Mr. Tony Bowden & Mrs. Lyndell from Australia were referred to us by our clients Mr. Garry & Julie from Bali, who did a multiday India wildlife tour in 2023. Their trip was mainly focused on tigers & wildlife in Pench, Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, Sanjay Dhubri Tiger Reserve, Panna Tiger Reserve & Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Report By: Mr. Sudhir Sharma
Tony, sir, is a great wildlife photographer & has been traveling to various wildlife destinations across the world. It was his first time in India. Lyndell, ma’am, is more interested in culture and monuments. After exchanging messages, a 21-day itinerary was finalized.
They landed in Delhi on 09 March 25. The last-minute change in international flights forced us to avoid the first two nights in Delhi. As all safaris were booked in advance, pushing the itinerary to 02 days would not have been a good idea. All zones we booked were not available after changing the itinerary.
After arriving early in Delhi at 04:00 am & after having a short rest in a nearby hotel, we dropped them off at the domestic airport to take a flight to Dharamshala at 09:00 am.
09–11 Mar 25 — Dharamshala
Dharamshala Sightseeing
After reaching Dharamshala, our guide met them & briefed them about sightseeing places & activities in Dharamshala. Main attractions of Dharamshala are the Dalai Lama Temple, the cricket stadium, St. John Church, and the Tibetan market.
11–13 Mar 25 — Amritsar
Arrival & Golden Temple Night View
After enjoying the cable car, we drove to Amritsar (5 hrs.). After a check in & short rest went to the Golden Temple for a night view with lighting.
12 Mar 25 — Real Village Tour & Amritsar Highlights
After breakfast we started for the Real Village Tour. Perhaps this is one of the best village tours in India. After reaching the nearby village, the Sikh family welcomed us. We enjoyed their company as they got us dressed in local style. Turbans for gents & salwar kurtas for females are common dress here. Some tricks for martial arts were also shown to us. Had a local vegetarian lunch with the family.
Later we visited the Partition Museum & Golden Temple in the daytime. Last week we went to Wagah Border to see the parade at the Indo-Pakistan border.
13–16 Mar 25 — Jaipur
Travel to Jaipur
Before leaving Amritsar, we visited the War Memorial Museum. Later took flight to Jaipur around 03:00 pm & arrived in Jaipur around 07:00 pm. We were lucky to have this flight operational on our dates. Otherwise, either we would have taken an overnight train to Jaipur or flown up to Delhi & driven 4 hours to Jaipur.
14 Mar — Holi Festival in Jaipur (Morning)
Holi is one of the important festivals of colors of Hindus in North India. On this day we put colors on each other & drink openly. From morning to afternoon everything stops & people just enjoy colors & drinks. So, we too enjoyed Holi in our hotel in Jaipur & took some nice pictures of people enjoying Holi.
14 Mar — Jhalana Leopard Safari (Afternoon)
Afternoon : Jhalana Leopard Safari.
Our Jhalana leopard safari was prebooked. We reached the gate around 03:45 pm. These safaris are shorter than tiger parks safaris. After searching various locations for leopards, we came across Rana—the dominant leopard of Jhalana. Our driver gave perfect positions and angles for photography.
15 Mar 25 — Jaipur Sightseeing
Full-day sightseeing of Jaipur, including Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, and Jal Mahal. We went for shopping. Jaipur is famous for jewellery & carpets.
16–18 Mar 25 — Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve
After breakfast, drove to Ranthambhore from Jaipur. Had lunch & afternoon safari. Zone selection is key for success for a photography trip. As our itinerary was finalized well in advance, we got the best zones (150 days in advance ) booked on the first day of opening the booking.
Never compromise with safari zones while visiting national parks. It was made clear to Mr. Tony that if we did not get good zones, then we would change another, better park to Ranthambhore. Nowadays there are many good options.
16 Mar 25 — Afternoon Safari, Zone 02
It was a great start for the trip. Two subadult cubs of the Arrowhead tigress were seen sleeping near the road under the shade. Our guide, Harvinder Singh (senior guide), waited for some time, but nothing changed with the cubs. He decided to check the whole Naal Ghati Valley to locate their mother. What a decision of Harvinder! We saw T 120 (male) coming down the valley in front of our jeep. He gave head-on shots for the next 20 minutes. After getting good pictures, Harvinder decided to check the Jhalara area. Suddenly warning calls of sambhar deer started, and within a few minutes, tigress Riddhi (T124) was beside our car. Another great photograph of the second tiger by our jeep only.
The first safari was excellent: 4 tigers.
17 Mar 25 — Morning Safari, Zone 03
Zone 03.
This is one of the best zones of Ranthambhore due to 02 big lakes. Always in demand. We were lucky to have this. Riddhi rules this zone with her three subadult cubs. Lord Ganesha blessed us, & we were lucky to spot them very close to us & in Padam Lake. They moved from Raj Bagh Lake to Padam Lake.
17 Mar 25 — Afternoon Safari, Zone 02
Afternoon, our zone was again full of hopes. Arrowhead with one subadult cub was very well photographed. Harvinder’s calculation worked well throughout the safaris in Ranthambhore. Tony sir, desired to see a sloth bear. So, Guide decided to check zone 02 thoroughly, & in the end we spotted a sloth bears.
18–19 Mar 25 — Agra
After breakfast, we started driving to Agra. En route visited Abha Neri (beautiful stepwell).
