Wild Tigers & Ancient Stone — Maharashtra's Wildest and Oldest Treasures
Seven days that bring together two completely different sides of Maharashtra — its finest wildlife reserves and its greatest ancient monuments — into a single, well-paced journey from Nagpur to the UNESCO heritage city of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad).
The tour opens with two full days of jeep safaris in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park, renowned for one of the highest tiger densities in India. From there, two more full days in Pench National Park — straddling the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border and widely believed to be the real landscape that inspired Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' — bring the total wildlife portion of the trip to eight jeep safaris across two of central India's most celebrated reserves.
The journey then shifts entirely in character: a flight or train connection from Nagpur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) brings you to the gateway of the Ajanta and Ellora cave complexes — among the most significant ancient monuments anywhere in Asia. Ellora's 34 rock-cut temples (including the Kailasa Temple, the largest monolithic structure in the world, carved top-down from a single basalt hill) and Ajanta's 2nd-century-BCE Buddhist cave paintings, each given a full day, bring the trip to a close on an entirely different but equally profound note.
This is the itinerary for travellers who want both of Maharashtra's great strengths — its wild, tiger-rich forests and its 1,500-year-old rock-cut artistic heritage — in one carefully sequenced trip.
What makes this journey special
Your journey, unfolded
Welcome to central India! Transfer from Nagpur Airport directly to Tadoba (approximately 150 km, ~3 hours). Check in to your jungle lodge in time for lunch. Afternoon: your first jeep safari into Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve — teak and bamboo forest, the Tadoba and Telia lakes, and the chance of an early tiger sighting.
A full day immersed in Tadoba's forest. Dawn jeep safari for the best tiger activity. Rest through midday. Afternoon jeep safari into a different zone (Moharli, Kolara, or Navegaon) for a fresh perspective and a second chance at sightings.
Drive from Tadoba to Pench National Park (approximately 250 km, ~5 hours) through the Vidarbha countryside that forms the wildlife corridor connecting the two reserves. Check in. Afternoon: your first jeep safari into Pench — sal and teak forest in hillier terrain, with the Pench River winding through the reserve.
A full day in Pench — widely believed to be the real-life setting that inspired Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book'. Dawn jeep safari into one of the park's core zones for tiger and leopard activity. Afternoon jeep safari into a different zone — Pench's varied terrain consistently produces excellent sightings.
Final dawn safari (optional) and breakfast, then drive from Pench back to Nagpur (approximately 100 km, ~2 hours via the Maharashtra-side gates). Transfer to Nagpur Airport for your flight to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) — approximately 1 hour by air, or a longer overnight train/road option if preferred. On arrival, check in and head straight to the Ellora Caves (30 km, UNESCO World Heritage) for the afternoon — 34 rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples, including the extraordinary Kailasa Temple, the largest monolithic rock-cut structure in the world, carved top-down from a single basalt hill.
Full-day excursion to the Ajanta Caves (100 km, ~2 hrs each way, UNESCO World Heritage) — 30 rock-cut Buddhist caves dating from the 2nd century BCE, with cave paintings depicting the life of the Buddha and Jataka tales in extraordinarily preserved colour and detail, predating European Renaissance painting by a thousand years. On return, visit Bibi Ka Maqbara, the 1660 mausoleum modelled on the Taj Mahal, and Daulatabad Fort, a 12th-century hilltop fortress with a deliberately confusing defensive maze designed to disorient invading armies.
A relaxed final morning — time for any last-minute exploration of the city's bazaars or a visit to the Aurangabad Caves (a smaller, less-visited set of Buddhist rock-cut caves close to the city, if time and interest allow). Transfer to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Airport for your onward departure. Tour concludes.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included ✓
- ✓ 6 nights accommodation — jungle lodges (Tadoba & Pench) and city hotel (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)
- ✓ All meals at both jungle lodges (full board); breakfast at the city hotel
- ✓ Private air-conditioned vehicle for all road transfers & sightseeing
- ✓ 8 jeep safaris total — 4 in Tadoba, 4 in Pench, across different zones
- ✓ All safari permits, zone fees, and naturalist guide charges
- ✓ Ajanta & Ellora Caves entry fees
- ✓ Airport pickup at Nagpur
- ✓ All applicable park & monument entry fees and taxes
Not Included ✗
- ✗ Flights to / from Nagpur and the Nagpur–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar flight (quoted separately based on dates)
- ✗ Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- ✗ Lunches & dinners in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
- ✗ Camera fees inside the parks/monuments (nominal)
- ✗ Gratuities for naturalist guides, drivers & driver-guide
- ✗ Personal expenses
Your questions, answered
The most time-efficient option is a short domestic flight from Nagpur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (approximately 1 hour, with daily connections). We book this flight on your behalf and include the connecting road transfers — Pench to Nagpur Airport (~100 km) and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Airport to your hotel. If you would prefer an overland journey (a long but interesting drive of roughly 500 km / 9-10 hours, or an overnight train), we can arrange this instead — please let us know your preference when booking.
Yes — while this itinerary leads with the wildlife safaris and concludes with the Ajanta-Ellora heritage section, we can easily reverse the sequence (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and the caves first, then fly to Nagpur for Tadoba and Pench) if that better suits your overall travel plans, particularly if you are arriving via Mumbai or connecting onward from a different city.
October to June is the safari season (parks close mid-June to early October for monsoon breeding season). The best sightings are typically February to May — as temperatures rise, water sources shrink and tigers, along with other wildlife, congregate more predictably around remaining waterholes, making sightings considerably more likely. April–May is peak season for this reason, though daytime temperatures can exceed 40°C.
No safari can guarantee a tiger sighting — this is wild nature, not a zoo. However, Tadoba has one of the highest tiger densities in India, and Pench (the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book') is equally renowned. With multiple safaris across two parks, your overall chances are excellent. Even without a tiger, leopards, sloth bears, Indian bison (gaur), wild dogs, and over 250 bird species make every safari rewarding.
Both Tadoba and Pench operate a permit system with a limited number of vehicles per zone per safari slot, bookable up to 120 days in advance. Permits are zone-specific and gate-specific. We book all permits on your behalf as part of this tour — please confirm your travel dates as early as possible, especially for weekends, holidays, and the peak March–May season, when permits sell out quickly.
Absolutely. Every Discover India tour is fully private and built around your preferences. We can add extra safaris, extend any destination, or combine with Kanha or Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh. Submit an enquiry and our specialists will redesign the itinerary for you at no obligation.
Cancellations 60+ days before departure receive a full refund minus a small admin fee and any non-refundable safari permit costs already paid to the forest department. 30–59 days: 75% refund. 15–29 days: 50% refund. Under 15 days: no refund. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance.
