Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Photo Tour
2016
February 24-March 2, 2016
A Special Mini-Photo Tour for Photographers with limited time
Or
For Photographers on our Snow Leopard Expedition
Or
For Photographers joining us on our Tigers and the Wildlife
of India Photo Tour who wish to maximize their time ad
their Tiger photography opportunities
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the three or four best parks in India, indeed the world, for finding Tigers. It may be the best, and is the best, in our opinion at least. This special Photo Tour is designed to maximize your time and chances of seeing and photographing Tigers, especially for those participants 
who will be finishing our special Snow Leopards in the Wild Photo Expedition, or who may be continuing on with us for Gir Lions and the Desert Wildlife of Western India, or our Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour that will follow. For some, this may give you two different times to be in Bandhavgarh! A great opportunity.
There are probably fewer than 3,200 wild Tigers still surviving in the wild, making it the most endangered of all the Big Cats. In contrast, the now endangered African Lion still numbers around 25,000 individuals, although that is down from 100,000 just thirty years ago. Sad and depressing facts.
Nonetheless, great Tiger photographic opportunities are available in the parks we visit, and for this special tour we're concentrating our time and your's in the best, Bandhavgarh. We'll be doing two game drives each day, at dawn and in the late afternoon, with only TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS per vehicle. The Gypsy Jeeps that are typically used on Indian game drives are small, yet many groups cram four or more people into these 
vehicles. You will have an entire row to yourself, and your vehicle, unlike virtually every other vehicle you'll see, will have side rails to accommodate resting a Molar Bag or similar bean bag support upon the rails.
Bandhavgarh is divided into three Tourist sections, called Jons, and we will be purchasing our entry permits long before the trip, dividing our time between the three sections in a fashion that reflects what, at the time of booking and via the best advice and estimation of our ground operators, our the best locations to spend our time. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to buy an All-Day Park Permit, that allows you to stay inside the park all day, and to enter earlier,and to leave the park later. In our 2015 Trip Report I provide my opinion on the pros and cons of spending that extra cash and we'll be happy to discuss that option with anyone interested.
In addition to Tigers, Bandhavgarh has a wealth of other subjects to photograph. These include elk-like Sambar Deer, the common Spotted Deer or Chital, bison-like Gaur, Barking Deer, Asiatic Wild Hog, Langur and Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, and occasionally Sloth Bears and Asiatic Leopards. There are a variety of birds as well, including several species of Stork, White-eyed Buzzards, Crested Serpent Eagles, three species of Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Owls, Plovers, Nightjars, Bulbuls, and many more. We always encourage everyone to photograph all of the wildlife within the parks and not just pursue Tigers, and there are plenty of options in Bandhavgarh.
One of the truly special features of all of our Photo Safaris and Tours is our rotation policy. In contrast to many, we rotate all 
of our participants through the various jeeps to insure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the experiences of the drivers (the guides that accompany us are assigned by the Park and we have little control) and that everyone has an equal amount of time shooting with Mary and Joe. This last point is important to us, as we feel that we can give everyone the best guidance and help, and hopefully you'll make your best images when you are with either of us. You won't be stuck in one vehicle with the same people (another participant or the same driver), although at the time of registration, if two people are traveling together and wish to remain together we will accommodate that request
To sum up, this special Mini-Photo Tour offers:
9 Game Drives in Bandhavgarh (Wednesday afternoon all Indian Parks are closed).
Two Photographers per vehicle.
Side-braces for resting your Lenses.
Rotation of All photographers.
Opportunity to continue on to Gir and Western India.
The Following is the Day-to-Day Itinerary
24th Feb Arrive Delhi
Meeting assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel
25th Feb Delhi – Khajuraho –Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board flight for Khajuraho
Flight leaves Delhi at 1010 and arrives Khajuraho at 1255 hrs.
Arrive Khajuraho and transfer to the lodge (5 hrs. drive) by passing through the villages and countryside of Madhya Pradesh
Upon arrival check in to the lodge
Dinner and rest of the evening is at leisure.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Bandhavgarh National Park: Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 sq. miles of Sal & a mixed forest of bamboo, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests. There are at least 150 species of birds in the park, along with other mammals such as Tigers, Sloth Bear, Langur Monkeys, Wild Boar, Mongoose, 3 Kinds Of Deer - Chital, Sambar And Barking, to name a few.
26th Feb – 1st March Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
Early morning wake-up call with a knock on your room door and Tea/Coffee.
You will wake up to misty mornings and sounds of birds calling, which will make an exciting start to your day. As soon as dawn breaks, leave for your Jungle Safari, accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guides in 4x 4 Jeeps.
Lunch and afternoon safari by 4x4 jeep accompanied by resident naturalist and forest guide Return to lodge for evening tea and rest of time free to relax.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
2nd March Bandhavgarh – Mumbai/Delhi (B & L)
After breakfast drive to either Jabalpur or Khajuraho airport to board the flight for Mumbai or Delhi. For those doing the Western India Safari, we will fly out of Jabalpur. For those going back to Delhi, the departure city will depend on how many people are flying back to Delhi.
FOR MUMBAI: (Jabalpur –Mumbai)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1005 and arrives Mumbai at 1215 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Jabalpur –Delhi)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1420 and arrives Delhi at 1540 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Khajuraho – Delhi)
Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1325 and arrives Delhi at 1620 hrs.
OR Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1520 and arrives Delhi at 1805 hrs.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, you will be transferred to the hotel overnight stay in Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to the hotel for wash and change followed by transfer to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight back home or for an overnight at the same hotel.
