Madhya Pradesh, Central India, India
Satpura National Park Safari
If you prefer wildlife sanctuaries without the crowds, Satpura National Park in the heart of Madhya Pradesh is a great choice.
It’s made for true wildlife enthusiasts: harder to reach, with only a few safari lodges (some of which are our favourite in all of India), and all the better for it.
Satpura offers an incredible range of safari experiences. Beyond the classic Jeep safari, you can explore the park by canoe, boat, or even on horseback, through both its core and buffer zones.
It’s also the only national park in India that allows walking safaris! (With specialist guides, of course). If you’re feel extra adventorous, you can also choose to camp in the buffer zone of the park overnight.
And because few tourists make it here, your wildlife encounters feel more personal and immersive.
Tigers do roam Satpura, but spotting one is relatively unusual as it depends entirely on luck (you’re in the wild, after all, not a zoo.) That said, the sharp-eyed naturalist guides at our favourite lodges will do everything they can to help you track one.
You might spot leopards, sloth bears, or wild dogs, and you’re very likely to see Indian bison (gaurs), monkeys, spotted deer, butterflies, and a wide variety of beautiful birds. Among the larger species, look out for the Malabar Pied Hornbill, Black-crested Bulbul, Osprey, Crested Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, and Indian Skimmer. Smaller birds include the Indian Roller, Spotted Dove, Common Kingfisher, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Malabar Whistling Thrush, and the vibrant Bee-eater.
The terrain of Satpura National Park is rugged and strikingly varied, with deep valleys, sandstone peaks, gorges, waterfalls, dense forests, and a vast reservoir. The trees themselves are breathtaking, especially when the first light of morning streams through them, and Satpura is the only place in Central India where teak and sal forests meet.
We always recommend staying a few days here. That gives you time to explore the park in different ways, and to increase your chances of wondrous wildlife sightings.
Talk to us to find out how to incorporate Satpura into your Indian experience.
What you’ll do
- A remote, crowd-free wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh
- Offers diverse safari options: jeep, boat, canoe, and on-foot exploration
- Wildlife includes tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, monkeys, deer, and abundant birdlife
- Rugged landscapes with valleys, gorges, waterfalls, forests, and a large reservoir
Satpura National Park on the map
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
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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
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