Tigers of Bandhavgarh photo safari Pre-Trip advice
2-3 months prior to travel you will receive a comprehensive document that provides packing advance and also plenty of other useful information for our Tigers of Bandhavgarh photo safari. The below provides some key additional information that you may find useful ahead of booking your safari with us.
Tour language:
This tour is an English speaking tour. Please note: that not all lodge staff or forest guides will have a good understanding and use of understanding the English language. However, we do have a local Indian guide (Balvinder Singh) who is able to assist here if required.
Visas:
Foreign nationals visiting India must obtain a visa prior to their arrival in India. The new e-visa system can be accessed here: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
Please be aware that the application form can be quite lengthy, so it is therefore advised to allow at least one – two hours to complete! Visas are usually granted quite fast (2-3 days). Please be wary of other visa providers who may charge extra for the visa service. Instead use the government’s own website to avoid extra visa service fees.
It is your responsibility to also ensure that your passport is valid for a minimum of six months and has several clear pages for visas prior to departure. It is also suggested that you check your status as regards visas prior to travel as they can change on a regular basis.
Vaccinations:
We are not qualified or legally allowed to provide vaccination or medical advice. Therefore. you should consult your travel nurse or doctors for specific medical advice and up to date advise on vaccinations required. We suggest doing this at least 2-3 months prior to travel or sooner if this allows.
Generally recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A.
The below link will provide as a guide as to what is needed. For more info https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries
Diarrhea / Giardia etc. – good personal hygiene and control over the quality of your drinking water should avoid this, bottled water is readily available throughout the country, but take along some diarrhea and rehydration medicine just in case, particularly if you are planning to spend some time traveling alone and not with a tour. We recommend that guests buy only bottled water with the seal intact. Bottled water is usually provided free of charge as standard at most safari lodges and tented camps. Please ensure bottled water is used when brushing one’s teeth, even in well-established camps and city lodges.
Fitness Level Required:
This tour does not require a high level of fitness. However, guests should be able to get in/out of a game vehicle (a step up/down of around 2 feet) with little or no assistance and should be capable of walking up to 200 metres to and from their room at the lodges/hotels with their own camera equipment. Guests should also be aware of the high temperatures below that can be experienced at this time of the year. See below.
Weather & environmental conditions
During April/May in India it is their summer, late mornings and afternoons will be very hot. Usually on average temperatures will be around 35-41 °C, but they can also go to as high as 45 degrees. Rain at this time of the year is generally not experienced, although occasionally there can be the odd thunderstorm. Our lodge and our rooms have very good air conditioning and most rooms also have a fridge.
You may require a lightweight fleece or a light sweater for a short time while during morning safaris. The moment the sun starts coming up, it starts getting very hot. The heat can start from early/mid-morning.
It is very important to avoid dehydration in these temperatures by wearing a hat and drinking plenty of water. In the evening it can still be warm. On our group photo safaris, we use air-conditioned hotels and lodges.
Internal Flights:
Please be aware of the 15kg weight allowance for your hold luggage for the internal flights. Additional luggage may be permitted at a cost to be payable by the guests at approx 500 rupees per KG.
Camera Equipment:
For game viewing we would recommend bringing a camera/lenses that can cater for a range of distances, A good starting point is to have a camera/lens that can accommodate focal lengths of between 100 – 400mm. In general, you will be using longer lenses/focal length for the majority of the time. However, some tiger sightings may be experienced at much closer focal lengths, or you may want to take a more wider-angle lens for environment images. Therefore, we would recommend lenses/cameras that provides a minimum of around 70-100mm focal length, with the opportunity of a zoom lens or an alternative lens that can cater for sightings at a further distance (e.g. 400mm – 600mm)
Often on safari you will be photographing in the early morning and early evening and therefore sometimes in low light. So, for those more serious photographers we therefore recommend faster lenses, for example F4 or below. Further information on photography equipment will be supplied as part of your pre-trip advice.
Gratuities:
Gratuities are not included in the cost of your safari. What you provide as a gratuity is very much up to the individual traveler. However, below is a guideline of what is generally recommended to budget for.
Tipping is very much part of the culture in India and is usually expected and it is advisable to have local currency for this purpose. Wages for most nationals of India in the national parks are very low and as we like to ensure we are tipping for the good service we receive from local staff we respectfully ask guests attending the group photo tours to provide a total of 17,000 rupees please per person to your hosts (TBC on final itinerary). This will cover all of your tipping requirements during your 6-nights in Bandhavgarh and also for some services whilst in Delhi. Please provide this amount in the local currency (Rupee).
Your hosts will collect this amount from you at the beginning of the tour or on the first night at Bandhav Villas. Which will then be used during your trip to avoid you having to worry about paying gratuities daily or at end of the trip. We have found this works best for our guests and also based on previous feedback. As an approximate conversion: 17,000 rupees equates to around £155/$200 per person.
Further detail on gratuities will be provided as part of the pre-trip advice.
WiFi/Phone Network Access:
At most of the lodges or hotels in India there is Wi-Fi access. However, please be aware that the speed of these networks may be much slower than normal broadband speeds. There is generally good access to cellular networks in Delhi. This can be very sporadic in the more rural areas of India.
Dietary:
Most dietary requests can be catered for with advance notice provided to us at least two months prior to departure.
Travel Insurance:
We strongly recommend purchasing your own travel insurance at the time of booking to cover any eventualities should you need to cancel your tour due to unforeseen circumstances as both the deposit and final balances are non-refundable. Guests travelling without their own travel insurance do so at their own risk.
