Wednesday 31 August 2016

Our trustee & beloved partner!

The overland vehicle is an overlander's pride and so is ours. We got her in 2012 and since then she has stood with us as a reliable machine. We would like to introduce you to the Overland Expeditions India's expedition vehicle.
She is a Tata van fully customised as per our needs. Before picking her, we went through a lot of other brands and their offerings and finally decided to go with Tata. The main reason being sturdiness, no nonsense nature of the vehicle and Tata's vast on road support.




After the modifications she comes fully equipped with the following:
  1. 8 comfortable high back seats
  2. Twin tower air-conditioners
  3. 100 litres deep freezer
  4. 100 litres water tank
  5. Microwave oven
  6. Full range of cooking equipment
  7. 8, 3 men dome tents
  8. A large awning
  9. Hosepipes, ropes, shovels
  10. Roof rack for luggage
  11. Music system with USB support
  12. LCD screen
  13. Camera/phone charging port
  14. GPS
  15. Bean bags for photographers
  16. Hidden safe
  17. Fire safety equipment

It's a medium sized vehicle comfortably seating 8 people and is just the right size to easily maneuver through the tight Indian roads and traffic. 
We have taken her to pretty much all the parts of the Subcontinent and she has proved herself. Be it the 48 degrees heat of the Thar desert or the 4000 m frozen desert of Himalayas, she has conquered it all. 
Today she is an invaluable part of our team. She has given us and our travelers numerous memories and experiences never to be forgotten! To know more about her visit: http://overlandingindia.com/our_vehicle.php   




Tuesday 23 August 2016

Machli and her Kingdom - Ranthambore National Park

The news must have reached you! Or if it has not, Machli the legendary tigress from Ranthambore is no more. She passed away a few days ago at the age of 19.
A lot of us believe that she was something more than just a tiger. In fact a few even believed her to possess supernatural powers. Well we are not sure about that, but there is absolutely no doubt in the fact that she was more than an average tiger...
Machli walking straight towards us


A beast with a unique persona of her own! A true legend whom we will never forget. For survival, she succumbed to nothing. At one stage we all felt she is just invincible. She became really famous when she was recorded killing a huge mugger crocodile. But unfortunately just like any other great warrior, over the time we saw her demise.
She once ruled probably the most prized real estate in the tiger's world, the lake territory of Ranthambore. A territory full of prey, water, cool shades and utmost protection from the poachers.
No tiger ever dared to challenge Machli's rule. It was only when one of her daughters named Sundari grew bolder and decided to chase Machli away.
Machli behaving wiser than ever gave away her prime territory to her daughter without a fight. She moved to the edge of the park where she lived the rest of her life. Even in this area she was a star.
We shall all remain obliged to Machli for letting us inside a tiger's world. She unfolded a lot of mysteries for us.
Even with the visiting jeeps she was extremely relaxed giving everyone ample photo opportunities. She was relaxed to an extent that, I remember an instance when Machli was walking towards us on the dirt track. Another jeep was following her from behind. The careless driver in the jeep touched Machli's tail with his jeep's bonnet. She just looked back once thinking "silly humans'' and kept walking towards us.
Machli's daughter Sundari, after she chased away her mother

Machli during her lifetime was a movie star, a queen, a skilled hunter, a very successful mother, won atleast a million hearts and had also won a lifetime achievement award by BBC.
Machli is no more, but her tribe still thrives in the beautiful Ranthambore National Park. It is one of the best places to see wild tigers. The undulating terrain, sparse forest, beautiful water bodies and a great understanding of tigers behaviour makes it the ideal place to experience a tiger sighting.
Even leopards and sloth bears are in good numbers here.

- By Anand Sinha (Tour leader)

A tigress named Noor starting a hunt in a ravine


If seeing a wild tiger in its beautiful habitat is your dream, have a look at some of these tours that we offer with Ranthambore National Park in the itinerary:

1. 20 days Delhi to Jabalpur

2. 22 days Big Cats of India

3. 61 days Necklace of India

If you want a shorter trip or have any other travel plans why don't you share it with us at: info@overlandingindia.com

For lots of other exciting trips and more on overland travel log on to: www.overlandingindia.com  

Tuesday 9 August 2016

Big Cats of India - The only trip with Tigers, Leopards & Lions in one itinerary!


With the new season approaching fast, there is a lot of excitement here. We are getting to know new travelers, new trips are being booked and travelers who have booked with us already are sharing their preparations for the trip. Overall this is turning out to be quite an exciting monsoon for us. 

Yesterday we got some new bookings and our 10th Feb, 2017 date of 22 days Big Cats of India trip is now a guaranteed departure. Let us tell you some exciting stuff that await us on this trip. 
We start from the Central Indian city of Jabalpur. Its quite a well located town as it is surrounded by National parks from all sides. 

Our first spot will be Pench National Park. This is home to us. Although nature can surprise you any moment, we do know the park very well purely because we spend so much time here. It is certainly one of the best tiger habitats in India. In the past our travelers have been the luckiest at Pench. Not just tigers, it is also good for leopards and wild dogs. 



We then move to arguably the most beautiful area in Central India, Kanha National Park. It is definitely very beautiful and packed with wildlife. Tigers are abundant so is its prey. Kanha is home to the Hard Ground Barasingha deer. It is actually endemic to this park. Kanha is extremely good for birding as well. The forest is semi-evergreen and we will have a lot of fun here. 

