India & Nepal Save the Tiger Tour
An Epic Bengal Tiger Adventure in Bandhavgarh & Bardia
- Available: March
- Activity: Level 2
- Accommodations: Luxury Hotels, Comfortable Hotels
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Group Size:
4-14 Guests
Min Age: 12
Highlights
- Behold the magnificent, endangered Bengal tiger in India's Bandhavgarh and Nepal's Bardia National Parks
- Meet with those working at ground zero to preserve and protect the wild tiger
- In the spirit of this trip, we ask that all clients make a tax-deductible contribution of $300 to The Fund for The Tiger which will be matched by MT Sobek
Itinerary
Arrive in New Delhi
Day 1
Welcome to India! Meet an MT Sobek representative at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Check-in is in the afternoon, so if your flight arrives much before then and you'd like your room upon arrival, it will be at your expense. After some well-needed rest, begin your exploration of Delhi, whose elaborate temples, mosques, forts, and monuments are the stuff of legends. Come evening, meet the group and MTS guide Brian Weirum at 6:00 pm for a trip orientation. Then enjoy a festive welcome dinner to kick off your adventure in India and Nepal.
Accommodation: Andaz Delhi
Meals: Dinner
Experience the Comfortable Tiger's Den Resort in Tala
Day 2
Spend much of today traveling from New Delhi to Tala. Fly to Jabalpur, then transfer to Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Along the route, pass bucolic farmland and traditional villages, watching locals go about their daily tasks. End the day at Tiger's Den, a comfortable resort made up of private guest cottages in the small town of Tala, which is adjacent to the park.
Accommodation: Tiger’s Den Resort-Tala, India
Transportation: 2-hour flight transfer & 3.5-hour private van transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Rise for a Tiger Safari in Bandhavgarh National Park
Day 3
Rise early and head out for a guided 4WD safari through dry, deciduous forests, rocky hillsides, and vast open meadows in search of the Royal Bengal tiger. At 9 or 10 am, return to the resort for a leisurely breakfast. Spend the hottest part of the day at the resort, strolling the grounds, swimming in the pool, or relaxing in your cottage. After lunch, head back to the park to track wildlife until sundown, when you return to the resort for the evening.
Accommodation: Tiger’s Den Resort-Tala, India
Activity: 2-4 hour tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Searching for Tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park
Day 4
Spend another glorious day seeking Bengals in Bandhavgarh. Created in 1968, the park comprises 173 square miles in the vast central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This beautiful preserve is dominated by Bandhavgarh Fort, a massive plateau rising 1,000 feet from the Indian plains and former home of the Maharajah of Rewa. The alleged progenitor of all white tigers, Mohan, came from the forests of Rewa, only a short distance from Bandhavgarh National Park.
Accommodation: Tiger’s Den Resort-Tala, India
Activity: 2-4 hour tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
More Tiger Spotting in Bandhavgarh National Park
Day 5
Repeat the previous day, looking for tigers in the park while learning about their lives, habitats, and threats to their survival.
Accommodation: Tiger’s Den Resort-Tala, India
Activity: 2-4 hour tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Final Day in Bandhavgarh National Park
Day 6
Early this morning, head out on a game drive from the resort through a dry and rocky forest in search of grey langurs, sambars, muntjac, wild boar, rhesus macaques, nilgai, chinkara, jackals, jungle cats, and mongoose. You also may spot leopards, gaurs, sloth bears, hares, and Indian foxes. After enjoying a full breakfast back at the resort, set out for a long drive to your comfortable, well-appointed hotel in Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its elaborate Hindu and Jain temples from the 10th-century Chandela dynasty.
Accommodation: Tiger’s Den Resort-Tala, India
Activity: 2-4 hour tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Return to Delhi
Day 7
This morning, drive to Jabalpur (3.5 hours) and transfer directly to the airport for your afternoon flight back to Delhi. This evening, dine with Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, a nonprofit organization dedicated to monitoring illegal wildlife poaching and illegal trade, and learn about the many challenges contributing to the Royal Bengal tigers' extinction.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi-New Delhi, India
Activity: Cultural touring and wildlife talks
Transportation: 5.5-hour private van transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Fly to Kathmandu, the Heart of Nepal
Day 8
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, pack your bags and prepare for a scenic midday flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon landing, transfer to the Yak & Yeti, a five-star hotel in the city. This 100-year-old palace is situated centrally and boasts beautiful gardens, fine woodcarvings, and local textiles. Settle into the hotel, enjoy lunch on your own, and then gather this evening for a cocktail party and tiger talk hosted by Brian, who will explain the tiger conservation efforts going on in Bardia National Park.
