India

A Summary

• India is home to roughly 75 per cent of the world’s remaining wild tigers. The most recent national estimate put the population at 3,682, more than double the 1,411 counted in 2006, spread across more than 50 designated tiger reserves.
• Ranthambore in Rajasthan is the most accessible tiger safari in India for first-time visitors. It sits about three and a half hours by road from Jaipur and slots neatly into a Golden Triangle or north India tour.
• No single season suits the whole country. October to March is ideal for Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle, June to September opens Ladakh and the high Himalaya, and tiger sightings peak in the hot months from March to June.
• India’s luxury accommodation runs to former maharaja palaces, Mughal-era havelis and Raj-style tented camps, which gives bespoke travel here a theatrical quality found almost nowhere else.
• The existing In Summary bullets have been shortened and the tiger figures corrected. The previous version said “approximately 3,600” and anchored the doubling to 1973; 3,682 is the published estimate and 2006 is the defensible baseline for a doubling claim.

Why Choose The Classic Safari Company for Luxury India Tours?

India rewards travellers who plan properly, because the country is too large, too varied and too seasonal to approach casually. Our luxury India tours are built around your interests, your pace and the windows in which each region is at its best.

As one of the most diverse countries in the world, India offers incomparable variety. Walk the streets of any Indian city and find a dizzying array of religions, languages, food and culture that few countries can boast. Explore secretive jungles, spice-laden markets, places of pilgrimage and fairy-tale castles lost in time.

The Himalayas in the north are the world’s mightiest mountains, and a north India tour is often the right choice for an intrepid traveller who wants to get out and explore. Their lofty summits have drawn explorers and devout spiritualists alike for millennia. In complete contrast, Rajasthan parades its princely splendour with opulent palaces and imposing forts, while photogenic pink and blue cities spring from the desert and Kipling’s jungles harbour a thriving population of wild tigers.

Further north again, Ladakh and Kashmir are renowned for cold deserts and Buddhist ritual, while in the east you can recharge in the colonial cool of Darjeeling’s tea plantations, take puja on the holy Ganges at Varanasi and explore the Kingdom of Sikkim. The pace slows in the tropical backwaters of southern India, the perfect antidote to the chaos of the north and the ideal place to unwind after an action-packed trip. Our bespoke itineraries let you explore one, or all, of these distinctive corners in a way that is tailored to you.

You Will Love

• Vibrant cities
• Rich cultural landmarks
• Fantastic festivals
• Majestic wildlife
• Colourful, chaotic and life changing

Where Should You Go for a Tiger Safari in India?

India is the only country where seeing a wild tiger is a realistic expectation rather than a long shot. It holds around three quarters of the world’s remaining wild tigers across more than 50 tiger reserves, and the best of those reserves are genuinely comfortable to visit, with excellent guiding and accommodation on their fringes.

The choice of reserve matters more than most travellers realise. Density, terrain, season and how easily a park fits into the rest of your itinerary all pull in different directions, and the right answer depends on whether tigers are the whole point of the trip or one part of a broader journey.

What Makes Ranthambore the Best-Known Tiger Safari in India?

Ranthambore is the most accessible serious tiger reserve in the country, which is why a tiger safari in India so often means Ranthambore. It sits at Sawai Madhopur in eastern Rajasthan, roughly three and a half hours by road from Jaipur, so it drops into a Golden Triangle or Rajasthan itinerary without forcing a separate expedition.

The park was the private hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur before becoming a sanctuary in 1955 and joining Project Tiger in 1973. Its dry deciduous forest, open lakes and crumbling ruins make for unusually photogenic sightings, and the tenth-century Ranthambore Fort rising above the trees gives the park a setting no other reserve can match.

Ranthambore is divided into ten safari zones. Vehicles are allocated by the Rajasthan Forest Department rather than chosen freely, and there are two drives a day, each around three hours, one at dawn and one in the afternoon. You can travel by Gypsy, a six-seat open jeep, or by canter, a larger open vehicle seating around twenty. Gypsies are more manoeuvrable and considerably more pleasant, and they sell out months ahead.

Two practical points matter. Book early, because permits for the best zones and the Gypsy vehicles are released on a fixed schedule and go quickly in peak season. And accept that sightings are never guaranteed, which is why we generally recommend at least three drives rather than one.

Which Other Tiger Reserves Are Worth Considering?

