DAY 01
Arrive in Bandipur
Meet in Bengaluru and travel to Bandipur. Check in, have lunch and prepare for the first scheduled wildlife session. An evening conversation sets the approach: patience, anticipation and working with the forest.
INTERNATIONAL FLAGSHIP EXPEDITION · PERSONALLY LED
The Wild South.
Nine days across Bandipur, Kabini and Bhadra. The flagship journey balances big-cat country with reservoir light, birdlife and Western Ghats habitat, giving photographers a broader body of work.
Bandipur 3 nights · Kabini 3 nights · Bhadra 2 nights
$4,200 per person
The international edition includes a private room by default and the agreed Bengaluru ground journey. Twin sharing changes the room arrangement and price; the expedition experience and listed inclusions remain the same.
Prefer to share and save?
Travelling with a partner, friend, or comfortable sharing with another photographer? Choose twin sharing and reduce the cost of your expedition without changing the safari experience.
Twin sharing: $3,699 per person. Room pairing and availability are confirmed before booking.
Wildlife sessions, photography guidance, applicable inclusions, transfers and the expedition experience remain unchanged.
WHY THIS JOURNEY
Time changes
what you see.
The route builds from predator habitat into a different visual rhythm at Bhadra. Repeated sessions in Bandipur and Kabini create depth; forest and water bring a wider range of subjects to the final chapter.
THE JOURNEY, OPEN TO EXPLORE
9 days.
Room to observe.
The complete proposed journey. Read at your own pace. Every day is shown below. Transfer-day outings depend on travel time, park rules and the confirmed operating programme.
Download Expedition Itinerary · PDF ↓CHAPTER 01 · DAYS 1–3
Bandipur.
Dry woodland, grassy openings and denser forest give Bandipur a changing visual rhythm. A broad elephant portrait and a small detail in the undergrowth can belong to the same morning. The reserve forms part of the connected southern landscape that large mammals depend on.
DAY 02
Bandipur · Tracking and light
Morning and afternoon field sessions focused on tracking cues, behaviour, composition and responding to changing light and subject distance.
DAY 03
Bandipur · Revisit and refine
A second complete day in Bandipur allows photographic ideas to develop across repeated sessions. Rest and selected image review fit between drives.
CHAPTER 02 · DAYS 4–6
Kabini / Nagarahole.
Kabini opens into the Nagarahole landscape, where wooded habitat and water create very different ways to frame wildlife. Its connection with neighbouring forests matters as much as a single sighting: this is habitat used by both large herbivores and predators.
DAY 04
Bandipur to Kabini
A final Bandipur session, subject to the programme, then transfer to Kabini. Begin the Nagarahole chapter after check-in, with the afternoon session dependent on arrival and lodge scheduling.
DAY 05
Kabini · Environmental stories
Morning and afternoon sessions explore predator habitat, elephants, gaur, dhole and wider compositions. Review images at midday if time permits.
DAY 06
Kabini · Time in the field
Another full day gives the group time to respond to developing wildlife activity. Chetan guides settings, anticipation and framing throughout both scheduled sessions.
CHAPTER 03 · DAYS 7–9
Bhadra.
Western Ghats forest and the Bhadra reservoir invite a shift of attention. A wooded shore, a bird in motion or the spacing of light across water can become the centre of the photograph. The landscape rewards an interest that extends beyond big cats.
DAY 07
Kabini to Bhadra
A morning session subject to the transfer schedule, breakfast and the journey to Bhadra. Settle beside the reservoir; any afternoon wildlife experience depends on arrival time and the lodge programme.
DAY 08
Bhadra · Forest and water
Scheduled wildlife experiences may combine jeep and boat sessions according to lodge operations. Photograph birdlife, mammals, reservoir light and Western Ghats scenery, followed by a final image-review conversation.
DAY 09
Final Bhadra session & departure
An early wildlife experience and breakfast before returning to Bengaluru. Close the journey with guidance on selecting and processing your strongest images.
BETWEEN THE FIELD SESSIONS
A place to rest.
Time to reflect.
Meals, rest and selected image-review conversations fit around the forest programme. International flagship circuits include private room accommodation. Meals follow the selected lodge programme.
Bandipur
Bandipur Safari Lodge
Proposed viceroy cottage. Exact room category and availability are confirmed in your written offer.
Kabini / Nagarahole
Kabini River Lodge
Proposed maharaja cottage. Exact room category and availability are confirmed in your written offer.
Bhadra
River Tern Lodge
Proposed cottage. Exact room category and availability are confirmed in your written offer.
These are proposed bases, not confirmed reservations. No particular room, view, private vehicle or exclusive access is promised.
YOUR INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Know what’s
part of it.
The international edition includes a private room by default and the agreed Bengaluru ground journey. Twin sharing changes the room arrangement and price; the expedition experience and listed inclusions remain the same.
Included
- Single-occupancy accommodation throughout the expedition
- Meals supplied within the selected lodge packages
- Scheduled lodge wildlife experiences and forest entry charges
- Applicable camera and long-lens fees for scheduled wildlife sessions
- Ground transfers between the listed forests and the agreed Bengaluru arrival and departure points
- Personally led tracking, behaviour interpretation and wildlife photography guidance by Chetan Kumar
- Selected image-review and post-processing sessions
Excluded
- International and domestic flights
- Indian visa and travel or medical insurance
- Personal camera equipment and equipment insurance
- Alcohol, laundry, tips and personal expenses
- Additional activities, safaris or transfers outside the agreed expedition programme
PLANNING YOUR PLACE
A personal confirmation, at every step.
Enquiries are open; payments are not. The intended sequence is a 10% reservation payment, followed by total payment of at least 75% within 48 hours of written confirmation that the hold is secured.
The remaining balance date and full cancellation schedule will be agreed before any payment is requested.
Your next
forest story.
Review your dates and details, then send Chetan an enquiry. No payment or automatic reservation is made here.