Blog

Satpura National Park: Luxury Safari to the Heart of India

On the 40th anniversary of Ibex Expeditions, Mandip and Anita Soin, owners and Directors, take you on an enthralling personally led deluxe journey through this forest declared as a National park in 1981. Have you considered walking in a forest in the footsteps of erstwhile explorer, Captain James Forsyth of the Bengal Lancers who traversed this forest in 1862? The Satpura Tiger reserve covers 528 km from Gujarat in the East through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and is an extensive forest area with unique flora and fauna and is the only tiger park in India that allows for a controlled walking safari and mobile camping access accompanied by forest guards.

We first experience a walking expedition through the forest spending two days in a mobile camp. Later we experience the deluxe Reni Pani safari lodge and engage in canoe and jeep rides, all the while enjoying the local hospitality and community interactions. We then travel to the beautiful Ahilya fort (Relaix and Chateau) in the countryside town of Maheshwar living like a royal and explore the countryside with its seamless confluence of textiles, culture, serenity, and architecture. Boat rides on the Narmada river, island picnics and drinks by the poolside sum up the high life as you retreat into a bygone era of simplicity and grace.

Since 2012, Ibex Expeditions has supported the Give Back to Nature programme of WWF India and for each participant of this journey, we will donate US $ 40 per person.

Itinerary

Arrival Delhi

On arrival into IGI Delhi airport at hours, you will be met by our Office Assistant, holding a name placard followed by transfer to your hotel. Since your arrival is late at night, check-in to your hotel and rest.

Hotel: Imperial 

Delhi

After breakfast, proceed on a guided tour of Delhi at 0930 hours which includes the city’s world heritage sites. Drive through New Delhi roads & sights such as India Gate, The Presidential Palace and Parliament house to get a feel for the grand new city that Sir Lutyens built in the early 1900s.

Meals: Breakfast

Delhi – Bhopal by plane

Early morning transfer to airport to board the scheduled flight to Bhopal. Flight AI 435  ( 0555 – 0720 hours). On arrival at Bhopal airport, transfer to your retreat on the outskirts of the town. Post lunch at 1400 hours, your private city guide will report to the hotel for a guided excursion to Sanchi stupa (45 km one way). Today, the remarkably preserved Great Stupa is the centerpiece of Sanchi’s World Heritage-listed Buddhist monuments. Return to the retreat in the evening for dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Meals: Breakfast on the plane, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Jehan Numa Retreat

Bhopal – Satpura Park by road (4-5 hours)

After breakfast, check out and drive to Satpura National Park. Satpura National Park covers 1500 sq. km of a unique Central Plateau Highland ecosystem, with rugged terrain, valleys, rivulets, waterfalls and narrow gorges. The park is rich in biodiversity and is the abode of numerous species of flora and fauna. The area’s stunning topography coupled with the abundance of wildlife it contains caters to a variety of interests and a combination of ways to explore them. In the afternoon proceed on a guided nature walk in the buffer zone. The feeling of being in the jungle with no separation between wildlife and oneself is truly exhilarating and is an experience any wildlife enthusiast would cherish. Birdwatchers and butterfly enthusiasts enjoy viewing the ample bird and butterfly life.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Reni Pani

Satpura Park – Pachmarhi by road (2-3 hours)

Early morning after breakfast at 0630 hours, check out and drive to Panchmarhi at 0700 hours, a lovely hill station nestled in the highest peaks of Satpura. Upon reaching Pachmarhi, you will commence your descent towards Dehelia camp which will be used as the point for your first campsite. This walk is extremely unique, and patrons get a one of a kind opportunity to witness the transformation from Sal to Teak forest. The first 7 km is a steep decline to the Kanchighat where you will stop for lunch. Here, there is a wonderful perennial stream where you can take a dip and enjoy an array of colorful birdlife including Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Indian Nuthatch, Oriental White-eye, Common Tailorbird, Indian Yellow Tit and beautiful damselflies like the Stream Glory and the Stream Jewel. After lunch, you will walk another 6 km to the picturesque Dehelia camp located on the banks of the Denwa River. Your exclusive mobile camp will be set up along a lovely sandy beach on the river. Look for the Indian Giant Squirrel here. Enjoy cups of specially brewed aromatic coffee from the Chikmaglur estates in South India, in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Private Camp

