India Photography Safari with Paul Goldstein

Be prepared for an intense and comprehensive photographic safari with tiger expert and conservationist Paul Goldstein

Join this extended tiger safari in India with renowned wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein and his esteemed colleague, naturalist Himanshu Bagde. This newly extended journey now includes four days in Tadoba National Park, plus six in Bandhavgarh National Park. Critically there are four full day safaris included across both parks. Both are among the best places in India to see Bengal tigers, but there’s also plenty of other wildlife to spot: leopards, jungle cats and sloth bears and many species of antelope plus many bird species. With Paul’s expertise behind the lens and tiger pedigree and Himanshu’s infectious enthusiasm and deep connections to the region, you have the perfect blend of guidance and local insight to capture precious images. 

Please click here for the reverse itinerary 

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony though practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate) with a Wildlife Rating of Five. Visit our Activity Level Guidelines page for more on our trip grading or our Wildlife Holidays page for more on our Wildlife Ratings. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

This is not a physically demanding adventure; however, there are very early morning starts (4.30am/5.30am, for example) on consecutive days, as this is the best time to spot tigers. You will, however, have a minimum of three to four hours between morning and afternoon safaris to relax at the resort (except for the full-day safaris).

Animal sightings: To get really competent images of tigers requires time and time in the best areas. India has many rules and regulations that can make game drives at times frustrating, however, to see one of these striped cats through precision optics is a reward and thrill that far outweighs any red tape. This safari not only has brilliant drivers and forest rangers, many who have worked with Paul for over 20 years but also with the full day permits, offering an earlier start and later finish as well as access to all routes, the chances of quality sightings are dramatically increased.

Drives: The 4x4s used in the national park are simple and often require you to step up into them and step down from them. On the game drives, we navigate bumpy tracks for most of the day and this can be arduous for some after a long day in the vehicle.

Game drive regulations: The following guidelines and conditions apply to all bookings:

1) We cannot guarantee the operation of any departure until we have the necessary game drives secured. Our aim is to secure game drives from a variety of gates/zones as per the itinerary, but this is subject to availability. The date at which we book the game drives will vary depending on when the booking system allows us to do so for your departure. If we are unable to secure the game drives and have to cancel the trip, you will receive a full refund.

2) It is sometimes possible to book onto the trip after the game drives have been secured; however, large supplements (additional costs) are likely to be incurred. If we have made initial game drive bookings for a departure, we may need to wait until we have further people ready to book before we can secure an additional jeep.

3) We must provide a list of names and passport details at the time of booking each game drive. Once game drives are booked, name changes are not permitted. This means you cannot change or swap jeeps during the trip.

4) It is vital we have your correct passport details at the time of booking. If you end up travelling on a different passport, it is imperative you carry your old passport, or a photocopy of it, with you. If this isn’t possible, you need a letter from the passport agency regarding the change of passport, specifying the details of the old passport and the details of the new passport issued.

Photography permit requirements: The four full-day game drives include photography permits. As part of the permit agreement, we must submit a few good-quality sample photographs in high resolution to the national park from each jeep on the permits. These photographs should be with the date and times confirmed as having been taken during the photography safaris in the park. Therefore, everyone travelling on this trip must be willing to submit sample photographs to the tour leaders before leaving Bandhavgarh and Tadoba. The leaders will assist in collecting photographs.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

India

You require a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Proof of a polio vaccination may also be required by some visitors. Please confirm all requirements and recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

You may also want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in India. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Some of our India trips spend time at altitude. In regions over approximately 6,560ft (2,000m), there is little risk of mosquito-borne diseases. For trips above 9,840ft (3,000m), there is a risk of being affected by acute mountain sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. Please see the Trip Notes for further information.

Visa

India

To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.

Travellers from the UK, US, CA and EU normally need a visa to enter India. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/india
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/india
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html

Travellers eligible for an e-visa, which includes those from the UK, US, CA and EU, can apply at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html.

For more information on applying for your Indian Visa, including details required for your start hotel and local reference contacts, please click on this link: Indian Visa Information

Food & Drink

11 breakfasts, 11 lunches, and 11 dinners included

Breakfasts at the parks are taken after the morning safaris and afternoon tea is provided on some days. There is a restaurant at the hotels serving a variety of options. There are usually some non-spicy curries, but these are in limited supply. If you are a vegetarian, India is probably one of the best destinations to travel to with a wide range of dishes on offer.

Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. A (large) bottle of beer is approximately 410 rupees (US$5). Mineral water is widely available.

Weather

May is the ideal time to visit for tiger sightings, but days are normally hot (sometimes very hot) and nights mild with little or no rain. Evenings can sometimes be surprisingly cool, so bring something warm as well as a sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.