South India Wildlife Grand Circuit

Your driver meets you at Kochi airport and drives east into the Western Ghats, past rubber and pineapple farms, then tea and cardamom as the road climbs. Kumily is a spice town at the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Spice Village sits among the trees, with cottages set in a garden of pepper, cardamom and lemongrass.

In the late afternoon, take a short guided walk through a spice garden. Your guide shows how pepper, cardamom and cinnamon grow, and gives a first talk on the forest you will see tomorrow.

Note on arrival time: If your flight lands after 4 pm, you reach Thekkady after dark. The road is safe at night, but we advise a daytime arrival.

Experience of the Day

• Drive into the hills

• Spice garden walk

• Evening briefing

Food

Recommended: Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kerala fish curry with rice, and appam with vegetable stew.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the cottage

• Short walk in the grounds

Route: Periyar Tiger Reserve: dawn boat – forest walk – bamboo and spice country

Start at dawn with a boat ride on Periyar lake, made by a dam in the 1890s. From the boat you may see elephants, gaur, sambar, wild boar and many birds at the shore. The early boat has the best chance. Tigers are very rarely seen here, and we do not promise any sighting.

After breakfast, join a guided walk through the forest edge with a naturalist from the reserve, where this is permitted. Learn to read tracks, scratch marks and droppings. The programmes at Periyar change, and we book what is open on your dates. The afternoon is free for a spa, the spice gardens or rest.

Note on reserve programmes: Forest walks, bamboo rafting and night patrols run in set slots, with limited numbers, and are sometimes closed. We confirm what is open when you book.

Experience of the Day

• Dawn boat on Periyar lake

• Guided forest walk

• Birdwatching at the lake shore

Food

Recommended: Breakfast and dinner at the hotel. Lunch at the lodge.

Must-Try: Kerala-style fish curry with rice.

Activities to Do

• Optional Ayurvedic massage

• Optional Kalaripayattu martial arts show

Route: Periyar – Muvattupuzha – Thrissur – Perinthalmanna – Wayanad, about 330 km

Drive north-west through Kerala to the Wayanad plateau. The road passes cashew, coconut and areca farms, then climbs the Thamarassery ghat. This is the longest road day of the tour, and your driver plans several breaks. We start early, so you reach the plantation before dark.

Wayanad is a hill district where coffee, pepper and tea grow together, and the forests join the Bandipur and Nagarhole forests to the east. Check in at the plantation, and take a short walk among the coffee bushes.

Note on the long day: If you prefer a shorter day, we add a night at Kochi or Thrissur on the way. This adds one night.

Experience of the Day

• Drive across Kerala

• Climb to the Wayanad plateau

• Walk on the plantation

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kerala-style fish curry, and a Wayanad dinner with local rice.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the plantation

Route: Wayanad – Sulthan Bathery – Muthanga – Gundlupet – Bandipur, about 100 km

Drive east through the Muthanga forest, on the road that runs through the reserves. This highway is closed to traffic at night, from about 9 pm to 6 am, to protect wildlife, so we travel by day. Watch the roadside for deer, langur and sometimes elephants.

Reach your safari lodge near Bandipur by late morning, and rest. In the afternoon, take the first safari into the park. Bandipur National Park has been a tiger reserve since 1973 and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Dry deciduous forest and open clearings make for good viewing of elephants, gaur, chital and sometimes a leopard or tiger.

Note on safari booking: Safaris in Bandipur run in set morning and afternoon slots, on forest-department vehicles or lodge-run jeeps where permitted. Slots, closing days and prices change, and we confirm them before you travel.

Experience of the Day

• Drive through the Muthanga forest

• First afternoon safari at Bandipur

Food

Recommended: Lunch and dinner at the lodge.

Must-Try: Simple Karnataka meals with rice, ragi balls and sambar.

Activities to Do

• Afternoon safari

• Evening talk with the naturalist

Route: Bandipur National Park: morning and afternoon safaris

Take the morning safari at first light, when the forest is cool and the animals are active. Elephants, gaur and chital are common. Dhole (wild dogs), sloth bears and leopards live here too, and are seen less often. A tiger sighting happens on some outings, and we cannot promise one.

Rest at the lodge through the midday heat. Take the afternoon safari, and return before dusk. Your naturalist explains the forest, the water holes and the signs of the big cats.

Note on sightings: Tigers are shy and the forest is thick. Many guests see none, and still leave pleased by the elephants, gaur and birds. We say so plainly, and recommend three or more safaris to give the best chance.

Experience of the Day

• Morning safari

• Afternoon safari

• Birdwatching at the lodge

Food

Recommended: Meals at the lodge.

Must-Try: Karnataka meals with rice, ragi balls and fish or chicken curry.