Price: USD $4195.00, based on double occupancy
Maximum: 8 participants with a surcharge for fewer than 6
Single supplement: USD $555.00
The trip price includes:
- One group transfer to/from airport at the time of arrival and departure for the trip
- Meeting/assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport and during check in/out of major hotels during the course of the trip
- Accommodation on double / twin sharing basis at hotels and lodges mentioned above
- All lodging beginning with the night of February 24 and concluding with an overnight/dayroom on March 2
- 1 night at the Radisson Blu (Superior Room)
- 6 nights at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
- 1 night at The Leela Hotel in Mumbai
- OR 1night/dayroom at the Radisson Blu in Delhi
- All meals beginning with breakfast on February 25 and ending with lunch on March 2 as indicated with B, L or D. This also includes morning and evening tea at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.
- Services of Air Conditioned Coach for airport transfers in Mumbai / Delhi & Services of air Conditioned Toyota Innovas for drives between Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur /Khajuraho sectors depending up the number of guests for smooth and faster driving experience on country side road
- Round trip airfare from Delhi/Khajuraho and from either Jabalpur/Mumbai or Jabalpur (Khajuraho)/Delhi
- The cost of the airfare is based on current airfare prices. A price increase is possible between now and the purchase of the group’s airfare.
- In Bandhavgarh NP: Jeep Safaris (sits 2 in a jeep) - as mentioned in itinerary inclusive of entry fee to park, resident English speaking guide/naturalist at park
- Still camera fee per person per day (Non-professional)**
- Mineral water during meals, game drives and available in vehicle during drives/sightseeing
- Gratuities for local guides, transfer personnel, park guides/drivers, park naturalists
3.50% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill.
The trip price DOES NOT include:
- International airfare to India
- Trip cancellation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance: Mandatory for all international trips
- Indian Visa
- Overweight or excessive luggage fees on domestic flights
- Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
- Any meal other than what is specified above or anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tabled drinks, camera fee, laundry, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks.
This tour will be preceded by one optional Pre-Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild -
February, 2016
This Tour will be followed by:
The Lions of Gir and the Desert Wildlife of Western India
Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Tigers of Tadoba
About Your Leaders
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Photo Tour
2016
February 24-March 2, 2016
A Special Mini-Photo Tour for Photographers with limited time
Or
For Photographers on our Snow Leopard Expedition
Or
For Photographers joining us on our Tigers and the Wildlife
of India Photo Tour who wish to maximize their time ad
their Tiger photography opportunities
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the three or four best parks in India, indeed the world, for finding Tigers. It may be the best, and is the best, in our opinion at least. This special Photo Tour is designed to maximize your time and chances of seeing and photographing Tigers, especially for those participants who will be finishing our special Snow Leopards in the Wild Photo Expedition, or who may be continuing on with us for Gir Lions and the Desert Wildlife of Western India, or our Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour that will follow. For some, this may give you two different times to be in Bandhavgarh! A great opportunity.
There are probably fewer than 3,200 wild Tigers still surviving in the wild, making it the most endangered of all the Big Cats. In contrast, the now endangered African Lion still numbers around 25,000 individuals, although that is down from 100,000 just thirty years ago. Sad and depressing facts.
Nonetheless, great Tiger photographic opportunities are available in the parks we visit, and for this special tour we're concentrating our time and your's in the best, Bandhavgarh. We'll be doing two game drives each day, at dawn and in the late afternoon, with only TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS per vehicle. The Gypsy Jeeps that are typically used on Indian game drives are small, yet many groups cram four or more people into these vehicles. You will have an entire row to yourself, and your vehicle, unlike virtually every other vehicle you'll see, will have side rails to accommodate resting a Molar Bag or similar bean bag support upon the rails.
Bandhavgarh is divided into three Tourist sections, called Jons, and we will be purchasing our entry permits long before the trip, dividing our time between the three sections in a fashion that reflects what, at the time of booking and via the best advice and estimation of our ground operators, our the best locations to spend our time. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to buy an All-Day Park Permit, that allows you to stay inside the park all day, and to enter earlier,and to leave the park later. In our 2015 Trip Report I provide my opinion on the pros and cons of spending that extra cash and we'll be happy to discuss that option with anyone interested.
In addition to Tigers, Bandhavgarh has a wealth of other subjects to photograph. These include elk-like Sambar Deer, the common Spotted Deer or Chital, bison-like Gaur, Barking Deer, Asiatic Wild Hog, Langur and Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, and occasionally Sloth Bears and Asiatic Leopards. There are a variety of birds as well, including several species of Stork, White-eyed Buzzards, Crested Serpent Eagles, three species of Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Owls, Plovers, Nightjars, Bulbuls, and many more. We always encourage everyone to photograph all of the wildlife within the parks and not just pursue Tigers, and there are plenty of options in Bandhavgarh.
One of the truly special features of all of our Photo Safaris and Tours is our rotation policy. In contrast to many, we rotate all of our participants through the various jeeps to insure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the experiences of the drivers (the guides that accompany us are assigned by the Park and we have little control) and that everyone has an equal amount of time shooting with Mary and Joe. This last point is important to us, as we feel that we can give everyone the best guidance and help, and hopefully you'll make your best images when you are with either of us. You won't be stuck in one vehicle with the same people (another participant or the same driver), although at the time of registration, if two people are traveling together and wish to remain together we will accommodate that request
To sum up, this special Mini-Photo Tour offers:
9 Game Drives in Bandhavgarh (Wednesday afternoon all Indian Parks are closed).
Two Photographers per vehicle.
Side-braces for resting your Lenses.
Rotation of All photographers.
Opportunity to continue on to Gir and Western India.
The Following is the Day-to-Day Itinerary
24th Feb Arrive Delhi
Meeting assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel
25th Feb Delhi – Khajuraho –Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board flight for Khajuraho
Flight leaves Delhi at 1010 and arrives Khajuraho at 1255 hrs.
