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Pench Tiger Reserve Holidays

The jungle that sparked Kipling’s imagination

AITO

The area now known as Pench National Park is the very jungle that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book” and featured in the popular BBC series “Tiger-Spy in The Jungle”.

This is one of the three most celebrated national parks in Madhya Pradesh state in India. Pench Tiger Reserve is well-connected by road to Kanha National Park, and only two hours from Nagpur. Come here for vibrant jungle trekking, tiger spotting, Indian wild dog sightings, and a unique sleeping under the stars experience if you really want to be in the thick of it.

Although Pench is relatively small, its sal and teak forests make it a completely different landscape from the other popular national parks at Kanha and Bandhavgarh. The forest here is particularly lush, with plenty of water bodies throughout. Pench features the highest concentration of herbivores in any of Madhya Pradesh’s parks and a healthy population of tigers and striking Indian wild dogs.

The newly opened Jamtara Lodge on the northern edge of Pench is truly innovative – no other accommodation exists in the vicinity, making this lodge a unique and remote wildlife experience. The African “star beds” are a true highlight: here you can sleep under the stars and wake up to the sounds of the jungle.

Madhya Pradesh’s national parks are subject to increasing regulations, which mean that the number of jeep vehicles is restricted. To guarantee one of them, we’d recommend you book your trip as early in advance as possible. The best time to visit is between November and May, when temperatures are milder, though the middle of December through till the end of January should be avoided due to cold, misty mornings. For the real wildlife enthusiasts, the prime time to visit March to the end of May when the weather is extremely hot, drying up watering holes and making wildlife sightings more common.

Machaan at jamtara wilderness camp

ETG Sample Itineraries near Pench Tiger Reserve

Varanasi Ganges river ghat with ancient city architecture as viewed from a boat on the river at sunset.
Culture

India

East to West: Highlights of the Gangetic Plain

14 Days
Wildlife

India

The Birdlife of North India

17 Days
Off the Beaten Track

India

A Journey through Madhya Pradesh

17 Days
Rajasthan
Culture

India

Classic Rajasthan with the Taj Mahal

15 Days
Explore Full Itinerary
Varanasi Ganges river ghat with ancient city architecture as viewed from a boat on the river at sunset.
Culture
14 Days

India

East to West: Highlights of the Gangetic Plain

This holiday is for travellers with an adventurous spirit who like to get away from the tourist trail; people who have a desire to explore eclectic, busy and ever-evolving Indian cities, but who also want to contrast immersive city life with some unique, rural experiences.

Take time to delve into Kolkata and Varanasi with our signature experiences in each. You’ll journey by car, train and minimal internal flights so that you can experience the beautiful rural life and landscape of the Gangetic Plain as you move around.  You’ll spend four days exploring northern Madhya Pradesh and three days in a remote valley of Uttar Pradesh; allowing completely different rural and wildlife experiences in each.

 

Highlights

Lunch with an art collector

Taking lunch with an art collector in his home in Kolkata

Sunrise at the River Ganges

Watching the sunrise from your private boat on the River Ganges

Chambal Valley

Experiencing life in remote hamlets of the Chambal Valley

Gallery

Explore Full Itinerary
Wildlife
17 Days

India

The Birdlife of North India

This two-week itinerary takes you around North India to see for yourself the wide variety of bird species and animals that call these rugged, scenic landscapes home. Keen birders and the more intrepid travellers will particularly enjoy this holiday, with plenty of opportunities for birdwatching, hiking and safaris through national parks, along rivers and in sanctuaries.

 

Highlights

Corbett National Park

Staying deep in the heart of Corbett National Park in a forest lodge, an incredible setting for wildlife sightings

Chambal River

Cruising along the Chambal river on safari with a naturalist guide, providing expert information about the birds and animals you spot

Birding throughout

Plenty of birding opportunities in varying locations, from national parks to bird sanctuaries and a conservation reserve

Explore Full Itinerary
Off the Beaten Track
17 Days

India

A Journey through Madhya Pradesh

Prepare to be wowed by incredible history, architecture, and wildlife, before finishing the holiday on the sacred Narmada river at Maheshwar.

Highlights

Alternative Delhi

Explore alternative Delhi with a walk of the old town led by a former street kid turned expert guide

Satpura National Park

Get up close and personal to the wildlife in Satpura National Park on foot, by jeep and even on a boat

Maheshwar

Relax in one India’s most beautiful and most off-the-beaten-track fort hotels in Maheshwar, one of the most magical towns in India

Gallery

Tiger Satpura National Park
Guest looking out at Ahilya Fort
Explore Full Itinerary
Rajasthan
Culture
15 Days

India

Classic Rajasthan with the Taj Mahal

Our ‘Classic Rajasthan with the Taj’ itinerary idea takes in all the must-see sites of India’s Golden Triangle and beyond, such as Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. You’ll also experience a change of pace and a glimpse at an older, more rural Rajasthan with its impossibly romantic desert forts, dramatic scenery and wildlife.

We’ve suggested mixing opulent city hotels, perfect for escaping the clamour outside, with peacefully charming but quirky heritage properties in converted Rajput residences, used for entertaining visitors from time immemorial.

 

Highlights

Iconic sights

Marvel at the timeless magnificence of the Taj Mahal, the disorderliness of Delhi and colourful Jaipur

Fort Barli

Escape the madness into the gorgeous surrounds of Fort Barli and the Rajasthani countryside

Lake Pichola

Stay on the banks of Lake Pichola in romantic and laid-back Udaipur

Gallery

the taj mahal by the oberoi amarvilas
1 hero Taj Lake Palace Udaipur (6)

Pench Tiger Reserve on the map