Signature expedition · India
Bandhavgarh Tiger Masterclass
Nine days on one park. No transfers between reserves, no second destination, no attempt to show you three states in a fortnight. You work the same ground, the same drivers and the same animals until the place stops being unfamiliar.
Six guests in one open vehicle, which means everyone has a clear line of sight and nobody is negotiating for a seat. The vehicle is positioned for the light, not for the closest view, and that occasionally means driving past a tiger and waiting somewhere else.
Cards are read every evening. The review is the part guests tend to describe afterwards as the reason they would come again: not praise, but a specific account of why a frame did not work and what to change before the morning drive.
Covering ground finds animals. Staying put is what produces frames worth keeping.
Day by day
Met at Jabalpur airport and driven four hours to the Tala side. Gear check before dinner: cards formatted, batteries counted, and a look at everyone's long lens so the leader knows what each person is working with.
Two drives. The morning is deliberately unambitious — the point is to learn the zone, the driver, and where the light lands at seven. Evening review covers exposure only.
The best low-angle ground in the park. We work a single nullah for most of the morning rather than covering distance.
One vehicle, one zone, no return to the lodge. Long sits, lunch in the field, and the best chance of an unhurried sighting in flat midday light.
Grassland edges at dawn for gaur and tiger on open ground. Afternoon session on backlight and dust.
Thinner forest, fewer vehicles, and a genuine chance to hold a position for two hours without being crowded.
A late start. Three hours on the week's cards: selects, near-misses, and what settings cost you the frame. Then an evening drive.
The zone is chosen by the group on the evening of day seven, based on what is still missing from your set.
A short final drive if the timings allow, then the road transfer and departure.
Included
- →All park permits and zone fees
- →Exclusive-use 4×4 with driver and tracker
- →Eight nights lodge accommodation, all meals
- →Road transfers from and to Jabalpur
- →Daily in-field review sessions
- →One full-day exclusive permit
Not included
- →International and domestic flights
- →Indian visa
- →Travel and medical insurance, which is mandatory
- →Camera equipment and rental
- →Alcohol and personal expenses
- →Gratuities
Tarun Siwach
A wildlife photographer who has spent his working life in Indian forests, most recently as a partner at World of Wild. He leads every WYLD departure himself, carries a camera on every drive, and runs the evening reviews.
- Based
- India
- Specialism
- Big cats, low light
- Published & awards
- On requestPlaceholder
A deposit confirms the seat, with the balance due sixty days before departure. Cancellation terms and the full booking conditions are sent with the enquiry response.Placeholder
Travel and medical insurance covering cancellation is a condition of joining. We will ask for the policy number before departure.
Bandhavgarh, previous seasons.Placeholder frames
What to bring, and what to expect.
The full list goes out on confirmation. This is the shape of it.
The working kit
- Long lens400mm or longer. A 500 or 600 prime is the lens most frames here are made on.
- Second bodyWith a 70–200. Habitat frames, the fort, and the camp at night.
- SupportA beanbag. Tripods are unusable from a moving vehicle and monopods are worse.
- CardsMore than you think. Plan on 60–80GB a day if you are working properly.
- PowerFour batteries minimum. Cold mornings halve what you expect from them.
- CleaningBlower, cloths, and a rain cover that also works as a dust cover. It is mostly dust.
Conditions at Bandhavgarh
- Altitude
- 440 m — no acclimatisation
- Dawn, February
- 7 °C
- Midday, May
- up to 44 °C
- Drives per day
- Two, plus one full day
- Hours in the vehicle
- 7 — 9
- Walking
- Minimal — this is a vehicle park
What we send ahead
- On confirmation
- Full gear list
- 8 weeks out
- Park note and light conditions
- 4 weeks out
- Permits and transfer times
- Required
- Insurance policy number
This expedition, all dates.
| Dates | Year | Leader | From (USD) | Group | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 — 15 Nov | 2026 | T. Siwach | 9,400 | 6 | 2 spaces — Enquire |
| 14 — 22 Feb | 2027 | T. Siwach | 9,400 | 6 | 3 spaces — Enquire |
| 19 — 27 Mar | 2027 | T. Siwach | 9,400 | 6 | 5 spaces — Enquire |
| 11 — 19 Nov | 2027 | T. Siwach | 9,400 | 6 | Fully booked — Join waitlist |
Write to us. A person answers.
There is no booking engine on this site and there will not be one. Every expedition is confirmed by conversation, because at six guests the fit matters more than the transaction.