Wildlife & Safaris in Asia

One of Earth’s best places to photograph a wild Bengal tiger, set around a crumbling hilltop fort in the dry hills of Rajasthan. Big cats prowl between ruined pavilions, step-wells and lake shores alongside leopards and sloth bears. Reserve zones ahead; sightings peak in hot April to June.

This vast flooded grassland in Assam protects two-thirds of the world’s greater one-horned rhinos, often grazing calmly in the open. Elephant-back and jeep safaris also turn up wild water buffalo, swamp deer and dense tigers against misty Himalayan foothills. The park opens November to April; go early in the cool season.

Famed for one of the highest densities of Bengal tigers anywhere, this compact central Indian park offers excellent odds of a genuine sighting. Set around an ancient hilltop fort, its sal forest and meadows also hold leopards and sloth bears. Early drives tracking alarm calls give the best chances.

The lush sal forests and rolling meadows that inspired Kipling’s Jungle Book shelter tigers, leopards and the rare barasingha swamp deer brought back from the brink here. The open grassy maidans make for superb viewing in golden early light. One of India’s best-managed parks; visit March to June.

India’s oldest national park sprawls across the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand in a scenic mix of riverine forest, grassland and hills. Home to tigers, elephants and over 500 bird species, it offers jeep safaris and the chance to stay deep inside at the famous Dhikala zone. The setting compensates for uncertain sightings.

Straddling two central Indian states, this tiger reserve of teak forest and a meandering river is another landscape immortalised in Kipling’s Jungle Book. Beyond tigers, it is superb for leopards, dhole and gaur, and tends to be markedly quieter than its famous neighbours. Fewer jeeps mean calmer sightings; open October to June.

Maharashtra’s largest and oldest tiger reserve has earned a stellar reputation for exceptional, often prolonged tiger sightings around its lakes and clearings. The dry teak and bamboo forest also holds sloth bears and leopards. Its lakes are the hotspot, where tigers drink in full view; April to June is prime.

Part of a vast forest complex in southern India, this reserve of teak and bamboo along a reservoir teems with elephants, gaur, tigers and leopards. Its standout is the boat safari on the Kabini backwaters, where elephant herds gather at the water’s edge at dusk. Famed for occasional black leopards.

The last wild refuge of the Asiatic lion, found nowhere else on the planet, lies in this dry deciduous forest and thorn scrub in Gujarat. Jeep safaris offer a real chance of encountering the lions, alongside leopards, striped hyenas and abundant deer. Permits are limited; the park is open mid-October to mid-June.

Nepal’s celebrated lowland reserve is one of Asia’s best places to see the greater one-horned rhino, spotted from jeeps and, memorably, from silent dugout canoes on the Rapti River. Its sal forest also shelters sloth bears, gharials and, for the lucky, Bengal tigers. Visit October to March.

Sri Lanka’s flagship park is reckoned to have one of the highest leopard densities in the world, and a big cat sunning on a warm rock is a genuine possibility. Its mosaic of scrub, lagoons and wild beaches also brims with elephants and crocodiles. Start early with a good tracker.

Sri Lanka’s largest park is a quieter, wilder alternative to Yala, its forests dotted with natural sand-rimmed lakes known as villus. Patient visitors are rewarded with leopards, sloth bears and elephants in a landscape that feels genuinely remote, with far fewer jeeps. The dry season February to October gives best access.

The most reliable place in Sri Lanka to see wild elephants, which gather here in large numbers around a central reservoir. Open grasslands make for wonderfully easy viewing, so a jeep safari almost guarantees close encounters with herds and calves. An adjacent transit home cares for orphans; go early or late.

Set around a scenic reservoir in the cool, spice-scented hills of Kerala, this reserve is best explored by boat, drifting past elephants and gaur that come to the shore to drink. Guided walks and bamboo-raft trips add the chance of tigers. Treks with reformed poachers offer an immersive option.

River cruises along Borneo’s Kinabatangan deliver some of the easiest, most rewarding wildlife viewing in Southeast Asia, animals concentrated in the forest fringing the water. Wild orangutans, the big-nosed proboscis monkey, pygmy elephants and hornbills reveal themselves on dawn and dusk boat trips. Simple riverside lodges make an atmospheric base.

The classic Bornean orangutan experience takes place aboard a traditional live-aboard klotok boat, chugging up a tea-black river deep into Indonesian Kalimantan. Over two or three days you watch wild and rehabilitated orangutans swing to riverside feeding platforms. Sleeping on deck under the stars is half the magic; cruise April to October.

This laid-back village on the edge of Sumatra’s Gunung Leuser jungle is the launching point for treks in search of wild orangutans. Guided walks of a few hours to several days through steep rainforest give an excellent chance of close encounters, along with gibbons and macaques. Many end with a river tube-ride.

The only place on Earth to see Komodo dragons in the wild, where ranger-led walks bring you a safe distance from three-metre monitor lizards that hunt deer and buffalo. The islands and reefs add manta rays, turtles and spectacular diving. Ridge-top hikes reward pink-sand-beach views; dry season April to November.

A mountainous reserve in Sichuan at the heart of China’s giant panda effort, wrapped in cool, misty bamboo forest. Its famous research and breeding centre offers the surest chance to see giant pandas up close as they munch bamboo and tumble about. The rugged terrain also shelters red pandas.

The world’s largest mangrove forest sprawls across the vast Ganges delta, a labyrinth of tidal channels famously prowled by the elusive, swimming Bengal tiger. Boat safaris are the only way to explore, gliding through the maze in search of tigers, saltwater crocodiles and rich birdlife. The eerie, amphibious landscape is the reward.