought to introduce new tours featuring less popular, but equally rewarding areas and the 2007 programme of wildlife tours will include visits to reserves throughout India including Jim Corbett Park in the Himalayan foothills, Panna Tiger Reserve, Bandavgarh Tiger Reserve, Kaziranga National Park in Assam and Chitwan in Nepal. There are very many choices to select from and whilst none will guarantee appearances by the ‘striped gentleman’ we do have the experience, and the skilled local assistance, to narrow the odds!!!

A typical Tiger watching tour will be based at a comfortable lodge within a convenient distance from the reserve, and there will be twice daily excursions by vehicle into the reserve, the first taking place early in the morning and the second late afternoon. Although the principal focus will be to find and observe Tigers, the areas supporting the top predator are always good for wildlife in general and during the course of our visits to the reserves we are certain to also see a good variety of mammals and birds. At some reserves such as Kanha and Corbett, riding elephants are sometimes employed to take guests into areas inaccessible by vehicles, the passengers seated on a howdah on the elephant’s back as it gently picks its way through the undergrowth. Detail varies according to the tour selected but the daily routine is invariably as described above and all concerned will be doing their very best to provide that unforgettable, once in a lifetime moment when the king of the forest deigns to reveal himself...