Dreaming of Exotic India

A profusion of rich colours. An explosion sound, of music and laughter. A surfeit of smells and tastes. A vivid kaleidoscope of cultures, sights and experiences virtually unparalleled in all the world – this is India! Spanning an enormous altitudinal range, from sea level all the way through to the towering peaks of the Himalaya – some of the highest on earth – and covering climatic zones from the tropics all through to the temperate zone, India is easily one of the most alluring photography destinations for the itinerant traveller. It is a melting pot of cultural and environmental delights quite unlike anywhere on earth, with some of these brilliantly serving a backup role to our primary focus – India’s wildlife and the photographic opportunities it presents the wildlife photographer.

Portraits from India
by Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/640sec | Aperture: f/2.8 | ISO: 1600 | EV: +2/3

Our scheduled India Photo Tours focus on three primary species and correspondingly different areas. Beginning with the world’s most iconic big cat – the incomparable Bengal Tiger – we concentrate our tiger photography efforts in the famous Ranthambore National Park, which is often regarded as the best place in the world to see and photograph this spectacular creature! Our drives lead us through a reserve whose landscape is dominated by the ancient, photogenic Ranthambore Fort and is inhabited by celebrated Asian wildlife including Chital, outrageous Indian Peafowl, Sloth Bear and of course the sensational Bengal Tiger.

Indian Rhino, Kaziranga National Park
by Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/160sec | Aperture: f/3.5 | ISO: 1600

The second area we focus on during wildlife photo tours is the incredible Kaziranga National Park, which lies in the floodplain of the Brahmaputra River and protects an area more akin to landscape and biota to be found to the tropics east of India. It is a magical reserve and is unbeatable for its viewing and photography of the armour-plated Indian One-horned Rhinoceros. Often lounging in the scattered water bodies known locally as “bheels”, these formidable mammals form one portion of the trio of mammals that characterise the Kaziranga landscape and make this reserve one of the best in India for megafauna. The other two notable, and particularly sizeable mammalians that inhabit this national park are Asian Elephant and Water Buffalo. It is a rare and special experience to see these two megaherbivores in the wild, and we typically get superb opportunities to photograph them.

Snow Leopard, Hemis National Park
By Behzad Larry

Ladakh is the final area our scheduled photo safaris cover, and is completely different from the wooded parks of Ranthambore and Kaziranga, being an area of high altitude mountains, bitingly crisp air and vast space. An area of astounding beauty where the elements dominate, it is a stark but alluring setting that greets visitors in search of the ghostly Snow Leopard – often thought of as the most furtive of the big cats. Using a team of highly experienced and outrageously skilled trackers, we search for this mystical beast on what is surely one of the most distinctive wildlife photographic experiences on the planet.

Leopard, JAWAI
By Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/1600sec | Aperture: f/5.6 | ISO: 400

Portraits from India
By Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/160sec | Aperture: f/4 | ISO: 2500

Indian Rhino, Kaziranga National Park
By Dale Morris
Exposure: 1/500sec | Aperture: f/5.6 | ISO: 500 | EV: +2/3

Portraits from India
By Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/60sec | Aperture: f/5 | ISO: 1600 | EV: -1/3

Landscape of Ladakh
By Behzad Larry

Tiger, Ranthambore National Park
By Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/800sec | Aperture: f/4 | ISO: 1000 | EV: +1/3

Scenes from Varanasi
By Penny Robartes
Exposure: 1/8000sec | Aperture: f/5.6 | ISO: 2500

Tiger, Ranthambore National Park
By Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/200sec | Aperture: f/4 | ISO: 1000

Portraits from India
By Marius Coetzee
Exposure: 1/1600sec | Aperture: f/4 | ISO: 200

Indian Peafowl, Kaziranga National Park
By Dale Morris
Exposure: 1/200sec | Aperture: f/9 | ISO: 3200

FEATURED INDIA PHOTO TOURS