87 Tiger Sightings in 28 Safaris: A Guest’s Unforgettable Bandhavgarh Experience

Tiger Photographer Mr. Bart and Tiger Safari Team Teerath singh — Taken by Teerath Singh

How a Belgian Wildlife Photographer had whopping 87 Tiger Sightings out of 28 Safaris in Bandhavgarh National Park?

It is the dream of every wildlife photographer to take back memorable moments back home from tiger safari India Bandhavgarh. We welcomed our repeat guest from Belgium with great joy. He enjoyed whopping 87 sightings from 28 safaris during his visit to Bandhavgarh, capturing raw and real moments of wildlife in their own habitat.

Stretched over Vindhya Hills of central India, Bandhavgarh National Park consists of 1600 sq. km. of core and buffer zone and tourism only allowed 105 sq. km. of core area. The topography of the entire area varies across rolling forest, lush meadows and steep edges. Bandhavgarh National Park is well-regarded for highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers in India and the world.

Speaking of wildlife, Bandhavgarh National Park is well regarded for having highest tiger sightings in India and the world.

Bandhavgarh Tiger Safari team — Clicked by Teerath Singh

A Wildlife Photographer’s Return to Bandhavgarh National Park

We had a great time serving our repeat guest from Belgium by organizing a special tour for him. He has done tiger safari and got multiple encounters in both Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks for several years with us. As an ardent naturalist and wildlife photographer, he again came to Bandhavgarh and had a memorable experience to take back home.

During his safari, he added, “There is nothing more exciting than witnessing a tiger in the wilderness. The more I feel that I know about those big cats, the more they surprise us with new encounters. I managed to spot these mythological creatures after searching for several days when I visited Bandhavgarh for the first time. I am so grateful that I have expert guides like you who made my experience more memorable. Bandhavgarh is really, really an excellent national park that makes me come back again and again. If someone has a heart on seeing these beasts in natural habitat, I would definitely recommend them to visit this national park for a great tiger sighting.”

Reviews Tiger Safari India Bandhavgarh by Mr. Bart Pelemens

This was my third safari tour with Teerath Singh .That means already something. This is not a big time travelcompany but a local who was born and raised here. Travel guide, wildlife enhousiast, photographer, Teerath is a local with a deep love and passion for and a great knowledge about tigers. Teerath lives and breathes Bandhavgarh. He knows everone and everything here. Bet even the tigers know him. When you book with Teerath you know that from airport pick-up to drop-off everything will be perfectly, carefree and smoothly organised. The transfers, accomodations, safari’s, guides, drivers are all top notch . Nothing is too much for Teerath.
I just finished the ultimate safari of a lifetime.
I booked this safari as my ultimate, 14 days with 28 safar’s, hoping for a 50% sightings ( 1 out of 2 saferi succelfull) but what a surprise.
26 safar’s out of the 28 were succesfull. I saw no less than 82 tigers I took photo’s i could never dream of being able to take. Safari’s are about luck, patience and experience but thanks to the latter two i got to see what others didn’t. 10 solo jeep sightings and so many more sightings only thanks to the experience of Teerath and his team, the best driver and guides.
For full 2 weeks i was living a dream, apart from the tigers i got beautful pictures of birds, snakes, and other exotic animals.
I was feasting on delicious indian vegetarian food (except for a piece of chicken or fish some days)
I lived the life of a maharadja. I feel so gratefull and blessed . For the tigersafari of a lifetime i can’t recommand Tiger Safari Bandhavgarh enough; Teerath and Tiger Safari Bandhavgarh, a more than 5 stars. experience.

Date of experience: May 2026

Mr.Bart Tiger Photographer — Clicked Teearth Singh

Best safari zones for wildlife Tiger photography

Here comes the main part – 87 Tiger Sightings. There are two types of zones in Bandhavgarh – Core and Buffer Zones.

As the name suggests, core zone is located at the core or center of the tiger reserve and is bordered by buffer zone. It is the most important area with regulated activities allowed in small part. The core area is restricted where human habitation and forest produce is banned. On the other hand, buffer zone covers the core areas and disperses wild animals as a buffer for the core area. This area is used for various purposes where human habitation is also allowed but regulated.

Latest Tiger sightings areas in Bandhavgarh National Park May 2026-2027

Here are the prime areas where tiger sightings happening constantly many cubs and Male and female Tigers. Tala Zone is best place for Tiger Photography in Bandhavgarh among the other zones– Chakradhara Area, Sita Mandap, Sidhbaba, Barunala, Damnar Rivers, Andhiyari Jhiria, these are the where mostly tiger sightings happen. Magdhi Zone – Sehra, Mahaman, Bhul bhuliya, many other places, Khtituli Zone.

Local Knowledge Years of Experience of Bandhavgarh who can change then Luck

Behind every great tiger sighting is a team that knows the jungle inside out.

For 20+ years, our local safari team has been guiding guests through Bandhavgarh’s trails, and we are proud to introduce the people who make it happen:

- Durgesh Yadav – Driver
  Punctual, dedicated, and with an uncanny sense for tiger movement. Durgesh is always where the action is.

- Kalyan Singh & Avinash Rana – Forest Guides
  Expert trackers and storytellers. They read the jungle like a book and bring it to life for you.

- Teerath Singh – Lead
  28 years of experience across Central India. Born in Bandhavgarh. A jungle boy with jungle wisdom. His experience is the reason our safaris feel so personal and authentic.

When you are Tiger Safari India with us, you are not just getting a ride. You are getting generations of local jungle knowledge.

We continued our journey towards Dhamokar and Panpatha buffer zones where our guests also experienced tiger sightings. It is completely a myth that tigers can be spotted only in core zones. Actually, animals cannot distinguish between core and buffer zones. They roam freely in the jungle. It is all about luck of the guests and their timings to visit the tiger reserve. Overall, total 87 tiger sightings were recorded during 28 safaris by our team.

Dhamokhar, Panpatha and Johila are three of the buffer zones spread over 820 sq. km. and Magadhi, Tala, and Khitauli are core zones in the national park.

Our guest also explored buffer zones in the national forest, which are rarely preferred by Indian tourists. But these zones are actually hidden gems of tiger tours in India Bandhavgarh as they have farmlands, villages, grasslands, scrub forests, and dense greens. During our safari, our guest also Sloth bear, leopard, antelope, blue bull, and Chinkara. Tigers are basically territorial big cats. The sub-adults build their boundaries when they turn 2-3 years old. Over the past decade, tigers got enough protection to survive and grow significantly. All the pockets of forest have their own tigers. He also found tigers in some of the lesser-known sanctuaries and small patches of forests too.

Spotting the tiger across the road

There was nothing more exciting for our guests than spotting a random tiger crossing the road during the safari just in front of our gypsy. These raw and real encounters gave our guests rare sightings to behold and capture those magnificent creatures in their own habitat. Those moments are the dream for every wildlife photographer and naturalist.

Above all, tiger sightings are one thing but he loved our professionalism more. It all became possible with seamless planning of our tour guides to make him focus only on wildlife encounters and capture as much tigers as possible. Every safari has a unique story to share, and this Bandhavgarh tour was no exception. From captivating moments to treasured opportunities for photography, our guest from Belgium took breathtaking images and memories back home to cherish memories for lifetime. We are looking forward to welcome him again if he would want to come back to Bandhavgarh for another exciting journey.

More Images from the trip taken by Mr. Bart Pelemens.

Few more photographs by Mr. Bart and Teerth Singh: