Dudhwa Wildlife Safari

The Claridges, New Delhi
Dating back to 1952, the Claridges is an upmarket 5-star hotel offering luxurious accommodation in Lutyens’ Delhi – New Delhi’s diplomatic district – placing it within easy reach of Connaught Place, the Delhi National Museum and Lodhi Gardens.

The Claridges is a low-rise complex of three main buildings sheltering a pool and courtyard. It sits on a three-acre site, amid carefully-tended gardens and manicured lawns.  

The Claridges Hotel blends old-world charm with contemporary facilities and furnishings. Its 137 rooms and suites are decked out in colonial deco style, with wood panel flooring, dark wood furnishings and white & cream upholstery. Each room is equipped with a plasma TV, minibar and en-suite bathroom with bath/shower.

The Claridges also houses a large swimming pool, a high-end shopping arcade, and a fabulous selection of fine-dining restaurants, ranging from the Sevilla, specialising in Mediterranean cuisine, to Dhaba, which celebrates North Indian food culture.

Evening at leisure.

On arrival in Lucknow, you will be met and transferred by private vehicle to the Taj Lucknow for two nights in a superior room (incl. breakfast).

Taj Lucknow (Gomti Nager)
Situated in the heart of Lucknow, on the banks of the Gomti River and just 8km from the old railway station, the Taj Lucknow offers easy access to the city’s many restaurants and entertainment areas.

The rooms are large, spacious, and beautifully-furnished. All enjoy a garden or pool view. Amenities include high-speed Wi-Fi, safe, mini bar, tea/coffee maker and telephone.

Taj Lucknow has an excellent restaurant in the lobby and is within walking distance of a number of good Lucknow restaurants. There are 25 acres of gardens to explore.

Lucknow is a beautiful city that has managed to retain much of its old world charm and grace during what is a time of rapid modernisation across India.

Few Indian cities offer as many historical attractions and architectural gems as Lucknow. A British outpost during the 19th-century, the city is home to a number of colonial-era buildings, some better preserved than others (the British Residency, a famous landmark, is all but in ruins).

Perhaps more interesting, however, are the city’s older structures, such as the 18th-century Bara Imambara, former home of the 4th Nawab of Awadh, and Rumi Darwaza, an intricately carved gateway constructed by Italian architects in 1784. Also of note is Lucknow’s grand Victorian-style, Clock Tower, the largest of its kind in India.

You’ll have the opportunity to explore these and other sights of interest during your guided tour.

Jaagir Lodge
Jaagir Lodge was originally built in the 1940s by the British Governors of Uttar Pradesh as a hunting lodge. Today, however, it has an altogether more benign purpose, which is to help ensure the preservation of Dudhwa National Park and its unique wildlife, particularly its tigers and rhinoceros.

There are just seven rooms at Jaagir Lodge, all of them individually decorated, and six villas. The luxury rooms are spacious with en-suite bathrooms and separate living and sleeping areas. They open at the front onto private verandahs—the perfect place for a spot of morning tea!

All meals are included during your stay at Jaagir. Five meals a day are served either indoors in the dining room or outside under the shade of the pavilion.

Jaagir has been converted in such a way so as to preserve much of its original character. It retains its old library/lounge with fireplace, and there’s a cosy bar that is well-stocked with whiskeys, wines and cognacs. An extended verandah runs along the front of the building overlooking the manicured lawns. Separate to the main lodge, the Mango Grove is the ideal setting for an evening sundowner, while the fresh water swimming pool is the perfect spot to cool off during the heat of the day, with a wonderful view of the forest. 

Late this afternoon you will set out for a gentle walk around the lodge and in the evening the lodge naturalist will brief you about the terrain of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, highlighting the activities that will take place during your stay at the lodge. Supper follows, then a good night’s rest in time for an early start tomorrow!

Almost 50,000 hectares in size, Dudhwa National Park is one of India’s largest and most pristine forest environments. Wild and untamed, its unique terai eco-system sets it apart from other Indian wildlife parks—the landscape is much more similar to that of neighbouring Nepal—and supports a remarkable number of endangered species, including tiger, rhino, swamp deer and Indian elephant. The flora is equally impressive.

For wildlife enthusiasts, a visit to Dudhwa is a must. Sightings of the regal one-horned rhino, while not guaranteed, are expected, and then there’s the possibility of seeing herds of wild elephant, the five main types of deer, crocodile, wild boar, sloth bear, not to mention over 400 bird species (twitchers take note!), including rarities such as the Bengal Florican. Dudhwa is among the most exceptional of India’s wildlife parks.

The morning will be spent exploring Dudhwa by 4x4 in the company of an experience naturalist guide. In the afternoon, continue to the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary (approx. 1 hour). This sanctuary is dominated by sal, ficus and crocodile-bark trees, along with an array of flowers and trees like the silk cotton tree and the flame of the forest. This is a swamp area, fed by the Sharda River. Tiger are known to prowl here, while the endangered swamp deer is a common sighting, along with barking deer, wild boar and hog deer.

Return to the lodge early evening for supper and overnight.

NB. Please note that, while leopard and tiger are present in Dudhwa & Kishanpur and with healthy populations, due to the dense vegetation and the scale of the park, big cat sightings are rarer than in many of India’s more popular tiger parks.

Located on the Indo-Nepal border, Katarniaghat constitutes 400 square kilometres of sal and teak woodlands, wetlands and swamps. Declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975, today Katarniaghat forms part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve along with Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary also forms an important corridor between Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and Bardia National Park in Nepal.

Chital, langur and tiger are amongst the most notable sightings in the Katarniaghat region of Dudhwa, alongside leopard, spotted deer, swamp deer and sambar. Rhino and elephant sightings are also common, while at dusk, civet and jackal sightings are possible.

Katarniaghat is one of the few remaining reserves where gharial can be seen in the wild.

After a day spent exploring Katarniaghat, return to Jaagir Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Pilibhit is situated west of Dudhwa and constitutes a similar mix of terai jungle, grassland and swamp, with several water bodies. It is a relatively small reserve protecting a healthy population of tiger which prey on chital, wild boar, sambar and blue bull.

You’ll spend a full day exploring the reserve in search of tiger and other notable species. Late afternoon, return to Jaagir Lodge for dinner and overnight.

On arrival into the city, check-in at the Taj Lucknow for one night (incl. breakfast).

On arrival in Delhi, transfer to the airport to check in for your international flight home.