Three big cats · Western India
Big Cats Safari – India Tour
Twelve days, three landscapes, three big cats. Tigers among the ruins and lakes of Ranthambore. Leopards silhouetted against open granite sky at Jawai. And Asiatic lions – found nowhere else on earth – in the dry teak forests of Gir.
Duration
12 Days
Big Cats
3 Species
Safaris
11 Drives
Safari Type
Private Only
The route at a glance
Delhi
Day 1
Ranthambore
Day 1-5 . 6 Safaris
Jawai
Day 5-8 . varies
Gir
Day 9-12 . 5 Safaris
Ahmedabad
Day 12
Three cats, three landscapes
Ranthambore · Days 1–5
Bengal Tiger
Rajasthan · forest ruins & lakes
Jawai · Days 5–8
Leopard
Rajasthan · open granite hills
Asiatic Lion
Gujarat · dry teak fores
The last wild Asiatic lions on earth – fewer than 700 individuals, all in this one forest. Five private drives in open dry deciduous woodland with excellent visibility.
What makes this journey exceptional
The only tiger-leopard-lion circuit in India
No other itinerary covers all three big cats across three genuinely distinct landscapes in a single connected journey through western India.
Jawai - India's most unusual big cat habitat
Open granite boulders, no forest cover, no reserve fence. Leopards live here in full view, habituated to humans after generations alongside the Rabari community.
Ranthambore Fort as your safari backdrop
The only park in India where a living medieval fort forms the landscape of your drives – and where tigers patrol lakeside ruins that have stood for a thousand years.
Asiatic lions - a world exclusive
Once ranging from Greece to India, fewer than 700 Asiatic lions now survive, entirely within Gir. This is a wildlife encounter with no alternative location on the planet.
Three completely different light conditions
Forest ruins and lake reflections at Ranthambore, open sky and granite silhouettes at Jawai, dappled dry woodland at Gir – each demands a different photographic approach.
Rabari community encounters at Jawai
The Rabari shepherds who have coexisted with leopards for generations offer a window into one of wildlife conservation’s most extraordinary human stories.
Day By Day
Ranthambore National Park
Days 1-5 · 6 private safaris
1
Arrive Delhi · Transfer to Ranthambore · Evening briefing
Fly or train into Delhi, then continue by road or overnight train to Sawai Madhopur. Check in to the lodge at the forest edge. The evening is for settling in – your naturalist covers zone allocations, tiger territory maps, and camera settings optimised for Ranthambore’s low morning light under the sal canopy.
Full day in Ranthambore – zones 2, 3 and 4, lakes and ruins
Morning and evening drives across the most productive zones. Zones 2, 3 and 4 cover the grassland edges of Rajbagh and Padam lakes – where tigers come to drink at first light – and the forest corridors below the fort wall. The ancient ruins scattered through the landscape, cave temples and crumbling ramparts visible from the track, make Ranthambore unlike any other park in India.
Second full day – exploring all zones, dawn lake positions
Ranthambore rewards repeat drives – each zone has a different character and different resident tigers. The dawn lake positions are the most dramatic: mist off Padam Lake, crocodiles on the bank, and a tiger materialising from the treeline in the first light. Evening drives concentrate on the forest corridors where leopard and wild pig are more likely after dark.
Third day in Ranthambore – photography focus, golden hour
Three full days at Ranthambore – more than most itineraries allocate – allows the drives to slow down. Less pressure to cover ground means more time at a sighting, better patience for the light to improve, and time to work on composition with your naturalist. Afternoon drive positions for golden-hour silhouettes against the fort.
Morning safari · 5-hour drive to Jawai through the Aravallis
One last dawn drive before breakfast and the road west. The drive to Jawai through the Aravalli hill range is itself worth photographing – camels, chai stalls, rural Rajasthani villages and the dramatic rocky terrain that heralds the leopard country ahead. Arrive at the Jawai lodge by evening.
Jawai – leopards on granite
Days 5–8 · leopard tracking drives
Jawai is unlike any other big cat habitat in the world. There is no national park, no reserve fence, no buffer zone. Leopards live on bare granite outcrops in open Rajasthani landscape, completely habituated to the Rabari shepherd communities who have coexisted with them for generations. Tracking here means scanning open hillsides with binoculars – not waiting at a waterhole in a forest.
First full day at Jawai – reading the granite hills
Morning and evening drives across the boulder landscape. Your guide knows which hillsides specific leopards use for resting and which rock shelters are regular denning sites. Dawn light across open granite with a leopard on a high outcrop is the defining image of Jawai – and it is genuinely attainable. Between drives, the lodge’s elevated position gives long views across the Jawai Bandh reservoir.
Second day – Rabari community visit and extended tracking
A morning spent with a Rabari shepherd family – watching the flock move through leopard territory, understanding the unspoken boundary between human and predator that has held here for centuries. An afternoon tracking drive covering the southern hillsides, where leopard cubs have been sighted in recent seasons. The wide open Rajasthani sky at Jawai produces a quality of evening light found nowhere else on this circuit.
