Tigers of India Photo Tour
Photograph the Tigers of India in May 2025
Join us in May 2025 on a nine-day tour to photograph the magnificent Bengal tigers of India.
This trip has been designed so that we can see and photograph the wild tigers of India for six days straight, at one of the country’s most rewarding tiger parks, Bandhavgarh National Park Tiger Reserve.
We will spend seven nights at Bandhavgarh National Park which hosts one of the highest densities of Bengal tiger in India for virtually guaranteed encounters. We secure the best zones in advance for our Tiger India safari and make twelve drives in the park.
We travel at the best time of the year too - in May, when the tigers are easier to find and photograph. Our six full days in the park give us a total of twelve drives.
We stay in luxury accommodation and we employ the best guides and drivers that India can offer. Vehicles are specially adapted to accommodate photographers, with no more than two photographers per vehicle.
To reserve your spot on this Tigers of India safari please email me at email@davidlloyd.net
Combine two India wildlife tours
You can combine this tour with the Wildlife of India Tour
This Tigers of India tour immediately follows on from the Wildlife of India safari. You can combine both for an unforgettable 24-day wildlife and tiger experience, which includes a total of 20 days in the parks and 37 drives. Please see below for a special cost which incorporates both India wildlife tours.
Tiger India Safari Tour Highlights
Wild Animals in India
As well as the Bengal Tigers of India, other wildlife awaits us too including langur, macaque, as well as sambur and spotted deer. There will also be birds, and it will be the courtship season for peacocks, so it’ll be possible to see their mating ritual and tail feathers on full display.
Tiger Photography
Photographers of all levels are welcome. We are professional photographers with great experience in the field as well as in guiding and photographic instruction. Each photography safari tour offers a small client-leader ratio that allows for personal attention and customised guidance on how to capture the best tiger photography.
Safari Guides and Drivers
Our India safari guides and drivers know Bandhavgarh National Park Tiger Reserve very well and have over twenty years of guiding and driving experience. Our drivers have driven crews for BBC and National Geographic wildlife documentaries. They also have experience driving photographers so they know just what to expect from us.
Access to the Best Zones
We prebook the park zones months in advance to ensure we secure the best zones for Bengal tiger encounters in the wild.
Safari Vehicles
We use gypsy cars, which are popular in the wildlife parks in India. Ours will be specially adapted for photographers and we will only carry two photographers per vehicle, with one seat row removed, to maximise opportunity and space.
Tiger Safari Hotel Accommodation
We stay in luxury accommodations throughout the tiger safari, including our initial stay in Delhi and for each of our stays in the parks. Good dining accompanies the accommodation and the cottages are large with separate bedrooms, bathrooms and balconies.
Tiger Image Reviews and Tuition
After our morning drives, we offer tuition on photographic techniques and post-processing. We also host image review sessions in a more formal setting during the week. Our goal is for you to make the most out of your experience and to take home pictures of tigers you’ve long desired.
Where we go during the Bengal Tigers of India Safari
Bandhavgarh National Park Tiger Reserve
Bandhavgarh was established in 1968 as a National Park and is spread over an area of 1150 square kilometres. It was declared as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1993.
It is predominantly covered with vegetation like sal, salt and dhobin, and has vast stretches of grasslands spread over 32 hills. The region, though smaller than other wildlife parks, has one of the highest densities of Bengal Tigers in the world.
A note on tourist traffic in Bandhavgarh National Park
In recent years, the wildlife parks have been restructured significantly to protect the parks and their wildlife. There are strict restrictions now on the number of vehicles allowed in the parks, and gone are the days where we see dozens at a time. Internet stories of traffic congestion there are likely to be before that time. We rarely encounter more than four or five vehicles on any sighting in any of the parks that we will be visiting on this tour.
Where we stay during the Tigers of India Photo Tour
Delhi
Radisson Blu With an ideal location less than five kilometres from Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport provides upper upscale accommodations and convenient city access.
