Meet at the hotel in Delhi. A single timed transfer from Delhi Airport is provided. We have the use of shared ‘day rooms’ at the hotel and after lunch there is the opportunity to some exploration in the local bazaar streets, where we can witness the teeming life of the Indian capital city at first hand. In the early evening we transfer to the railway station to catch the overnight sleeper train to Katni. It is said that the journey is half the experience and certainly this is true here. Any journey on Indian Railways is a fascinating affair from the crowds and chaos of Delhi station platforms to life aboard. Once in our compartment the guard will issue fresh linen and we can settle down to eat our packed evening meal. Having made our beds and eaten our dinners it will be time to turn in and be rocked to sleep by the motion of the train.

Arriving in Katni in the early morning, we meet our vehicles and begin a 2-hour drive up into the Vindhya Hills of Madhya Pradesh to Bandhavgarh National Park where we check in at our hotel. This afternoon we will have our first exposure to Indian wildlife with a 3-hour game drive into the park in a 4WD vehicle.

Bandhavgarh is one of the finest national parks in India and is most well known for its population of Bengal tigers. In fact Bandhavgarh has the highest density of Bengal tigers of any park in the world and we have a really good opportunity to spot one of these magnificent animals. Our programme here includes an early morning game drive by 4WD, with an expert guide. Returning to the hotel for lunch, we will have some free time before going out again on a guided birdwatching tour.

We have another day in the Bandhavgarh National Park. Besides the tigers, the area abounds with many other species. The park has a large breeding population of leopards, as well as caracal and hyena. These predators are supported by populations of deer and antelope, such as the sambar, cheetal and nilgai, which are a common sight during our safaris. We will have another early morning game drive and then, in the afternoon, we will pay a visit to a nearby village, to check out how the local people live. We spend a third night at our Bandhavgarh hotel.

We have a drive of around 6 hours to reach Kanha, another national park well known for its tiger population and another place where we have a very good chance of seeing these amazing creatures in the wild. Arriving at Kanha we check in at our hotel and the rest of the afternoon is free for relaxing.

Kanha National Park is one of the largest and oldest national parks in India, and is engaged in much conservation work. In terms of concentration of wildlife Kanha has been compared to the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania. However, the landscape here is very different and the lush sal and bamboo forests, hanging vines, slow flowing rivers, and grassy meadow plateaux are straight out of Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’. It is a very beautiful landscape, particularly at dawn. We make an early start for a game drive by 4WD vehicle (walking is not allowed in the park) and again we have a reasonably good chance to see tigers. The park also has significant populations of leopard, sloth bear, hyena, and Indian wild dog, as well as a huge population of spotted deer or chital which are the main prey of the big cats here. Other species we may encounter include sambar, gaur, rhesus macaque, golden jackal, Bengal fox, otter, badger, mongoose, and the once near extinct barasingha or swamp deer. We will return to our hotel for lunch and have a second, shorter safari by jeep in the afternoon.

A second day in the Kanha National Park. As well as the varied mammal populations Kanha, with its great sal forests stretching across the Maikal hills of the Satpura range, is a perfect habitat for some 350 species of birds including mynas, bush chats, kingfishers, treepies, orioles, lapwings, falcons, kites, owls and vultures. The whole area is a paradise for the keen bird watcher and there is the chance to spot completely new species. We will have a game drive in the morning and a birdwatching tour in the afternoon. We spend a third night at our Kanha hotel.

After a final morning at leisure in Kanha, we make the scenic 3-hour drive following a rough road beside the Narmada River to Jabalpur, the largest city in Eastern Madhya Pradesh. Here, we board the overnight sleeper train to Agra.

Arriving in Agra, we check in at our hotel, take breakfast and have the remainder of the morning to rest. In the afternoon, we head out on a guided tour of some of India's most iconic monuments including the majestic and sprawling Agra Fort and, of course, the incomparable Taj Mahal. Unquestionably the finest examples of Mughal architecture in the subcontinent, the Taj was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz. It took thousands of artisans and craftsmen 16 years to build the white marble Taj Mahal and another five years to complete the surrounding buildings and gardens. The monument was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. One of the most identifiable buildings in the world, you will still be amazed by the scale of the Taj and the skill and craftsmanship that went into the exquisite carvings and inlaying of semi precious stones in the marble. We overnight at a hotel in Agra.

Leaving Agra, we drive for 2 hours via Fatehpur Sikri to the railway station at Bharatpur. Here we catch the late afternoon train to Sawai Madhopur. Arriving in the early evening, it is a short transfer to Ranthambore National Park. Ranthambore takes its name from the majestic fort which commands a strategic location on a cliff in the park, 200 metres above its surrounds. We check in at our hotel, just outside the park boundary.

Set in an arid Rajasthani landscape of dry grassland, Ranthambore is an oasis of green due to its permanent lakes fed by several perennial rivers. The lakes, which are inhabited by crocodiles, provide a haven for a wide variety of wildlife. It is usual in this park to use 'canters', which are converted trucks, for the game drives and we will have both an early morning excursion and an afternoon excursion, to make the most of the wildlife viewing opportunities. Like the previous two parks on this tour, Ranthambore participates in India's 'Project Tiger' conservation scheme and we should have another excellent chance to see these magnificent beasts. Other animals to be found in the park include leopard, nilgai, dhole, wild boar, sambar, hyena, sloth bear and chital. The lakes also attract a huge amount of birdlife.

Today we will visit the Ranthambore Fort which is superbly located on a rock outcrop overlooking the park. After a short drive, we will make the 20 to 30-minute climb up to the high point of the monument. The fort complex is quite large, covering an area approximately 12 square kilometres and inside there are three Hindu temples dedicated to Ganesh, Shiva and Ramlalaji which were constructed in 12th and 13th centuries from red Karauli stone. There is also a Jain temple. The fort itself is one of the oldest in the country, being built around 944AD by the Chauhan Rajputs. The fort and temples are themselves fascinating and worthy of considerable exploration but possibly the best thing about the fort is its superb vantage for views across the entire park. Be sure to bring your binoculars up here.

We have an early breakfast and then catch the train back to Delhi. Arriving just after midday, we transfer to the group hotel, close to the city centre, and have the rest of the day free for bargain hunting, further independent sight-seeing or just relaxing. Dinner and overnight at the group hotel.

Your holiday ends after breakfast. A group transfer to Delhi Airport is provided.