Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many! The tigers were a big highlight - seeing the biggest tiger in Bandhavgarh stroll towards you and getting six feet away is unforgettable! And washing the elephant in the river! Oh, and driving through the chaos of Old Delhi's market on a Rickshaw! And of course, the Taj!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Harish was fantastic. He made our trip very enjoyable and went out of his way to make sure we had a brilliant time. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you want to see tigers go in March or April - we were told this is the best time. This isn't roughing it - we thought the food, the accomodation and transport were all more than adequate.  Take your swimming costume for the pool!Take footballs and tennis balls for the children - the footballs went down particularly well.   Game drives can be quite windy and a little cooler, a few jumpers would also be a good idea (and conditioner for tangled hair!) 

Most Inspirational Moment

1. Getting the nod that we'd found the elusive blue eyed tiger, seeing our leader coming towards us stood up in his jeep yelling for us to shift and our driver putting his foot down to get there. When we pulled up, a magnificent male tiger was sat in a watering hole calmin drinking and chilling in the sun - magic!2. Following a huge male along a track with 10 or so jeeps all jostling for position, torn between taking a picture and simply watching him swagger down the road without a care in the world. His tummy was full of his recent kill and he didn't care that he was being chased by papparazzi! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Harish Kumar was totally brilliant. He couldn't do enough to make our trip unforgettable. His passion for the worldlife and tigers inparticular coupled with his realtionship with the local staff guarantees you some great sightings. I've done a trip like this before and he made the difference.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be to do every single optional game drive you can - you never know what you'll see.

Suggestions

Best trip I've done in 10 years - just book it!

Most Inspirational Moment

Our first sighting of a tiger at Pench. The park was nearly closing and we had seen this tiger lying in the undergrowth a few hundred metres away for a number of hours when it decided to get up and walk towards us. It crossed the road in front of the jeep turned left alongside the jeep and sauntered of into the jungle. Magical. We had several other close encounters at the other parks both in jeeps and on elephants but the first was the most memorable. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Harish Kumar, was absolutely brilliant. His interest in wildlifeand photography along with his knowledge of the workings of the parks and his rapport with the staff enabled him to negotiate the best time slots and routes within the parks to maximise the potential for us to see tigers. His enthusiasm made the early starts worthwhile. When we were at Aggra my wife had a bad back and couldn't walk very fast and Harish made sure that she was ok and pointed out places where she could rest and wait for the other members of the group so that she didn't feel left out. His knowledge, experience, style, compassion, understanding and sense of humour made the trip.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to be aware of the number of additional game drives that are available at each reserve as these can add considerable cost to the trip. I would have taken twice as much money as I did had I known. ATMs are very thin on the ground and the one we stopped at refused to accept my debit card. My bank being overcautious more than the fault of the ATM but its something to think about. The other thing is if you don't go on the additional game drives there is nothing else to do. Two of the lodges we stayed at had swimming pools. My wife and I missed one of the drives and used the time to relax and read which was ok but not something we could do more than once. There is also time to relax between the morning an afternoon game drives. Also going on the additional drives increases your chances of seeing tigers which is, after all, the object of the trip.

Suggestions

Be prepared for a lot of bouncing about in the jeeps and to eat a considerable amount of dust, but persevere as seeing tigers up close and personal makes it all worthwhile. However, it may take a few days after you get back to realise this!!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

The anticipation when the guides know when a tiger is close.Seeing tigers in the undergrowth but then mounting up on elephants to get closer to see a family of 5 around a kill. The elephant got within a couple of metres, moved a branch and spooked the adult male, its growl at such close quarters got the heart pounding!Taj Mahal at sunrise - didn't think many buildings could compare with Europe's gothic cathedrals, but this does (and beats them).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna was excellent, any problems were sorted quickly with minimal fuss, he was very knowledgeable (better than some of the guides) and very enthusiastic.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Tigers are not easy to spot in the wild and we had 6 days when none of the group saw a single one and Bandhavgarh was easily the best place for us with several tiger sightings. Departing in late March seems a good time to see tigers as it is near the end of the dry season but the temperature was touching 40 degrees most days so pretty oppressive! Also, whilst the sleeper train isn't exactly 5* travel, it is nowhere near as bad as it could have been.If you don't like Indian food - be prepared to go hungry - if you do the food is great!

