The great Southern India luxury Safari
Traveling in India can overwhelm your senses with countless and diverse sights, smells and sounds. One moment you might be gazing at the snowclad Himalayas in Ladakh and the next you’re in the tropical rain forests of the south. It is often said that India is not a country, but a continent encompassing an incomparable range of landscapes, cultures and people.
-8 days
February 2025 (exact dates coming soon)
(this tour has a pre-tour add-on option)
INDIA
A never-ending multitude of amazing and diverse experiences awaits as you travel this land, from vastly varying countryside to mesmerizing cities which merge old and new like nowhere else. Bustling old bazaars can be found adjacent to swanky shopping malls, and majestic historic monuments and landmarks accompany luxurious heritage hotels.
COUNTRY OR CONTINENT
India is also home to incredible National Parks that include the greatest biospheres on the Asian continent and many of the most amazing species of wildlife, including the elusive Bengal Tiger – king of the jungle.
On this “one of a kind” Gourmet Kosher Safari, we focus on the warm jungles of Southern India, combining the magnificent Kabini forest and
Nagarhole National Park with some of her greatest cultural treasures, all accompanied by the luxury signature cuisine and service for which the GKS brand is famous.
We will also explore two of India’s largest cities, starting the tour with the high-tech capital of Bengaluru, and ending with a day in Mumbai, India’s largest and most famous port, exploring its cultural treasures as well as its unique Jewish heritage.
Of course, we also highly recommend our pre-tour to the capital New Delhi, Agra and the Taj Mahal, in North-India.
February 2025 (exact dates coming soon)
$9,000 per person sharing; single supplement: $1800
*$8,500 - Early bird discount price (please inquire about details).
Pre-tour: $2,000 per person sharing; single supplement: $500
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Luxury 5 Star Hotel accommodation
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3 freshly prepared kosher meals daily, under our strict hashgacha
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Packed lunches when out for the day
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Rav Machshir: Rav Oren Duvdevani, renowned specialist on kashrus in the East. Please note that there is a ban on beef in most of India and strict regulations regarding alcohol consumption
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Snacks and plenty bottled water on excursions, where permitted by National Parks regulations.
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Drinks during meals: Soft drinks and bottled water at meals, kosher cocktails or wines at dinners (subject to Indian regulations)
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All excursions, transfers, entrance fees and guiding on the itinerary except when explicitly excluded.
What’s not Included?
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Tips – 6% ($540 per person; plus $120 per person for pre-tour participants)
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International airfares into Bengaluru and out of Mumbai
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Compulsory Domestic flights: (Bengaluru-Mumbai; New Delhi-Bengaluru for pre-tour participants)
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Visas and airport taxes
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Travel insurance
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Optional flights
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Hotel Room upgrades
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Bar, laundry, and other hotel extras
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Personal expenses
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All hotels, daily schedules, and other items subject to change due to availability, group size, and other factors, but the overall deluxe standard of the trip will be maintained as best as reasonably possible.
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E-visa to be obtained online by guests. Need to allow 7 days for processing, so please apply as soon as you have booked.
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India
Frequently Asked Questions
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Citizens of the U.S., most commonwealth countries, Israel, South Africa, and most other countries can obtain an electronic visa online for India, which takes about 4 days to process. This can either be done on the main India immigration site- the address is http://www.indianvisaonline.gov.in .
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There are numerous online sites that claim to expedite visas, some of which may be fraudulent. Please be careful, we cannot vouch for any, but we have used http://www.indianimmigration.org before successfully and found them to make the applications process somewhat simpler.
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Visa regulations change from time to time and differ from country to country, so all clients need to check their own requirements with the consulates of the countries they will be visiting at least 3 months prior to their trip.
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Visitors must ensure that they have at least 2 blank VISA pages (not endorsement pages) in their passport and that their passport is valid for at least 6 months after the end of their trip.
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Though we try our best to provide up to date information, GKS cannot take responsibility for accuracy of visa information, which MUST be verified by the consulates of the countries concerned!
*These FAQ's are specific to this tour.
Just a few of our favorite memories
CAPTURED MOMENTS
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Arrive by mid-day in the Indian capital and mega-city of New Delhi, where old meets new, and where cows rule the roost.
Enjoy an afternoon tour of some of the city highlights, including Mahatma Gandhi House, India Gate, and a rickshaw ride in Old Delhi .
It might be “just a building”, but there is little that can prepare you for the “Wow factor” experienced when you walk through the gates of the outer encloser and see this famous mother of all buildings in person.
Built in 1632 on the south bank of the Yamuna River by its Muslim ruler as a memorial shrine to his beloved wife, the perfect architecture and sheer beauty of the design explains why the Taj Mahal is listed as one of the 7 wonders of the world.
Today we depart New Delhi, and take a day trip by luxury train to Agra, the site of this incredible monument, where we spend the late afternoon exploring its various viewing points.
We also tour the magnificent Agra Fort complex, with its totally different color style and colors, before returning by train to New Delhi.
We land by late morning in the Southern City of Bengaluru.
Known as the Silicon Valley of India, Bangaluru is the center of India’s booming technology scene. It is also known as “The garden city” and is where our tour begins.
From its iconic palace, ancient fort, and lush greenspaces, to its high-tech parks and infamous traffic jams and potholes, India’s third-largest city is full of contrasts. It even has a small Jewish community and local Chabad-house!
