Day 6, Bandhavgarh - Kanha National Park.Early morning Jeep safari with Naturalist: after breakfast drive about 245kms/7hrs, through a lovely countryside to Kanha National Park. Romanticised by Kipling in his book, Kanha National Park is among the most spectacular, protected wildlife reserves of the world. The 1,945 sq. km National Park has been compared to N'Gorongoro National Park of Tanzania. However like its African cousin, Kanha is not a volcanic crater though the surrounding hills are a result of geographically ancient volcanic activity. Above all Kanha is far greener and more densely wooded than N'Gorongoro. It is one of the largest and best monitored Parks in the subcontinent and definitely one of the best places in the world to see the critically endangered tiger in the wild. The great sal forests of Kanha National Park, stretching across Maikal hills of Satpura range, have given birth to many jungle adventures, especially the much loved English classic by Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book. Kipling based his tale on the wildlife of Kanha in the late 19th century and thus Kanha is also known as 'Kipling Country'. The grassy plateaux, wooded hills and valleys of Kanha are home to the legendary Shere Khan the Tiger, loveable Baloo the Bear, wise Bagheera the Panther and the dreaded Rock Python Kaa. Besides them several great and small mammals, reptiles and birds inhabit the Park including the largest ox in the world - the Gaur. The National Park is particularly notable, besides the tiger, for a 300lb, brown, large-antlered, hard-hoofed deer, because of which the foundation of conservation and protection was laid in the Maikal hills. Even more zealously protected in Kanha is the southern or Central Indian race of the Swamp Deer - the Hard-ground or the Branderi Barasingha. Birdlife of the region is equally astounding and more than 350 avian species have been recorded here with the possibility of sighting yet new races, thus giving the avid birdwatcher great scope for new discoveries. Mynas, Bush Chats, Kingfishers, Treepies, Orioles, Lapwings, Falcons, Kites, Owls, Vultures and various other species of our flying friends will provide unlimited hours of pleasure to those who choose to seek them. Dinner & overnight in jungle resort.
Breakfast, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 7, Kanha - Safari.Morning and evening Jeep safari with Naturalist. Afternoon free to relax by the pool. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in Resort.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 8, Kanha - Safari.Morning and evening Jeep safari with Naturalist. Afternoon free to relax by the pool. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in Resort.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 9, Kanha - Jabalpur (drive/train).Morning Jeep Safari, after breakfast drive 175kms/ 3hrs to the railhead at Jabalpur: board afternoon train at 1530hrs to Agra. Overnight on train (AC 1st class).
Breakfast in hotel and overnight in train.

Day 10, Arrive Agra - Bharatpur / Keoladeo National park (drive).Arrive Agra very early morning at 0345hrs, assistance on arrival and transfer to a restaurant for breakfast. The earliest reference to Agra can be found in the epic Mahabharata where it is referred to as Agravana. After breakfast, visit India's most celebrated monument the Taj Mahal, built as a monument of eternal love by Shah Jahan to his bride Mumtaz; the Taj Mahal looks amazingly graceful from every angle. It was built over a period of 20 years by 20,000 labourers and craftsmen and displays superb craftsmanship. The close up details of the Taj Mahal are as exquisite as the overall architectural design, with semi-precious stones and beautiful patterns adorning the marble surface. We continue our sightseeing with Agra Fort and then depart for Bharatpur.