If tigers are the primary reason for the trip, Madhya Pradesh is the stronger choice. The state holds more tigers than any other in India, and its reserves are less pressured than Ranthambore.

Bandhavgarh has among the highest tiger densities anywhere in India, set in sal forest beneath an ancient hill fort. It is the classic choice for travellers who want the best possible odds.

Kanha is the landscape that shaped Kipling’s Jungle Book, with vast meadows, excellent tiger numbers and the last stronghold of the hard-ground barasingha swamp deer.

Pench is quieter than its neighbours and pairs naturally with Kanha on a longer wildlife itinerary.

Satpura is the outlier and the connoisseur’s choice. It is one of the very few Indian parks permitting walking safaris and canoe safaris, so the experience is closer to an African walking safari than a conventional jeep drive.

What Else Can You See on India Wildlife Tours?

India wildlife tours extend well beyond tigers, and the supporting cast is often what travellers remember. Jawai in rural Rajasthan has become one of the most reliable places in the world to see wild leopards, living among granite kopjes alongside the Rabari herdsmen. Kaziranga in Assam holds the bulk of the world’s greater one-horned rhino. Periyar in Kerala is first and foremost an elephant destination. Keoladeo at Bharatpur is one of Asia’s great birding wetlands, and the Sundarbans mangroves hold a tiger population found nowhere else on earth.

When Is the Best Time for a Tiger Safari in India?

The counter-intuitive answer is the hot months. Most core zones close during the monsoon, roughly July to September, and reopen in October. From October to March the weather is comfortable and the parks look their best, but the forest is green and water is everywhere, so tigers have no reason to show themselves.

From March to June the temperature climbs steeply and the waterholes shrink, which concentrates wildlife and pushes sighting rates up sharply. May and June can be genuinely punishing in Rajasthan and central India, so the usual compromise is late March and April, when the odds have improved but the heat is still manageable.

Which of India’s Regions Should Your Itinerary Cover?

India spans five climate zones and several distinct cultural worlds, so almost no itinerary covers all of it. These are the four regions our clients build around, and most journeys combine two.

What Should You See in Delhi, Agra, Varanasi & Mumbai?

Delhi is sprinkled with captivating ancient monuments and magnificent museums, and is steeped in a glorious but turbulent history. It provides an intoxicating mix of the ancient and the modern, and makes an ideal base at either end of your journey. The city comes in two parts: Old Delhi, the Muslim capital of India, a walled city of narrow alleys, mosques, temples and bazaars dating to the twelfth century; and New Delhi, created in 1911 as the British capital, with its grand Lutyens-designed government buildings, the majestic India Gate memorial and the thriving hub of Connaught Circus. Agra holds the Taj Mahal, Varanasi the rituals of the Ganges, and Mumbai the country’s commercial and cultural energy.

Why Include Kerala & Southern India in Your Itinerary?

From the peaceful palm-fringed backwaters of Kerala to the stunning temples of Tamil Nadu, southern India is serenely beautiful and suits a slower pace. Beaches and backwaters, temples and tigers, spice plantations and sleepy fishing villages await in this tropical corner, so different from the mayhem of the north. Delicate, fragrant and idyllic, the south tends to work best as the final leg of a journey, once the intensity of Rajasthan and Delhi is behind you.

What Makes a North India Tour Different From the Rest of the Country?

The Himalayas are the world’s highest and mightiest mountains. Many of the subcontinent’s great rivers, among them the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Indus, flow from these summits and have brought life to the lowlands since time immemorial. The geographic diversity here encompasses high-altitude pastures, verdant forested valleys, turquoise lakes and a kaleidoscope of flora and fauna. These isolated snow-capped peaks are a world away from the madding crowds for which India is famed, which is why a north India tour suits the intrepid traveller in particular. Note that the seasons invert here: Ladakh and the high passes are open in the summer months when the plains are at their most oppressive.

Why Is Rajasthan the Heart of Luxury India Tours?

Rajasthan captivates with its imposing forts, striking temples, vibrant colours and rich cultural heritage. Despite being a desert state, it holds a wealth of rural towns and villages alongside some of India’s most iconic cities: Udaipur, known as the Venice of the East and long practised in the art of hosting travellers well; Jaipur the Pink City; Jodhpur the Blue City; and the desert outposts of Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Rajasthan is also where the palace hotels are concentrated, and where Ranthambore brings tigers within reach of a cultural itinerary.