The 261 rooms and suites offer free high-speed, wireless internet and peaceful garden views and our on-site spa provides the perfect retreat after a busy day. Sample something delicious at The Great Kabab Factory or any other on-site restaurants.
Bandhavgarh
Kings Lodge is nestled between Sal forested hills of Bandhavgarh National Park in a large natural forested estate of 14 hectares in Rancha village.
The lodge is in the heart of the wild country and is only a ten-minute drive from the Tala gate of the national park. Guests benefit from the incredible location, outstanding hospitality, an experienced naturalist team, and the lodge’s commitment towards conservation and local communities.
The lodge has 10 cottage rooms and 8 stilt cottage rooms with en-suite modern bathrooms spread across a natural forest offering great ambience and privacy.
How Do I Book?
Our Tigers of India tour group is small (a maximum of 7 participants) so space will be limited. To reserve your spot in this tour please contact me.
Dates and Costs 2025
The cost of this all-inclusive Tigers of India safari is $6200 per person. Bookings are secured with a $600 deposit per person, with the balance being required 12 weeks before.
An optional single supplement is available at $1400 extra. Single supplements are for single travellers who want their own room. Otherwise, single travellers are paired with another traveller of the same gender.
6th May – 15th May – With David Lloyd and Karan Rana (filling)
13th May – 22nd May – With David Lloyd and Karan Rana (open)
The first date here can be linked to our 16-day Wildlife of India Photo Safari. If you join us for both, then the cost of this safari becomes $5700 with the single supplement at $1400.
Payments are to be made in US Dollars.
Financial Protection
Payments for all safaris are made through Shona Travel which means you have the financial protection of booking through a registered tour operator. Your money is 100% safe and if one of our suppliers goes bust, your money is fully protected. Shona Travel can also book your flights for full financial protection. Please download our terms and conditions here.
Tigers of India Photo Tour
What’s Included
All accommodation in hotels and lodges
All internal flights
All airport transfers
All meals at lodges
All park fees
Exclusive vehicles and qualified driver guides
What’s not Included
International flights
India visa
Alcoholic and non-local alcoholic beverages
Tips and gratuities for camp staff and guides
India Tiger Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Delhi
Meet and transfer from the airport to the hotel, rest of the day at leisure, overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2: Bandhavgarh
Fly and Drive to Bandhavgarh, overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8: Bandhavgarh
Morning and evening drives to see Bengal Tigers and other Indian wildlife, overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 9: Delhi
Breakfast, transfer to Jabalpur to board the connecting flight to Delhi. Day use or overnight at the hotel.
Your India Safari Guides
We are a small team of award-winning wildlife photographers and experienced photography tutors in the field of natural history. We have won wildlife photography awards in Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature’s Best and GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and our work is published regularly. Our photographic experience extends back to the days of film, paper and manual focus cameras.
David Lloyd
David Lloyd is an exhibiting wildlife photographer, having won awards for his work which favours a fine art style in both colour and black & white. David has been awarded six times in Wildlife Photographer of the Year. In 2011, his image A Flick of the Tail was chosen as the cover of that year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year portfolio.
His images have been published widely in the press and several photographic monthlies, in both the UK and abroad. David also holds exhibitions of his work, most recently at the Royal Geographic Society in London. He is the author of two wildlife photography books: As Long As There Are Animals and All Eyes Speak One Language. Visit David’s wildlife photography gallery for tiger photography and more.
Karan Rana
Karan Rana heads the naturalist team at Pugdundee and keeps a keen eye on the operations of its lodges. With an experience of more than 20 years with Tiger Tops as a manager, he joined Pugdundee in 2004 and has continuously trained and led the naturalists at all our lodges. Karan also leads various specialist groups including mobile and walking safaris.
He has contributed his pivotal jungle skills to the successful launch and progress of walking safaris in Central India. Coincidentally, the role of wearing many hats has seeped into his personality as he is never seen without a hat in real life too!