India is the 7th largest country in the world by size and is second only to China by population. Delhi, the capital city, is home to 19 million people and was the starting point for this trip.
India has 51 national parks and an abundance of wildlife; on this trip, I visited 3 of these parks. The first, Kaziranga National Park, is located in NorthEast India in the state of Assam. It’s home to significant populations of Asian Elephants and the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.
The 2nd stop was Satpura National Park located south of Delhi in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In this park the goal was to see (and photograph) Sloth Bear and Indian Leopards.
The 3rd and final stop was Bandhavgarh National Park (also in Madhya Pradesh), just a 9 hour drive north east of Satpura. Bandhavgarh is one of India’s top parks to see their national animal – the Bengal Tiger.
Old Delhi & Monuments
I arrived in Delhi a few days before my tour was to begin. I booked a couple of half-day tours in the city (with Delhi Photo Tours – highly recommended) to help pass the time and I’m so glad I did!
My first of 2 photo tours was a walking tour of Old Delhi. It was hot, noisy, chaotic and utterly fascinating. Read more – Old Delhi
My second day in Delhi was dedicated to seeing just a few of New Delhi’s many monuments. Read more – Delhi Monuments
Kaziranga National Park – Elephants & Rhinos
Located in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam is Kaziranga National Park. To get there we had to fly 1,500 miles from Delhi to Guwahati and then drive another 150 miles to Kaziranga. The roads in India are not like we’re used to; it was a hair raising 5 1/2 hour drive. The total travel time (with a stop for lunch) was just under 12 hours but totally worth it. Read more – Kaziranga
Satpura National Park – in search of Sloth Bear
Satpura Tiger Reserve is named for the Satpura (sanskrit for Seven Mountains) Range that runs through it. It was formed in 1981 by combining Satpura National Park with the Bori and Pachmarhi Sanctuaries and is over 1,400 square km in size. It’s home to deer, gaur, langur and macaques and of course Indian Leopards and the Sloth Bear. Read more – Satpura
Bandhavgarh National Park – Tigers
70% of the remaining tigers in the world are located in India, and Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the best locations to see them; there are reportedly over 50 tigers in the Park and we were fortunate to see 6 of them. Read more – the Tigers of Bandhavgarh