A Photo Cultural Journey with
photographer Lewis Kemper

Tiger , tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
- William Blake

On this photographic safari we visit Bandavgarh and Kanha National Parks, the two best wildlife sanctuaries in India that house the Royal Bengal Tiger. Home to abundant wildlife, Kanha is an amazingly beautiful and spacious park, with expansive grasslands and scenic vistas. Bandavgarh, a smaller park, is equally stunning with its abandoned fort and palace, which nature and wildlife have taken over. We explore and photograph wildlife in exclusive 4-wheel drive vehicles, a well as on elephant back.

From the parks we delve into ancient India with visits to the millennium old temples of Khajuraho and religious Benares (also known as Varanasi). Built on the banks of the holy river Ganga (Ganges), Varanasi is the "oldest" living city of the world and could well be thought of as the "Soul of India" - a fitting end to our photography journey.

Although their emphasis is on photography, our Photo Cultural tours are suitable for any adventurous traveler looking for a vacation that is out of the ordinary. In addition to our photography expert, the tours are also fully escorted by a cultural guide.

Outline Itinerary

Day 1: DEPART USA

Day 2: ARRIVE DELHI

Day 3: TO KANHA NATIONAL PARK - Fly to Jabalpur, in the heart of India, and then continue by car to Kanha Tiger Preserve.

Days 4, 5, & 6: EXPLORING KANHA NATIONAL PARK - Kanha was the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s classic “Jungle Book” stories.  This unique tiger preserve is home to some twenty-two species of mammals and has the largest population of tigers in India.  During our sunrise and sunset excursions into the park, we will look for this elusive and majestic feline. We will also have the opportunity of visiting the local villages in the 'buffer' zone of the park.

Day 7: TO BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK – Departing Kanha, we continue our tour of India’s prominent big-game parks with as we travel to Bandhavgarh National Park. The park is located in one of India's last remaining areas of substantial forest, in what was originally part of the princely state of Rewa, home of the rare white tiger.

Days 8 & 9: EXPLORING BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK - We have two full days to explore Bandhavgarh, with sunrise and sunset game excursions, and elephant safari, in this fantastic wildlife park. Though small, the park abounds in many of India's endangered animals--spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, nilgai, blackbuck, four-horned antelope, gaur (Indian bison and largest of the world's oxen), sloth bear, leopard, and the royal Bengal tiger.  Daytime sightings of tiger are more likely at Bandhavgarh than at any other preserve in India.

Day 10: TO KHAJURAHO – We have one final sunrise game excursion into Bandhavgarh before we drive to Khajuraho.
Time permitting, we will visit the smaller temple complex for sunset photography.

Day 11: EXPLORING KHAJURAHO & TO VARANASI – We rise early this morning to explore the famous 10th Century Chandela temple complex, made famous for their erotic carvings.  Taking the early afternoon flight, we reach the ancient city of Varanasi the "Soul" of India.  With over 500 hundred temples, Varanasi is the oldest living city in the country.  This afternoon take a walking tour of the ghats followed by a sunset boat cruise on the sacred River Ganga.

Day 12: EXPLORING VARANASI - Witness devotees performing their morning religious rites on the “ghats” of the river, as we take a sunrise boat cruise up the Ganga. We then visit Sarnath, the site where Buddha gave his first sermon.  This evening we will have special dinner at a private home with a performance of classical music and dance.

Day 13: EXPLORING VARANASI & TO DELHI - We will have our morning in Varanasi and then fly on to Delhi where we will dine together for our sumptuous “Farewell Dinner” at one of Delhi’s finer restaurants before heading to the airport for our return flight.

Day 14: ARRIVE USA

Download detail PDF itinerary here.

To book this trip please call us at 1-800- MY INDIA.

Lewis Kemper

Lewis has been photographing the natural beauty of North America, and its park lands for over 33 years specializing in nature and outdoor photography. His work has been exhibited and published in magazines, books, and calendars worldwide. Lewis has taught photography for many organizations including Palm Beach Photographic Centre, Santa Fe Workshops, Lepp Institute, Light Workshops and BetterPhoto.com. He is the author of The Yosemite Photographer's Handbook, and The Yellowstone Photographer's Handbook.

Lewis’ monograph, “Capturing the Light” won the People’s Choice Awards in Fine Art in the 2009 Photography.Book.Now competition. His latest publication “Photographing Yosemite Digital Field Guide” was voted in the top 20 field guides. Lewis also produces the acclaimed digital imaging training DVD’s “The Photographer’s Toolbox for Photoshop®” and the “Photographer’s Toolbox for Lightroom”. Lewis is a contributing editor to Outdoor Photographer, and NANPA’s Currents magazine. He has been selected to Canon’s Explorers of Light program featuring 50 of the country’s most influential photographers.

For more on Lewis, please visit his website.

Call us toll free at 1-800 MY INDIA (1-800-694-6342) or email us to request a detailed day-to-day itinerary.