India's extraordinarily diverse landscapes support a correspondingly impressive array of wildlife, backed by some of the world's most superb safari accommodations and viewing infrastructure.

The animal every wildlife enthusiast hopes to see once in their lifetime is the Bengal Tiger. Thanks to 'Save-the-Tiger' launched in the 1970s, the once-threatened tiger populations are on the rise in India, with stable populations in many of India's National Parks from Ranthambore in Rajasthan, to Corbett in the hills above Delhi, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench and Tadoba in Central India to Kaziranga in the East. The latter ranged over the fecund flood planes of the Brahmaputra River, is also the place to spot the heavily armoured, notoriously grumpy one-horned rhino.

Other big cats of India include the Snow Leopard in the mountains of Ladhak, the Leopard in boulder stricken plains of the Thar Desert and the Asiatic Lion in the jungles of Gujarat.

Further south, the undisputed stars of the southern jungles, draped over the Western Ghat range, are its elephants, lion-tailed macaques and primaeval gaur bison with a bountiful birdlife in all parts of India.

The fantastic news these days is that wildlife holidays in India no longer require one to rough it. On the contrary: the parks featured in Transindus Group tours and Bespoke wildlife journeys are all served by superbly well-set up, stylish, eco-friendly lodges, with some offering five-star comfort in some of the wildest terrains on earth.