When:
April 8, 2023 @ 3:00 pm – April 16, 2023 @ 4:00 pm
2023-04-08T15:00:00+10:00
2023-04-16T16:00:00+10:00
Where:
New Delhi
India
Cost:
$4855 twin
Contact:
Richard Martin
0400345113

Wild Souls India:

Adventures with the Tiger Goddess

8th to 16th April 2023  

9 days, 8 nights.

New Delhi –Raipur- Kanha – Bandhavgarh – Jabalpur – New Delhi

“Otherwise, he would be far away in the jungle; tasting, touching, seeing, and feeling new things.” 


― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

There are places in the world so beautiful, so mythic, that writers and artists, both ancient and modern, create whole works around them.

There are places on the planet that allow us to unfurl our wildness and seek our own courage and bravery once again amongst their profound beauty.

There are places where power animals still walk and SEE you within their own realms.

There are places where Goddesses still live and where they inspire us to let go of the burden of the everyday.

This adventure will take you deep into such places.

Wild Souls India will be centred around taking authentic safaris into two of India’s most stunning national parks, Kanha and Bandhavgarh, in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The tigers have special power and significance in Hindu and Indian culture, and the Goddesses Durga (She who rides the Tiger) and Kali-Ma are specifically aligned with these rare and mysterious animals.

Both parks are outrageously beautiful and you will have the best naturalist guides to explore them with you. You’ll also be staying in fantastic accommodation that reflects the area and gives you a point of luxury to balance out all that hard-core jungle!

After meeting in Delhi, we will fly into Raipur and then drive to Kanha. Kanha National Park is pure “Jungle Book’ territory, and is where Rudyard Kipling found his inspiration for his famous work. Yes, here is Shere Kahn territory, with high densities of tigers and the ability to spot animals that are found nowhere else.

Kanha boasts of about 38 species of mammals. Some of the inhabitants of this park are the gaur, the largest of the world’s cattle; the sambar, the largest Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelope in the world. Other frequent visitors include the Nilgai antelope, the sloth bear, the dhole, or Indian wild dog, and an occasional Leopard. Some 300 species of birds inhabit the park, that includes the storks, egrets, black ibis, raptors, owls, and the red- wattled lapwings.

Kanha is located right in the heart of India, and is a quieter area which also gives you an opportunity to experience the rural, tribal, and agricultural parts of India- the true India.

After spending 3 nights in Kanha, after our morning safari and lunch we depart by road for the magnificent national park of Bandhavgarh where we will also spend 3 nights.  As well as world famous tigers, other wild attractions in the park include Leopards, Blue Bulls, Indian Gaur (Bison) Chausingha (Four Horned Antelopes), Spotted Deers, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Sloth Bears Fox, Jackals, Wild Dogs, etc. There are at least 22 mammal species and about 250 bird species in the Park. There are also Ratel, Porcupine, Small Indian Civet, Palm Squirrel, Lesser Bandicoot rat, the Jungle Cat, and the shy Hyenas. The reptile population in the park includes Cobras, Kraits, Vipers, Ratsnakes, Pythons, Monitor Lizards and turtles. The two primate species – the rhesus macaque and the Hanuman langur are seen and heard!

Bandhavgarh has been a centre of human activity and settlement for over 2000 years, and there are references to it in the ancient books, the Narad-Panch Ratra and the Shiva Purana. We will have the opportunity to walk to local villages and experience the culture here.

Both areas are rooted deeply in mythos. We will do ritual and workings in each. For example” the fort in Bandhavgarhwa is said to date back to the mythos of Hanuman and Rama from the Hindu sacred epic the ‘Ramayana”. The mythos tells of the two monkeys that created the setu (bridge) between India and Lanka to vanquish evil demons, built the protective fort here.

We will then travel back to Delhi for our farewell celebration and the next day, we have a morning tour of the city and will visit a Durga temple for a final blessing. Our service to you ends after the tour on the 26th.

“Oppress not the cubs of the stranger, but hail them as Sister and Brother,” 
― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

What’s included in your Wild Souls India experience?

–  Internal return flights from Delhi to Raipur

–  Road transfers from Raipur, from Kanha, and from Bandhavgarh

–  All Accommodation:

2 nights accommodation (1st and last night) in the very cool Roseate House in New Delhi.

https://www.roseatehotels.com/newdelhi/roseatehouse/

3 nights accommodation at the Singinawa Jungle Lodge. Kanha.