Arrive Khajuraho and transfer to the lodge (5 hrs. drive) by passing through the villages and countryside of Madhya Pradesh
Upon arrival check in to the lodge
Dinner and rest of the evening is at leisure.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Bandhavgarh National Park: Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 sq. miles of Sal & a mixed forest of bamboo, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests. There are at least 150 species of birds in the park, along with other mammals such as Tigers, Sloth Bear, Langur Monkeys, Wild Boar, Mongoose, 3 Kinds Of Deer - Chital, Sambar And Barking, to name a few.
26th Feb – 1st March Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
Early morning wake-up call with a knock on your room door and Tea/Coffee.
You will wake up to misty mornings and sounds of birds calling, which will make an exciting start to your day. As soon as dawn breaks, leave for your Jungle Safari, accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guides in 4x 4 Jeeps.
Lunch and afternoon safari by 4x4 jeep accompanied by resident naturalist and forest guide Return to lodge for evening tea and rest of time free to relax.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
2nd March Bandhavgarh – Mumbai/Delhi (B & L)
After breakfast drive to either Jabalpur or Khajuraho airport to board the flight for Mumbai or Delhi. For those doing the Western India Safari, we will fly out of Jabalpur. For those going back to Delhi, the departure city will depend on how many people are flying back to Delhi.
FOR MUMBAI: (Jabalpur –Mumbai)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1005 and arrives Mumbai at 1215 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Jabalpur –Delhi)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1420 and arrives Delhi at 1540 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Khajuraho – Delhi)
Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1325 and arrives Delhi at 1620 hrs.
OR Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1520 and arrives Delhi at 1805 hrs.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, you will be transferred to the hotel overnight stay in Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to the hotel for wash and change followed by transfer to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight back home or for an overnight at the same hotel.
Price: USD $4195.00, based on double occupancy
Maximum: 8 participants with a surcharge for fewer than 6
Single supplement: USD $555.00
The trip price includes:
- One group transfer to/from airport at the time of arrival and departure for the trip
- Meeting/assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport and during check in/out of major hotels during the course of the trip
- Accommodation on double / twin sharing basis at hotels and lodges mentioned above
- All lodging beginning with the night of February 24 and concluding with an overnight/dayroom on March 2
- 1 night at the Radisson Blu (Superior Room)
- 6 nights at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
- 1 night at The Leela Hotel in Mumbai
- OR 1night/dayroom at the Radisson Blu in Delhi
- All meals beginning with breakfast on February 25 and ending with lunch on March 2 as indicated with B, L or D. This also includes morning and evening tea at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.
- Services of Air Conditioned Coach for airport transfers in Mumbai / Delhi & Services of air Conditioned Toyota Innovas for drives between Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur /Khajuraho sectors depending up the number of guests for smooth and faster driving experience on country side road
- Round trip airfare from Delhi/Khajuraho and from either Jabalpur/Mumbai or Jabalpur (Khajuraho)/Delhi
- The cost of the airfare is based on current airfare prices. A price increase is possible between now and the purchase of the group’s airfare.
- In Bandhavgarh NP: Jeep Safaris (sits 2 in a jeep) - as mentioned in itinerary inclusive of entry fee to park, resident English speaking guide/naturalist at park
- Still camera fee per person per day (Non-professional)**
- Mineral water during meals, game drives and available in vehicle during drives/sightseeing
- Gratuities for local guides, transfer personnel, park guides/drivers, park naturalists
3.50% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill.
The trip price DOES NOT include:
- International airfare to India
- Trip cancellation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance: Mandatory for all international trips
- Indian Visa
- Overweight or excessive luggage fees on domestic flights
- Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
- Any meal other than what is specified above or anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tabled drinks, camera fee, laundry, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks.
This tour will be preceded by one optional Pre-Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild -
February, 2016
This Tour will be followed by:
The Lions of Gir and the Desert Wildlife of Western India
Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Tigers of Tadoba
About Your Leaders
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Photo Tour
2016
February 24-March 2, 2016
A Special Mini-Photo Tour for Photographers with limited time
Or
For Photographers on our Snow Leopard Expedition
Or
For Photographers joining us on our Tigers and the Wildlife
of India Photo Tour who wish to maximize their time ad
their Tiger photography opportunities
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the three or four best parks in India, indeed the world, for finding Tigers. It may be the best, and is the best, in our opinion at least. This special Photo Tour is designed to maximize your time and chances of seeing and photographing Tigers, especially for those participants who will be finishing our special Snow Leopards in the Wild Photo Expedition, or who may be continuing on with us for Gir Lions and the Desert Wildlife of Western India, or our Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour that will follow. For some, this may give you two different times to be in Bandhavgarh! A great opportunity.
There are probably fewer than 3,200 wild Tigers still surviving in the wild, making it the most endangered of all the Big Cats. In contrast, the now endangered African Lion still numbers around 25,000 individuals, although that is down from 100,000 just thirty years ago. Sad and depressing facts.
Nonetheless, great Tiger photographic opportunities are available in the parks we visit, and for this special tour we're concentrating our time and your's in the best, Bandhavgarh. We'll be doing two game drives each day, at dawn and in the late afternoon, with only TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS per vehicle. The Gypsy Jeeps that are typically used on Indian game drives are small, yet many groups cram four or more people into these vehicles. You will have an entire row to yourself, and your vehicle, unlike virtually every other vehicle you'll see, will have side rails to accommodate resting a Molar Bag or similar bean bag support upon the rails.
Bandhavgarh is divided into three Tourist sections, called Jons, and we will be purchasing our entry permits long before the trip, dividing our time between the three sections in a fashion that reflects what, at the time of booking and via the best advice and estimation of our ground operators, our the best locations to spend our time. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to buy an All-Day Park Permit, that allows you to stay inside the park all day, and to enter earlier,and to leave the park later. In our 2015 Trip Report I provide my opinion on the pros and cons of spending that extra cash and we'll be happy to discuss that option with anyone interested.
