Tiger conservation and astronomy safari: India

May 2025 - 10 days

Register now at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact you when we have confirmed the itinerary, dates and prices of this tour.

Visit the reserves of Pench and Tadoba in search of the Bengal tiger, staying in award-winning lodges and immersing yourself in jungle life. Learn how to identify tracks, set camera traps and understand the tiger’s habitat and prey species. Explore the parks by jeep, bike and on foot accompanied throughout the tour by experienced naturalist and conservationist. In the evenings, explore the nightskies. 

Encounter India's varied wildlife and learn about the conservation issues and challenges they face in modern India and using tourism as a force for good. Rich with flora and fauna in landscapes with unique beauty, this tour discovers wilderness at its best.

The Indian tiger census results were published in July 2019 and, as anticipated, tiger numbers have increased by 33%, from 2,226 to 2,967 since 2014. The history of the tiger in India is a complicated one. But this recent growth in the population does not just offer some hope for the big cats in the area, but also endangered animals right across the planet. Find out how India, a country that is almost bursting at the seams with its human population, has managed to find a way to accommodate and protect tigers.

Whilst the majority of India's cities are unable to observe the beauty of the night sky because pollution prohibits any form of stargazing by exploring the remote national parks of Tadoba and Pench, it offers you the chance to observe the skies above the forest are clear and free of any pollution, so there is good visibility and perfect for stargazing with the chance to witness the unobstructed splendour of the Milky Way and beyond.

This tour has been designed with built-in rest periods and various options, allowing you to set the pace and depth of your tiger experience.

In partnership with Intrepid Travel.

DAY 1: ARRIVE DELHI

You will be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel. You can spend the day at leisure in the pool or explore the city. In the evening, the tour leader will introduce the tour and host a dinner for the group.

Delhi may be one of the world's largest metropolises, but architectural wonders - new and old - fill the city, hidden beneath Delhi's urban sprawl. Mughal treasures, including the Red Fort and Jama Masjid, are complemented by more recent additions to Delhi's architectural heritage, such as the stunning Lotus and Akshardham Temples.

DAY 2: JOURNEY TO TADOBA

Take the early morning flight to Nagpur, a short 1 hour 40 minutes south of Delhi.

On arrival into Nagpur, you will be met and transferred to your lodge in the Tadoba National Park which will take about two-and-a-half hours. You will stay here for the next 3 nights in a low impact eco-friendly lodge just ten minutes from the National Park.

In the evening, meet the accompanying expert and naturalist on a walk with local naturalists to set up a camera trap in adjacent to the park buffer area. This will also be the first of many opportunities to hear the calls of animals and discover their tracks.

DAYS 2 AND 3: SAFARI DRIVES AROUND TADOBA

Over the next two-and-half days you will enjoy safari drives into both the buffer and core zones of Tadoba National Park. Accompanied by a naturalist guide who will also give informal talks throughout the safaris. 

Tadoba is the largest wildlife reserve in Maharashtra. Part of the park contains Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, one of India’s most exciting and best-protected tiger reserves. Dominated by teak forest and bamboo, it’s a rugged landscape comprising cliffs, caves, marshes, perennial lakes and boulder-strewn streambeds that cater to a host of biodiversity, not least the tigers.

During the 2018 tiger census Tadoba was found to be home to 115 adult tigers and over 150 leopards. Being a southern tropical dry deciduous forest, there is an excellent chance of sightings of tigers, leopards and the black panther.

Before you are up and dressed the mahouts will already have been in the jungle with their elephants listening for sounds of deer and monkey alarm calls so they have a good idea where the tiger might be heading.

The day starts early, usually before sunrise, as this is when the wildlife is at its most active. Mornings begin with tea in bed, usually, before 6am. You will then jump in your private jeep and drive to the park gate, taking around 30 minutes in duration. Breakfast will normally be taken in the park, heading back to the lodge around mid-morning for lunch. Make sure you wrap up warm as it can be quite cold first thing in the morning.

With both a driver and naturalist leading the drives, there is an excellent chance of memorable animal encounters. We are using small, private, open jeeps for this trip which are suitable for accessing all areas of the park. There will be no more than 4 guests to a jeep. By limiting the number of people in each jeep you can be sure of having plenty of space for taking photographs.

After the afternoon drive, you will return to the lodge in time for a pre-dinner sundowner. Meals are often al fresco around a fire pit, with classic cooking methods.

DAY 5: JOURNEY TO PENCH

Before departing for Pench there is time for a final morning game drive. An early lunch will be served before moving on to Pench National Park. This drive is approximately five hours and you will check into the Pench Tree Lodge for the next four nights.

Pench, on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, has been known through the ages for its rich flora and fauna. Named after the river that flows nearby, Pench was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1983. In 1992, Pench was included under the umbrella of Project Tiger as the 19th Project Tiger Reserve. In 2024, Pench Tiger Reserve became India's First Dark Sky Park. During the evenings, explore the night sky with star gazing sessions. 

DAY 6: EXPLORE PENCH BY JEEP AND BIKE

After an early rise, there is the option to explore the forest on a short supported bike ride to the Pench River for breakfast. A support vehicle will travel behind the last cyclist keeping a safe distance and will be carrying filtered water and soft drinks. They will also be there to pick up cyclists if there is a problem, or if you just wish to take some rest. The terrain is largely flat, but with a number of undulating forest sections, forest roads and over riverbeds. You may also be riding through and between villages using simple village roads that are largely used by bicycles, motorbikes or bullock carts, occasionally on a single-track tar road. An excellent way to slowly explore.

After returning to the lodge for a leisurely lunch, you will head out to the Rukhad buffer zone on safari. It is a dense forest and is one of the quietest zones in terms of other explorers, so you can really enjoy the tranquillity of the zone while searching for species.

DAYS 7 AND 8: GAME DRIVES IN AND AROUND PENCH AND EVENING STARGAZING

Pench is home to the Asiatic leopard and is still one of the best places in India to spot this creature. Other wildlife spotted here includes the Royal Bengal tiger, jackal, peafowl, wild dog, wild boar, sloth bear, Indian leopard, fox, striped hyena, monkey, gaur, barking deer, four-horned antelope and Indian wolf. 

The next two days will be spent searching for the many species twice a day on game drives in the park's core zone. At over 257 square kilometers, there is plenty of diverse ground to cover. 

Returning to the lodge at approximately 10am for a full breakfast. The rest of the morning may be spent walking in the buffer zone around the camp, spending time with the local naturalists and speaking with your tour expert about the serious issues surrounding tiger conservation.

In the evenings, return to the lodge, freshen up and meet with the group to discuss the day's sightings followed by evening stargazing.

DAY 9: JOURNEY BACK TO DEHLI

After a leisurely breakfast, you will take a fascinating 3-hour drive back to Nagpur airport, where you will fly back to Dehli. You will have the remainder of the day at lesiure to explore Dehli (the tour leader can help arrange this) or enjoy some premium relaxation poolside.

DAY 10: DEPART DEHLI

A group transfer will be arranged for the short drive to Dehli Airport for your return flight.

If you wish to see more of this fascinating country, our tour operating partner Intrepid Travel can help arrange further exploration. This could include the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, including the Amber Fort and The Taj Mahal. Please ask for more details.