This is a true safari-style lodge geared up specifically to support explorers. It is luxurious and bespoke with a 1,000 square foot museum onsite which is an ode to the spectacular work of the local indigenous Gond and Baiga artisans. In between our safaris and sessions, swim in the pool, book a spa treatment, go for a walk with a naturalist- it’s all available here.

http://www.singinawajunglelodge.com/thelodge/

3 nights at the Bandhav Villas, Bandavgarh.

This is a carefully designed, highly authentic 5-star safari lodge. Again, a venue geared up to support your adventures but the kind of place you can return home to muddy and dirty from your safari and then delve into some luxury. Weather permitting, we will eat dinner under the stars one night and tell stories around the fire.

http://www.bandhavvilas.com

–  Your Meals: Nourishing meals from our first evening in Delhi through to our last breakfast back in Delhi are included. Our meals will reflect the cuisine of the areas we travel within and please discuss any specialised dietary requirements with us.

– Our activities and adventures:

As always on a Wild Souls Retreat, we immerse ourselves with the natural environment and the people who live there. As we will be travelling to jungle environments that are remote and deeply mythic, we have the services of some experts and naturalist guides who will assist us to get the most out of our visit.

– We start with a welcome dinner and briefing in the modern Roseate Hotel in Delhi. Please book your flights to be present for this event.

– We will be on safari almost every morning and night whilst in the parks (weather permitting).

For those that haven’t experienced safari life, you are in for a treat!

Days start early normally around dawn, with a chai, tea or coffee and snack and we journey into the park in our jeeps. Here our naturalist experts will guide us through the jungle in search of tigers, leopards and other amazing wildlife and birdlife. You will soak in the power and beauty of the area!

Dependant on the park, we will normally have breakfast as a picnic out in the wilderness. After the morning safari we will come back to our lodge for lunch and leisure time. We may have an activity planned or a teaching or meditation with Stacey.

As the light begins to change, we will go out into the park again for the late afternoon safari. Many animals come out to hunt at dusk and we get our chance to see these animals here.  Again, we are in the hands of expert guides who know the local area intimately and who will give us the best chance of spotting wildlife.

At sunset, we travel back to our lodge, swapping photos and stories and get ready for dinner. Dinner may well be outdoors under a night sky clear of outside light sources and amongst the chorus of nature.

Here is a video taken by a very lucky person in Kanha. They are demonstrating good safari etiquette of turning off the engine of the jeep/moving away from the animal and its path and whispering/ keeping voices down when close to an animal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm7v5f5ruiE

And it doesn’t end there! Also:

A beautiful in-depth spiritual programme with Stacey designed to inspire you, connect you with your healthy fierceness and open your heart to your wilder self. Sometimes, the world can make us feel very small- the tiger goddesses help us wake up to our power!

Every day you’ll learn something new – whether it will be through the power of nature as teacher, sessions with Stacey or the local people, or through the specific strength of the tiger goddesses.

  • Services of all our expert local guides
  • Return transfers from the hotel on the last day to the international airport should you wish it.
  • All entrance fees to National Parks and guide fees
  • Monument fees in New Delhi
  • City tour on the last day
  • Surprise activities and gifts.

***Remember, this is your retreat- all activities are optional.***

What’s not included:

  • Some beverages and all alcoholic drinks
  • Your return flights from Australia (or where ever home is!)
    • Transport to the Roseate Hotel on the first day
    • Tips and items of a personal nature
    • Your Travel Insurance (compulsory for a journey of this type)

Please also note, we will never support animal cruelty or poor safari etiquette. Our local guide supplier and our Wild Souls group will not involve themselves in activities like elephant back safaris or tours involving captive or caged animals. We advise you not to include these activities on your own personal activities if you are staying on longer in these areas.

As always, you will be supplied with a packing list and further details well ahead of time and of course the useful and beautiful gifts you have come to expect.

This retreat requires an average fitness level and the ability to be able to walk on uneven ground. Please ask us about this further if you wish.

Again, this is a remote, bespoke retreat and as such, this is a small group only.  We are able to secure a very small number of single rooms but so please ask us early. Confirmation of your place is guaranteed only by payment of the non-refundable deposit.

ALL INCLUSIVE PRICE: AUD$4855 twin share (international airfare not included).

Single Room supplement: AUD$900

Deposit is $A1250 to confirm your place.

FREQUENT RETREATERS BONUS! If you have been on any of my retreats before, you will receive a bonus discount of $200 off the price.

(Yes, you can save $300 if you are a frequent retreater and an early bird.)

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For further information or bookings please contact: Richard Martin on 0400 345113 or email bookings@themodernwitch.com