India
INDIA: BLACK PANTHER & THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST CAT
The legendary Black Panther, the rare melanistic form of the Leopard, is a wildlife photographer's dream animal (Image by Thorsten Spoerlein)
The beautiful but tiny Rusty-spotted Cat is the 'world's deadliest cat' (image by Jiri Vaclavek)
The legendary Black Panther, the rare melanistic form of the Leopard, is a wildlife photographer's dream animal (Image by Thorsten Spoerlein)
The beautiful but tiny Rusty-spotted Cat is the 'world's deadliest cat' (image by Jiri Vaclavek)
INDIA: BLACK PANTHER WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR WITH WILD IMAGES
We have long wanted to visit Nagarhole National Park and Kabini, currently THE place to see and photograph the awesome melanistic morph of the Leopard, commonly known as the Black Panther.
In March 2019 we are offering a few wildlife photographers who like something truly different the chance to go there with Mark Beaman and spend enough time to have a really good chance for superb images of the extraordinary Black Panther.
Nagarhole/Kabini is also a great area for photographing regular Leopards, Asian Elephants and Asiatic Wild Dogs (or Dholes), as well as a wide variety of other mammals and birds.
Following on from our stay in South India, there will be an optional visit to Satpura National Park in Central India. Satpura is well-known for frequent and excellent Leopard sightings, but even better is its status as by far the best place in India for seeing Sloth Bears. Visitors who make longer stays here have often reported remarkable totals!
Best of all, if you like to see and photograph mammals hardly anyone else ever achieves, this is THE place to see and photograph the diminutive Rusty-spotted Cat, a largely nocturnal species. Night drives are not allowed in most Indian reserves, but at Satpura we can go out on a regular basis and we should not only see this tiny cat, which is renowned for being the world’s deadliest (more kills per 100 hunts than any other cat!), but also have a good chance of getting some rewarding images.
Accommodation & Road Transport
The hotels/lodges used during this India wildlife photography tour are of good standard throughout. Road transfers are by cars, but we use open-topped jeeps inside the sanctuaries. Roads in India are variable, ranging from good to poor.
Walking
The walking effort during this India photography tour is easy throughout. There is little walking involved.
Climate:
Typically it will be warm to hot, dry and sunny (early mornings are sometimes cool) in the parts of India being visited. Although overcast weather is not infrequent, rain is uncommon at this season.
Photographic Equipment
If you are using a full-frame DSLR or mirror-less equivalent for wildlife photography you will need prime telephotos, with or without converters, that cover the range 200-600mm.(If your budget does not run to prime lenses, a high quality 100-400mm or similar zoom, with or without a 1.4 converter, can be a great alternative.)
Alternatively, you can get wonderful photography results with a high quality digital bridge camera with an 18-20x or higher optical zoom. If you have questions about what equipment you ought to bring, please contact us.
Other Wild Images wildlife photography tours in the Indian Subcontinent:
Photographic Highlights
- The chance to photograph the legendary Black Panther
- Asian Elephants, Asiatic Wild Dogs, Leopards and other wildlife at Kabini & Nagarhole
- Explore the scenic Satpura National Park and photograph Rusty-spotted Cat, the world’s deadliest but diminutive feline
- Visit the best place for photographing Sloth Bears in India
PRICE INFORMATION
Wild Images Inclusions: Our prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.
Our tour prices also include the camera fees applicable for one still camera for every single entrance to each Indian reserve/park we visit. (If you intend to use/conspicuously display two cameras in the reserves/parks you will need to pay for the second body locally. As regards video, purely video cameras, as opposed to still cameras with video facilities, have high camera fees in some Indian reserves. There is no logic to this, but this is India.)
Our tour prices also include this flight: Bengaluru-Nagpur.
Our tour prices also include all tipping, including tips for local guides, drivers and accommodations. The value of these inclusions on this Wild Images tour amounts to approximately $400.
Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.
TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)
2019: £2190, $3040, €2490 Bengaluru (Bangalore)/Bengaluru.
Satpura National Park Extension: £2290, $3180, €2610 Bengaluru/Nagpur.
Single Room Supplement: £320, €365, $445. Extension: £360, €410, $500.
This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.
INDIA: BLACK PANTHER WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1
This Wild Images India wildlife photography tour begins this morning at Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, from where we will travel southwestwards to the Kabini River, on the edge of Nagarhole National Park, for an eight nights stay at the comfortable Kabini River Lodge. We may arrive in time for a first chance for Black Panther this afternoon.
Days 2-8
Exploring Nagarhole National Park and the Kabini River.
Day 9
Today we return to Bengaluru (Bangalore) Airport where our Indian wildlife photography tour ends around midday. (There are direct international flights out of Bangalore and internal flights to all major Indian cities.)
SATPURA NATIONAL PARK EXTENSION
Day 1
We will take an afternoon flight from Bengaluru to Nagpur in the state of Maharashtra for an overnight stay at the Pride Hotel.
Day 2
We will set out early for the 5-6 hours drive northwestwards to Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh state, where we will stay for seven nights at the comfortable Reni Pani Jungle Lodge. We will have a first night safari this evening.
Days 3-8
Exploring Satpura National Park and its surroundings.
Day 9
Today we will return to Nagpur, where our Indian wildlife photography tour ends this afternoon. (There are some direct international flights out of Nagpur, as well as flights to most major Indian cities.)