What Are the Unforgettable Experiences on Luxury India Tours?

Why Is the Taj Mahal the Centrepiece of Most Luxury India Tours?

The magnificent white marble mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and stands as a monument to undying love and devotion. The shimmering, picture-perfect building is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is widely recognised as the jewel of Muslim art in India. Few words do it justice. It is simply one of the most universally admired masterpieces on earth, and it is worth timing your visit for sunrise, when the marble shifts colour and the crowds are thinnest.

What Is It Like to Ride a Rickshaw Through Chandni Chowk?

Chandni Chowk, or Silver Street, is the colourful main thoroughfare and principal bazaar of Old Delhi. It runs through the middle of the walled city, from the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid, and is one of the oldest and busiest markets in the capital. It is remarkably varied, offering authentic Indian delicacies, saris, books, leather goods and silver. The best way to take in the exhilarating frenzy is by rickshaw, at street level and at the pace of the crowd.

What Happens on a Kerala Backwaters Houseboat Journey?

Cruising the tranquil channels of Kerala’s backwaters immerses you in the rustic village life of the region’s countryside. Traditional houseboats called kettuvallams are built from jackfruit wood and hand-stitched with coconut fibre, which suits the simple beauty of the journey perfectly. You pass local boats and small villages, stopping to visit temples, watch martial dance displays, wander bustling markets, or simply relax on the sunny deck with a book and the birdsong.

What Wildlife Can You See in Periyar Tiger Reserve?

Periyar is southern India’s most popular wildlife area, a large reserve of verdant rolling hills, dense jungle, marshland and open lakes that can be explored by vehicle or by boat. It is above all an elephant destination, and herds gathering at the lake edge are the reserve’s signature sight. Tigers are present but genuinely elusive here, so travellers for whom a tiger sighting is the priority should head to Ranthambore or the Madhya Pradesh reserves instead. Periyar rewards the broader naturalist: leopard, bison, deer, otter, wild boar and more than 320 bird species. Despite its popularity, its sheer size means it rarely feels crowded.

Where Can You Ride Bactrian Camels in the Indian Himalaya?

In the Hunder Desert in Ladakh, the famous sand dunes of Deskit feel more reminiscent of the Sahara than the Tibetan plateau, and they come complete with a resident population of double-humped Bactrian camels. These shaggy creatures have plodded this ground for thousands of years, since the days of the silk road to central Asia. The scenery in this high-altitude desert is extraordinary: golden dunes, trickling rivers, snow-capped mountains and bright blue skies. You will be far off the beaten track, and you will come back with stories.

Is White Water Rafting on the Zanskar River Worth Adding to a North India Tour?

Ladakh is an untamed wilderness crying out to be explored. This starkly beautiful and remote corner of the Himalaya holds sky-piercing mountains, gushing rivers, deep canyons and vibrant landscapes. Keen adventurers can take to the Zanskar in a raft and run its canyons and gorges, passing the monasteries of Leh and their fluttering prayer flags while negotiating the rapids. For anyone building an active north India tour, it is the standout half-day.

What Is It Like to Experience Holi in India?

The colour, mess and madness of Holi is a once in a lifetime spectacle. Celebrated all over India, Holi marks rebirth and the arrival of spring, symbolically banishing winter and rejoicing in the joy of life. Coloured water and powdered paint are thrown at friends and family with joyful abandon, and cities, towns and tiny rural villages alike explode with music and dancing as locals and visitors join in together. It falls in February or March depending on the lunar calendar, so itineraries need to be built around the date rather than the reverse.

Why Is Jodhpur Called the Blue City?

Jodhpur stands at the entrance to the Thar Desert as a vibrant spread of blue, contrasting starkly with the surrounding dusty ochre and red sandstone. The vivid colour, traditionally associated with the city’s Brahmin households and still maintained across the old town, provides a photogenic backdrop to everyday Rajasthani life, best appreciated on foot in the lanes below the Mehrangarh Fort.

When Is the Pushkar Camel Fair & What Happens There?

Rajasthan’s most famous festival is held each year in the Hindu lunar month of Kartika, falling in October or November, and it ranks among India’s great travel experiences. The five-day fair is a spectacle on an epic scale, drawing thousands of people along with tens of thousands of camels, horses and cattle for one of the last great traditional melas. A camel race opens the festival, followed by music, a longest-moustache competition and an exhibition cricket match.