What is the difference between a regular safari and full-day safari in Bandhavgarh?

The Bandhavgarh National Park hosts a plethora of stunning wildlife species including the big cats, sloth bears, dholes, jackals, hyenas, chinkaras, chousinghas, sambar deer and amazing birds such as Tickell’s blue flycatchers, brown-crowned pygmy woodpeckers, Bonelli’s Eagles and the long-billed vultures, the king vultures and the rare Egyptian vulture. 

A Bandhavgarh safari is the means to witness these animals thrive in their natural habitat. But what is the difference between a regular and full-day safari in Bandhavgarh and which one is right for you? 

There are several differences and things to consider before making a decision between a regular and a full-day safari in Bandhavgarh, ranging from timings, cost and advantages to the overall experience. Let us break down the list point by point and empower you to choose whatever suits you. 

• Bandhavgarh safari timings

The Bandhavgarh National Park is open every season between the 15th of October and the 30th of June. In the monsoon months (July, August, September), safari vehicles are only permitted in the buffer zones. The regular safari in Bandhavgarh happens twice a day. Depending on the season in which you visit Bandhavgarh, the timings change by half an hour. 

Refer to this chart below to check them out.

The timings for the full-day safari in Bandhavgarh are from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm all season long except the monsoon months (July, August, September). 

If you are wondering when to go to Bandhavgarh, read our blog “What is the best time to visit Bandhavgarh?”

• Bandhavgarh safari cost

Regular jeep safari in Bandhavgarh will cost about 6,500 (divided by the number of participants) and the full-day safari in Bandhavgarh will cost significantly more. One has to deposit Rs. 10,000 to the forest department to book one’s safari well in advance of one’s visiting dates. Read our blog “How to book a safari in Bandhavgarh?” to know more details. 

• Advantages of a regular safari and full-day safari in Bandhavgarh

The advantages of a regular safari in Bandhavgarh are not manifold. The major advantage is cost. In a regular jeep safari, the cost is divided between 6 people as compared to paying much more for a full-day ride and dividing the cost with only four people as full-day safari jeeps only permit a maximum of four pax. 

The other advantage of a regular safari is that as one is restricted to the same zone, one can explore it better and does not waste time moving between zones. And lastly, as the timings of the game drives are three hours, one can return to one’s resort or lodge and rest before resuming one’s exploration of the forests! 

When it comes to a full-day safari in Bandhavgarh, one is not restricted to any one particular zone and can move across zones and freely scout the entire tourism area. One gets to enter 15 minutes before everyone else and exit the park 15 minutes later and spend the entire day (6:00 am - 6:00 pm) within the Park. During the period after the morning safari gypsies have exited the park and before they re-enter in the afternoon (approximately 11:00 am - 3:00 pm), the participants of the full-day safari will be all by themselves, giving them the extra edge to spot a big cat and spend time with it, or reach the potential spot of sighting much before everyone else and position their vehicle perfectly. 

Upon catching a trail, full-day safari participants have ample time to successfully track down a big cat. Once it has been sighted, one can take one’s time to photograph it. One also has the time to stop and photograph several other mesmerising animals and magical bird species of Bandhavgarh. 

The major advantage of a full-day safari in Bandhavgarh is that participants, more often than not, get to spot more individual tigers and tigresses and also more species of wildlife than those on a regular safari. 

Whom is the regular safari in Bandhavgarh for?

If one is a curious first-timer who has never been to any wildlife National Parks in one’s life, we would recommend starting with a regular safari in Bandhavgarh. There are very high chances that the robust tiger population here can help one have one’s first experience of sighting a tiger in the wild and bridge the gap between dreams and reality. 

The other group of people to whom we recommend the regular safari in Bandhavgarh is groups of friends travelling on a tight budget or someone who is travelling solo.

If one is travelling with children who are under ten years of age or with parents or family members who are over 65 years old and above, the three-hour-long regular safari would suffice to be a thrilling and rejuvenating experience!

Lastly, if someone has a weak back, we would recommend a regular safari as the twists and turns can get nasty, especially when gypsies have caught a tiger trail and rush to establish themselves in the best position for allowing their guests to have the best possible view of the big cat sighting. A regular safari allows one to take a break and rest before resuming in the afternoon or the next morning. 

People who suffer from health issues such as asthma, dust allergy or eye problems, or physical aches and pains, should restrict themselves to a regular safari, especially in the drier months of the summer.  

Whom is the full-day safari in Bandhavgarh for?

The first criterion for someone who wants to experience a full-day safari in Bandhavgarh is fitness. A full-day safari can get taxing and extremely exhausting especially in the scorching summer months. So, people who are young and fit are the ones who are better likely to enjoy a full-day safari. 

The other set of people who will definitely cherish the experience are avid wildlife lovers and enthusiastic photographers! The full-day safari in Bandhavgarh allows them optimum chances of sighting as many species as possible and photograph individual tigers and tigresses. 

If you are an adventure-lover and cherish being immersed in nature, a full-day safari might just be a thrilling experience for you!

Summary - safari in Bandhavgarh 

Blessed with one of the highest tiger densities in the world, the Bandhavgarh National Park seldom fails to amaze curious first-timers as well as people who frequent wildlife destinations! 

A regular safari in Bandhavgarh is a three-hour long venture into the forest aimed to witness the many stunning species of wildlife. Although restricted to one zone, its advantages are that no time is spent moving from one zone to the other and every minute goes in exploring the jungle and hopefully catching a big cat trail which leads to a successful sighting. 

We recommend the regular safari to enthusiastic first-timers, friends travelling on a budget, or a family with little children or elderly parents or relatives. We would also advise that people with health issues should restrict themselves to the regular safari.

The full-day safari in Bandhavgarh is an exhilarating experience, but it can also get exhausting, especially in the blazing summer months. It is best if full-day safaris are experienced when one is young and fit. We recommend this day-long thrilling adventure to avid wildlife and nature lovers, people who enjoy wildlife photography and especially tiger photography and adventure freaks who love having new experiences! 

The full-day safari begins at dawn and ends at dusk. It features unrestricted movement between the zones of the forest and a head-start of 15 minutes over the other vehicles entering the forest and a bonus of 15 minutes for one final scan of the jungles when everyone has already headed out. Between the hours after the morning safari vehicles exit and before they re-enter in the afternoon, the full-day participants enjoy their solitude and have optimum chances of animal sightings or reaching the best spots on time. 

Some Toehold Photo Tour participants have been super-lucky and have spotted 14 individual tigers in 3 full-day safaris in Bandhavgarh! If one is an avid wildlife lover, a full-day safari must be experienced at least once in one’s lifetime!  We hope we have managed to settle the regular vs full-day safari in Bandhavgarh dilemma once and for all. If you have any further questions, please feel free to connect with us. We will be most happy to answer them. 

Why wait to visit Bandhavgarh? From safaris to stays, we’ll help you get it all sorted. Plan your trip here