In addition to Tigers, Bandhavgarh has a wealth of other subjects to photograph. These include elk-like Sambar Deer, the common Spotted Deer or Chital, bison-like Gaur, Barking Deer, Asiatic Wild Hog, Langur and Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, and occasionally Sloth Bears and Asiatic Leopards. There are a variety of birds as well, including several species of Stork, White-eyed Buzzards, Crested Serpent Eagles, three species of Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Owls, Plovers, Nightjars, Bulbuls, and many more. We always encourage everyone to photograph all of the wildlife within the parks and not just pursue Tigers, and there are plenty of options in Bandhavgarh.
One of the truly special features of all of our Photo Safaris and Tours is our rotation policy. In contrast to many, we rotate all of our participants through the various jeeps to insure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the experiences of the drivers (the guides that accompany us are assigned by the Park and we have little control) and that everyone has an equal amount of time shooting with Mary and Joe. This last point is important to us, as we feel that we can give everyone the best guidance and help, and hopefully you'll make your best images when you are with either of us. You won't be stuck in one vehicle with the same people (another participant or the same driver), although at the time of registration, if two people are traveling together and wish to remain together we will accommodate that request
To sum up, this special Mini-Photo Tour offers:
9 Game Drives in Bandhavgarh (Wednesday afternoon all Indian Parks are closed).
Two Photographers per vehicle.
Side-braces for resting your Lenses.
Rotation of All photographers.
Opportunity to continue on to Gir and Western India.
The Following is the Day-to-Day Itinerary
24th Feb Arrive Delhi
Meeting assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel
25th Feb Delhi – Khajuraho –Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board flight for Khajuraho
Flight leaves Delhi at 1010 and arrives Khajuraho at 1255 hrs.
Arrive Khajuraho and transfer to the lodge (5 hrs. drive) by passing through the villages and countryside of Madhya Pradesh
Upon arrival check in to the lodge
Dinner and rest of the evening is at leisure.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Bandhavgarh National Park: Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 sq. miles of Sal & a mixed forest of bamboo, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests. There are at least 150 species of birds in the park, along with other mammals such as Tigers, Sloth Bear, Langur Monkeys, Wild Boar, Mongoose, 3 Kinds Of Deer - Chital, Sambar And Barking, to name a few.
26th Feb – 1st March Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
Early morning wake-up call with a knock on your room door and Tea/Coffee.
You will wake up to misty mornings and sounds of birds calling, which will make an exciting start to your day. As soon as dawn breaks, leave for your Jungle Safari, accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guides in 4x 4 Jeeps.
Lunch and afternoon safari by 4x4 jeep accompanied by resident naturalist and forest guide Return to lodge for evening tea and rest of time free to relax.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
2nd March Bandhavgarh – Mumbai/Delhi (B & L)
After breakfast drive to either Jabalpur or Khajuraho airport to board the flight for Mumbai or Delhi. For those doing the Western India Safari, we will fly out of Jabalpur. For those going back to Delhi, the departure city will depend on how many people are flying back to Delhi.
FOR MUMBAI: (Jabalpur –Mumbai)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1005 and arrives Mumbai at 1215 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Jabalpur –Delhi)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1420 and arrives Delhi at 1540 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Khajuraho – Delhi)
Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1325 and arrives Delhi at 1620 hrs.
OR Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1520 and arrives Delhi at 1805 hrs.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, you will be transferred to the hotel overnight stay in Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to the hotel for wash and change followed by transfer to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight back home or for an overnight at the same hotel.
Price: USD $4195.00, based on double occupancy
Maximum: 8 participants with a surcharge for fewer than 6
Single supplement: USD $555.00
The trip price includes:
- One group transfer to/from airport at the time of arrival and departure for the trip
- Meeting/assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport and during check in/out of major hotels during the course of the trip
- Accommodation on double / twin sharing basis at hotels and lodges mentioned above
- All lodging beginning with the night of February 24 and concluding with an overnight/dayroom on March 2
- 1 night at the Radisson Blu (Superior Room)
- 6 nights at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
- 1 night at The Leela Hotel in Mumbai
- OR 1night/dayroom at the Radisson Blu in Delhi
- All meals beginning with breakfast on February 25 and ending with lunch on March 2 as indicated with B, L or D. This also includes morning and evening tea at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.
- Services of Air Conditioned Coach for airport transfers in Mumbai / Delhi & Services of air Conditioned Toyota Innovas for drives between Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur /Khajuraho sectors depending up the number of guests for smooth and faster driving experience on country side road
- Round trip airfare from Delhi/Khajuraho and from either Jabalpur/Mumbai or Jabalpur (Khajuraho)/Delhi
- The cost of the airfare is based on current airfare prices. A price increase is possible between now and the purchase of the group’s airfare.
- In Bandhavgarh NP: Jeep Safaris (sits 2 in a jeep) - as mentioned in itinerary inclusive of entry fee to park, resident English speaking guide/naturalist at park
- Still camera fee per person per day (Non-professional)**
- Mineral water during meals, game drives and available in vehicle during drives/sightseeing
- Gratuities for local guides, transfer personnel, park guides/drivers, park naturalists
3.50% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill.
The trip price DOES NOT include:
- International airfare to India
- Trip cancellation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance: Mandatory for all international trips
- Indian Visa
- Overweight or excessive luggage fees on domestic flights
- Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
- Any meal other than what is specified above or anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tabled drinks, camera fee, laundry, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks.