Final Jawai morning · Drive to Ahmedabad · Old city evening
A last dawn drive across the hills before the 5–6 hour road journey into Gujarat. Arrive in Ahmedabad by mid-afternoon. The walled city – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – rewards a slow evening walk: the pol houses, carved wooden facades, and street food lanes of the old city are best explored on foot without a schedule.
Gir National Park – Asiatic Lion
Days 9–12 · 5 private safaris
Drive to Sasan Gir · Arrive · First evening lion safari
A 4-hour drive south from Ahmedabad into Gujarat’s Saurashtra region. The landscape shifts: drier, flatter, the teak and acacia of Gir’s dry deciduous forest beginning to appear. Check in and head out for a first evening drive – the open terrain and good visibility make Gir the most reliably productive park for immediate sightings anywhere in this itinerary.
Full day with Asiatic lions – prides, cubs and morning light
Morning and evening drives through Gir’s open dry woodland. Asiatic lions behave differently from African lions – smaller prides, more solitary males, different vocalisation. The open terrain and good visibility make this ideal for sustained sightings and quality photography. Alongside lions: leopards (present but elusive), striped hyenas, jackals, jungle cats and an exceptional birdlist including the rare sarus crane.
Second full day in Gir – deeper zones and male territory
Two more drives exploring different sections of the reserve. Male Asiatic lions hold large territories and are more often encountered alone on the track margins. Cubs, if the timing is right, appear with their mothers in the more open grassland patches. Afternoons at Gir carry a particular light – warm, low and golden in the dry season – that makes this the most photographically rewarding stop on the entire circuit.
Final morning safari · Drive to Ahmedabad · Fly Delhi
One last dawn drive before breakfast and the 4-hour return drive to Ahmedabad airport. Fly to Delhi for onward connections. Twelve days, three big cats, three completely different Rajasthani and Gujarati landscapes, and a journey that covers western India’s full wildlife range in a single connected circuit.
Where you’ll Stay
Ranthambore
Jungle lodge or tented camp
Properties at Ranthambore range from solid lodge suites with private verandas to canvas luxury tents within earshot of the forest. Both options place you at the park boundary – early morning drives leave before dawn without a commute.
Jawai
Jawai Luxury Camp
Elevated camp on the granite hillside with panoramic views over the reservoir and boulder landscape. The open-air setting means leopards are occasionally visible from the camp perimeter – the wilderness is not enclosed here.
Gir
Sasan Gir Lodge
A carefully selected property in the Sasan Gir zone with direct access to park entry gates. Specialist lion-tracking naturalists are on hand for every drive, and the lodge’s forest-facing rooms bring the dry teak atmosphere inside.
Tailor this journey
Extra days at any stop
Safari days at Ranthambore, Jawai or Gir can be extended – an extra day at each meaningfully improves sighting probability and photographic depth.
Photography-configured drives
All drives can be arranged with photography positioning in mind – specific zone timing for best light, bean bags and vehicle positioning, and naturalists who understand composition.
Birding walks at Jawai and Gir
Both Jawai and Gir carry exceptional birding lists. A specialist bird guide can be added for morning walks at either location – flamingos at the reservoir, raptors on the hills.
Golden Triangle extension
The route connects naturally with a Delhi–Agra–Jaipur heritage extension – the journey begins or ends with Mughal monuments and Rajasthani forts before the wildlife circuit starts.
Rabari village experience
A deeper engagement with the Rabari community at Jawai – a half-day spent with a shepherd family, understanding the conservation story of coexistence from the inside.
Fully private pacing
Every drive, transfer and activity is private – no shared vehicles, no fixed-group timings. The schedule adapts to you, not the other way around.
Inclusions and exclusions
Included
- Full-board accommodation at all three destinations
- 6 private jeep safaris in Ranthambore
- Leopard tracking drives at Jawai
- 5 private jeep safaris in Gir
- All forest entry, guide and permit fees
- All road transfers in air-conditioned vehicle
- Airport assistance on arrival and departure
- Drinking water throughout
- All applicable taxes
Not Included
- International and domestic flights
- Travel and medical insurance
- Personal expenses (drinks, laundry, calls)
- Gratuities for guides, drivers and lodge staff
- Camera and video fees at national parks
- Optional activities not listed above
Cancelation Policy
- 120+ days before departure – Full refund
- 60–119 days before departure – 75% refund
- 45–59 days before departure -50% refund
- 30–44 days before departure – 25% refund
- 15–29 days before departure – 10% refund
- Under 15 days · No show – No Refund
Plan your private circuit
Best season for each stop, lodge preferences at Jawai and Gir, photography-focused configurations, extensions to the Golden Triangle – speak with a specialist who has tracked leopards at Jawai and lions at Gir personally.