Uncovering the Wonders of India: Self-Launched 26-Day Wildlife Tour

Land at IGI Airport, take the Airport Express metro (~£1.50) or a pre-booked Uber/Ola (~£5–7) to a guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Get an Indian eSIM/Airtel SIM, set up UPI payments, then ease in with a wander and street food around Chandni Chowk and the spice market in Old Delhi.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.50 or Ola/Uber ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj (private room, ~£14/night)

• →Airport Express metro to city
• →Chandni Chowk & Khari Baoli spice market walk
• →Trip prep: SIM, cash, safari permit accounts

Morning train from Anand Vihar or New Delhi to Ramnagar (nearest railhead to Corbett) — an overnight or early-morning option; otherwise a bus from Kashmere Gate ISBT to Ramnagar (~7–8 hrs, ~£6). From Ramnagar it's a 20–30 min shared jeep to your lodge near Dhikala gate area. Evening briefing on how to book Corbett jeep permits online via the Uttarakhand forest portal.

🚌Train Delhi–Ramnagar ~£3–5 or bus ~£6, shared jeep ~£2

🛏Forest-edge guesthouse near Ramnagar/Corbett (~£16/night)

• →Train or bus to Ramnagar
• →Shared jeep to Corbett lodge

Do the classic morning and afternoon jeep safaris (Corbett's permit system runs six-hour slots for Dhikala; day jeeps run shorter loops in Bijrani/Jhirna zones). Book permits in advance through the Corbett online permit system or via your lodge, which usually arranges the jeep and forest guide. Look for tiger, elephant herds and gharial along the Ramganga.

🚌Included in jeep safari fee

🛏Forest-edge guesthouse near Corbett (~£16/night)

• →Morning jeep safari, Bijrani/Jhirna zone
• →Afternoon jeep safari
• →Crocodile & bird spotting at Ramganga reservoir

Second full day of safaris, alternating zones for the best chance of tiger and elephant sightings. If you're doing the Dhikala overnight option, this is where you'd stay inside the forest rest house instead of the lodge (book months ahead; it's cheap but fills instantly).

🚌Included in jeep safari fee

🛏Forest-edge guesthouse near Corbett (~£16/night)

• →Morning safari (alternate zone)
• →Afternoon safari
• →Evening nature walk outside the core zone

Long travel day, then Agra. Simplest is the overnight or early train from Ramnagar/Moradabad towards Agra Cantt (~£5–8), or a state bus to Delhi then a Gatimaan Express–style fast train onward. On arrival, drop bags and hit the Taj Mahal in the late afternoon light and Agra Fort before closing. Buy the Taj e-ticket online (₹1,300, ~£12) — tickets are timed.

🚌Train Ramnagar/Moradabad–Agra ~£6

🛏Budget hotel in Taj Ganj (~£18/night)

• →Taj Mahal (self-booked e-ticket)
• →Agra Fort (self-booked entry)
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset view across the Yamuna

En route to Jaipur, break at Fatehpur Sikri — take a bus or shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri village (~1 hr from Agra, ~£1.50), explore the abandoned Mughal capital, then continue by bus to Jaipur (~3 hrs, ~£3). Check into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal. This replaces the operator's private car on this stretch entirely.

🚌Bus Agra–Fatehpur Sikri ~£1.50, bus to Jaipur ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£15/night)

• →Fatehpur Sikri fort complex
• →Bus travel to Jaipur

DIY the Pink City. Local bus #5 or a shared auto to Amber Fort, entry ~£5 (or the cheaper composite ticket covering Amber, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh and Albert Hall for ~£9). Then City Palace, Hawa Mahal photo stop and Jantar Mantar. Book a guide ad hoc at the gate for ~£12–15 if you want the Taj/Jaipur-style commentary the tour included.

🚌Local bus & autos ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£15/night)

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Jantar Mantar observatory

Bus or train from Jaipur to Sawai Madhopur (~3 hrs train, ~£2). Book your Ranthambore permits yourself on the official Rajasthan forest portal — request zones 2–6, not 7–8, which have far weaker tiger sightings (the operator's own reviewers flagged this). Afternoon safari in a shared 6-seat Gypsy.