This tour will be preceded by one optional Pre-Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild -
February, 2016
This Tour will be followed by:
The Lions of Gir and the Desert Wildlife of Western India
Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Tigers of Tadoba
About Your Leaders
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Photo Tour
2016
February 24-March 2, 2016
A Special Mini-Photo Tour for Photographers with limited time
Or
For Photographers on our Snow Leopard Expedition
Or
For Photographers joining us on our Tigers and the Wildlife
of India Photo Tour who wish to maximize their time ad
their Tiger photography opportunities
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the three or four best parks in India, indeed the world, for finding Tigers. It may be the best, and is the best, in our opinion at least. This special Photo Tour is designed to maximize your time and chances of seeing and photographing Tigers, especially for those participants who will be finishing our special Snow Leopards in the Wild Photo Expedition, or who may be continuing on with us for Gir Lions and the Desert Wildlife of Western India, or our Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour that will follow. For some, this may give you two different times to be in Bandhavgarh! A great opportunity.
There are probably fewer than 3,200 wild Tigers still surviving in the wild, making it the most endangered of all the Big Cats. In contrast, the now endangered African Lion still numbers around 25,000 individuals, although that is down from 100,000 just thirty years ago. Sad and depressing facts.
Nonetheless, great Tiger photographic opportunities are available in the parks we visit, and for this special tour we're concentrating our time and your's in the best, Bandhavgarh. We'll be doing two game drives each day, at dawn and in the late afternoon, with only TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS per vehicle. The Gypsy Jeeps that are typically used on Indian game drives are small, yet many groups cram four or more people into these vehicles. You will have an entire row to yourself, and your vehicle, unlike virtually every other vehicle you'll see, will have side rails to accommodate resting a Molar Bag or similar bean bag support upon the rails.
Bandhavgarh is divided into three Tourist sections, called Jons, and we will be purchasing our entry permits long before the trip, dividing our time between the three sections in a fashion that reflects what, at the time of booking and via the best advice and estimation of our ground operators, our the best locations to spend our time. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to buy an All-Day Park Permit, that allows you to stay inside the park all day, and to enter earlier,and to leave the park later. In our 2015 Trip Report I provide my opinion on the pros and cons of spending that extra cash and we'll be happy to discuss that option with anyone interested.
In addition to Tigers, Bandhavgarh has a wealth of other subjects to photograph. These include elk-like Sambar Deer, the common Spotted Deer or Chital, bison-like Gaur, Barking Deer, Asiatic Wild Hog, Langur and Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, and occasionally Sloth Bears and Asiatic Leopards. There are a variety of birds as well, including several species of Stork, White-eyed Buzzards, Crested Serpent Eagles, three species of Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Owls, Plovers, Nightjars, Bulbuls, and many more. We always encourage everyone to photograph all of the wildlife within the parks and not just pursue Tigers, and there are plenty of options in Bandhavgarh.
One of the truly special features of all of our Photo Safaris and Tours is our rotation policy. In contrast to many, we rotate all of our participants through the various jeeps to insure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the experiences of the drivers (the guides that accompany us are assigned by the Park and we have little control) and that everyone has an equal amount of time shooting with Mary and Joe. This last point is important to us, as we feel that we can give everyone the best guidance and help, and hopefully you'll make your best images when you are with either of us. You won't be stuck in one vehicle with the same people (another participant or the same driver), although at the time of registration, if two people are traveling together and wish to remain together we will accommodate that request
To sum up, this special Mini-Photo Tour offers:
9 Game Drives in Bandhavgarh (Wednesday afternoon all Indian Parks are closed).
Two Photographers per vehicle.
Side-braces for resting your Lenses.
Rotation of All photographers.
Opportunity to continue on to Gir and Western India.
The Following is the Day-to-Day Itinerary
24th Feb Arrive Delhi
Meeting assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel
25th Feb Delhi – Khajuraho –Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board flight for Khajuraho
Flight leaves Delhi at 1010 and arrives Khajuraho at 1255 hrs.
Arrive Khajuraho and transfer to the lodge (5 hrs. drive) by passing through the villages and countryside of Madhya Pradesh
Upon arrival check in to the lodge
Dinner and rest of the evening is at leisure.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Bandhavgarh National Park: Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 sq. miles of Sal & a mixed forest of bamboo, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests. There are at least 150 species of birds in the park, along with other mammals such as Tigers, Sloth Bear, Langur Monkeys, Wild Boar, Mongoose, 3 Kinds Of Deer - Chital, Sambar And Barking, to name a few.
26th Feb – 1st March Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
Early morning wake-up call with a knock on your room door and Tea/Coffee.
You will wake up to misty mornings and sounds of birds calling, which will make an exciting start to your day. As soon as dawn breaks, leave for your Jungle Safari, accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guides in 4x 4 Jeeps.
Lunch and afternoon safari by 4x4 jeep accompanied by resident naturalist and forest guide Return to lodge for evening tea and rest of time free to relax.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
2nd March Bandhavgarh – Mumbai/Delhi (B & L)
After breakfast drive to either Jabalpur or Khajuraho airport to board the flight for Mumbai or Delhi. For those doing the Western India Safari, we will fly out of Jabalpur. For those going back to Delhi, the departure city will depend on how many people are flying back to Delhi.
FOR MUMBAI: (Jabalpur –Mumbai)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1005 and arrives Mumbai at 1215 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Jabalpur –Delhi)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1420 and arrives Delhi at 1540 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Khajuraho – Delhi)
Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1325 and arrives Delhi at 1620 hrs.
OR Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1520 and arrives Delhi at 1805 hrs.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, you will be transferred to the hotel overnight stay in Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to the hotel for wash and change followed by transfer to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight back home or for an overnight at the same hotel.
Price: USD $4195.00, based on double occupancy
Maximum: 8 participants with a surcharge for fewer than 6
Single supplement: USD $555.00
The trip price includes:
- One group transfer to/from airport at the time of arrival and departure for the trip
- Meeting/assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport and during check in/out of major hotels during the course of the trip
- Accommodation on double / twin sharing basis at hotels and lodges mentioned above
- All lodging beginning with the night of February 24 and concluding with an overnight/dayroom on March 2
- 1 night at the Radisson Blu (Superior Room)
- 6 nights at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
- 1 night at The Leela Hotel in Mumbai
- OR 1night/dayroom at the Radisson Blu in Delhi
- All meals beginning with breakfast on February 25 and ending with lunch on March 2 as indicated with B, L or D. This also includes morning and evening tea at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.
