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Wild Souls India:
\n8t h to 16th April 2023
\n9 days\, 8 nights.
\nNew Delhi –Raipur- Kanha – Bandhavgarh – Jabalpur – New Delhi
\n“Otherwise\, he would be far away in the jungle\; tastin g\, touching\, seeing\, and feeling new things.”
\n
\n― Rudyard Kipling\,
There are places in the world so beautiful\ , so mythic\, that writers and artists\, both ancient and modern\, create whole works around them.
\nThere are places on the planet t hat allow us to unfurl our wildness and seek our own courage and bravery o nce again amongst their profound beauty.
\nThere are places where po wer animals still walk and SEE you within their own realms.
\nThere are places where Goddesses still live and where they inspire us to let go of the burden of the everyday.
\nThis adventure will take you deep i nto such places.
\nWild Souls India will be centred around taking au thentic safaris into two of India’s most stunning national parks\, Kanha a nd Bandhavgarh\, in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The tigers have spec ial 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.
\nBoth parks are outrageously be autiful and you will have the best naturalist guides to explore them with you. You’ll also be staying in fantastic accommodation that reflects the a rea and gives you a point of luxury to balance out all that hard-core jung le!
\nAfter meeting in Delhi\, we will fly into Raipur and then driv e to Kanha. Kanha National Park is pure “Jungle Book’ territory\, and is w here Rudyard Kipling found his inspiration for his famous work. Yes\, here is Shere Kahn territory\, with high densities of tigers and the ability t o spot animals that are found nowhere else.
\nKanha 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 f requent visitors include the Nilgai antelope\, the sloth bear\, the dhole\ , or Indian wild dog\, and an occasional Leopard. Some 300 species of bird s inhabit the park\, that includes the storks\, egrets\, black ibis\, rapt ors\, owls\, and the red- wattled lapwings.
\nKanha is located right in the heart of India\, and is a quieter area which also gives you an opp ortunity to experience the rural\, tribal\, and agricultural parts of Indi a- the true India.
\nAfter spending 3 nights in Kanha\, after our mo rning 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 famou s tigers\, other wild attractions in the park include Leopards\, Blue Bull s\, 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 Par k. There are also Ratel\, Porcupine\, Small Indian Civet\, Palm Squirrel\, Lesser Bandicoot rat\, the Jungle Cat\, and the shy Hyenas. The reptile p opulation in the park includes Cobras\, Kraits\, Vipers\, Ratsnakes\, Pyth ons\, Monitor Lizards and turtles. The two primate species – the rhesus ma caque and the Hanuman langur are seen and heard!
\nBandhavgarh has b een a centre of human activity and settlement for over 2000 years\, and th ere 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 a nd experience the culture here.
\nBoth areas are rooted deeply in my thos. We will do ritual and workings in each. For example” the fort in Ban dhavgarhwa 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 tha t created the setu (bridge) between India and Lanka to vanquish evil demon s\, built the protective fort here.
\nWe will then travel back to De lhi 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 servi ce to you ends after the tour on the 26th.
\n
“Oppress not the cubs of the stranger\, but hail them as Sister and Brothe
r\,”
\n― Rudyard Kipling\,
strong>The Jungle
Book
What’s included in your Wild Souls India expe rience?
\n– Internal return flights from Delhi to Raipur
\n– Road transfers from Raipur\, from Kanha\, and from Bandhavgarh
\n– All Accommodation:
\n< p>2 nights accommodation (1st and last night) in the ve ry cool Roseate House in New Delhi.\nhttps://www.ros eatehotels.com/newdelhi/roseatehouse/
\n3 nights accommo dation at the Singinawa Jungle Lodge. Kanha.
\nThis is a tr ue safari-style lodge geared up specifically to support explorers. It is l uxurious and bespoke with a 1\,000 square foot museum onsite which is an o de 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 trea tment\, go for a walk with a naturalist- it’s all available here.
\nhttp://www.singina wajunglelodge.com/thelodge/
\n3 nights at
This is a carefully d esigned\, 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 mu ddy and dirty from your safari and then delve into some luxury. Weather pe rmitting\, we will eat dinner under the stars one night and tell stories a round the fire.
\n\n– Your Meals: Nourishing mea ls from our first evening in Delhi through to our last breakfast back in D elhi are included. Our meals will reflect the cuisine of the areas we trav el within and please discuss any specialised dietary requirements with us.
\n– Our activities and adventures:
\nAs alwa ys on a Wild Souls Retreat\, we immerse ourselves with the natural environ ment and the people who live there. As we will be travelling to jungle env ironments 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 o ur visit.
\n– We start with a welcome dinner and briefing in the modern Roseate Hotel in Delhi. Please book your flights to b e present for this event.
\n– We will be on safari almost ev ery morning and night whilst in the parks (weather permitting). p>\n
For those that haven’t experienced safari life\, you are in for a t reat!
\nDays start early normally around dawn\, with a chai\, tea or coffee and snack and we journey into the park in our jeeps. Here our natu ralist experts will guide us through the jungle in search of tigers\, leop ards and other amazing wildlife and birdlife. You will soak in the power a nd beauty of the area!
\nDependant on the park\, we will normally ha ve breakfast as a picnic out in the wilderness. After the morning safari w e will come back to our lodge for lunch and leisure time. We may have an a ctivity planned or a teaching or meditation with Stacey.
\nAs the li ght begins to change\, we will go out into the park again for the late aft ernoon 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.
\nAt sunset\, we travel back to our lodge\, swap ping photos and stories and get ready for dinner. Dinner may well be outdo ors under a night sky clear of outside light sources and amongst the choru s of nature.
\nHere is a video taken by a very lucky person in Kanha . They are demonstrating good safari etiquette of turning off the engine o f the jeep/moving away from the animal and its path and whispering/ keepin g voices down when close to an animal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm7v5f5ruiE
\nAnd it doesn’t end there! Also:
\nA beauti ful in-depth spiritual programme with Stacey designed to inspire you\, con nect you with your healthy fierceness and open your heart to your wilder s elf. Sometimes\, the world can make us feel very small- the tiger goddesse s help us wake up to our power!
\nEvery day you’ll learn so mething new – whether it will be through the power of nature as teacher\, sessions with Stacey or the local people\, or through the specific strengt h of the tiger goddesses.
\n***Remember\, this is your retreat- all activities are optional.* **
\nWhat’s not included:
\nPlease also note\, we will never support animal cruelty or poor safari etiquette. Our local guide supplier and our Wild Souls gro up will not involve themselves in activities like elephant back safaris or tours involving captive or caged animals. We advise you not to include th ese activities on your own personal activities if you are staying on longe r in these areas.
\nAs always\, you will be supplied with a packing list and further details well ahead of time and of course the useful and b eautiful gifts you have come to expect.
\nThis retreat requires an a verage fitness level and the ability to be able to walk on uneven ground. Please ask us about this further if you wish.
\nAgain\, this is a remote\, bespoke retreat and as such\, this is a small group only. < /strong> 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.
\nSingle Room supplement: AUD$900
\nDe posit is $A1250 to confirm your place.
\nFREQUENT R ETREATERS BONUS! If you have been on any of my retreats before\, you will receive a bonus discount of $200 off the price.
\n(Yes\, yo u can save $300 if you are a frequent retreater and an early bird.)
\n< p>\n\n