In Search of the Bengal Tiger

Mumbai by Dawn

Mumbai

If you want to see Mumbai at its best and meet the real people of the city, this is the tour for you. It’s worth the early start to see the city as it wakes, when it’s cooler and the industrial morning routines are in full swing. This trip really gives you an insight into the spirit and culture of Mumbai.

If you want to see Mumbai at its best and meet the real people of the city, this is the tour for you. With a pick-up at 5.15am, it’s worth the early start to see the city as it wakes, when it’s cooler and the industrial morning routines are in full swing. Down at the docks, watch the Koli fisher-folk, the original Mumbai inhabitants, hauling and grading 25 tonnes of fish straight from the boat. Led by a Mumbai storyteller, you’ll learn all about this community and migration in Mumbai, meeting people who’ve come from all over to make a living here, from fishermen to flower women.

Next stop is the newspaper distribution centre where vendors sort newspapers in seven different languages in the middle of the road. Unlike the rest of the world, the newspaper industry in Mumbai is thriving. You’ll delve into why this is and talk to some of the staff to learn how the printing industry works. The office is near the Victoria Terminus railway station, which you will visit to see its awesome architecture. Next visit a Synagogue, where you’ll learn about Judaism and other religions in Mumbai.

At the market, you’ll encounter all kinds of colourful produce and learn what’s endemic to the country, it’s a very popular photography stop. You’ll see more morning activity, from milkmen driving past to the bustle at the flower market. This trip really gives you an insight into the spirit and culture of Mumbai.

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Mumbai Dreams Bollywood Tour

Mumbai

Experience the madness that is Bollywood, from joining a dance workshop to visiting a working film set and trying your hand at dubbing in the sound studio. Bollywood is such an integral part of Indian culture and the stars are revered as role models.

Experience the madness that is Bollywood, from joining a dance workshop to visiting a working film set and trying your hand at dubbing in the sound studio. Bollywood is such an integral part of Indian culture and the stars are revered as role models.

The full-day tour kicks off with a Bollywood dance workshop led by a professional choreographer, who’ll teach you ten minutes of an iconic dance routine. Your performance will be recorded to take away on a USB. Next, you’ll visit a production studio where you’ll watch a film or TV shoot in action. It’s very immersive and you’ll get a chance to chat with actors and crew in between takes.

After lunch (own expense), head to the recording studio where you can try dubbing some Bollywood dialogue over a film clip. You’ll be given a classic Bollywood line often about the underdog’s place in society and triumphing over bad guys, and then you’ll perform it in Hindi to the clip. It’s great fun and you get an idea of how hilariously over the top Bollywood can be. If there’s time after the studio tour, you can visit the Bollywood Museum to see hand-painted movie posters before ending the trip at an old-school theatre, where you’ll watch an excerpt of a Bollywood movie.

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Eco-Restoration Walk (from Singinawa Wildlife Camp)

Kanha National Park

This one-hour guided walk follows part of a nature trail covering around 58 acres of land in the forested buffer areas of the Kanha reserve and gives you a different perspective of the jungle. An expert knowledge of the forest is imperative to these walks. The guides will explain and introduce you to the many practices designed to help conserve the land.

This one-hour guided walk follows part of a nature trail covering around 58 acres of land in the forested buffer areas of the Kanha reserve and gives you a different perspective of the jungle. An expert knowledge of the forest is imperative to these walks. The guides will explain and introduce you to the many practices designed to help conserve the land. There are huge sal trees, prevalent to the area, that make up this moist deciduous forest. Then there’s the vast grasslands for which Kanha is famous where you may see barasingha deer grazing in the golden light. Treading through the jungle you might also spot chital deer, muntjac, foxes and some of the 150 species of birds whose natural habitat has been rigorously preserved. The excursions are created by trained forest guides, many of whom have been born and bred in the region. They understand every type of residential creature whether that’s tigers, sloth bears or sambar deer, as well as all the different parts of the park from the forested core to the wild outer perimeters.

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Game Drive

Bandhavgarh National Park

Tracking tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park is like living out your every jungle fantasy. Bandhavgarh, like all of India’s national parks, is divided up into different zones only one of which you can explore on each outing.  The star attraction is the park’s Bengal tigers but there are also leopard, sloth bears, four species of deer and a multitude of bird life.  Each animal sighting is as unique as the next but there’s nothing more special than seeing the distinctive stripes of your first tiger sighting.

Tracking tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park is like living out your every jungle fantasy. Bandhavgarh, like all of India’s national parks, is divided up into different zones only one of which you can explore on each outing. On a full day safari though you can explore all four zones which is a little more expensive but fantastic. The star attraction is the park’s Bengal tigers of which researchers still only know around 8% of their behavioural patterns. Among the huge array of fauna, there are also leopard, sloth bears, four species of deer and a multitude of bird life. The topography is riveting; tall sal trees, sloping hills, vast grassland and thick forest. Each animal sighting is as unique as the next but there’s nothing more special than seeing the distinctive stripes of your first tiger sighting.

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