This is not your standard tiger safari in India. It is a purpose-built photography expedition designed to help you come home with strong, clean images, not just a glimpse of a tiger.

Many popular parks are crowded and unpredictable for photographers. Vehicles stack up, sight lines disappear, and even when a tiger appears, getting a clear view or usable image can be frustrating. Dense vegetation, limited access, and gear restrictions often leave photographers with obstructed shots or long stretches with little to photograph.

We take a different approach. This photo expedition to India is designed for photographers who want more than luck. You will have time and space to work your subjects, from tigers to birds, monkeys, sloth bears, peacocks, and leopards. Select outings include full-day permits in Pench and Kahna, giving you extended, uninterrupted time in the field.

Everything is handled for you so you can focus on photographing. You will stay in high-end, award-winning camps that are quiet, comfortable, and immersed in wildlife, with excellent food and purified water throughout. Between drives, you can continue photographing on property, including from a dedicated photo blind at a watering hole.

Central India offers access to some of the most photogenic tiger habitats on the planet. Over the course of this expedition, you will spend time in two of the region’s most renowned parks, Pench and Kahna, known for their beauty and strong tiger populations.

While tigers are the primary focus, both parks provide a wide range of additional photographic opportunities. You may encounter birds, monkeys, sloth bears, peacocks, and other wildlife, giving you the ability to build a diverse portfolio if the tigers are being shy.

Throughout the expedition, you will stay in carefully selected, high-end lodges chosen for both comfort and access to wildlife. In Pench, accommodations are spacious treehouses set across 40 acres, with active wildlife on the property and a dedicated photo blind for close-up imagery. In Kahna, the lodge sits on 16 private acres, offering a quiet, isolated setting away from the crowds near the park entrance.

Safari travel is conducted using two jeeps for a maximum of six guests, ensuring space, flexibility, and clear shooting angles. Select outings include full-day, all-zone permits in each park, allowing you to remain with wildlife without time pressure and maximize photographic opportunities.

The experience is designed to support your photography from start to finish. April timing increases the likelihood of tiger movement and activity, and you will receive hands-on instruction in the field along with dedicated time for image editing and review.

Michelle Theall is a professional wildlife photographer and the editor-in-chief of Alaska Magazine, where she has spent decades capturing the state’s iconic landscapes and wildlife. Her images have appeared in national publications, private galleries, and on television, with profiles in Oprah Magazine, the Travel Channel, and the Today Show.

Her photography has been recognized for its storytelling and technical excellence, and she is celebrated for her ability to place viewers in the midst of unforgettable wildlife encounters. Michelle is now a guide with Reefs to Rockies, leading small groups to extraordinary wildlife destinations around the globe, from Alaska’s grizzlies to Australia’s koalas and kangaroos.

As an instructor, Michelle is known for her approachable, enthusiastic teaching style. She combines decades of field experience with practical, in-the-moment guidance, helping photographers of all levels improve not only their images, but their understanding of wildlife behavior, light, and composition.

Arrive in Delhi. After you exit customs at Delhi International Airport, you’ll be greeted with your name on a sign to be assisted to your transfer to our 5-star hotel. Optional tours of Delhi can be arranged upon request for early arrivals. Rest up or enjoy the spa or rooftop pool. This day is on your own, but likely, you’ll be arriving in the evening, so off to bed!

Accommodations: Roseate House

Meals: Dinner

Early morning transfer to the airport with breakfast in hand. We’ll board our 1.5-hour flight to Nagpur, arriving at 8:40am. After arriving in Nagpur, we’ll take private vehicles to drive to our spectacularly spacious treehouses, enjoying views of local life along the way.

We arrive around noon, in time for lunch, after which we can explore and photograph all that this glorious eco-lodge has to offer on its expansive 40-acre grounds, including viewing and photographing 100 species of birds, monkeys, and numerous butterfly species. A photo blind at a watering hole on property gives us the opportunity for eye-level images with wildlife.

That evening, we enjoy an organic farm-to-table cooking demonstration followed by dinner.

Accommodations: Lodge in Pench National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Over the next few days, we’ll explore the original “Kipling Land,” lush with the forest of Seoni and part of Project Tiger. In open-air “gypsy” jeeps we’ll wend our way through the dense jungle in search of tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wolves, wild dogs, langur monkeys, and more than 210 species of birds, including the Indian roller, peacock, and owlet.

Our game drives will be broken up into morning and late afternoon safaris, with the exception of one all-day excursion. During the afternoon breaks, we’ll have instruction, editing, and image review for photographers.

Accommodations: Lodge in Pench National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After an early breakfast at the lodge, we’ll say goodbye to our treetop homes with the monkeys, and drive to Kanha National Park, enjoying and photographing village life along the way.

After lunch, we’ll depart for our first game drive in the park. Kahna’s topography includes lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows. The Park’s landmark achievement is the preservation of the rare hard ground Swamp Deer, saving it from near extinction. Tigers numbers are greater here, and leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, jackals, and more than 300 bird species can be found here. The park is picturesque and story-book in landscape, providing an ideal background for images.

Accommodations: Lodge in Kahna National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Over the next few days we’ll explore different zones of the park in our open-air safari gypsy vehicles, bouncing up dirt roads and through jungle forests and capturing spectacular images along the way. On one of our days, we’ll enjoy a full-day permit, allowing us to stay with any sightings and follow them for as long as we like. The days begin and end with drives through the villages, where we take photos of daily life. During the afternoon breaks on the other days, we’ll review photos and have workshops and tutorials for photographers.

Accommodations: Lodge in Kahna National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After enjoying one last morning game drive in Kahna, we’ll drive to Jabalpur Airport to catch our flight to Delhi.

We’ll check back into our luxury hotel near the airport to rest and relax until dinner. We’ll review images after dinner for those who would like to do so.

Accommodations: Roseate House

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, you may depart for home at any time. Check out is at noon.

Meals: Breakfast