Tigers of Assam and Sunderbans

Tigers are always elusive, but searching the best places, at the best time of year with one of India's best naturalists increases your chances greatly. Your guide, Avijit Sarkhel, has led JOURNEYS' tiger safaris throughout India for the past six years. He is one of India’s leading birders and is active in various ornithological societies. Avi's passion for birds and other wildlife has made him one of the most insightful and qualified naturalist guides in the country. He is always on the lookout for the best opportunities to observe India's great wildlife riches. If you find tigers, you will also find a rich diversity of other mammals and birds. Expect this trip to be full of nature and wildlife experiences in Tadoba Tiger Reserve, the famous Sunderbans, and the spectacular Kaziranga National Park. Avi always travels well-equipped with spotting scope, binoculars, audio recordings, playback equipment, and identification guides. He is also extremely well-read on Indian history and literature. He is fluent in English, Hindi, and Bengali. Avijit is JOURNEYS' senior naturalist in South Asia.

Most India tiger trips focus on Rajasthan, central India, and well-known parks such as Ranthambhor and Kanha. This trip takes you to three less frequently-visited tiger habitats that still offer excellent chances to see wild tigers and many other unique species, with the added benefit of encountering far fewer fellow tourists. Starting in the open meadows and teak forests of Maharashtra (home to Mumbai), you'll fly into the city of joy, Kolkata, and then enter the land of mega-myths and stories – the Sunderbans – a land full of history, a battleground for conservationists, and a great land of water and forest where few westerners have set foot. After three days exploring the Sunderbans by boat, head to the flood plains of the Brahmaputra in Assam and the Kaziranga, a unique forest with marshy swamps, elephant grass, and damp forests and home not only to tigers, but also India's greatest diversity and numbers of large mammals, including Asiatic Elephant, One Horned Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer, Wild Buffalo, Hog Deer, and the Indo Gangetic Dolphin. Your safari by elephant-back and jeep will reach deep into the huge park. Along the way, spend a night at Jorhat and visit the Gibbon Sanctuary where you'll see the Hoolock Gibbon, Pig-tailed Macaque, Stump-Tailed Macaque, and other primates.

We have scheduled this trip for late March when limited water in Tadoba brings tigers out in the open and possibilities of sighting tigers in Sunderbans and Kaziranga go up significantly as summer begins. We will also be in Sunderbans on March 27, 2013, for Holi festival, the festival of colors, witnessing it in the area's small villages.