Join Backcountry Journeys in India on one of the world’s most unique photo safaris as we search for the elusive Bengal Tiger. The goal of our trip being to return with an impressive portfolio of high quality images of Tigers in the wild! India is home to 70% of the world’s tiger population which at the time of this writing was approximately 2400 of the 3800 remaining wild tigers in the world. If you know where to look – India’s National Parks are the premier destination to photograph tigers in the world.

This trip is intended not only to focus on the star attraction, Bengal Tigers, but to experience and photograph all of India’s unique wildlife. Our trip takes place in two different National Parks that are known for their dense Tiger populations. Along with Tigers we will have the opportunity to photograph leopards, sloth bear, Indian wolf, black-faced langur, wild dogs, jungle cat, striped hyena, jackal, antelope, barking deer, chital and gaur (Indian Bison) as well as approximately 300 species of birds. Although the main goal of this trip is photographing tigers you will leave with a diverse and interesting portfolio of other creatures as well.

As the world’s largest living cats, tigers instill an appreciation and a deep sense of respect and awe – to witness a tiger appear from the brush is an incredible experience! They are threatened throughout most of their range due to overpopulation, illegal poaching and disappearing habitat.

Our safari takes place in both Kanha & Bandhavgarh National Parks – both locations having growing  tiger populations that are the densest on earth. The landscape is a mixed forest of bamboo, sal, grassland and a complex of deciduous forests. We spend equal and ample time in each park to ensure we leave with incredible tiger images.

When in the parks we travel in specially designed 4×4 vehicles with only two photographers per vehicle to allow for maximum versatility while shooting.

Special Access Permits

If you are traveling all the way to India you want to ensure you return with the best possible portfolio of Tiger images. For this reason we have secured for each of our guests – special government granted permits reserved specifically for professional photographers. We will utilize these special all-access passes on two of our full-day shoots.

National Parks in India close every-day for about three hours and all vehicles must exit the park. Not only do our special use permits allow us early access prior to the park’s opening and to stay passed close but we are able to remain in the park while everyone else has to leave!

This is incredibly important if you happen to be on a tiger around closing as normally one would be forced to exit the park. Not you!

Normally in India’s wildlife parks – safari vehicles are assigned a specific zone and game drive route that they must adhere to – regardless of whether or not the guide might know of Tigers in another area. Without our all access permits the vehicles are only allowed to drive forward – which is problematic if a Tiger appears behind you!

Our itineraries were designed to ensure the best possible chances for getting incredible tiger photos. The logistics of this trip have been meticulously designed under the guidance of some of India’s top wildlife guides & photographers. It has been thoroughly planned and setup so that you can show up and shoot – in the right places, in the right parks and at the right time alongside a professional photographer and expert tiger guides.

We have secured two of these permits, one per national park that we visit.

NOTE: As a participant, you must be prepared for long days and be comfortable riding on bumpy 4x4 roads in jeeps for extended periods while searching for tigers.