Accommodation: Yak & Yeti Hotel-Kathmandu
Transportation: 2-hour flight transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Scenic Flight to Bardia National Park
Day 9
Take a short but scenic 45-minute morning flight to Nepalgunj, the gateway to some of Nepal's best-preserved wilderness areas. Upon arrival, transfer by Land Rover to the serene Karnali Lodge, a luxury eco-lodge on the edge of Bardia National Park, your home for four nights. The lodge offers a truly unique experience with an organic vegetable garden, and with soothing, simply designed guest rooms. Tonight enjoy a sumptuous dinner made with produce from the garden and other locally sourced products.
Accommodation: Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge-Bardia National Park, Nepal
Transportation: 45-minute flight & 2-hour private van transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Explore Bardia National Park
Day 10
While in Bardia National Park, take early-morning and late-afternoon game drives in 4WD vehicles, or nature walks to places where rhinos or tigers are likely to appear. Viewing tigers can be unpredictable: a blur of black and gold bolting through the forest or coming across one staring out at you from the tall grass. Nothing is more thrilling than spotting a tiger in the wild!
Accommodation: Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge-Bardia National Park, Nepal
Activity: Tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tiger Spotting in Bardia National Park
Day 11
Spend another day exploring Bardia National Park and spotting the elusive tiger. Bardia National Park is Nepal's largest and best-preserved wilderness area. It is home to over 30 species of mammals and 250 species of birds, including a healthy and stable tiger population and Nepal's one-horned rhinoceros. Bardia and its surrounding forests and jungle are at the very heart of tiger habitat in Nepal, and are a critical focus for the funds raised by this trip.
Accommodation: Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge-Bardia National Park, Nepal
Activity: Tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Final Day in Bardia National Park
Day 12
Repeat Days 10 and 11, looking for tigers, rhinos, and other wildlife in Bardia National Park.
Accommodation: Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge-Bardia National Park, Nepal
Activity: Tiger safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Return to Kathmandu
Day 13
This morning, transfer to the airport in Nepalgunj for your flight back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival, check into the hotel and then have some time to relax before Brian leads a late-afternoon stroll through the vibrant, ancient streets of old Kathmandu. Soak in the energy and atmosphere of monasteries converted to homes, merchants and artisans busy at work, and the bustling life of the city's residents.
Accommodation: Yak & Yeti Hotel-Kathmandu
Transportation: 45-minute flight transfer
Meals: Breakfast
See the Sights of Kathmandu
Day 14
After breakfast, visit the holy temple of Pashupatinath, along with one of Kathmandu's most famous landmarks, the ancient Buddhist stupa at Boudhnath - the center of Tibetan Buddhist culture in Kathmandu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, and the largest chorten in the world. The afternoon is then yours for lunch and solo exploration. Visit the city's many interesting sights, shrines, and markets. Don't miss Durbar Square, Thamel, Swayambhunath (the Monkey Temple), the King's Palace, or fascinating Asan Tole bazaar. You might choose to hire a driver to take you to the nearby ancient city of Patan. Come together to enjoy a farewell dinner tonight. (MT Sobek can arrange an optional afternoon visit to Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple)
Accommodation: Yak & Yeti Hotel-Kathmandu
Activity: City and cultural touring
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Depart from Kathmandu
Day 15
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home. If you'd like to extend your Asian adventure with quick trips to Tibet, India, Bhutan, or Southeast Asia, MT Sobek offers several interesting extensions—call us for details!
Meals: Breakfast
Dates & Prices
- 2023
- Go Custom
- Inclusions
2023
Scheduled Dates
The earlier you book, the more choice of available dates you’ll have and once you book, your price is guaranteed.
Go Custom
Create Your Very Own Adventure
Dreaming of an adventure designed exclusively for you? With insider access and decades of experience, our travel experts create custom tailored adventures that are perfect for families, couples, and large groups. MT Sobek's custom adventures are designed to our exacting standards and led by our award-winning adventure guides.
