Worldwide Escorted Tours

Day 1: UK to Nagpur Depart the UK on your overnight flight to Nagpur. Day 2: Nagpur to Pench National Park L/D On arrival in Nagpur, you will be met by your local guide and transferred north to Pench National Park. During a pleasant drive of around two hours, look out for a variety of Indian birds en route, including black kites, laughing and spotted doves, rose-ringed parakeets, little swifts, little green bee-eaters and black drongos, you may also see cheeky rhesus macaque monkeys along the road. Arriving at the jungle camp late morning, you’ll have some time to relax after the long flight and to enjoy lunch, before departing mid-afternoon for your first safari and opportunity for a tiger encounter! If you’d prefer some more time to recuperate after your flight, you can skip any safari and relax in the stunning surroundings of your jungle camp. Pench National Park is a rugged landscape of almost 2000 square kilometres, marked by the Pench River and cloaked in deciduous forest. gaur, wild boar, common langur, sambar and spotted and barking deer are all common here. Dhole, sloth bears and leopards are also present, though less rarely seen, as they avoid tigers. Return to the camp for dinner. Day 3: Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve B/L/D Wake early for a sunrise safari into the park and another opportunity to discover the wildlife and tigers that call the area home. Return for an early lunch and time to relax until mid-afternoon, possibly to explore the grounds with their resident birds and mammals, or maybe even for a siesta. Rejoin the group for your final afternoon safari in Pench. Day 4-7: Kanha National Park B/L/D Join an early morning safari before departing Pench National Park for a drive across the scenic Vindhya Hills to Kanha National Park. The Kanha Tiger Reserve is one the largest in India, covering almost a thousand square kilometres of varied habitat on a plateau in the Maikal Range and made up of hills, undulating grasslands, and clumps of bamboo and Sal forest. The hills are coated in deciduous forest, and small pools and lakes provide year-round watering holes for the animals. The reserve is most famous for swamp deer which have been driven almost to extinction and may exist nowhere else. The wide meadows and grasslands make this an ideal location for tiger viewing, and it is also home to sambar, muntjac, spotted deer, rhesus monkeys, common langurs, gaur, wild boar and Asiatic jackals. Dhole, sloth bears, leopards and chousingha and Buckland antelopes are also present, though they are harder to see. After you check in at your accommodation, enjoy an afternoon safari for another chance to spot the incredible wildlife within Kanha National Park. After you check in at your accommodation, enjoy a natural walk with the Kanha Reserve Naturalist. Day 8: Kanha National Park to Nagpur B/L/D Enjoy an early morning birdwatching stroll around the lodge, or have a lie-in and relaxing morning, before leaving Kanha late morning for the drive to Nagpur. Check into your hotel for your last night before an early morning flight. Day 9: Nagpur to the UK B Transfer to Nagpur Airport for your return flight to the UK, or continue on to your chosen extension. What you’ll see  Explore the vast forests and meadows of Kanha National Park home to around 125 tigers  Witness an incredible variety of birdlife  See Wild Boar, Common Langurs, Swamp Deer, Rhesus Monkeys, rarer Dhole and Asiatic Jackals  Seek out wildlife in Pench National Park An in-depth tour into Madhya Pradesh – the undisputed tiger heartland in India – spending time at two of the finest reserves in the country, exploring a wide range of habitats and seeking India’s most iconic animals and colourful birdlife. What’s included ✔ Return flights Heathrow to India with Virgin Atlantic. See p130-131 for regional flights ✔ Where you’ll stay 4 H Pench Jungle Camp, Turia Gate 4 H Kanha Jungle Camp, Mukki Gate Nagpur, 5 H Radisson Blu Hotel Nagpur ✔ 21 meals ✔ 12 excursions ✔ Expert local tour guide Tour pace: Intermediate Taj Mahal India’s Tigers and Wildlife THIS TOUR EXPLORE Join up to eleven safaris Departures & from prices Jun 24 £2,499 Mar 25 £2,499 Sep 24 £2,599 Apr 25 £2,299 Oct 24 £2,999 May 25 £2,099 Nov 24 £2,799 Jun 25 £2,399 Dec 24 £2,799 Sep 25 £2,699 Jan 25 £2,799 Oct 25 £2,899 Feb 25 £2,699 Nov 25 £2,899 • Lead-in price based on 11 May 25 • A single supplement starts from just £489 • Tipping paid locally £45 pp per tour Extend your tour Delhi and the Taj Mahal, 3 nights from £449 India’s Golden Triangle, 6 nights from £549 Includes: Private vehicle & driver/guide or driver and local guides; return flights; accommodation, meals & excursions as per Group Tour PRIVATE TOURING FROM ONLY AN EXTRA £999 PP • AVAILABLE DAILY • 18  Central Asia, India & Sri Lanka Hundreds of escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk