The Journal · Tiger, lion, leopard and rhino
Wildlife & Safari
India is the only country on earth where you can see wild tigers and lions, and its reserves hold leopard, rhino, elephant and extraordinary birdlife. This is our guide to the private safari — choosing between the great tiger reserves, the wildlife beyond the tiger, and how to plan a naturalist-led journey into India's wild heart.

Gir vs Ranthambore: Lions or Tigers in India?
India's two great cat parks, side by side. A clear guide to choosing between Gir's Asiatic lions and Ranthambore's Bengal tigers — sighting, setting, access and when to go.

Bandhavgarh vs Kanha: Which Central Indian Tiger Park?
Two of India's finest tiger reserves, side by side in Madhya Pradesh. A clear guide to choosing between Bandhavgarh's sighting odds and Kanha's grand sal forests — or combining them.

Ranthambore vs Bandhavgarh: Tiger Odds, and Which Fits Your Trip
Bandhavgarh has the better odds. Ranthambore costs you fewer nights and no extra flight. If you have flown a long way and have two weeks, that trade is the whole decision.

Ranthambore vs Jim Corbett: Which Tiger Reserve to Choose?
India's most famous tiger park against its oldest. A clear-eyed look at sighting odds, landscape and logistics — and which one earns its place in your journey.

Wildlife Beyond Tigers: Leopard, Lion, Rhino & Birding in India
The tiger draws the crowds, but India's wild riches run far deeper — the world's only Asiatic lions, one-horned rhino, elusive leopards and extraordinary birdlife.

The Insider's Guide to India's Private Safari Reserves
Which reserves to choose, when to go, and how to experience India's magnificent wildlife without the crowds or the compromises.

Birdwatching in India: A Guide for Travellers
India is one of the world's great birding countries — wetlands thick with migrants, forests of hornbills, and Himalayan slopes of jewel-coloured pheasants. Where to point the binoculars, and when.

Wildlife Parks Reopen 1 October: What Actually Changes
The cores of India's central tiger reserves reopened on 1 October to bookings that had been sold out for a month. October is also the worst month of the open season to see a tiger, and the reason is the same monsoon that closed them.
Design Your India Around Wildlife
Tell us what draws you, and a curator will compose a private journey around it — typically within one working day.
Begin the Conversation