India Tiger & Wildlife Safari 2019

This incredible safari is designed not only to focus on the most impressive cat in the world, but to experience all of India’s unique wildlife and varied exotic fauna. Visiting three or four of India’s top wildlife parks will give you the opportunity to capture India’s big 5, and create a diverse portfolio of exceptional images from just one safari. However, all the parks we visit provide opportunities to photograph the highly endangered tiger of which few other animals evoke such a feeling of awe and excitement when spotted on a safari.

A Tiger safari embodies the real meaning of wildlife photography and is high on the list for any photographer passionate about wildlife. Unlike a safari in Africa, where there seems to be a cat around every turn, one has to work for the tigers, which creates a deeper level of satisfaction and appreciation for a stunning image of a tiger. This is why we have put long hours into the planning of the logistics, scheduled our time allocation to increase our chances, employ some of the best guides in India, arrange full day all access permits for all four of our days in Bandhavgarh, use vehicle that are especially adapted to accommodate photographers with no more than two participants per vehicle, and do everything we can to stack the deck in our favor.

Piper Mackay has teamed up Shivang Mehta, one of the top wildlife photographers in India, who has spent thousands of hours in the wildlife reserves throughout India, is highly recognized by the locals when out in the field, and is a sponsored mentor for Canon. They have photographed, side by side, for many years during the migration season in Kenya, where they started plotting and planning this ultimate India safari. Shivang recently announced the release of his new book, “A decade with Tigers.” His knowledge of tigers, Indian wildlife, habitats, conservation, and fauna will make this a life-enriching journey that goes far beyond the lens.

The top parks included on this safari –

PENCH

A spectacular natural reserve set in a flourishing teak jungle; Pench National Park is home to various deer species, tiger and leopard. The reserve offers a quiet and secluded game viewing experience with rocky hills, a large lake and open forest, which provides great photographic opportunities for the elusive leopard and wildlife dogs. The mosaic of vegetation, from lush valleys to dry, deciduous forest creates a range of habitats for India’s exotic wildlife; chital, Gaur (Indian Bison) sambar, nilgai, jackal, sloth bear, Indian wolf, porcupine, jungle cat, fox, striped hyena, for-horned antelope and barking deer. The key predator is the Tiger followed by leopard, wild dog and wolf.

KANHA

The lush sal and bambo forests, grassy open meadows, ravines of Kanha, ponds near the road, and forest tracks make for incredible photographic opportunities. The park’s landmark achievement is the preservation for the rare and endangered barashinga (swamp dear), saving it from near extinction. The stringent conservation programs for the overall protection of the Park’s fauna and flora, make it one of the most well maintained National parks in Asia, proving the perfect habitat for gaur, spotted dear, langur, sloth bears, and Tigers. This is also a fantastic bird park with species such as shikra, jungle owlets, a variety of kingfishers, green bee-eaters, Indian rollers, and peafowl.

BANDHAVGARH

Cradled between the picturesque Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges, with the highest density of tigers in the world, the renowned Banhavgarh National Park needs very little introduction to photographers. Most fitting for this famous park, imposed across the skyline, is an impressive plateau crowned with the ancient Bandavgarh fort, nearly 2,000 years old, rising more than 2,600 feet above the forest.

This will be a highlight of our safari! This is the most famous tiger reserve in India and

we have 4 full days of special photography permits, which are all access passes. These permits allow us unrestricted game driving (on the roads) throughout the reserve, just as the BBC documentary and National Geographic film crews. They also allow us to enter just before everyone else and we do not have to leave during the day should we be onto a special sighting. These permits are extremely limited. Vehicles without these permits will be prescribed a game route and area that they are restricted to – whether or not tigers have been recently seen on this track or not. Their vehicles may only go forwards, they cannot turn around if they hear of a great tiger sighting, but we can. 

KAZIRANGA EXTENTION

At the edge of the Eastern Himalayans lie Kaziranga; a world heritage site and home to 2,200 endangered one-horned rhino’s, which is 80% of the entire world’s population. Along with the iconic greater one-horned rhinoceros, the 430 square kilometer park is the breeding ground of elephants –med sized herds drifting slowly through the grasses are a regular fixture, Asiatic wild water buffalo –even larger than its African counterpart, and swamp deer. The vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, numerous lakes and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests is undoubtedly breathtaking, but it’s the presence of the Brahmaputra river that makes the environment spectacular. Highly recognized by BirdLife International, a conservation of avifaunal species, the abundant bird life is rich with color and activity from over 400 different species. If one is extremely lucky, they may have a chance encounter with a tiger in this picturesque environment.

We are limiting the Safari to ONLY 8 Photographers with two professional Photographer guides.