On arrival in New Delhi you will be met and transferred to Roseate House Hotel. After settling in, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. India’s capital city sits on the cusp of multiple natural zones, and even around the airport you may notice Black Kites circling overhead and Rose-ringed Parakeets in the hotel gardens—your first taste of the subcontinent’s wildlife

A pre-dawn transfer takes you to your flight to Raipur, followed by a scenic drive to Kanha National Park. The journey takes you through rural landscapes, farmland, and small forest patches where Langurs, Indian Rollers, and Red-wattled Lapwings are common roadside sightings.

After check-in and lunch, you embark on your first Kanha safari.

This introduction offers your first opportunities to encounter:

Bengal tiger – Kanha is renowned for long, peaceful tiger sightings on forest tracks.

Barasingha (swamp deer) – Nowhere else in India shelters this rare hard-ground subspecies.Indian gaur – The world’s largest wild bovine, often seen in shaded sal forests.Golden jackal, sambar, chital, and abundant birdlife including Malabar Pied Hornbills.

Dinner and overnight at Singinawa Lodge

Enjoy two immersive jeep safaris today.

Kanha’s 940 sq km of forest and meadow provide habitat for an extraordinary diversity of species. Early mornings offer excellent chances for predators on the move, while afternoons highlight herbivores, birdlife, and the park’s stunning landscapes.

Possible wildlife highlights today:

Mammals

• Tigers patrolling fire lines or resting in bamboo thickets

• Leopards, often elusive but occasionally seen in dappled sal light

• Barasingha herds in the meadows of Kanha and Sonf

• Gaur grazing near watercourses

• Wild boar, jungle cat, Bengal fox

Birds

• Crested serpent eagle, Changeable hawk-eagle

• Indian scimitar babblers, scarlet minivets, plum-headed parakeets

• Wetlands with woolly-necked storks, storks, kingfishers

The park’s atmosphere is heightened by alarm calls from chital and langurs—nature’s tracking signals as predators move through the forest

Dinner and overnight at Singinawa Lodge

Two more full days of wildlife viewing allow you to explore multiple zones of Kanha, each with its own ecological character.

Ecosystem & Wildlife Insights

• Meadows (Kanha, Sonf, Bishanpura): ideal for barasingha and tiger sightings.

• Dense Sal Forests: perfect habitat for leopards and gaur.

• Bamboo Zones: favoured by sloth bears, porcupines, and the secretive rusty-spotted cat.

• Waterholes & Streams: prime for birds, jackals, and sometimes tigers cooling off in the heat.

You may also encounter:

• Sloth bears, particularly on termite mounds in the late afternoon

• Dhole (Indian wild dog), often in packs moving swiftly across forest tracks

• Grey-headed and Red-headed vultures, both critical to India’s recovering vulture populations

• Greater racket-tailed drongo and mixed-species bird flocks

With each safari, your naturalist will interpret tracks and signs—scrapes, pugmarks, scat, claw marks—building a deeper understanding of Kanha’s wildlife rhythms.

Evenings at the lodge offer time to review images, enjoy campfire discussions, or listen to the calls of nightjars, owls, and cicadas

Dinner and overnight at Singinawa Lodge

Begin with a final morning safari, often a productive time for big cats as they move before the heat intensifies. After lunch, drive back to Raipur Airport for your flight to Colombo. Arrive in Sri Lanka and prepare for the next chapter of your wildlife journey

Transfer to Jetwing Blue, located along Sri Lanka’s western coast. Palm-lined beaches often hold egrets, herons, and Brahminy kites, while fruit bats and water monitors are common sightings even in urban areas.

Relax and recover after the day’s travel.

A free day to enjoy the beach, pool, or local area. The coastline offers casual wildlife encounters:

• White-bellied sea eagles gliding over the surf

• Asian water monitors basking near drainage canals

• Purple-rumped sunbirds and red-vented bulbuls in the gardens

Travel north to Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka’s largest protected area, noted for its signature “villus”—naturally formed lakes that sustain wildlife during the dry season.

On arrival at Claughton Wild, settle into your forest lodge surrounded by birds such as blue-tailed bee-eaters, Sri Lanka green pigeons, and peafowl

Explore Wilpattu’s unique mosaic of dry forest, sandy tracks, and shimmering lakes.

Key Wildlife of Wilpattu

• Sri Lankan leopard – the island’s apex predator and the main attraction

• Sloth bear – often seen during April, feeding on berries in the forest

• Asian elephant – small, intelligent family herds

• Mugger crocodile in the villus

• Spotted deer, sambar, wild boar, and ruddy mongoose

Notable Birds

• Grey-headed fish eagle

• Painted storks, woolly-necked storks

• Indian paradise flycatcher (long-tailed males)

• Brown fish owl

• Ceylon junglefowl (Sri Lanka’s national bird)

Wilpattu is quieter than other Sri Lankan parks, allowing calm, unhurried wildlife watching.

A second full day in the park allows deeper exploration of remote villus and leopard territories. April is an excellent month for leopard sightings as they frequently visit the water to drink during warmer weather.

You may also encounter:

• White-spotted chevrotain (mouse deer), a shy forest dweller

• Black-naped hare in open areas

• Purple heron, green bee-eater, Indian peafowl displaying

• Toque macaques, Sri Lanka’s endemic monkey species

Evenings at Claughton Wild often bring visits from nocturnal species such as civets, owls, and possibly the small Indian palm squirrel.

Return to Colombo after breakfast, with a final morning of forest birds around the lodge. Back at Jetwing Blue, relax and enjoy the coastal environment once more before your journey home

Transfer to Colombo Airport for your flight to the UK. Keep an eye out for the last glimpses of Sri Lankan wildlife—kite eagles, storks, and water monitors are often visible near the terminals

Arrival in the UK, concluding your in-depth wildlife expedition through India and Sri Lank