When to start planning? Earlier is always better when designing a custom trip. More time allows for better availability of preferred accommodations, guides and your desired activities. Ideally, start the conversation with us at least 6 months before you want to travel. If you are looking for a custom trip that departs within three months, chances are greatly diminished in securing requested accommodations and the best guides.
*Custom trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit once an itinerary is agreed upon.
Start PlanningInclusions
Price Includes
- Expertise and services of our experienced adventure guides
- All accommodations as noted in the itinerary
- All breakfasts, almost all lunches and dinners as noted in the itinerary
- Snacks and water between meals
- Additional regional guides and experts on many trips
- Comprehensive Trip Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at historic sites, museums, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the itinerary
- Special events and other select attractions as mentioned in the itinerary
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Equipment and experienced guides for activities as described in the itinerary
- Park and other entry fees (unless otherwise noted)
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the itinerary
- Select transfers as mentioned in the itinerary
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Price Does Not Include
- International airfare, airport taxes, and excess baggage fees
- Alcoholic beverages (MT Sobek provides wine at select events)
- Gratuities for MT Sobek guides and guide-drivers
- Travel Protection Program
- Personal expenses
Need help picking your next adventure? Call us to answer your questions.
Your Guides
The best people to immerse you in a destination are the ones who live there, which is why we feature local Adventure Guides on our trips. Here are a few that you might meet on this adventure.

Brian Weirum
Top MT Sobek guide Brian K. Weirum first led popular treks in the Himalaya in 1983. Since then, he has taken groups to Everest, Mustang, Dolpo, Mount Mera, and Makalu in Nepal, Mount Kailas and Oracle Lake in Tibet, Kanchenjunga in Sikkim, and Bhutan-and regularly leads special departures across the globe. In 1994, Brian created MT Sobek's successful Save the Tiger trip and founded The Fund for The Tiger, a non-profit tax-exempt public charity dedicated to supporting tiger conservation efforts in India and Nepal.
Activity Level
This trip is rated activity level 2. This trip is easy to moderate. You will be touring cities, temples, ancient palaces and going on game drives and jeep safaris. While none of the activities are difficult, in the cities you will be on your feet for much of the day. Daily drives range from 2 hours to 6 hours.
Learn more about activity levels here.
Activity Snapshot
Day 3
2-4 hour tiger safari
Day 4
2-4 hour tiger safari
Day 5
2-4 hour tiger safari
Day 6
2-4 hour tiger safari
Day 7
Cultural touring and wildlife talks
Day 10
Tiger safari
Day 11
Tiger safari
Day 12
Tiger safari
Day 14
City and cultural touring
Accommodations
Elegant lodges and luxury resorts in scenic locales, plus a comfortable modern hotel in Delhi.
Weather
In both India and Nepal, the temperatures will be fairly high, averaging around 95°F in the daytime and 70°F at night.
FAQs
Do I need a visa for India?
Yes, you do, but you can go online to apply for an Indian e-visa, which is fast and convenient.
Is my transfer included even if I arrive early?
Yes, your transfer is included even if you arrive early.
Can I book an extension for my trip?
Absolutely, we can help book one prior to the trip! Please contact your Adventure Coordinator to learn more about our pre-set extensions in India.
What flights are included in the internal air?
Flights from Delhi - Jabalpur, Khajuraho - Delhi - Kathmandu - Nepalgunj - Kathmandu are included in the internal air cost.
Do I need to fly back to Delhi at the end of the trip?
You can purchase an open-jaw ticket flying into Delhi and out of Kathmandu. If you want to purchase a roundtrip ticket to Delhi, then you must fly back to Delhi at the end of the trip.
Does this trip contribute to any local conservation efforts?
Yes! We ask that travelers make a $300 donation to the Fund for the Tiger to match the donation of $300 per traveler from MT Sobek. The Fund for the Tiger contributes to a host of amazing tiger conservation projects.
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Guest Reviews
"The support you have been able to give for the protection of wild tigers, largely through MT Sobek's Save The Tiger trips, is awe-inspiring. On behalf of all the tigers you have helped to save-a big THANK YOU!"
Belinda Wright
Executive Director of The Wildlife Protection Society of India
"The Save the Tiger trip with Brian was adventure travel at its best! Brian's passion for these amazing animals as well as his deep connection with the people who work daily and diligently to protect them is apparent each day."
Dave G.
MT Sobek Guest, India & Nepal Save the Tiger