19 Mar 25 — Taj Mahal, Agra Fort & Train
Early morning visit Taj Mahal at sunrise. Later visited Fort. In the evening took an overnight train to Katni .
20–22 Mar 25 — Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
As we reached Katni station, a sudden change in weather started. It started raining as we deboarded the train. Rain is not a good sign for tiger sightings. Nowadays, due to climate change, it rains for short periods even in summer. Once or twice a month, low pressure brings rains. But we cannot control nature.
20 Mar 25 — Afternoon Safari, Zone Tala
After lunch it started raining in Bandhavgarh itself. Started safari & try to find tigers in bad weather. After waiting in the Chakradhara zone for hours slight moment for the tiger occurred. Our guide, Ayodhya, decided to wait last. Luckily, Chakradhara female crossed behind our jeep. It was a good success even after rain. Ayodhya is a young guide with great knowledge of tiger trails in Bandhavgarh.
After getting out of the park, it rained heavily all night.
21 Mar 25 — Morning Safari, Zone Khitauli
From the beginning of the morning safari, it was clear that today’s tiger spotting was going to be very tough. So, we tried to focus on our birds & other animals list. No tiger sighting.
21 Mar 25 — Afternoon Safari, Zone Tala
The rain stopped in the afternoon, but the tiger moment did not return to normal. Again, a safari without a tiger but with a different shade of forest was captured. But the great thing was that the rain stopped completely, and we were hoping for a good last safari in Bandhavgarh.
22 Mar 25 — Morning Safari, Zone Khitauli
Bright sunlight brought us good signs for safari. After checking the territories of two or three tigers we got to catch, we caught a male tiger called D1. Besides this, 02 subadult cubs of the Darrah female were seen but not photographed in a good way. As these cubs were constantly moving in the bushes.
- So even after rain disturbances, we got to see 04 tigers again in Bandhavgarh.
- After safari, check out of the hotel & later drive to Panna Tiger Reserve. (04 hrs.)
- After checking the hotel & having evening tea, we started for Night Safari in Panna Tiger Reserve.
Do not miss the night safari in Panna & Satpura Tiger Reserve. These safaris offer you see rare animals like hyenas, civet cats, sloth bears, and leopards. The guides here have especial adaptability for finding these animals in dark lights.
We had a chance to see an Indian fox & a huge leopard. Both were photographed.
22–24 Mar 25 — Panna Tiger Reserve
23 Mar 25 — Morning Safari, Zone Madla
The impact of rain from 20 Mar in Central India has little impact in Panna Tiger Reserve. We started our safari keeping in mind to track P141 Tigress with her 03 little cubs, hardly 09 months old. After regularly checking her territory, we spotted her in good light . But less lucky to photograph her cubs.
Recently P151’s cubs separated from their mother close to P141’s territory. Now these 04 adults’ cubs roam freely and even enter P141’s area. So, she must be very careful in bringing her tiny cubs out.
23 Mar 25 — Afternoon Safari, Zone Madla
Panna Tiger Reserve is a very flexible park from a tourism point of view. This park has three gates, but you can go anywhere in the tourist area. After having good pictures of P141, we decided to go to Vulture’s Point. Himalayan Griffon, Eurasian Griffon, and Indian/long-billed & white-backed vultures at Vulture Point were seen & photographed. Our guide, Pahar Singh, did his best in just two-day safaris.
Later we further moved around that area & got Tigress P652. Again, she obliged us with good photos.
So, Panna gave us two tigresses in good habitat.
24–26 Mar 25 — Varanasi
On 24 Mar we took flight to Varanasi from Khajuraho airport. Arrived in Varanasi at noon. After taking some rest, we started sightseeing in Varanasi.
Varanasi is one of the ancient cities of India. The name is derived from silk. For Hindus, it is one of the religious pilgrimage destinations. But more iBook’s like the Cultural Theatre of India. You can see burning pyres on the bank of the Ganga. Only place where you see the funeral process of Hindus live.
Evening Ganga Aarti (worship) is the main attraction. Next-day sunrise boat rides change the ambience differently. The Shiva Temple is a holy place to visit.
Other sightseeing includes Sarnath (Buddhist site), the Archaeological Museum, the Ashokan Pillar , Banaras Hindu University, the Bharat Mata Temple, etc.
26–27 Mar 25 — Delhi & Departure
After completing sightseeing in Varanasi, we took an evening flight & reached Delhi.
27- Mar 25- Local Delhi sightseeing & drop back to airport to fly back home.
Our return flight to Australia was late at night. So, we did a full day of sightseeing in Delhi, including Humayun’s Tomb, Qutab Minar, the Lotus Temple , India Gate, and the Red Fort, and enjoyed a rickshaw ride in the Chandni Chowk area. Later have dinner in some restaurant & drop to IGI, Intl. to board flight at 00:55 on 28 March 25.
Overview
Mr. Tony Bowden, an accomplished wildlife photographer from Australia, and his wife Mrs. Lyndell Bowden, with a strong interest in culture and history, embarked on a 21-day customized tour of India. They were referred by our previous guests, Mr. Garry & Mrs. Julie from Bali, who traveled with us in 2023. This was the Bowdens’ first visit to India, with the primary focus on tiger and wildlife photography, alongside cultural highlights to suit both travelers’ interests.
Final Notes
The trip blended high-quality wildlife photography opportunities with cultural immersion. Thanks to early planning and the expertise of local guides, the Bowdens had a rewarding first experience in India, combining Tony’s passion for wildlife with Lyndell’s interest in heritage and history.