🚌Train ~£2, autos ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Sawai Madhopur (~£16/night)

• →Train Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur
• →Afternoon shared Gypsy safari

Two safaris today, zone-dependent. Ranthambore is one of the best tiger parks in the world in zones 2–6, and the fort-topped lake zones are spectacular in their own right. Permits are roughly ₹2,000–2,500 pp per shared jeep safari (~£19–24).

🚌Included in safari fee

🛏Guesthouse in Sawai Madhopur (~£16/night)

• →Morning Gypsy safari
• →Afternoon Gypsy safari
• →Ranthambore Fort walk (free with entry)

A big transfer day. Best routing: train Sawai Madhopur → Umaria (via Katni, ~12–14 hrs, sleeper ~£5–8 overnight), then a shared jeep or bus ~1 hr to Tala village. Overnight-sleeper saves a hotel night and is the most budget-friendly way to make this long hop. Arrive morning, rest, then settle in.

🚌Sleeper train ~£7, shared jeep ~£2

🛏Budget lodge in Tala village (~£15/night)

• →Overnight sleeper train to Umaria
• →Shared jeep to Bandhavgarh/Tala

Easy morning to recover from the sleeper, then an afternoon jeep safari. Book Bandhavgarh permits online through the MP forest portal, targeting the Tala zone — the highest tiger-density zone and home to the famous fort cliffs. Magadhi and Khitauli are solid backups.

🚌Included in safari fee

🛏Budget lodge in Tala village (~£15/night)

• →Afternoon jeep safari (Tala zone ideally)

Morning and afternoon safaris. Bandhavgarh has one of India's highest tiger densities, and this park alone often delivers what people come for. Shared Gypsy safaris are ~£19–25 pp per slot; a full private jeep runs ~£75–90 if you can find others to split it at your lodge.

🚌Included in safari fee

🛏Budget lodge in Tala village (~£15/night)

• →Morning jeep safari
• →Afternoon jeep safari
• →Bandhavgarh fort viewpoint walk

Another double-safari day. Afternoons are good for sloth bear and leopard as well as tiger. Use the middle of the day to sort onward transport — buses from Tala to Mandla or Umaria, and trains on towards Jabalpur for Kanha.

🚌Included in safari fee

🛏Budget lodge in Tala village (~£15/night)

• →Morning jeep safari
• →Afternoon jeep safari
• →Village walk and wildlife talk at lodge

Travel day: shared jeep/bus to Umaria or Katni, then train to Jabalpur or Mandla, then bus to Kanha (Kisli village, the main gateway). Total ~7–9 hrs and ~£10–14. Pre-book your Kanha permits online for the next two days — Kisli and Mukki zones are the strongest.

🚌Bus + train + bus ~£12

🛏Budget guesthouse in Kisli village (~£14/night)

• →Multi-leg bus and train journey to Kanha
• →Evening at Kisli village

Two safaris in Kanha's sal forests and open maidans — the park that inspired The Jungle Book and one of the last strongholds of the hard-ground barasingha. Shared jeep safaris ~£19–25 pp per slot.

🚌Included in safari fee

🛏Budget guesthouse in Kisli village (~£14/night)

• →Morning game drive
• →Afternoon game drive
• →Barasingha & dhole spotting in Kanha meadow

Short hop today: bus from Kanha to Seoni (~3 hrs, ~£2), then a shared jeep or local bus to Turia, the gateway village for Pench (MP side). Book Pench permits online tonight — Touria and Karmajhiri are the core zones.

🚌Bus + shared jeep ~£4

🛏Forest lodge in Turia (~£15/night)

• →Bus Kanha–Seoni–Turia
• →Settle into Pench lodge

Pench is where the operator's reviewers saw five tigers in a single day. Morning and afternoon jeep safaris in the teak forest along the Pench river. Two shared safaris ~£40–50 total.

🚌Included in safari fee

🛏Forest lodge in Turia (~£15/night)

• →Morning jeep safari
• →Afternoon jeep safari
• →Pench river birdwatching

Early morning safari, then a long transfer. Bus/jeep from Turia to Nagpur (~3 hrs), then a flight Nagpur–Kolkata (~£45–70, 1h45m) — much faster and often comparable in cost to 2AC trains once you factor in a lost day. Alternatively overnight train Nagpur–Howrah (~£8–14 sleeper, 15 hrs).

