This is the trip we build most often for travellers making their first serious visit to India for tigers — and the one behind our India safaris for Canadian travellers planning guide. Three forests with distinct character, enough drives that no single quiet morning defines the trip, and a route that keeps transfer days short. Everything below is a starting structure: arrival city, park order, lodge tier and drive count all move to fit you.
Why this route
- Tadoba — the highest tiger density in central India, in dry open forest that produces reliable daytime sightings. The strongest possible start to the trip.
- Pench — teak forest and meadows, superb light and birdlife, and an easy transfer from Tadoba. The photographer’s park of the three.
- Kanha — scale and quiet: a vast sal-forest landscape with barasingha alongside the tigers. Swap in Bandhavgarh for a smaller, higher-density, more dramatic finish.
- Short transfer days — each park-to-park leg is a half-day at most, always by private vehicle, always with a morning safari before you leave.
Related reading: Tadoba vs Pench vs Kanha and our first-time safari planning guide. Want the Taj Mahal and Jaipur folded into the same trip? See our Tigers and Golden Triangle itinerary.
Day-by-day itinerary
- Day 1
Arrive Delhi or Mumbai
Meet on arrival and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to recover from the flight.
- Day 2
Fly to Nagpur → Tadoba
Short domestic flight to Nagpur, then a private road transfer (about 2.5–3 hours) to a lodge near the Tadoba gate on your permit. Evening briefing with your naturalist.
- Day 3
Tadoba — full day
Morning and afternoon safaris in central India’s highest-density tiger reserve. Dry, open forest and waterholes make for some of the country’s most consistent daytime sightings.
- Day 4
Tadoba — full day
Two more drives, in different zones where possible, to work changing movement and light across the reserve.
- Day 5
Tadoba → Pench
Morning safari, then a private road transfer to Pench (about 3–4 hours). Check in near your permitted gate.
- Day 6
Pench — full day
Morning and afternoon safaris through the teak forest and meadows that gave Kipling his Jungle Book setting. Excellent for photography and birdlife.
- Day 7
Pench — full day
Two further drives, with time to focus on a resident tigress’s territory or a leopard-heavy sector depending on recent reports.
- Day 8
Pench → Kanha
Morning safari, then a scenic private transfer to Kanha (about 4–5 hours) through rural Madhya Pradesh.
- Day 9
Kanha — full day
Morning and afternoon safaris across Kanha’s vast sal forest and grassland meadows — home to the tiger and the rare barasingha (swamp deer).
- Day 10
Kanha — full day
Two more drives. Kanha rewards patience and scale; your naturalist will plan zones around the week’s activity.
- Day 11
Kanha — morning safari
A final morning drive, then the afternoon at leisure — an optional buffer-zone nature walk or village visit, or simply time at the lodge.
- Day 12
Kanha → Jabalpur → Delhi or Mumbai
Road transfer to Jabalpur (about 4 hours) for a domestic flight back to your departure city. Overnight hotel.
- Day 13
City day at leisure
A full day for Old Delhi, Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb, or a Mumbai heritage walk — arranged with a private guide on request.
- Day 14
International departure
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
What is included — and what is not
Included
- All forest entry permits, gate fees, gypsy (jeep) charges, driver and guide fees
- Naturalist-led safari drives in the zones on your permit
- Twin-share accommodation throughout, all meals, applicable GST
- All domestic flights within India and every ground transfer in a private vehicle
- Airport / station assistance and a single point of contact for the whole trip
Not included
- International flights to and from India
- India e-Visa fee and comprehensive travel insurance
- Camera / lens fees where a park levies them, tips and personal expenses
- Optional city touring and anything not listed as included
Lodge tiers and pricing
The itinerary is fixed; the lodges are not. We quote against your chosen tier and match each property to the gate on your confirmed permit rather than to a brochure.
- Comfort — well-run forest lodges close to the gate, clean and unfussy.
- Premium — boutique lodges and premium tented camps with strong naturalist teams.
- Luxury — India’s named luxury safari properties, where available near your zone. See our luxury safari guide.
How pricing works: quotes are land-only and per person on twin-share, in a currency you choose, with a 50% deposit to confirm and the balance due 30+ days before departure. Full terms are on our terms page.
When to travel
Central-India reserves open around mid-October and close for the monsoon at the end of June. Broadly: November–February for comfortable weather and cool mornings; March–June for the highest tiger activity as water becomes scarce. We plan the internal flights and transfers around your confirmed international flights. See best time to visit India’s jungles.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the 14-day Tigers of Central India trip cost?
It is priced as a custom quote because the land cost depends heavily on lodge tier (mid-range forest lodges through to luxury properties), travel season and party size. Tell us your dates and preferred style and we return a written, itemised price — land-only, with international flights kept separate.
Why is there no fixed price or fixed departure date?
This is a private trip built around your dates and your confirmed permits, not a scheduled group tour. Permit availability by zone and gate changes daily during the booking window, so the itinerary and price are finalised once we secure your specific drives.
Can I swap Kanha for Bandhavgarh?
Yes. Bandhavgarh is smaller and famously high-density, with dramatic fort-country backdrops; Kanha is larger, quieter and scenically broader. Both pair well with Tadoba and Pench. We will recommend one based on your dates and photography priorities.
Is 14 days too long, or not long enough?
Fourteen days gives three genuinely different forests, 8–10 drives, and enough margin that one slow park does not define the trip — while still fitting a standard leave allowance from Canada or elsewhere. A 10- or 12-day version dropping one reserve is available if you have less time.
What is the best time of year to do this trip?
November to February is the most comfortable, with cool mornings and pleasant days. March to June is hot but delivers the highest tiger activity as water becomes scarce. Central-India parks close through the monsoon (roughly July to mid-October).
Do you guarantee a tiger sighting?
No ethical operator can. What a multi-park, multi-drive itinerary with experienced local naturalists does is stack the odds strongly in your favour across the trip as a whole.
Request a custom quote
Tell us your travel month, group size, arrival city and preferred lodge tier. We’ll come back with a finalised day-by-day and a written, itemised price — land-only, flights kept separate.
Open the enquiry form