                                                              A typical Kanha Scene


Finishing up in Kanha we will be heading towards Bandhavgarh National Park. This place has one of the highest tiger densities in India. Our campsite there is a special one. It is right on the edge of the National Park. It is regularly frequented by sloth bears (specially in the Mahua season). Our campsite is fenced so nothing to worry. 


Our campsite in Bandhavgarh


After exploring 3 big National Parks in a row, we will head towards the historic temple town of Khajuraho. Due to the theme of the trip (We are focused on the big cats :) we are only staying here for one night. But we will be making the most of the day we are there. There is an amazing sound and light show that the temples have to offer and we will make sure that we do not miss it. 

Some of our travelers admiring beautiful Khajuraho carvings


Shifting our focus back on wildlife, our next destination is Ranthambore National Park. It is one of the most unique wilderness that you would have ever seen. It was once the royal hunting ground of the the maharajas. Nature has now taken it back. This is the place where the tigers rule the ruins. Although the 1000 year old Ranthambore fort still stands strong and guards the park from one side. Ranthambore is a special place to see offcourse the tiger, and also sloth bear, leopard and hyenas. 

                                             Striped hyena in the outskirts of Ranthambore
                                            

India is densely populated in most of the areas, but does it never surprise you with the amazing wildlife it still supports? It is not just because of the Government's efforts but also the people of this country are very tolerant, and not just tolerant but some people have written amazing conservation stories at their own level. One such example is our next destination, 'Bera'. This is not a very popular name. In-fact it is not even a protected area. Lately it has become the ultimate leopard destination amongst the wildlife enthusiasts. The leopards here have been singlehandedly protected by the Royalties of the area. Be ready for some of the best leopard shots here. 


When you're in Bera, look for leopards on these rocks


The last mark on our map for this trip is the Asiatic lion's abode, Gir National Park. It is home to the only population of Asiatic lions in the world. This makes Gir a truly special place. There are more than 450 lions in Gir and the area around it. It is also home to some really big leopards. The last time we visited Gir, we saw a huge male leopard right in the middle of a village at night. 

Male Lion on the prowl in Gir


This is a lot of information that we have shared with you :) We must not disclose the rest of the secrets of this amazing trip. To truly experience it, you have to be a part of it. 

10th Feb, 2017 is the next guaranteed departure date for this trip. There are still a few seats left. If India and its amazing wildlife is in your #BUCKET LIST then this is the perfect trip for you. 



#Overland trips in India #wildlife of India #Bigcats of India #Tiger safari India #Want to see Asiatic lions #Jungle safaris India #Kanha National Park safaris #Wildlife Photography India

Thursday 4 August 2016




One of our best accommodated trips taking you on an unforgettable journey from Central India to South India. Starting with the wildlife, one gets to see an amazing array of mammals and birds on this itinerary. 
From tigers in Pench & Satpura to elephants, lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr and leopards in Southern India, exquisite national parks like Bandipur, Nagarhole and Kabini, serene sea beaches, forts and monuments, villages and bustling cities, mouth watering cuisines are all waiting for you to experience. 
Guaranteed departure date: 13th Oct, 2016
Best Price: Please drop as a mail at: info@overlandingindia.com




Below is the list of all the places we are visiting:


  1. Bhopal (Trip departs)
  2. Satpura (Wildlife reserve)
  3. Pench (Wildlife reserve)
  4. Nagpur (Overnight stay)
  5. Melghat (wildlife reserve + tribal life)
  6. Ellora (Age old caves + other sites of archaeological importance)
  7. Bhigwan wetlands (Bird sanctuary)
  8. Tarkarli (Sea beach)
  9. Goa(beaches + colonial churches + museums + street culture & food)
  10. Agumbe(Rainforest + wildlife reserve)
  11. Nagarhole(Wildlife reserve)
  12. Bandipur(Wildlife reserve)
  13. Munnar(Eravikulam national park + tea plantations)
  14. Alleppy(beach town + backwater system)
  15. Periyar(Wildlife reserve)
  16. Thattekad(bird sanctuary)
  17. Trivandrum(City)Kanyakumari(Southernmost tip of India trip ends)
** We also have an upcoming guaranteed departure in Feb, 2017. Contact us for details**

For more trips and exciting offers log on to:

Wednesday 3 August 2016



Back in 2012 we had started the first India based overland travel company by the name 'Prayaan India Overland'. We traveled far and wide with this name. Our expedition vehicles carried our logo to the high mountains of Bhutan, Nepal and the length and breadth of India. We loved it!
Well now 4 years later we are ready with new branding. The change is to make it more easy for people to understand us and our concept. Our new logo very much speaks about adventure travel. So now if you spot an expedition vehicle with the yellow logo saying "Overland Expeditions India" you know its the same old team that pioneered this concept 4 years back. In this process we have also upgraded our website which is now more user friendly! The new contacts are as follows:

Web: www.overlandingindia.com
Mail: info@overlandingindia.com
          overlandingindia2016@gmail.com
Call: +91 8989239471 / 8959189811
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OverlandTripsIndia
Skype: Overland Expeditions India
Blog: www.overlandingindia.blogspot.in