Photo Expedition to India: Tiger Safari
Trip Overview
- Dates: March 29-April 8, 2027
- Expedition Leader: Michelle Theall
- Group Size: 5-7 + Expedition Leader
This is not your standard tiger safari in India. It is a purpose-built photography expedition designed to help you come home with strong, clean images, not just a glimpse of a tiger.
Many popular parks are crowded and unpredictable for photographers. Vehicles stack up, sight lines disappear, and even when a tiger appears, getting a clear view or usable image can be frustrating. Dense vegetation, limited access, and gear restrictions often leave photographers with obstructed shots or long stretches with little to photograph.
We take a different approach. This photo expedition to India is designed for photographers who want more than luck. You will have time and space to work your subjects, from tigers to birds, monkeys, sloth bears, peacocks, and leopards. Select outings include full-day permits in Pench and Kahna, giving you extended, uninterrupted time in the field.
Everything is handled for you so you can focus on photographing. You will stay in high-end, award-winning camps that are quiet, comfortable, and immersed in wildlife, with excellent food and purified water throughout. Between drives, you can continue photographing on property, including from a dedicated photo blind at a watering hole.
Why India?
Central India offers access to some of the most photogenic tiger habitats on the planet. Over the course of this expedition, you will spend time in two of the region’s most renowned parks, Pench and Kahna, known for their beauty and strong tiger populations.
While tigers are the primary focus, both parks provide a wide range of additional photographic opportunities. You may encounter birds, monkeys, sloth bears, peacocks, and other wildlife, giving you the ability to build a diverse portfolio if the tigers are being shy.
Accommodations & Safari Experience
Throughout the expedition, you will stay in carefully selected, high-end lodges chosen for both comfort and access to wildlife. In Pench, accommodations are spacious treehouses set across 40 acres, with active wildlife on the property and a dedicated photo blind for close-up imagery. In Kahna, the lodge sits on 16 private acres, offering a quiet, isolated setting away from the crowds near the park entrance.
Safari travel is conducted using two jeeps for a maximum of six guests, ensuring space, flexibility, and clear shooting angles. Select outings include full-day, all-zone permits in each park, allowing you to remain with wildlife without time pressure and maximize photographic opportunities.
The experience is designed to support your photography from start to finish. April timing increases the likelihood of tiger movement and activity, and you will receive hands-on instruction in the field along with dedicated time for image editing and review.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Welcome to Delhi
Arrive in Delhi. Optional tours of Delhi can be arranged upon request for early arrivals. Rest up or enjoy the spa or rooftop pool. This day is on your own, but likely, you’ll be arriving in the evening, so off to bed!
Accommodations: Roseate House
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 | Pench National Park
Early morning transfer to the airport with breakfast in hand. We’ll board our 1.5-hour flight to Nagpur, arriving at 8:40am. After arriving in Nagpur, we’ll take private vehicles to drive to our spectacularly spacious treehouses, enjoying views of local life along the way.
We arrive around noon, in time for lunch, after which we can explore and photograph all that this glorious eco-lodge has to offer on its expansive 40-acre grounds, including viewing and photographing an array of birds, monkeys, and numerous butterfly species. A photo blind at a watering hole on property gives us the opportunity for eye-level images with wildlife.
That evening, we enjoy an organic farm-to-table cooking demonstration followed by dinner.
Accommodations: Lodge in Pench National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Days 3-5 | Pench National Park
Over the next few days, we’ll explore the original “Kipling Land,” lush with the forest of Seoni and part of Project Tiger. In open-air “gypsy” jeeps we’ll wend our way through the dense jungle in search of tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wolves, wild dogs, langur monkeys, and more than 200 species of birds, including the Indian roller, peacock, and owlet.
Our game drives will be broken up into morning and late afternoon safaris, with the exception of one all-day excursion. During the afternoon breaks, we’ll have instruction, editing, and image review for photographers.
Accommodations: Lodge in Pench National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6 | Kahna National Park
After an early breakfast at the lodge, we’ll say goodbye to our treetop homes with the monkeys, and drive to Kanha National Park, enjoying and photographing village life along the way.