- Services of Air Conditioned Coach for airport transfers in Mumbai / Delhi & Services of air Conditioned Toyota Innovas for drives between Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur /Khajuraho sectors depending up the number of guests for smooth and faster driving experience on country side road
- Round trip airfare from Delhi/Khajuraho and from either Jabalpur/Mumbai or Jabalpur (Khajuraho)/Delhi
- The cost of the airfare is based on current airfare prices. A price increase is possible between now and the purchase of the group’s airfare.
- In Bandhavgarh NP: Jeep Safaris (sits 2 in a jeep) - as mentioned in itinerary inclusive of entry fee to park, resident English speaking guide/naturalist at park
- Still camera fee per person per day (Non-professional)**
- Mineral water during meals, game drives and available in vehicle during drives/sightseeing
- Gratuities for local guides, transfer personnel, park guides/drivers, park naturalists
3.50% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill.
The trip price DOES NOT include:
- International airfare to India
- Trip cancellation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance: Mandatory for all international trips
- Indian Visa
- Overweight or excessive luggage fees on domestic flights
- Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
- Any meal other than what is specified above or anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tabled drinks, camera fee, laundry, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks.
This tour will be preceded by one optional Pre-Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild -
February, 2016
This Tour will be followed by:
The Lions of Gir and the Desert Wildlife of Western India
Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Tigers of Tadoba
About Your Leaders
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Photo Tour
2016
February 24-March 2, 2016
A Special Mini-Photo Tour for Photographers with limited time
Or
For Photographers on our Snow Leopard Expedition
Or
For Photographers joining us on our Tigers and the Wildlife
of India Photo Tour who wish to maximize their time ad
their Tiger photography opportunities
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the three or four best parks in India, indeed the world, for finding Tigers. It may be the best, and is the best, in our opinion at least. This special Photo Tour is designed to maximize your time and chances of seeing and photographing Tigers, especially for those participants who will be finishing our special Snow Leopards in the Wild Photo Expedition, or who may be continuing on with us for Gir Lions and the Desert Wildlife of Western India, or our Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour that will follow. For some, this may give you two different times to be in Bandhavgarh! A great opportunity.
There are probably fewer than 3,200 wild Tigers still surviving in the wild, making it the most endangered of all the Big Cats. In contrast, the now endangered African Lion still numbers around 25,000 individuals, although that is down from 100,000 just thirty years ago. Sad and depressing facts.
Nonetheless, great Tiger photographic opportunities are available in the parks we visit, and for this special tour we're concentrating our time and your's in the best, Bandhavgarh. We'll be doing two game drives each day, at dawn and in the late afternoon, with only TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS per vehicle. The Gypsy Jeeps that are typically used on Indian game drives are small, yet many groups cram four or more people into these vehicles. You will have an entire row to yourself, and your vehicle, unlike virtually every other vehicle you'll see, will have side rails to accommodate resting a Molar Bag or similar bean bag support upon the rails.
Bandhavgarh is divided into three Tourist sections, called Jons, and we will be purchasing our entry permits long before the trip, dividing our time between the three sections in a fashion that reflects what, at the time of booking and via the best advice and estimation of our ground operators, our the best locations to spend our time. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to buy an All-Day Park Permit, that allows you to stay inside the park all day, and to enter earlier,and to leave the park later. In our 2015 Trip Report I provide my opinion on the pros and cons of spending that extra cash and we'll be happy to discuss that option with anyone interested.
In addition to Tigers, Bandhavgarh has a wealth of other subjects to photograph. These include elk-like Sambar Deer, the common Spotted Deer or Chital, bison-like Gaur, Barking Deer, Asiatic Wild Hog, Langur and Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, and occasionally Sloth Bears and Asiatic Leopards. There are a variety of birds as well, including several species of Stork, White-eyed Buzzards, Crested Serpent Eagles, three species of Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Owls, Plovers, Nightjars, Bulbuls, and many more. We always encourage everyone to photograph all of the wildlife within the parks and not just pursue Tigers, and there are plenty of options in Bandhavgarh.
One of the truly special features of all of our Photo Safaris and Tours is our rotation policy. In contrast to many, we rotate all of our participants through the various jeeps to insure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the experiences of the drivers (the guides that accompany us are assigned by the Park and we have little control) and that everyone has an equal amount of time shooting with Mary and Joe. This last point is important to us, as we feel that we can give everyone the best guidance and help, and hopefully you'll make your best images when you are with either of us. You won't be stuck in one vehicle with the same people (another participant or the same driver), although at the time of registration, if two people are traveling together and wish to remain together we will accommodate that request
To sum up, this special Mini-Photo Tour offers:
9 Game Drives in Bandhavgarh (Wednesday afternoon all Indian Parks are closed).
Two Photographers per vehicle.
Side-braces for resting your Lenses.
Rotation of All photographers.
Opportunity to continue on to Gir and Western India.
The Following is the Day-to-Day Itinerary
24th Feb Arrive Delhi
Meeting assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel
25th Feb Delhi – Khajuraho –Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board flight for Khajuraho
Flight leaves Delhi at 1010 and arrives Khajuraho at 1255 hrs.
Arrive Khajuraho and transfer to the lodge (5 hrs. drive) by passing through the villages and countryside of Madhya Pradesh
Upon arrival check in to the lodge
Dinner and rest of the evening is at leisure.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Bandhavgarh National Park: Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 sq. miles of Sal & a mixed forest of bamboo, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests. There are at least 150 species of birds in the park, along with other mammals such as Tigers, Sloth Bear, Langur Monkeys, Wild Boar, Mongoose, 3 Kinds Of Deer - Chital, Sambar And Barking, to name a few.
