Wildlife Trails Traveller Reviews

My husband & I spent 15 days in Bandhavgarh at the hottest and driest time of year. Daily temperatures frequently reached 47 Celsius but the heat is much drier than in the UK so can be tolerated if you are sensible. If you want to see wildlife and especially tigers the hottest driest part of the year is the best in our opinion. We've been travelling to India in late May/early June for 9 years now and we've always seen tigers. This year sloth bear, leopard, civet cat, chinkara, nilgai, changeable hawk eagle, barking deer and vulture sightings were also excellent. We visited 4 zones of Bandhavgarh National Park including the newly opened Kithauli-Panpatha buffer zone which is stunningly beautiful and for the first time in 2015 will remain open during the monsoon rainy season. The other zones visited were Tala (good sightings of tigers, leopards, sloth bears, varied birdlife including the rare emerald doves, Indian Pitta, Paradise Flycatcher, serpent eagles, long necked vultures, Egyptian vultures and King vultures; we also saw civet cat, ruddy mongoose, sambar deer, barking deer, chital and plenty of wild boar); Magdhi (some good tiger sightings, chital, sambar deer, wild boar,and many birds); Kithauli (no tigers seen on this visit but birdlife was good and is one of the better zones in which to see the shy Nilgai (also known as the blue bull) and the black backed jackal).

Wildlife trails is especially good at delivering the personal touches which make the traveller feel like a welcome guest and not just another name in a large group. I have a food allergy, it was flagged with wildlife trails when we booked & communicated right down the line to every person involved in meal preparation throughout our stay (even the packed meals for the travel days were spot on). They also arranged for a mobile phone/Indian SIM card for us to use during our trip which is a big help especially when you have two lengthy overnight trips. The safaris were booked exactly as we had discussed and when you speak to Allan or Kirsty about your trip during the planning stage it feels like you are dealing with friends. We have travelled with Wildlife Trails many times over the last nine years to a variety of destinations including India for Tigers, Brazil for Jaguars and Canada for Polar Bears, whenever we plan to watch wildlife they will always be our first port of call.

The animal I most wanted to see were dholes. This was my second trip to India and they alluded me. I know there are no guarantees with nature, but within 2 hours on our first game drive I saw a pack of three right behind the jeep. All in all I saw three packs on five occasions and saw them with puppies and saw them mating. The forest was beautiful with colorful birds especially the Paradise Flycatcher. I saw tigers, sloth bears, several species of deer, tree shrew and a monitor lizard. This trip was more than I could of hoped for. The lodge was very nice and the food was great. I especially enjoyed the movie on Indian wildlife provided nightly. I give it an A++

He was so helpful. He met me at the airport when I arrived and he helped me on my flight home through the airport. It can be scary for a foreigner in a strange place. He put me at ease. All the necessary documents were provided for me when I arrived at my hotel in Delhi and he explained what each document was for. The book on tigers was a nice touch.

All the hotels were very high quality and the staff could not be faulted and were very attentive. The food menus did not totally cater to the European Pallett. The tiger safari was excellent and we would highly recommend this aspect of the holiday. Khem Villas was an amazing place to stay to compliment the safaris. The guides were enthusiastic and eager to show us all the local sights in the areas we visited. The Taj Mahal was amazing. The only down side was the excessive heat which was not in anyone's control.

Excellent. We received a phone call every day to ask us if there were any problems and to make sure all plans were kept on schedule. Our only problem related to the internal flights where the baggage allowance was not enough and this was not brought to our attention when the flights were booked. It therefore cost extra time and money waiting to arrange payment for the extra baggage. This could have been paid for in advance.

We visited 3 nature reserves in India - Ranthambore, Tadoba and Gir. The variety of Wildlife we saw was amazing, we had great sightings of Tigers, Lions, Leopards, Sloth Bears, Wild Dogs, Monkeys, Wild Boar, deers, birds, snakes, crocs - it was a nature lovers paradise. The weather was good and we met some lovely people, local and tourists. We had some great local food and the staff couldn't do any more for you. We also had a great stay at the end of the holiday in Mumbai on Juhu beach - it was great to stay in a nice place and relax, a great end to a fantastic trip.

We have travelled with Wildlife Trails 5 times and would have used them a lot more if they were covering the destinations we wanted to go to. I'm glad to see they have expanded their list of destinations as they can tailor make some fantastic trips. They listen to what you want and then tailor it to exactly what you have asked for with some good advice if you need it. They can offer good advice as they have travelled to the places they promote and are themselves wildlife enthusiasts. I have found that over the years they have got to know the kind of accommodation and trips we like as they have worked with us to produce the ultimate wildlife adventure and this adds a personal touch to their services. I have to say that their prices are very competitive too. We will definitely travel with Wildlife Trails again!