🚌Jeep to Nagpur ~£3, flight ~£55 or sleeper train ~£12

🛏Budget hotel in Sudder Street / Esplanade area, Kolkata (~£16/night)

• →Morning jeep safari
• →Transfer to Nagpur
• →Flight or overnight train to Kolkata

Self-guided city day using the metro and cheap yellow taxis. Victoria Memorial (₹500, ~£5), St Paul's Cathedral, Indian Museum (₹500), Birla Planetarium, Kalighat Kali Temple, and a walk on the Maidan past Eden Gardens. Note the operator's reviewers had to pay their own Kolkata entries — so budget for them here.

🚌Metro, tram & yellow taxi ~£5

🛏Budget hotel in Sudder Street, Kolkata (~£16/night)

• →Victoria Memorial
• →St Paul's Cathedral
• →Indian Museum
• →Birla Planetarium
• →Kalighat Kali Temple
• →Maidan & Eden Gardens exterior

Fly Kolkata–Guwahati (~£40–60, 1 hr), then bus or shared taxi Guwahati → Kohora (Kaziranga's main gate, ~5 hrs, ~£4–6). Alternatively an overnight train Kolkata–Guwahati (~£10–15) followed by the same bus. Check in at a Kohora guesthouse and book your jeep safaris plus the elephant safari for the next two days.

🚌Flight ~£50 + bus ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in Kohora (~£15/night)

• →Flight or train to Guwahati
• →Bus to Kohora, Kaziranga

Dawn elephant safari (the standout experience — riding through tall grass to see one-horned rhinos at close range, ~£20–25 pp, book through your lodge; numbers are capped). Then a jeep safari in the Western or Central range and a second jeep safari in the afternoon for rhino, wild buffalo, swamp deer and, if lucky, tiger.

🚌Safari jeep included

🛏Guesthouse in Kohora (~£15/night)

• →Dawn elephant safari
• →Morning jeep safari
• →Afternoon jeep safari

Morning and afternoon jeep safaris in the Eastern (Agratoli) and Central ranges — the Eastern range is quieter and great for rhino and birdlife along the Brahmaputra floodplain. Shared jeeps ~£20–25 pp per slot; private jeep ~£60–75.

🚌Safari jeep included

🛏Guesthouse in Kohora (~£15/night)

• →Morning jeep safari
• →Afternoon jeep safari
• →Brahmaputra floodplain birdwatching

Short and scenic: bus from Kohora towards Tezpur (~2.5 hrs, ~£3), then a shared jeep or auto to Nameri (Potasali), ~1 hr. Afternoon free for river-side walks and a look at the Jia Bhoroli river. Book your forest guide and rafting through the lodge or the Nameri Eco Camp.

🚌Bus ~£3, jeep ~£2

🛏Eco-camp / forest guesthouse near Nameri (~£16/night)

• →Bus Kaziranga–Tezpur
• →Shared jeep to Nameri
• →Evening riverside walk

Do the guided forest walk with a mandatory forest-department guide (~£10–12) — better value than the operator's reviewers found the walk, and you can combine it with a short Jia Bhoroli river rafting trip (~£15) or birdwatching for white-winged duck and ibisbill. Nameri is also a good spot for elephants crossing the river at dawn.

🚌Local transport ~£2

🛏Eco-camp / forest guesthouse near Nameri (~£16/night)

• →Guided forest walk with forest department guide
• →Jia Bhoroli river rafting
• →Birdwatching

Bus or shared jeep back to Tezpur or Guwahati, then a flight Guwahati–Delhi (~£55–75, 2h20m) — the sensible way to cover this distance in one day. If you're on a tighter budget, an overnight Rajdhani-class train Guwahati–Delhi takes ~27 hrs (~£15–22 sleeper). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh hotel late.

🚌Jeep + bus ~£5, flight ~£65 or overnight train ~£18

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh (~£14/night)

• →Transfer to Guwahati
• →Flight to Delhi
• →Evening in Karol Bagh

Last-morning shopping at Dilli Haat or Janpath for textiles and crafts, then Airport Express metro to IGI for your flight home. Pad the journey — Delhi traffic is unpredictable.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.50

🛏—

• →Dilli Haat / Janpath souvenir shopping
• →Airport transfer