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Danny shares his passion for the tigers of India ahead of returning on this years trip, with a collection of images and recollections from last year.

I first went to Bandhavgarh National Park in central India over 20 years ago and I instantly fell in love with the place. My main aim was to find and photograph the majestic Bengal Tiger and after that first sighting I was hooked. This National Park is a jewel in the Indian Park creation and is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places on the planet. There are so many other subjects to see but for me the Tiger is the main draw and every time I go back, I appreciate a Tiger sighting like it was my first. I have always visited during the winter months as it is much cooler, and the forests are really at their best with the lush green created after the monsoon season. The Tigers are much harder to see but then when you do find them the environment acts as a perfect backdrop. 

I always run my trips in early December and so these images are from my last trip there at the back end of last year. At first the sightings were quite slow, and we only had a couple of brief sightings of one of the dominant females. Any sighting is a good sighting and so at least it took the pressure off, and we could then enjoy the trip, well I could anyway because I do feel the pressure on these kinds of trips. It is a long way to go and an expensive trip, so I always want the guests to see what they have come for. 

We follow the same routine each day and so everyone gets comfortable with their own routine. It’s an early start in the mornings as we like to be at the gate in good time and then as you drive into the park the excitement begins. I love the fact that you must find the Tigers, the forest guards are brilliant at reading the signs of the jungle and looking for fresh tracks of a Tiger on the move. You follow the tracks around the dirt roads and then stop and listen. The sound of an alarm call in the distance gets the adrenaline pumping and so you head off in the direction you heard it, stop and listen again. All very exciting and it is this that gets me going back time and again.

Most of the time it turns out to be nothing and so you move on and try and find more signs. When a Tiger is on the move patrolling his or her territory then sometimes the jungle feels like it alive with alarm calls, at that point you are sensing you are close. Most of my sightings happen this way, the chase, the wait and then suddenly, the most majestic and elusive of the big cats is right in front of you. Camera in hand trying to get an image of this beautiful cat. Taking pictures is not easy either as usually its dark in the jungle and you are hand holding from a small open top jeep, but this is the challenge of Tiger photography and I love this challenge, as let’s face it would be boring if everything was easy.

As my last trip got beyond the halfway stage we had a couple of decent sightings of a couple females, great but nothing special. On one afternoon game drive we then came across a large dominant male that was patrolling his territory and was on the scent of a female that was coming into season. This was a great opportunity not only for that afternoon but the next few days going forwards. It really is special seeing a large male and I have a saying “Now that is a Tiger”. The light was perfect when we came across him and the low angle of the sun was filtering through the jungle and as he walked, he kept walking into these pools of light.

After such a good encounter we decided to head back to the same area over the course of the next few days. We never saw him again but did manage to find the female that he was attracted to in the first instance. She was a young female but had already had a litter of cubs, but they were grown up now and about 20 months of age. She was very relaxed in the presence of the jeeps and so gave us some great opportunities.

We just kept working this location and over the course of the next few days we had some amazing encounters with this family of Tigers. On another afternoon we bumped into two of her cubs which were both male and they were in fact bigger than her. These two young males put on a show for us, and this particular encounter was one of my best over the years. Both were relaxed and with only our vehicles it was a fantastic encounter for our group. I think we spent over an hour with them in various settings and it is so rare to not have other vehicles turn up.

By the end of the trip, we had another couple of close encounters with the female and one of her young cubs which made it an excellent trip from a Tiger sighting point of view. It is not always like this but that is the beauty of Bandhavgarh as you just never know what you are likely to see.

I always get excited when I get closer to going on the trip. It is a nice time to travel just before Christmas and this special encounter with the Tigers of Bandhavgarh is now an annual encounter for me. This year’s trip and the two trips that I am running next year are all sold out but if you would like to join me on this trip for 2025 or even join a waiting list for these trips as you never know we do sometimes get cancellations then please get in touch.

Danny