Led by expert Indian wildlife photographer Riyad Gandhy, this twelve-day small group photography adventure through Central India takes you from the city streets of Bhopal to the remote tribal villages and tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh.
Professional photographers and aspiring amateurs alike will have no shortage of photographic opportunities. Capture the drama of India, taking frame after frame of magnificent wildlife, traditional tribal artists and urban street scenes. As well as offering technical advice, Gandhy will mentor you in how to develop your visual storytelling and how to engage with your surroundings. Every traveller will come away with a thoughtful and intimate body of work documenting their travels, and a sharper creative eye.
The weather of Central India in March is typically excellent, with hot and dry daytime conditions, cooler nights and little rain.
This is based on a group of six people travelling together and includes accommodation, all land travel and flights within India, experiences, guiding, most meals, and tuition from Riyad Gandhy, but does not include international flights.
1 night in Mumbai, 2 nights in Bhopal, 2 nights in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, 5 nights in Pench National Park and 1 night in Mumbai
What makes this India small group tour special?
- Experience the diversity of Central India through your lens with expert photographer Riyad Gandhy as your guide.
- Document your own individual perspective of the streets, rural communities, wildlife and art of Madhya Pradesh as you learn how to develop your visual storytelling.
- Receive structured training across a wide range of subjects from street photography, architecture and wildlife photography to landscapes, portraiture and social documentation.
- Gain expert tuition in different photographic techniques and post-production.
- Relax after long days of exploring at a curated collection of luxury hotels, wildlife lodges and a wonderful private house.
Your luxury holiday itinerary
Settling into India
Mumbai
Arriving in Mumbai, you’ll be met airside and helped through immigration and baggage collection to your waiting private car who will whisk you to the Leela Mumbai where you can rest after your flight. Today is intentionally light so that you can acclimatise and prepare your camera equipment for the journey ahead. In the evening join your first group dinner with Riyad. He will outline the photographic goals of the expedition and walk you through how the journey will unfold. It will also give you the opportunity to discuss what interests you most, any technical questions you may have and the kind of support you would like in the field.
Street photography in the state capital
Bhopal
A short morning flight will bring you to Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh, where you’ll settle into the wonderful Jehan Numa Palace. Enjoy a warm-up session with Riyad in the afternoon, learning to work with angled shade and shifting light, refine your focus settings and anticipate movement. Rising before dawn the following day, you’ll head out into the old city to explore the streets as they wake up. Subjects will include vendors arranging their produce, steam rising from tea stalls and light cutting across narrow lanes. You’ll practice low-light techniques, maintaining a respectful distance while capturing intimate, layered scenes.
Continue to the marvellous mosque Taj-ul-Masjid — India’s largest — to explore architectural photography, exploring symmetry, scale and details from carved niches to weathered steps. In the afternoon, a curator-led visit to the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum will introduce you to India’s tribal art traditions ahead of your field visits later in the itinerary. Your day ends back at Jehan Numa with your first structured editing session, covering histograms, RAW adjustments and building a workflow for the trip ahead.
Magical Satpura
Bori Wildlife Sanctuary
Leaving Bhopal, travel through rural India into tiger country. Arriving at Bori Wildlife Sanctuary on the edge of Satpura National Park, check in at Bori Safari Lodge, before spending the afternoon on a walking safari, learning to read the forest as you look for tracks, pug marks and scat that indicate the presence of wildlife, compose balance forest scenes and use long lenses to capture superb images of the park’s rich birdlife.
Next day you’ll enjoy morning and afternoon safaris. You’ll be searching for tiger, leopard, sloth bear, wild dog and gaur, with Riyad mentoring you on topics such as how best to access your settings in fast-changing situations, keeping exposure consistent in dappled light and how to photograph animals within their landscape rather than isolating them. The afternoon brings different conditions. Dust rises as the light falls, giving you opportunities for backlighting and silhouettes. You may wait quietly at a waterhole, listening to alarm calls and preparing for a tiger or leopard to appear. You learn to anticipate behaviour rather than chase it.