Where to start? Landing in Delhi we were met by a rep from Perfect Travels who gave us both a book about tigers and an itenarary for our tiger tour. The rep came with us in the transfer taxi to explain everything to us. We were then transported, stopping as we wanted, 6 hours to Tiger Camp, which was very comfortable. The highlight here was being able to go down and sit at the river and watch life go on - washing clothes, scrubbing pots and 3 domestic elephants with their handlers came down and the elephants also had a good soak and a scrub. The scenery is stunning. We had 2 safaris in Birjani region of Corbett. Our driver for the whole time both in Birjani and Dhikala was Alam and we couldn't have asked for better. There was loads of evidence of tigers but we had to wait until the second outing when a tigress and her 2 Cubs came out of the long grass walked a good way up the dry riverbed and disappeared into the grass again. Truly amazing! We then moved to Dikala for a 3 night stay. This was a bit more primitive but adequate accommodation and the food was good. We had safaris both morning and afternoon, in the morning we would come in for breakfast then go back out. The first safari we saw a tiger in the long grass, but not a good view. We had an elephant safari which made us feel a bit like explorers as our elephant seemed to chose her own path. The wild elephants and all the other wildlife would have been an amazing holiday. Alam knew we were there to see tigers and arranged for us to have a stay in one of the towers while the park was closed in the middle of the afternoon. We did see a tiger come silently out of the jungle, cool itself in a waterhole, look directly at us and disappear silently back into the jungle. We did come across another tiger lying in the shade on a road and then imoving into a waterhole for a soak.. When it got up and left the waterhole we watched its, again from a tower, walk into the long grass, lie down and disappear from view except for the swishing of its tail. As you can probably guess from this we had a fantastic holiday and couldn't possibly choose one highlight, there were so many and only a few mentioned here!

We emailed Wildlife Trails, told them what we wanted and they organised everything exactly. We didn't want to spend anytime in Delhi, because we had been there before, and we wanted to optimise our chances of seeing tigers, which we knew wasn't going to be easy, so we had an extra safari. We didn't want to travel to Corbett by train so a road transfer, stopping as we wanted was arranged. The companies used in India were Perfect Travels, who were in contact with us by phone checking that everything was going well and Tigerland Tours and Safaris took care of our safari package. We cannot fault any of these companies or their service. We know there was a certain amount of luck in having had so many tiger sightings but the scenery and the elephants would have made the trip. We gave Wildlife Trails the names of 2 or 3 parks and we were given information on each park for us to make the final decision on where we travelled. Kirsty and Allan Blanchard along with the other companies mentioned all went the extra mile to give us a fantastic holiday for a fraction of the price of some of the other big tour operators.

We have just spent 2 weeks in Madhya Pradesh visiting Pench & Kanha National Parks. This is the 3rd time to Pench & we keep returning to Kanha as we love it there. As wildlife enthusiasts, these places can be revisited without ever being the same experience. Surroundings might be familiar but each drive is different. We were a week in Pench staying at Jamtara Wilderness Camp, close to Jamtara gate and village. This is a new camp and the only one at Jamtara. It is a tented camp that feels as if you are in the jungle as it adjoins the buffer zone and the wildlife can be heard & sometimes seen from your tent. The accommodation is spacious and comfortable, hospitality warm & welcoming with delicious food and attentive staff. Sadly the tiger sightings were poor while we were there as we had unseasonal stormy & wet weather. However, the park is beautiful and we saw plenty of other mammals & birds. We spent a week at Kanha Jungle Lodge with our dear friends Tarun & Dimple Bhati. It always feels like coming home when we visit. Kanha Jungle Lodge also feels to be in the jungle as the setting is so natural. Here, the food, the lovely staff and the accommodation are superb. Nothing is too much trouble. Tiger sightings were really good for us here and there is always so much else to see. Scenery & wildlife are just beautiful. The forest guides on the Mukki side of the park are very special, friendly & skilful. Overall it was another memorable trip.

Wildlife Trails have been our tour operator of choice for 13 years. They have looked after us well and we have travelled to many different countries with them. We trust them to provide us with exactly the holiday we've planned in partnership together with them. They pay great attention to detail and ensure that we never have to worry about any aspect of our trip as it has all been very carefully arranged to be trouble free. Leaving us free to just enjoy.

Spent 5 days at Tigers Den Resort where the staff / management could not do enough for you. The room was very spacious and kept very clean. Really nice to have your own verandah to enjoy drinks etc. as there is no central bar to socialise in, unless there was entertainment in the evening and a temporary bar was set up. Enjoyed 2 evenings of tribal dancing! We had tiger sittings in Kithali and Magadhi zones but none in Tala. Guides and drivers very enthusiastic about spotting a tiger but you need to be prepared for a very bumpy dusty ride . Wished that we had moved on to another National Park and flown back from Mumbai instead of taking overnight train back to Delhi. Our last night was spent at the Bajaj Indian Homestay in Delhi which was spotlessly clean , lovely staff but be prepared to have a room with no windows.

Wildlife Trails were very helpful in planning the trip and supplying information.

A safari staying in the heart of the Maasai Mara Reserve. The tented accommodation was very good, very well run and nothing was too much trouble for them to do. The Guides were excellent and very knowledgable; we had some wonderful and unforgettable sightings. An amazing experience. All the transport was well organised.

Wildlife Trails made sure that everything was well orgainsed and carefully explained. It all ran like clockwork. A very good trip!

Overall the trip was excellent with only a couple of very minor problems. Everything was as expected and the whole experience was very enjoyable.

First class. This is the second time we have used Wildlife Trails and we are already planning another trip with them.

Wildlife Trails organised a great holiday covering 23 days. We saw many animals,over 70 birds, enjoyed visits to tea plantations and spice gardens , temples, forts, museums and beaches. All accomplished in a ver comfortable car, excellently driven by Mr Ali and with very knowegible guides provided where the occasion demanded. All at very reasonable cost staying in good quality hotels. This was our second trip with them and again we were not disappointed.

Excellent. Friendly, flexible organisation who go that extra mile to ensure you get the holiday you want and respond to any requests even after you have left UK. The organisations they use in India checked with us daily to ensure all was well and the guides and journeys had been satisfactory.