Scouting-Trip Report: Tigers in India, November 2024

Seeing a tiger in the wild has always been one of our biggest dreams! So why not make a stopover in India on the way home from the blue whales in Timor to Europe and check out the potential for a group trip?

The king of the jungle, the Bengal tiger!

After a day in Delhi, we took a short domestic flight south into the heart of India to the state of Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh is home to several of India's largest national parks, which also have the highest density of tigers!
Even the journey to the first national park was very interesting... from the crowded streets and modern hotels of Delhi to the rural villages: what a contrast! You are in an area where there is still a well in many places and people have to pump to get water.

But let's get to the real part of this trip, the safaris! In general, the national parks are well organized. The number of vehicles is restricted depending on the area and meticulous care is taken to ensure that vehicles do not leave the roads.

Finding a tiger, on the other hand, is not easy and depends very much on luck. Depending on the park, the jungle is very dense and you can usually see tigers when crossing the road. However, if you arrive just 1 minute too late or drive past the spot in question 40 seconds too early, you will probably miss the sighting! So we had 4-5 tours in a row without a sighting. On the other hand, on the last morning we saw 6 tigers in 15 minutes, sometimes for more than an hour! Every day is different and patience is the key.

However, a beautiful sighting is magical and worth all the waiting! Tigers are beautiful animals and to look one in the eye is something very special!

Of course, it is also worthwhile to be out and about in the jungle. Even if there are no tigers to be found, there are many beautiful moments with other species. Various species of deer roam the forests. The national parks are also true bird paradises. Owls, kingfishers and majestic eagles are just a few of the species that can be spotted. But always keep your eyes open for other cats. In Pench National Park in particular, we had a very good sighting with a leopard that we will remember for a long time to come.

All in all, the time in India was great, which is why we are now also offering a Tiger Trip in November 2025!