Safari Tours?

[Mindy]

Where in India would I go if I wanted to see a safari-type tour? Is that even possible? I would like to be able to ride in a jeep through a terrain where I would see camels and elephants roaming free.

 

[Angelswings]

There must be a place that offers this, though most jeep tours I have seen advertised are more general than specialized. Why not try an elephant safari where you ride one? They are much more environmentally friendly than car based trips.

 

[Sammie]

They have specific tours where you get to travel by elephant? or is it just a ride around an area? I think these magnificent giant creatures are fascinating!

 

[Tyson]

I would love to take a safari tour also. I wonder how long the tours are and what we can see and do. I also would like to know what type of animals it might be possible to see on the tour. I think it would be wonderful to get some photos of tigers, elephants and even monkeys. I have always dreamed of such an adventure.

 

[Rayne]

Bandhavgarh National Park has great tiger safaris ranging from 6 days to 21 days. They also cover general wildlife and Indian culture. Sounds great.

 

[Andre]

Now that is an adventure worth looking into. I would love to travel by camel or elephant in India. I have always wanted to ride a camel. Ever since a friend of mine told me that he drink camel milk I have been curious about this. Wonder if they do the same in India.

 

[Tamboa]

Camel or elephant travel sounds like a very authentic travel experience. I think I would enjoy that, but I worry about how the animals are treated. I don't know enough about camels and elephants to know about proper health and living conditions. Does India have strong animal protection laws and enforcement?

 

[Vinaya]

camels and elephants are domesticated in India and you can see camels in Rajesthan and elephants in Jaipur. You can even travel to desert in rajesthan on camel or ride in elephant in Jaipur.

 

[briannagodess]

Hello, @Mindy!

Almost all the national parks and sanctuaries in India offer a wildlife safari tour either in a jeep or a canter. Some offer safaris on elephants or camels as well. Since you would be traversing through reserves and national parks, you get to see the wild animals in their natural habitats. You can see elephants, tigers, leopards and deers roaming around freely in the sanctuaries or parks. But since you specifically asked for camels and elephants, here are the sanctuaries or national parks that have these animals:

National Parks or Sanctuaries in India that has Elephants

• Periyar National Park - This park is mainly known for their tiger and elephant reserves. It's best to visit the park from March to April, when the elephants are nearby lakes and ponds due to the summer heat. You can easily spot them during this time. The park is open from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm everyday. However, you can only try for their boat safari, walking trails or elephant safaris. There are no jeep safaris here.

• Bandipur National Park - This is the home to about 70 tigers and 3,000 Asian elephants. You can opt for either a jeep safari or a van safari. The timings for the safari are 6:00 to 9:00 and 4:00 to 6:00 pm. The park is best visited from June to October. The jeep can handle up to 6 passengers at a time. The fee for the jeep safari is Rs. 2,000 plus the entrance fee of Rs. 200. You can also opt for an elephant safari as well.

• Kaziranga National Park - This park is home to rhinos, elephants, tigers, swamp deers and wild buffalos. They call these the "Big Five of Kaziranga." As of the 2008 latest count, there are about 1,293 elephants here. The timings for the safari here are at 7:30 am and 2:00 pm. Jeep safaris and elephant safaris can both be conducted here. You have four zones to choose from in the park.

National Park in India that has Camels

• Desert National Park - This can be found in Jaisalmer. Aside from being a park, this is also a protected sanctuary. This is the only place where you can find the state bird, state animal, state tree and state flower in Rajasthan. The state animal of Rajasthan is the camel. The state bird is the great Indian bustard. You can visit the park all-year round but from November to March is the best time. There's also a jeep safari here at Rs. 100 per person and the entry fee is at Rs. 100. For the guide, you'd have to pay Rs. 200.

There you go, I hope this helps! You can also opt for camel safaris in the different regions of Rajasthan. Some cities that you can do this in are Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Bikaner and Udaipur. You get to see the Thar Desert along with the nearby villages. Good luck!

 

[rootle]

Honestly safari tours in India are not that great. They certainly are not bad, I've enjoyed them and I would recommend them. However there are so many things to do in India that are far more interesting than going on a Safari tour. If you're really interested in animals and birds then go for it, but be warned that you are not going to see many. Africa is far better for animal safaris, on an Indian holiday I would recommend visiting historic sites and beaches or mountains rather than safari tours. If you are really interested it than go for it, otherwise It'd be wiser to make other plans.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

It is good to have this information, because I would have been interested too. I am very interested in animals. So, if you wouldn't recommend this, do you know of a better alternative for seeing more native Indian wildlife? I though to fa zoo, but then I wondered if you would be just as likely to see Indian animals in an American zoo as you would there.

Maybe something like an elephant sanctuary would be a good idea.

 

[rootle]

Since you say you're very interested in animals, you should probably go. You won't see as many animals as you may be expecting but what you see will still keep you entertained if you like animals. My advice was more targeted to the average tourist who only has some interest in animals, they'd probably enjoy a zoo more.

The park I found to be the best was the Corbett National Park in Uttrakhand. Even if you don't get to see too many animals it has some pretty nice scenery and there are several good resorts nearby. There's the Gir park in Gujarat that has lions but I've never been there.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

Thank you for your suggestions, Rootle. I will have to look into both of those parks and see. Even if I did not see a whole lot of animals, yes, I probably would really enjoy it. I also like hiking and being out in nature, so just that aspect of it would be more appealing to me than tramping around a zoo.