Satpura

You will wake up to the symphony of the flowing Denwa River. Breakfast will be served at 0700 hours. Today you will embark on a 16 km partly along with banks of the Denwa and in some pristine woodland habitat. As you walk along the Denwa you will be witness to the magical change in scenery that Satpura offers. High sandbanks, narrow waterways, and a beautiful confluence with the Bainganga River all await your strides. One may need to wade through knee-deep water at times to adventurously get to Jhela camp (9 km) which will be used for your lunch stop. After Jhela, you leave the Denwa river bed and walk 6 km through dry deciduous woodland towards Manakachar where your exclusive mobile camp will be set up for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Satpura

After breakfast in the camp, drive to Reni Pani lodge and check into tented rooms and cottages. After lunch, around 1430 hours you depart for a game park drive in open-top Jeeps looking for Tigers, Sloth bears, and birdlife. The state forest department guides along with the naturalists deliver a truly exhilarating experience filled with insightful knowledge on the flora and fauna that is indigenous to the Satpura Tiger Reserve. This evening you will be treated to a talk and presentation by Managing Director, Mandip Soin – ”Tales of an Explorer”.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Satpura

This morning return to the park for another game drive and resume the romance with wilderness and its many denizens. Return to the lodge around 1000 hours for breakfast. At 1130 hours, enjoy a yoga session led by Mandip Soin. Learn about various asanas such as shavasana (the dead body posture) and sukhasana (Easy sitting posture). The session will also include a guide to breathing and meditation. Duration – 45 minutes. A brief culinary class with the lodge chef is an interesting and fun way to learn about Indian cuisine early this afternoon. In the afternoon, you depart from the lodge for the Tawa Reservoir where you canoe for a few hours. Enroute you visit a local school and interact with the teachers and staff. Return to the lodge for dinner and rest.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Satpura – Bhopal by road (4-5 hours)

Early this morning, you visit the park for the last time, on a thrilling game drive. Return to the lodge for breakfast. Later check out and drive to Bhopal town via the Bhimbetka caves, a world heritage site listed by UNESCO. Your guide will meet you at the caves directly. The evening is at leisure after check-in at the Jehan Numa Palace in Bhopal.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Jehan Numa Palace

Bhopal – Maheshwar by road (5-6 hours)

After breakfast, you will check out at 1000 hours and make the last of your long drives for this trip. You will arrive late afternoon and check into the deluxe Ahilya Fort. Today you will visit the town of Maheshwar, starting with the statue of Rani Ahilya bai seated on the throne in the Rajgaddi within the fort complex. Other rooms in the fort are open for public viewing, too, and you can see other heirlooms and relics of the Holkar royal family. Ahilya Fort and the town of Maheshwar itself house several multi-tiered temples that are worth visiting. At sunset, you will go on a boat ride along the Narmada to get a different view of this unique town, and dinner will be back at the fort.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Ahilya Fort

Maheshwar: Day excursion to Mandu

After breakfast at the Fort, drive 65 km (1 1/2 Hours) to Mandu, the 15th-century city with marvels of early Islamic architecture. Enjoy a picnic lunch near the old gates to Mandu, the Tarapur Darwaza. Mandu or the ‘City of Joy’ embodies the love of the poet Prince Baz Bahadur for his consort Rani Roopmati. The Balladeers of the region still sing about their love. Each structure in Mandu is an architectural gem. After a day filled with romance, weave your way back to the fort. This evening you will experience a hand-paddled wooden boat as it glides through hundreds of flickering lamps on the river. Local musicians will serenade you from their vessel and hotel staff will serve your local refreshments. Once you’ve reached magical Rupmati’s Island, disembark for your special candlelit dinner. Return to the fort after dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Maheshwar – Indore airport by road (2-3 hours) – Delhi by flight – International departure

After breakfast, check out by 0830 hours and transfer to Indore airport to board the scheduled flight to Delhi. 6E 509 (0945 – 1115 hours). On arrival at Delhi airport, transfer to hotel Trident Gurgaon, where a room is reserved for day use only. This evening/night transfer to International airport to board onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast

To know more about this journey this year, please get in touch with us at ibex@www.ibexexpeditions.com