His Majesty’s Court – Wildlife Photography Tour of Kanha and Bandhavgarh

Tour Highlights

For the wildlife photography enthusiast, Kanha and Bandhavgarh need no introduction. These forests are renowned world-over for their natural beauty, not to mention the wealth of fauna that is seen here – including threatened species like Bengal Tiger, Leopard and Barasingha.

Tour Highlights

• Explore the forests in an open safari vehicle. Get an opportunity to see the 2 big cats (Bengal Tigers and Leopards) along with herds of Barasingha(Kanha), Gaurs, Chital and Sambar, not to mention the antics of Gray Langurs and the whistling Wild Dogs. You may also come across forest birds like the Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Hawk Eagle, Racket-tailed Drongo, Indian Pitta, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl and many more.
• Photograph the many different aspects of the forest – mammals, birds, trees, landscapes, interesting moments – under the guidance of our wildlife photography expert.
• Learn about wildlife photography techniques and the natural history of the deciduous forests from our Darter Photography Expert. Our tours always take a balanced approach between natural history and wildlife photography. Our core belief is this – a wildlife photographer can create her/his best work when she/he understands the subject well.
• Review your photographs everyday with the Darter Photography Expert to understand how to tell your story better through your photographs. Our review sessions have been widely appreciated.
• Discuss your observations and learning with the group in our unique debriefing sessions. Everyone has a unique perspective in observing natural phenomena and photographing them. These discussions have always helped our participants learn a lot from each other, in addition to fostering lasting friendships.
• Stay at luxurious resorts run by Pugdundee Safaris in Kanha and Bandhavgarh. Pugdundee Safaris is recognized as one of India’s leading responsible safari companies.

To know more about each of these aspects of His Majesty’s Court, click on the tabs to the right.

Is this Tour for You?

His Majesty’s Court is designed for photographers of all levels of expertise – amateur and serious – who would like to photograph wildlife at Kanha and/or Bandhavgarh. As in all our tours, the group size would be limited so that the Darter Photography Expert can interact closely with every participant.

Wildlife enthusiasts who are not photographers, but are keen to see and experience the forests at Kanha and/or Bandhavgarh, are also welcome to join this group. This trip will keep you enthralled from start to finish.

Our tour is designed in such a way that we

• work closely with every participant on the both wildlife photography and natural history aspects
• help photographers understand the nuances of wildlife photography and capture the moment
• handhold beginners in wildlife photography, and
• allow wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers to explore the biodiversity of the forest.

Tour Price

You can sign up for the entire tour (spanning Kanha and Bandhavgarh) or can choose to sign up for only one segment – Kanha or Bandhavgarh. The price for the each segment of the tour is mentioned below:

• Full tour (covering Kanha and Bandhavgarh) – April 25 to May 03, 2015 – Rs. 76,500 (starts at Kanha and finishes at Bandavgarh. Transport between Kanha and Bandavgarh included in cost)
• Kanha – April 25 to 29, 2015 (Saturday to Wednesday) – Rs.37,500 (ex-Kanha)
• Bandhavgarh – April 29 to May 03, 2015 (Wednesday to Sunday) – Rs.39,000 (ex-Bandavgarh)

The cost includes:

• Accommodation on twin sharing basis in A/C Cottages at resorts run by Pugdundee Safaris
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner (starting with lunch on Day 1 and ending with breakfast on the last day)
• 7 safaris into Kanha National Park
• 7 safaris into Bandhavgarh National Park
• Transport between Kanha and Bandhavgarh for participants of Full Tour
• Forest entry fees
• Photography sessions, on-field assistance and image reviews
• All applicable taxes

The cost does not include:

• Transport from your location to Kanha/Bandhavgarh and back (we can assist with booking/pooling a taxi for participants on request)
• Camera fees (we’ll advise you on any camera fees levied by the Forest Dept a week before the tour)
• Additional safaris into the park
• Additional beverages, snacks and mineral water ordered at the resort
• Medical costs
• Tips and other expenses not mentioned in the includes list above

Please note that the above is subject to favorable weather and other conditions. In case of any obstacles, we will do our best to make alternate plans. The cost of the tour or any part of it will not be refunded in the event of unfavourable conditions during the tour days.

Join This Tour

If you have any further questions for us, you could email us at register@darter.in or call us at / 9740083260 (Shreeram M V) You could also fill in the form at the end of the page to get in touch with us regarding the tour.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday). Reach Pugdundee Safaris’ Kanha Earth Lodge after a 6 hour journey from Nagpur. In the evening, we gather for a welcome session where we go through a round of introductions (in case we haven’t done that already) followed by an orientation on the tour by the Darter Photography Expert. We’ll have a session on wildlife photography techniques in a deciduous forest like Kanha/Bandavgarh. We’ll then head to dinner and retire to our rooms for the day.