Into Kipling Country
Pench National Park
Continuing on through rural Madhya Pradesh, arrive at Pench National Park and settle into your fabulous private villa. Over the next five days, you’ll continue to develop your wildlife photography techniques in this beautiful national park, applying what you have learned to anticipate wildlife behaviour and sharpen your visual storytelling. Pench also happens to be located in a deeply traditional tribal area, and you’ll have the rare and privileged opportunity to enjoy one-on-one photographic sessions with Gond and Bhil artists in the nearby village communities.
Many of the works on display at Haldu Tola were created by these talented artists, and you’ll be able to create intimate portraits of them at work as they mix pigments, move brushes across paper and carve shapes from wood. Riyad will guide you in close-range portraiture, storytelling and how to respectfully document traditional knowledge. Evenings will be reserved for reviewing your work and, on the final evening, sitting down with the group for a special dinner, sharing stories and reflecting on the many magical and unexpected moments that shaped your journey.
Farewell to India
Mumbai
After breakfast, enjoy a last walk around the lodge, gathering textures, landscapes and details, before driving to Nagpur for a late afternoon flight to Mumbai, where you can rest up in the Leela before your flight home.
Where you'll stay in India
Great journeys need great places to lay your head. These are our tried and tested suggestions.
Leela Mumbai
With a resort-like atmosphere that feels worlds away from the city’s rush, the Leela Mumbai blends refined elegance and relaxation. Conveniently situated just ten minutes from the airport, its lush gardens, water features and generous open spaces create a soothing environment, while the lobby’s grand marble and art accents add a sense of quiet opulence. Rooms are spacious, thoughtfully designed and framed by views of greenery. Dining ranges from vibrant Indian flavours to relaxed international classics, and there is an excellent pool and a spa offering a wide range of massages.
Jehan Numa Palace
Set in quiet, leafy grounds outside Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Jehan Numa Palace was built in 1890 by descendants of Bhopal’s royal family. Its white-arched façade, colonnaded walkways and horse-carriage porch still today evoke bygone days of understated grandeur. Inside, you’ll find curated memorabilia, hand-polished wood and breezy verandas that frame views of the gardens. The hotel’s dining is a highlight, especially the charcoal-grilled Indian specialities served at Under the Mango Tree. A small spa, a well-maintained pool, and stables offering equestrian experiences add to the sense of easy leisure that you’ll find at Jehan Numa.
Bori Safari Lodge
Bori Safari Lodge situated at the edge of Bori Wildlife Sanctuary offers a rare, intimate connection with one of India’s oldest forest reserves. There’s a real balance of comfort and authenticity here: cottages are thoughtfully integrated into the landscape, giving a sense of living within the forest rather than above it. Wildlife experiences are immersive yet unobtrusive, with guided safaris, birdwatching, and nature walks that reveal the sanctuary’s rich biodiversity. The lodge’s understated luxury, attentive yet unobtrusive service, and focus on quiet, reflective moments make it a deeply restorative escape for those seeking both adventure and serenity.
Haldu Tola
Catering to just one group of guests at a time in complete exclusivity, Haldu Tola is a private four-bedroom villa offering the rare joy of having your very own place and staff within what feels like a private game viewing area at the edge of Pench tiger reserve. Filled with stunning tribal art, it comes with a swimming pool and a private naturalist guide. Days are spent out on safari looking for tiger, leopard, wild dog and whatever else decides to wander along, as well as visiting local Gond tribal communities and discovering their wonderful art. By evening, follow a trail of lanterns to a fabulous dinner set up on a terrace or under a yellow teak tree, and feast in style beneath the stars as the sounds of the jungle night begin.
Customise your journey
All of our journeys are fully bespoke, and can be customised to meet your needs, interests and preferences. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.
Add a few days of beach relaxation and cultural exploration in Goa.
Combine your time in Central India with a trek in the Himalaya: we’d particularly recommend Shati’s village-to-village walk in Kumaon.
Extend your time documenting India’s wildlife in Gujarat and Rajasthan where superb opportunities exist to photograph Asiatic lion and leopard.
Looking for more inspiration?
We have a huge range of inspiring private experiences and accommodation options available. Get in touch with our India specialists.
ENQUIRELearn more about our luxury holidays, or call our expert Asia team on +44 1367 850566 / 1-855-216-5040 (toll free) to discuss how we can turn your dreams into something truly magical.