26th Feb – 1st March Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
Early morning wake-up call with a knock on your room door and Tea/Coffee.
You will wake up to misty mornings and sounds of birds calling, which will make an exciting start to your day. As soon as dawn breaks, leave for your Jungle Safari, accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guides in 4x 4 Jeeps.
Lunch and afternoon safari by 4x4 jeep accompanied by resident naturalist and forest guide Return to lodge for evening tea and rest of time free to relax.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
2nd March Bandhavgarh – Mumbai/Delhi (B & L)
After breakfast drive to either Jabalpur or Khajuraho airport to board the flight for Mumbai or Delhi. For those doing the Western India Safari, we will fly out of Jabalpur. For those going back to Delhi, the departure city will depend on how many people are flying back to Delhi.
FOR MUMBAI: (Jabalpur –Mumbai)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1005 and arrives Mumbai at 1215 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Jabalpur –Delhi)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1420 and arrives Delhi at 1540 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Khajuraho – Delhi)
Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1325 and arrives Delhi at 1620 hrs.
OR Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1520 and arrives Delhi at 1805 hrs.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, you will be transferred to the hotel overnight stay in Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to the hotel for wash and change followed by transfer to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight back home or for an overnight at the same hotel.
Price: USD $4195.00, based on double occupancy
Maximum: 8 participants with a surcharge for fewer than 6
Single supplement: USD $555.00
The trip price includes:
- One group transfer to/from airport at the time of arrival and departure for the trip
- Meeting/assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport and during check in/out of major hotels during the course of the trip
- Accommodation on double / twin sharing basis at hotels and lodges mentioned above
- All lodging beginning with the night of February 24 and concluding with an overnight/dayroom on March 2
- 1 night at the Radisson Blu (Superior Room)
- 6 nights at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
- 1 night at The Leela Hotel in Mumbai
- OR 1night/dayroom at the Radisson Blu in Delhi
- All meals beginning with breakfast on February 25 and ending with lunch on March 2 as indicated with B, L or D. This also includes morning and evening tea at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.
- Services of Air Conditioned Coach for airport transfers in Mumbai / Delhi & Services of air Conditioned Toyota Innovas for drives between Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur /Khajuraho sectors depending up the number of guests for smooth and faster driving experience on country side road
- Round trip airfare from Delhi/Khajuraho and from either Jabalpur/Mumbai or Jabalpur (Khajuraho)/Delhi
- The cost of the airfare is based on current airfare prices. A price increase is possible between now and the purchase of the group’s airfare.
- In Bandhavgarh NP: Jeep Safaris (sits 2 in a jeep) - as mentioned in itinerary inclusive of entry fee to park, resident English speaking guide/naturalist at park
- Still camera fee per person per day (Non-professional)**
- Mineral water during meals, game drives and available in vehicle during drives/sightseeing
- Gratuities for local guides, transfer personnel, park guides/drivers, park naturalists
3.50% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill.
The trip price DOES NOT include:
- International airfare to India
- Trip cancellation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance: Mandatory for all international trips
- Indian Visa
- Overweight or excessive luggage fees on domestic flights
- Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
- Any meal other than what is specified above or anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tabled drinks, camera fee, laundry, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks.
This tour will be preceded by one optional Pre-Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild -
February, 2016
This Tour will be followed by:
The Lions of Gir and the Desert Wildlife of Western India
Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Tigers of Tadoba
About Your Leaders
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Photo Tour
2016
February 24-March 2, 2016
A Special Mini-Photo Tour for Photographers with limited time
Or
For Photographers on our Snow Leopard Expedition
Or
For Photographers joining us on our Tigers and the Wildlife
of India Photo Tour who wish to maximize their time ad
their Tiger photography opportunities
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the three or four best parks in India, indeed the world, for finding Tigers. It may be the best, and is the best, in our opinion at least. This special Photo Tour is designed to maximize your time and chances of seeing and photographing Tigers, especially for those participants who will be finishing our special Snow Leopards in the Wild Photo Expedition, or who may be continuing on with us for Gir Lions and the Desert Wildlife of Western India, or our Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour that will follow. For some, this may give you two different times to be in Bandhavgarh! A great opportunity.
There are probably fewer than 3,200 wild Tigers still surviving in the wild, making it the most endangered of all the Big Cats. In contrast, the now endangered African Lion still numbers around 25,000 individuals, although that is down from 100,000 just thirty years ago. Sad and depressing facts.
Nonetheless, great Tiger photographic opportunities are available in the parks we visit, and for this special tour we're concentrating our time and your's in the best, Bandhavgarh. We'll be doing two game drives each day, at dawn and in the late afternoon, with only TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS per vehicle. The Gypsy Jeeps that are typically used on Indian game drives are small, yet many groups cram four or more people into these vehicles. You will have an entire row to yourself, and your vehicle, unlike virtually every other vehicle you'll see, will have side rails to accommodate resting a Molar Bag or similar bean bag support upon the rails.
Bandhavgarh is divided into three Tourist sections, called Jons, and we will be purchasing our entry permits long before the trip, dividing our time between the three sections in a fashion that reflects what, at the time of booking and via the best advice and estimation of our ground operators, our the best locations to spend our time. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to buy an All-Day Park Permit, that allows you to stay inside the park all day, and to enter earlier,and to leave the park later. In our 2015 Trip Report I provide my opinion on the pros and cons of spending that extra cash and we'll be happy to discuss that option with anyone interested.