Day 2 (Sunday). Well before dawn, we are all up in anticipation for our first foray into the forest. We get into our jeeps and head to the forest gate. After completing the entry formalities, we head into the beautiful forests of Kanha. With an unmatched diversity of habitats – from beautiful deciduous forests to rolling hills to awe-inspiring grasslands to beautiful plateaus – Kanha is one of the most amazing forests to photograph in. And the animal life here is spell-binding too – from the majestic Tiger to the stealthy Leopard, the rare Barasinghas (found nowhere else in peninsular India), the variety of birds. We’ll photograph different facets of the forest on our safari, under the guidance of the Darter Photography Expert.

After the safari, we return to our Lodge and take rest till lunch. After lunch, the Darter Photography Expert will review your photographs and give you feedback.

It’s then time for the second safari for the day. As the forest cools off, the golden light makes photographs taken in the afternoon stand out.

Around dinner, we’ll have a discussion about the events of the day, with participants sharing their experiences and learning. We’ll then retire to our rooms for the day.

Day 3-4 (Monday-Tuesday). We’ll do 2 safaris every day to explore different areas of the forest. We’ll try to photograph as much of the diversity of the forest, which will help us unravel some of the secrets of photography.

After the safaris, we’ll have photography reviews and discussions on nature and photography.

Day 5 (Wednesday). We’ll do one last safari this morning into the forests of Kanha. The beautiful forests are bountiful and by now we should’ve made many memorable images. We bid goodbye to this wonderful place as we head back to the lodge for breakfast.

After breakfast, participants who are heading back to their homes would be transferred to Nagpur. Participants heading to Bandhavgarh will start their 6 hour long journey. We’ll arrive at Kings Lodge Bandhavgarh by early evening.

In the evening, all participants of the Bandavgarh segment of the tour will assemble for introductions and a brief orientation about the forest. We’ll have a session on wildlife photography techniques in a deciduous forest like Kanha/Bandhavgarh. We’ll then head to dinner and retire to our rooms for the day.

Day 6 (Thursday) to Day 8 (Saturday). We’ll do 2 safaris into Bandhavgarh every day to explore different areas of the forest. We’ll try to photograph as much of the diversity of the forest, which will help us unravel some of the secrets of photography.

As with Kanha, Bandhavgarh has an amazing diversity of habitat and wildlife. We’ll explore the forest in search for the big mammals – Tigers, Leopards, Wild Dogs (Dholes), Gaur, Sambar, etc. We’ll also photograph the diversity of birds and forest-scapes under the guidance of Darter Photography Expert.

After the safaris, we’ll have photography reviews and discussions on nature and photography.

Day 9 (Sunday). The last day of the tour is here. We’ll have one more safari into Bandhavgarh before packing up our bags for home. With many memories (and hopefully overflowing memory cards too) and new friends, we are transferred to Katni/Jabalpur/Nagpur for our journey back home.

In addition to the above, the accompanying Darter Photography Expert would help you with:

• On-field assistance during the safaris from a photography as well as a naturalist’s perspective
• Sessions on photography that would help you get good photographs during the tour
• Photography review sessions to give you feedback on your photographs

Please note that the itinerary above is subject to fair weather and other factors. Darter Photography reserves the right to make changes to the above itinerary at any point of time. Also, please note that photographing the wildlife mentioned above and pictured in the slideshow is indicative and dependent on various external factors, including weather and the wildlife being spotted during our safaris.

Your Photography Experts: Shreeram M V

Shreeram M V is a professional outdoor photographer, specializing in wildlife and travel photography. He is the co-founder of Darter Photography that specializes in providing photography services such as workshops and outdoor photography tours. He lives in Bangalore, India.

What started off as a fascination for birds in a lake behind his house turned into a journey to different parts of India. For this IIM Bangalore graduate, the passion for wildlife and travel enabled him to charter his own course outside the corporate world. He has explored places as diverse as the rainforests of the Western Ghats, the salt marshes of Kutch, the grasslands of Tal Chapar, the deciduous forests of South and Central India, the high-altitude plateau of Ladakh, the coasts of peninsular India, the forests of North-east India and the islands of Andaman.

An avid birdwatcher, Shreeram has seen more than 600 birds across India. He hopes to see and photograph all the birds that are found in India. He was one of the judges in the HSBC Bangalore Bird Race in 2013. Shreeram also specializes in macro photography of spiders, reptiles, amphibians and insects.

He has done the Naturalist Training Program conducted by Jungle Lodges & Resorts and had a short stint as a Naturalist at Jungle Lodges’ River Tern Lodge at Bhadra. He has served on the evaluation panel for Karnataka Eco-Tourism Development Board’s Naturalist Certification Program, where naturalists from Jungle Lodges & Resorts and other resorts across Karnataka were evaluated and certified in the first-ever program of its kind in the country. He has also spent time at Kabini River Lodge in the summer of 2014 evaluating their naturalists and formulating training requirements to help them interpret the forest better.

See some of his work at Visual Quotient