This is also the capital of Karnataka, the “Elephant State” and an important center for, believe it or not, kosher supervision!
America’s major kashrus agencies, from the OU to the Star K all spend time in this region, and we hope to have the local Rabbi explain to us how so many of the foods we eat contain raw materials originating from here!
Rising very early to beat the Bengaluru traffic, we enjoy a leisurely “3 hour” drive through wonderous and interesting towns and villages and countryside, to the edge of the jungle and the historic city of Mysore, also known as the “Palace City,” where the hustle and bustle of Indian urban sprawl and traffic give way to the tranquility and silence of the jungle! Here we stop for a breakfast/tea break and some site-seeing.
We will get to explore the actual palace on Tuesday, but today, we have a palace of our own to reach!
Our drive takes us into the jungles and wetlands of the Kabini Forests, and the famous Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks, one of Asia’s greatest wildlife wilderness areas, our home for the next 5 nights.
We check into our magnificent Jungle lodge Hotel with its lavish pool villas, enjoying a refreshing swim and light lunch. Each two-person villa has its own private pool, and the lodge also has a communal infinity pool and great spa!
In the late afternoon, we cannot contain our excitement as we set-out across the river into the National Park, for our first safari of the trip.
This National Park boasts the greatest diversity of flora and Fauna on the entire Asian continent. It is one of the best places to see the endangered Indian elephant in the wild as well as the Gaur, the feared Indian Bison, which is the world’s largest bovine species and even larger than the African Cape Buffalo and American Bison and maybe even the famous Indian tiger!
We rise early on Friday for a morning safari by truck in the National Park.
The park is home to many species of primates, birds, mongoose, and deer, wild peacocks, crocodile, Malabar giant squirrel, and of course what we at GKS call the “Kabini Big 7”: gaur, elephant, tiger, sloth-bear, leopard, Indian wild dog, and its famous elusive phantom of the forest, the black panther.
The jungle is not a zoo, and there are no guarantees, but we hope to see as many of the above treasures as possible during our stay!
Kabini is also one of the only places in the world where one has a decent, though small, chance of sighting the incredibly rare black panther, something even the most regular safari enthusiast would travel the world to see. One who is lucky enough to get a quick glimpse of this beauty will immediately understand why he is known as the “Phantom of the Forest.”
After a large brunch, we enjoy a tour of an authentic Indian village, seeing how the local clans work and live, after which we enjoy some well well-deserved down-time for spa treatments, swimming, and preparing for Shabbos.
We enjoy a relaxing “Shabbos with a difference” in the Indian Jungle, at our gorgeous lodge. As it is set right on the banks of the Kabini River, with some luck, we might even see some wildlife from the lodges viewing spots. A short nature walk may also be enjoyed.
After Shabbos, we embark on an exciting jungle night-walk with a professional naturalist, exploring the nocturnal and surprising world of insects, amphibians and reptiles in and around the resort, followed by a Melava Malka and kumzitz under the stars.
This morning, we rise early for a sunrise boat-safari on the river, hoping to see some wildlife enjoying their early morning drink along the banks, and of course, in the water.
After breakfast and the mid-day leisure time that forms an integral part of a safari schedule, we enter the park in the late afternoon by truck or jeep, looking for more wildlife and perhaps even some hunting action!
Although good sightings of large herbivores are almost guaranteed, Kabini is also prime big-cat territory, and although the thicker jungle terrain makes sightings more challenging, the site of a tiger or leopard stepping out of the bush, crossing the road, and disappearing again, is truly the experience of a lifetime.
On Monday, we reverse the order and enjoy a morning safari in the park by vehicle, hoping for some early-morning tiger movement. Then, in the late afternoon, we head to the water again, this time by coracle, a special circular Indian fishing boat.
In the evening, we enjoy our final barbecue dinner at the lodge, enjoying a special treat of “jungle-tales” from the naturalist, as they share their experiences in the wild.
Following a 5-day adventure in the jungle, today we move on for a day of contrast and lots of travel.
We enjoy a delicious breakfast, after which we leave the quiet of the jungle behind and set out back to Mysore.
Today, we enjoy an incredible tour of the vast and varied Palace complex, one of the greatest in India, learning how this city was a major center in South-Indian history and culture.
We then travel back to Bengaluru, where we board our flight North-West to our next incredible experience, that iconic port super-city of Mumbai.
Welcome to Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, India’s, and indeed one of the world’s, largest cities and the capital of Maharashtra.
The Greater Mumbai area occupies a long, narrow peninsula in the Arabian Sea on the west coast of India, its City is an island of 69 square kilometers.
Mumbai is the most populous city in India and in the top five in the world with an estimated population of over 20 million and is the financial center, economic powerhouse, and industrial hub of India.
Traffic in this metropolis is an experience in and of itself and the short time we have is nowhere near enough to see its many highlights, however, today we aim to get a taste of some of its highlights, including its unique Jewish heritage. Time permitting, we hope to visit the famous “Gateway to India”, the Sassoon fish docks (note the Jewish connection), the Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest open-air laundry, where hundreds of people do laundry for hospitals, hotels, and private people around the city to deliver it back on time despite the traffic!
We will also visit one or more of Mumbai’s historic shuls, and the modern Chabad center with its story of tragedy and triumph (where we shall also have lunch) as much as the traffic allows for!
We transfer to the airport for our evening flight home, enriched with incredible memories of the world’s most populated country and its incredible people and wildlife.