The best places to see tigers in the wild on a safari holiday

Around an hour’s drive from Mysore lies this vast, densely forested and hilly park – considered to be one of India’s finest tiger reserves.

There are believed to be around 100 Bengal tigers living within its boundaries, in the shadows of the Western Ghats mountain range. Alongside the majestic tigers live other carnivorous predators such as Indian leopards and hyenas, as well as Asian elephants, Samba deer and Langur monkeys.

You can visit the park on our bucket list tour of southern India.

Located in mountainous central Bhutan, the small country that sits between China and India, this national park lies between two rivers – the Mangde Chhu to its east and Sankosh to the west.

Though tiger numbers here are low, meaning a sighting is much rarer than in India, the endangered mammal population of the park is diverse and includes clouded leopards, golden cats, the black giant squirrel, and the sadly now extremely rare golden langur.

This national park in North India’s Rajasthan state was once the hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur, but fortunately today the wildlife that calls it home enjoys protected status.

Spread over roughly 150 square miles, the park is best known for its tiger population – and is probably the best place in the world to observe them in their natural habitat. It also contains fascinating ancient ruins and incredible scenery, and you’ll visit it on our tour of North India’s Golden Triangle.

Part of Nepal’s tiger conservation unit, along with the neighbouring Banke National Park, Bardia National Park consists of grasslands and sub-tropical forest.

A 2016 study estimated that 56 wild tigers live in the park, including a number of cubs and younger breeding tigers, meaning that the population is expected to grow in the coming years.

Part of the wider area known as the Sundarbans, a vast mangrove forest in the Ganges delta which stretches across the border between West Bengal and Bangladesh, this national park has been a tiger reserve since 1973.

It's home to around 100 tigers and if you’re lucky you’ll see them sunbathing by the river banks between November and February. They’ve also been known to swim in the waters.

Easily the most remote and challenging destination for tiger lovers, Russia’s eastern region, which borders Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China to the south, is home to more than 550 tigers.

Historically the largest of the world’s tigers, recent censuses suggest that they’ve diminished in size in recent years, but these rust-coloured beasts remain some of the most magnificent in the animal kingdom – and are able to survive in harsh, snowy conditions.

Book your place on a tour of India’s Golden Triangle, including a safari in Ranthambore National Park, or a journey through Kerala and Karnataka in the south, where you’ll go tiger-spotting in Nagarhole National Park.