Suggestions

On our trip there was an incident that has raised some safety concerns but I would like to say that at no point did I feel unsafe when travelling by elephant and it would be such a shame if that element of the safari was removed as it allows you a unique view of tigers up close.There were a few comments from others on the party about certain aspects of the accommodation being lacking or some of the timings / bureaucracy encountered. India is a developing world country - these things are to be expected and part of the journey.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing my first wild Tiger on the first game drive.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kristna is one of the best leader I have had.   Very organised, sensible and calm and extremly knowledgable on all things to do with wildlife.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This a hardcore wildlife watching with many hours spent in jeeps on hot rough tracks, many early starts and disapointing days.  2 Tigers in  Pench NP,  none in Kanha NP and 16 in Bandhavgarh NP.   7 days into the trip 50% of people on the trip had not seen a tiger but quickly caught up.  I was able to do 17 games drives and 3 "Tiger Shows" and would advise anyone not to miss a single chance to see the wildlife.I would suggest that a supply of disposable builders Dust Masks is obtained before leaving home. 

Suggestions

Went to Ramphambore NP in November 2011, saw nothing and was left needing to see a wild Tiger!!        This trip has made up for the last  trip and was 120% better than I expected.

Most Inspirational Moment

All of it, can't say I could pick one thing out.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent.  He was very knowledgeable and if he wasn't there we wouldn't have seen as many animals.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just enjoy it.  Long days but make the most of it.  Book the optional trips as it is a trip of a lifetime.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing our first tiger was amazing- we had waited so long as we didn't spot a tiger until our third park. Also watching a group of five tigers interacting together was incredible. We saw tigers at a kill, drinking and bathing, crossing the road in front of us, and had the opportuniy to get really close on the back of an elephant on two tiger shows.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna was friendly, organised and knowledgable. He coped with the unexpected very well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be patient! Enjoy all of the scenery, experiences, and wildlife while you continue to search for tigers.

Suggestions

A great trip but quite demanding in terms of very early starts and lots of driving. Plenty of time in the middle of the day between game drives to relax though. Two of the three park hotels had good pools. We did every optional game drive so in total we did 18 drives.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing first tiger. Encountering one face to face at 20yds with nothing between you and the animal for several minutes was truly a one off experience I am now pleased to have had! Meeting like minded people who are passionate about animals is great.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krisha Bhardwai is exceptional!! I cannot speak of him highly enough! In his words - It's my job! Yes, it might be but he is prepared to go the extra mile and more, he certainly did for me. Very pleasant, knowledgeable, sociable. Good to be around!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take VERY lightweight, loose fitting clothing! Camera cover as drives can be extremely dusty!

Most Inspirational Moment

First Tiger sighting, silhouetted through grass, was thrilling, thereafter sightings just got better and better, with close encounters from the back of an elephant.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna was wonderful. He was passionate about the survival of the Tiger and had a great sense of humour. When he heard a sound in the jungle, he would surprise you by saying it was a chicken laying an egg! He ensured our trip ran smoothly and always told us what to expect over for the day ahead. All except the weather which the didn't need to worry about.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Tolerate Twitchers, its amazing how much more you can appreciate in a 4 hour safari when there are no tigers to be seen.Girls, take a Shewee, I will next time!Be prepared for an early rise. Make the most of sightseeing, time can be a bit limited. And don't expect time to chill!Safaris are very dusty so dress accordingly and take a buff/scarf as well as a hat, mornings can be very cold but once the sun gets up it gets hot very quicklyDon't expect Sleepers trains to have compartments where you will change into your PJs and brush your teeth! Enjoy the company and try not to look at your watch too often, 12-14 hours can go remarkably quickly if you accept your lot! Just hope you don't need to use the loo too often, and try not to clock everything you see out of the windows.

Suggestions

The child beggars at the stations can be a bit of a heartbreak, if you have any food to spare it is appreciated. We took stationary and toileteries out with us which we took into the school at Bandhavgarh where they have an orphanage for 40 girls. Had we been aware we could have been better prepared.Looking forward to planning our next trip with Exodus!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many but I will identify three; first seeing such a variety of wildlife including the tigers, second the Exodus sponsored school at Bandhavgarh and third the Taj Mahal.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Probably the best leader I have experienced in my many years of travelling. He was always there when you wanted him without being "in your face", he was always cheerful, well organised and most importantly he was knowledgeable - the best.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are thinking of visiting India don't think any further book the Land of the Tiger with Exodus.

Suggestions

This tour really gives you a taste of India as well as an appreciation of its wildlife. It is fully packed with new experiences every day. Thank you all at Exodus for a truly wonderful holiday.