India's Big Five

Day 1. Depart UK for Dui via Delhi.

Day 2 to 4. Sasangir National Park, [B, L, D]

On arrival you transfer by road to Sasangir National Park and Gir Lodge for a 3-night stay.

Sansangir (widely known simply as Gir) is a large park in the Gujarat Peninsula of north-west India. The area is characterised by an arid rugged terrain with low hills and mixed vegetation with beautiful stands of teak, acacia and dhak trees interspersed with grassy plains. The park's main aim is to preserve the last healthy population of the critically endangered Asiatic Lion. As well as approximately 300 Lions, other smaller members of the cat family are well represented, namely the Jungle Cat, Desert Cat and the Rusty Spotted Cat, and there is also a healthy population of Leopard. Also to be found here are Sambar, Nilgai, Chinkara, Sambar, Black Buck, Four-Horned Antelope, Wild Boar, Indian Flying Fox, Indian Pangolin and Indian Porcupine. For birders an estimated 300 species are found in Gir, with notable species including Paradise Flycatcher, Black-Headed Cuckoo Shrike, Pied Woodpecker and Bonelli's Eagle. The area was not always a park so today the animals and birds of Gir co-exist side by side with the remaining settlements of cattle herders, and it is not unusual to see many head of livestock in the park. Gir is most easily reached by flights from Mumbai to Diu airport, 110 kilometres from the park.

Day 5. Mumbai [B]

You take a flight from Diu airport to Mumbai where you stay for 1 night.

Mumbai is India's great West coast city, a vast sprawling mega-city of 18 million people. Still occasionally referred to by its colonial name Bombay, the city is an interesting mixture of modern and British neo-gothic architecture. For the wildlife enthusiast there is not much of interest, but the city does offer some interesting sightseeing for those who have the inclination or some time to spare. Mumbai is a fascinating and vibrant city where mud huts in the slums co-exist next to glamorous penthouse suites owned by Bollywood stars, movie moguls and billionaires!

Days 5 to 8. Kanha National Park [B, L & D (Days 6 to 8 only)]

Fly on to Nagpur via Mumbai for the night at the Tuli International Hotel, before transferring by road to Kanha, for a 3-night stay at the Tuli Tiger Resort.

Kanha offers some of India's finest Tiger-viewing with the 2002 census counting a staggering 114 tigers. It is located in a remote part of central India in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The grasslands and deciduous forests also support 22 other mammal species including Barasingha, Chital, Muntjac, Swamp, Spotted and Barking Deer, Sambar, Common Langur and Rhesus Monkeys, Wild Boar, Asiatic Jackal, three of India's four lowland antelopes (Nilgai, Four-horned Antelope and Blackbuck) and occasionally Leopard, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Wolf and Dhole. Over 220 species of birds are found here including drongos, bee-eaters, eagles, shikras, flycatchers, partridges, falcons, orioles and the omnipresent Red Jungle Fowl. Waterholes and high plateaux such as Bahmni Dadar are excellent spots for birdwatching, and quiet locations to stop and immerse oneself in the natural peace of the jungle. Wildlifeviewing in Kanha is by jeep and elephant back.

Tuli Tiger Resort, set in the buffer zone of the park, has eighteen air-conditioned cottages, each room having ensuite facilities. Public areas include an audio/video theatre, pool table, library, swimming pool and a restaurant.

Day 9. Nagpur [B]

Today you drive back to Nagpur for the night.

Days 10 to 12. Kaziranga [B, L, D]

A midday flight takes you today from Nagpur to Guwahati (via Kolkata) and then after an interesting five hour drive you reach Wild Grass Resort in Kaziranga where you spend the next three nights.

Kaziranga located in north-east India in Assam set on the banks of the mighty Brahamaputra River, is the finest place to view Indian Greater One-horned Rhinoceros in the whole of the subcontinent. With nearly 80% of the world's population resident, the park has been recognised as a World Heritage site. In addition to wonderful rhino-viewing, the park is also home to large herds of Elephant (sometimes up to 200) and Wild Buffalo. Tigers can also be found, however they are rarely seen in the long grass.

The park also shelters other species such as Sloth Bear, Leopard, Swamp, Hog, and Barking Deer, Sambar, Pygmy Hog, Jungle Cat, Hog Badger and Capped Langur. The open country makes wildlife viewing at Kaziranga fairly easy with most major species seen during a day or two's safari. It may also be possible to arrange a visit to the nearby Panabari Forest Reserve to look for the elusive Hoolock Gibbon, India's only ape. Kaziranga is also a birder's paradise with large numbers of resident species boosted considerably by visiting winter migrants. Regularly seen species include Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-Shouldered Kite and Himalayan Griffon. Game-viewing here is conducted both by jeep and on Elephant-back safaris.

Wild Grass Resort is situated by a stream in the paddy fields and forest just outside the National Park. The lodge provides eighteen double rooms in two jungle lodges, each with en-suite facilities. Activities on offer here include jeep safaris and Elephant rides into the park, offering you the best chance to view rhinos up close.

Days 13 to 15. Delhi [B]

After morning game-viewing return to Delhi by air (via Guwahati) for a night at Claridges Hotel. On Day 14 you have a tour of Old and New Delhi before having dinner and transferring to the airport for the flight back to the UK, arrive day 15.

Delhi is actually two fascinating cities - old and new. Old Delhi pulses with energy and colour, providing a fascinating insight into the sights, sounds and aromas of the Indian sub-continent; and here you will see the enormous Red Fort (please note that this is closed on Mondays), the Jama Masjid Mosque with its tapering minarets and wonderful marble domes and the bustling bazaar of Chandni Chowk. New Delhi is a complete contrast; it is a landscaped city of wide boulevards, colonial monuments, stately palaces and formal parks. Here you find the Parliament Building - once the aweinspiring residence of the British Viceroys and now the Presidential Palace, the Raj Ghat - cremation site of Mahatama Gandhi, India Gate - a majestic memorial to the Indian Soldiers killed in World War I, the ancient and fascinating Qutab Minar tower, Humanyun's Tomb - graceful Mughal fore-runner of the Taj Mahal and finally the Birla Mandir (a large Hindu Temple built in 1938). To see the major sites of Delhi you should allow at least a day (longer if you want to see things at a more relaxed pace).

The Claridges is a first class historic hotel in the heart of New Delhi. All the beautifully appointed rooms are airconditioned and en-suite with a full range of facilities. There is also a swimming pool, four restaurants, and a health club. The Claridges has been a landmark in Lutyen's Delhi since the colonial period.