India Tiger Safari & Wildlife Photography Expedition | Bengal Tigers & Asiatic Lions

My name is Henrique Maia. I’m a zoologist, expedition leader and wildlife photographer, and the founder of MaiaWildlife. For more than thirty years I worked as a dressage trainer, learning to read animals through patience and presence — and in 2023 I turned that same attention, full-time, to the wild. Today I lead small groups personally into some of the richest wildlife regions on Earth, not as an operator moving people through a checklist, but as someone who wants you close enough to truly understand what you’re looking at. India is where I want to take you next. After years spent in the great open systems of Africa, India asks something entirely different of us. Here the wilderness is dense, layered and intimate — teak and sal forests, dry riverbeds, tall grass and shifting light, a landscape that hides its greatest animal in plain sight. And that animal is the tiger. To sit quietly in an Indian forest at first light, listening to alarm calls ripple through the trees as a tigress moves unseen toward you, is one of the most charged experiences in all of wildlife travel. But India is far more than its tiger: leopard, sloth bear, dhole, langur and an extraordinary wealth of birdlife share these forests, and we give them the same attention and respect. So what do we hope for from this expedition? Honestly, we hope for the quiet moments as much as the dramatic ones. We hope you leave with photographs you’re genuinely proud of — but, more than that, with a real sense of how this ecosystem works, why it matters, and what it takes to protect it. We keep our groups small for a reason: so there is room to learn, to wait, to be patient, and to let the forest reveal itself on its own terms. Come with curiosity and an open mind, and India will give you far more than you expect.

Throughout the expedition you’ll stay in two carefully chosen wildlife lodges, each set right at the edge of the forest so the wild is never far from your door. For the Bandhavgarh leg, we settle into a secluded private lodge tucked within twelve acres of Sal and Mahua woodland, just a short distance from the park gate — handcrafted interiors, generous living space, a swimming pool, and a quiet watchtower from which to watch the birdlife at the close of the day. In Panna, we move to a premium eco-friendly resort beside the wilderness, with spacious rooms, private villas and the kind of calm that lets you truly unwind between drives. 👉 Have questions about the safari experience, photography, accommodation, fitness level, or what to expect during the expedition? Feel free to ask in the Q&A section. I'd be happy to help and look forward to sharing the magic of India's wilderness with you. 🐅🌿📸 All accommodation is in air-conditioned deluxe rooms, and every comfort is taken care of so that, after long hours in the field, you have somewhere genuinely restful to return to. The expedition is priced on a shared-room basis, meaning you’ll share a twin room with another member of the group. If you’d prefer the privacy of your own room, a single-room supplement is available on request (€350 for the full expedition) — simply let us know when you book and we’ll arrange it for you.