Activities to Do

• Rest at midday

• Optional night talk

Route: Bandipur – Gundlupet – Antharasante – Kabini (Nagarhole), about 105 km

Drive north-west through farm country to the Kabini lake, on the edge of Nagarhole National Park, also called Rajiv Gandhi National Park. The lake was made by a dam in the 1970s, and its shores draw elephants, gaur and deer in the dry months. Check in at the resort, set among trees by the water.

In the afternoon, take a boat safari on the lake. From the water, you can watch elephants bathe and drink, and see crocodiles, otters and many birds. The big elephant gatherings come in the dry months, from about February to May. In the wet months, the animals scatter into the forest, and the lake is full.

Experience of the Day

• Drive to Kabini

• Afternoon boat safari

• Evening at the lake

Food

Recommended: Lunch at the resort. Dinner at the resort.

Must-Try: Resort meals, with local Kodava and south Indian dishes.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the pool

• Sunset on the lake

Route: Nagarhole National Park: morning jeep safari – afternoon boat safari

Take the morning jeep safari into the forest. Nagarhole has tigers, leopards, dhole and sloth bear as well as elephants and gaur, and the forest is among the best in India for tiger sightings, in some years. We cannot promise one. Your naturalist searches water holes and tracks.

After lunch and a rest, take the afternoon boat safari on the lake, and watch the light fall on the shore. The park rules limit the number of vehicles and boats, and we book the slots early.

Note on park rules: Nagarhole and Kabini safaris run in set slots, and some zones close on certain days or in the monsoon. We confirm your slots when you book.

Experience of the Day

• Morning jeep safari

• Afternoon boat safari

• Evening at the resort

Food

Recommended: Meals at the resort.

Must-Try: Local meals and fresh fish, if available.

Activities to Do

• Optional spa treatment

• Optional village walk

Route: Kabini – Mysuru – Bengaluru airport (BLR) – flight – Hyderabad (HYD), about 280 km by road

Take a short morning safari, and leave the resort by about 9:30 am. The road runs through Mysuru and along the expressway to Bengaluru airport. We book an evening flight to Hyderabad, after 6 pm, so that the drive is not rushed.

You reach Hyderabad at night. Taj Krishna stands in the Banjara Hills, and the night is a rest before the forest.

Note on the long day: The flight is a separate domestic ticket, and we book it with the package. Bengaluru to Hyderabad has many flights each day. Nagarhole to Nagarjunasagar by road is about 700 km, and not advised.

Experience of the Day

• Last morning safari

• Drive to Bengaluru

• Flight to Hyderabad

Food

Recommended: Breakfast at the resort, lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Hyderabadi biryani, a first taste on arrival.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

Route: Hyderabad – Achampet – Mannanur – Amrabad, about 135 km

Leave Hyderabad after breakfast and drive south-east on the Srisailam highway. The road enters the forest of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, the largest tiger reserve in India by area, spread across the Nallamala hills of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The road is closed to traffic at night in the forest section, and we drive by day.

Check in at your lodge, which is simple. In the afternoon, take the first forest-department safari. The forest is dry and open, with teak, bamboo and rocky gorges. Chital, sambar, sloth bear, leopard and tiger live here, but sightings are rare, and the tourist programme is small. We say so plainly.

Note on simple facilities: Lodges here are basic, and safaris run on forest-department vehicles in set slots. We confirm what is open on your dates. If the forest is closed, we use the Srisailam road for scenic stops and bird walks.

Experience of the Day

• Drive into the Nallamala hills

• Afternoon forest safari

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at the lodge.

Must-Try: A simple Telangana meal of rice, dal and spicy pickles.

Activities to Do

• Evening walk near the lodge

Route: Amrabad forest – Farahabad viewpoint – forest safari

Take the morning safari into the forest, and then drive to the Farahabad viewpoint, where the Nallamala hills fall away into a deep forested gorge. The view is wide, and the forest is quiet. Your forest guide explains the Chenchu people, who have long lived here and know the forest well.

Return to the lodge for lunch, and rest. In the afternoon, take a second safari, or a bird walk. The reserve is large and wild, and your chances of seeing the big cats are low. The forest is rich in birds, deer and bears, and the quiet is the main reward.

Note on the Chenchu: The Chenchu are an indigenous forest people. We visit only where they welcome guests, and we do not photograph people without asking.

Experience of the Day

• Morning forest safari

• Farahabad viewpoint

• Second safari or bird walk

Food

Recommended: Meals at the lodge.

Must-Try: A simple Telangana meal.

Activities to Do

• Birdwatching

• Optional night sky watching

Route: Amrabad – Mannanur – Hyderabad airport (HYD), about 135 km

After a last morning in the forest, your driver takes you back along the highway to Hyderabad airport for your onward flight. We plan the drop around your departure time, and recommend a flight that leaves in the afternoon or evening.

You leave having spent time in four great reserves of the south.

Experience of the Day

• Drive to the airport

• Farewell