In addition to Tigers, Bandhavgarh has a wealth of other subjects to photograph. These include elk-like Sambar Deer, the common Spotted Deer or Chital, bison-like Gaur, Barking Deer, Asiatic Wild Hog, Langur and Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, and occasionally Sloth Bears and Asiatic Leopards. There are a variety of birds as well, including several species of Stork, White-eyed Buzzards, Crested Serpent Eagles, three species of Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Owls, Plovers, Nightjars, Bulbuls, and many more. We always encourage everyone to photograph all of the wildlife within the parks and not just pursue Tigers, and there are plenty of options in Bandhavgarh.
One of the truly special features of all of our Photo Safaris and Tours is our rotation policy. In contrast to many, we rotate all of our participants through the various jeeps to insure that everyone has a chance to benefit from the experiences of the drivers (the guides that accompany us are assigned by the Park and we have little control) and that everyone has an equal amount of time shooting with Mary and Joe. This last point is important to us, as we feel that we can give everyone the best guidance and help, and hopefully you'll make your best images when you are with either of us. You won't be stuck in one vehicle with the same people (another participant or the same driver), although at the time of registration, if two people are traveling together and wish to remain together we will accommodate that request
To sum up, this special Mini-Photo Tour offers:
9 Game Drives in Bandhavgarh (Wednesday afternoon all Indian Parks are closed).
Two Photographers per vehicle.
Side-braces for resting your Lenses.
Rotation of All photographers.
Opportunity to continue on to Gir and Western India.
The Following is the Day-to-Day Itinerary
24th Feb Arrive Delhi
Meeting assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel
25th Feb Delhi – Khajuraho –Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board flight for Khajuraho
Flight leaves Delhi at 1010 and arrives Khajuraho at 1255 hrs.
Arrive Khajuraho and transfer to the lodge (5 hrs. drive) by passing through the villages and countryside of Madhya Pradesh
Upon arrival check in to the lodge
Dinner and rest of the evening is at leisure.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Bandhavgarh National Park: Set amongst The Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh consists of 168 sq. miles of Sal & a mixed forest of bamboo, grassland, and a complex of deciduous forests. There are at least 150 species of birds in the park, along with other mammals such as Tigers, Sloth Bear, Langur Monkeys, Wild Boar, Mongoose, 3 Kinds Of Deer - Chital, Sambar And Barking, to name a few.
26th Feb – 1st March Bandhavgarh (B, L & D)
Early morning wake-up call with a knock on your room door and Tea/Coffee.
You will wake up to misty mornings and sounds of birds calling, which will make an exciting start to your day. As soon as dawn breaks, leave for your Jungle Safari, accompanied by a resident naturalist and forest park guides in 4x 4 Jeeps.
Lunch and afternoon safari by 4x4 jeep accompanied by resident naturalist and forest guide Return to lodge for evening tea and rest of time free to relax.
Overnight at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
2nd March Bandhavgarh – Mumbai/Delhi (B & L)
After breakfast drive to either Jabalpur or Khajuraho airport to board the flight for Mumbai or Delhi. For those doing the Western India Safari, we will fly out of Jabalpur. For those going back to Delhi, the departure city will depend on how many people are flying back to Delhi.
FOR MUMBAI: (Jabalpur –Mumbai)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1005 and arrives Mumbai at 1215 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Jabalpur –Delhi)
Flight leaves Jabalpur at 1420 and arrives Delhi at 1540 hrs.
FOR DELHI: (Khajuraho – Delhi)
Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1325 and arrives Delhi at 1620 hrs.
OR Flight leaves Khajuraho at 1520 and arrives Delhi at 1805 hrs.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, you will be transferred to the hotel overnight stay in Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to the hotel for wash and change followed by transfer to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight back home or for an overnight at the same hotel.
Price: USD $4195.00, based on double occupancy
Maximum: 8 participants with a surcharge for fewer than 6
Single supplement: USD $555.00
The trip price includes:
- One group transfer to/from airport at the time of arrival and departure for the trip
- Meeting/assistance at the time of arrival and departure at airport and during check in/out of major hotels during the course of the trip
- Accommodation on double / twin sharing basis at hotels and lodges mentioned above
- All lodging beginning with the night of February 24 and concluding with an overnight/dayroom on March 2
- 1 night at the Radisson Blu (Superior Room)
- 6 nights at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
- 1 night at The Leela Hotel in Mumbai
- OR 1night/dayroom at the Radisson Blu in Delhi
- All meals beginning with breakfast on February 25 and ending with lunch on March 2 as indicated with B, L or D. This also includes morning and evening tea at Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.
- Services of Air Conditioned Coach for airport transfers in Mumbai / Delhi & Services of air Conditioned Toyota Innovas for drives between Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur /Khajuraho sectors depending up the number of guests for smooth and faster driving experience on country side road
- Round trip airfare from Delhi/Khajuraho and from either Jabalpur/Mumbai or Jabalpur (Khajuraho)/Delhi
- The cost of the airfare is based on current airfare prices. A price increase is possible between now and the purchase of the group’s airfare.
- In Bandhavgarh NP: Jeep Safaris (sits 2 in a jeep) - as mentioned in itinerary inclusive of entry fee to park, resident English speaking guide/naturalist at park
- Still camera fee per person per day (Non-professional)**
- Mineral water during meals, game drives and available in vehicle during drives/sightseeing
- Gratuities for local guides, transfer personnel, park guides/drivers, park naturalists
The trip price DOES NOT include:
- International airfare to India
- Trip cancellation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance: Mandatory for all international trips - Indian Visa
- Overweight or excessive luggage fees on domestic flights
- Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
- Any meal other than what is specified above or anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
- Any expenditure of personal nature like tabled drinks, camera fee, laundry, telephone calls, soft/ hard drinks.
This tour will be preceded by one optional Pre-Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild -
February, 2016
This Tour will be followed by:
The Lions of Gir and the Desert Wildlife of Western India
Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Tigers of Tadoba
About Your Leaders
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