After lunch, we’ll depart for our first game drive in the park. Kahna’s topography includes lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows. The Park’s landmark achievement is the preservation of the rare hard ground Swamp Deer, saving it from near extinction. Tiger numbers are greater here, and leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, jackals, and more than 300 bird species can be found here. The park is picturesque and story-book in landscape, providing an ideal background for images.
Accommodations: Lodge in Kahna National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Days 7-9 | Kahna National Park
Over the next few days we’ll explore different zones of the park in our open-air safari gypsy vehicles, bouncing up dirt roads and through jungle forests and capturing spectacular images along the way. On one of our days, we’ll enjoy a full-day permit, allowing us to stay with any sightings and follow them for as long as we like. The days begin and end with drives through the villages, where we take photos of daily life. During the afternoon breaks on the other days, we’ll review photos and have workshops and tutorials for photographers.
Accommodations: Lodge in Kahna National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 10 | Delhi
After enjoying one last morning game drive in Kahna, we’ll drive to Jabalpur Airport to catch our flight to Delhi.
We’ll check back into our luxury hotel near the airport to rest and relax until dinner. We’ll review images after dinner for those who would like to do so.
Accommodations: Roseate House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 11 | Departure
After breakfast at the hotel, you may depart for home at any time. Check out is at noon.
Meals: Breakfast
About Your Photo Expedition Leader
Michelle Theall is a professional wildlife photographer and the editor-in-chief of Alaska Magazine, where she has spent decades capturing the state’s iconic landscapes and wildlife. Her images have appeared in numerous publications globally, including National Geographic, where two of her photographs were named in the Top 20 Travel Images of the Year. She’s been interviewed in Oprah Magazine and has appeared on the Travel Channel, and the Today Show.
Her photography has been recognized for its storytelling and technical excellence, and she is celebrated for her ability to place viewers in the midst of unforgettable wildlife encounters. Michelle is now a guide with Reefs to Rockies, leading small groups to extraordinary wildlife destinations around the globe, from Alaska’s grizzlies to Australia’s koalas and kangaroos.
As an instructor, Michelle is known for her approachable, enthusiastic teaching style. She combines decades of field experience with practical, in-the-moment guidance, helping photographers of all levels improve not only their images, but their understanding of wildlife behavior, light, and composition.
Details
Price: $15,000* per person based on double occupancy accommodations – two people sharing a room. Add $1500** if you prefer a private, single occupancy room.
Includes: accommodations; mall meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 11; domestic flights (economy Delhi to Nagpur and Jabalpur to Delhi, including one free checked bag up to 20 kgs & 7 kgs of carry-on luggage); arrival and departure transfers between cities/camps in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a chauffeur; photo expedition leader Michelle Theall; expert local driver/guides for photo safaris; private safari drives with no more than three photographer guests per vehicle; entrance fees & permits including 1 full-day permit at Pench National Park and 1 full-day permit at Kanha National Park; purified water available throughout; and applicable taxes.
Excludes: international flights (we have an Air Desk to assist with flights); passport and visa fees (a visa is required for travel to India); excess baggage fees; required travel insurance policy with emergency medical evacuation benefits; pre- or post- hotels; room upgrades; gratuities; personal items; and activities not listed.
*Reflects payment by check or ACH. Credit card fees, if applicable, will be assessed at the time of booking.
**If you are a solo traveler that prefers to share a double occupancy room, but we aren’t able to find a suitable roommate for you, the private room surcharge will apply.
Group Size: 5-7 photographers, plus Michelle Theall and professional local guides.
Level of Difficulty: This expedition is designed for travelers comfortable with long days in safari vehicles and early morning starts to take advantage of optimal wildlife activity and light. Walking is generally limited and optional.
Important Information: This itinerary is designed to allow flexibility in response to wildlife movement, weather, and local conditions. While every effort will be made to deliver the itinerary as described, expedition leaders reserve the right to make adjustments as necessary to ensure the best possible experience and the safety of all participants.