On the way we visit the deserted sandstone buildings of Fatehpur Sikri. In Bharatpur we stay in a delightful Heritage hotel. Punctuated by the incessant "chatter, whistle and cheep" of innumerable species of birds, the wetlands of Keoladeo present a scene of raucous calm. Once the hunting preserve of the Bharatpur royalty, this exceptional ecosystem is now one of the finest bird sanctuaries on planet Earth, which has been declared a Ramsar Site, as well as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Keoladeo National Park was previously known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and lies 174 km from Delhi and only 50 km from Agra. If Taj Mahal is "rhapsody in marble" then definitely Keoladeo is a "ballad of birds". Located at the confluence of Gambhir and Banganga rivers and spread over 29km2 of shallow lakes and woodlands, Keoladeo National Park provides shelter to over 300 avian species, particularly during winter when the resident numbers multiply as a result of migrants. The freshwater swamp with the picturesque Kadam trees, stands of Acacia and profuse aquatic vegetation, is a habitat of various living organisms, which serve as food for the different species of animals. Two-thirds of the birds listed in Keoladeo are land birds while one-third of the species are water birds. Pintails, teals, mallards, pochards, geese, coots, storks, curlews and sandpipers can be seen in the lake; the heronry at Keoladeo is indeed one of the finest in the world, with 14 species nesting and breeding in the Park. The woodlands and pastures are alive with the gambolling of bulbuls, babblers, sunbirds, sparrows, parakeets and orioles, while the skies are set on fire by the birds of prey like the eagles, hawks, harriers, falcons, buzzards and vultures. However the rarest bird, which visits Keoladeo National Park from faraway Siberia is the globally threatened Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus); in fact these wetlands are the only wintering area of the western population of this beautiful, endangered bird. But all is not "feather and crow" in Keoladeo. Non-feathered members of this largely feathered fraternity are mammals such as the Wild Boar, Sambar, Nilgai, Chital, Mongoose, Otter, three species of wild cats, Civets, Jackals and also the gigantic Rock Pythons that live beyond the Temple of Keoladeo in the heart of the Park. Afternoon visit to the Park in Cycle Rickshaws with Naturalist. Breakfast in local restaurant and overnight in hotel.

Day 11, Bharatpur - Ranthambhore National Park (drive).Early morning visit to the Park and take boat ride (this is not guaranteed and will depend water levels in the wetland area). After breakfast drive 6hrs to Ranthambhore National Park. Ranthambhore National Park is an awesome reminder of the great jungles that once clothed Central India; its horizon marked by a thousand-year-old fort, which stands in stoic silence, keeping eternal vigil over the magnificent forests sprawled in its shadow. This fort was once the centre of a Hindu kingdom and bears the scars of several wars and military sieges. The 400km2 Ranthambhore National Park famous for its tigers was the hunting ground of the Kachhwaha rulers of Jaipur and has a rich plant and animal life. Its dry deciduous jungles were amongst the first nine National Parks to be brought under Project Tiger in 1973. Some 450 species of plants provide sustenance to its herbivores that are hunted for food by the carnivores, thus keeping the circle of life in motion. The 22 species of mammals listed here include the Leopard, Sloth Bear, Hyena, Jungle Cat, Caracal, Sambar, Chital, Nilgai, Indian Hare, Wild Boar and Mongoose besides its prime attraction - the Royal Bengal Tiger. Nearly 300 species of birds have been recorded here and the Park's avifauna includes - Painted Stork, Black Stork, White-necked Stork, Spoonbill, Bonelli's Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Grey Partridge, Painted Partridge, Sandgrouse, Spurfowl, Common Peafowl, Pheasant-tailed Jaçana, Great Indian Horned Owl, Indian Treepie, Paradise Flycatcher, and Stork-billed Kingfisher among others. Prehistoric looking Marsh Crocodiles can be seen in and around the lakes that dot the rugged countryside of this extraordinary National Park and more than a dozen varieties of reptiles are found in the forests of Ranthambhore. Breakfast, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 12, Ranthambhore Jeep safari.Early morning and evening jeep safari to view wildlife with Naturalist. Afternoon visit to the Fort or just relax by the pool. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in Resort. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 13, Ranthambhore Jeep safari. Early morning and evening jeep safari to view wildlife with Naturalist. Afternoon visit to the Fort or just relax by the pool. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in Resort. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 14, Ranthambhore - Jaipur - Delhi (drive/train).Early morning jeep safari: after breakfast drive to Jaipur about 3hrs. Afternoon visit to the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds and the City Palace. Later, transfer to the railway station to board the super fast Shatabdi express, departing at 1755, and arriving at 2055 (dinner on board) in Delhi. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the International airport for your return flight. Breakfast in hotel, dinner on board.