Incredible India

This year I was lucky enough to go to India and spend some time at Nagarhole and Bandipur tiger reserves. Four days was nowhere near enough, I really could have stayed a month.

Whilst I did not see the tigers I was hoping for, I saw so much, and lots of amazing bird species, not to mention elephants and a myriad of other mammals.

I stayed in the government run Jungle Lodges and can thoroughly recommend them - they are not the last word in refinement, but the top-end rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the food was delicious (if you love Indian food - lovers of western food will need to look elsewhere). Also the government jeeps are the only ones allowed in so the best place to get them from is the Jungle Lodges.

The drivers all appeared to be expert in their knowledge of various species, and passionate about wildlife. They really went out of their way to accomodate a photographers needs, and often would only move on after they were sure you got that shot.

The last night I stayed inside the tiger reserve at Harini cottage, with it's glass and grill protected balcony so you can watch any big cats safely. A leopard was there but I missed it as I was pre-occupied with all the birds around, and was outside at the time (my guide was keeping an eye out for me).

Anyone thinking of doing something similar I can highly recommend Tentasy - I'm not affliated with them in anyway, but they taylored the experience to my wishes, and took amazing care of me. My guide, Michael, was like an Indian David Attenborough and an accomplished photographer himself. You can take a look their site here: tentasy.com

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