Wildlife & Safari7 min readPublished 13 July 2026
Hero photograph: Nikunj Vasoya / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
India's wildlife extends far beyond the tiger — it is the only country on earth where you can see wild lions and tigers, and its reserves hold one-horned rhino, leopard, wild elephant and some of the richest birdlife in Asia. For travellers who have seen the tiger, or who simply want more than one great animal, India's lesser-known wildernesses are extraordinary.
What can you see beyond the tiger?
In Gujarat's Gir Forest live the world's last wild Asiatic lions — nowhere else. In Assam's Kaziranga, the grasslands hold two-thirds of the planet's greater one-horned rhinoceros, alongside wild elephant and swamp deer. Leopards, harder to see than tigers, are found across the country, with Jawai in Rajasthan offering an almost uncanny concentration among granite hills.
And for the birder, India is a wonder — from the wetlands of Bharatpur to the Himalayan foothills, with well over a thousand species.
How to build a wildlife journey
These reserves reward the same approach as a tiger safari: private vehicles, senior naturalists, exclusive lodges, and enough drives to let the odds compound. Each has its season, and each pairs naturally with the culture nearby — Gir with the temples of Gujarat, Kaziranga with the tea gardens of Assam, Jawai with the palaces of Rajasthan.
Elevated India composes wildlife journeys around the animals you most want to see and the comfort you expect, weaving lion, rhino, leopard or birding into a wider India that is as rich in nature as it is in heritage.
Questions, Answered
Where can you see lions in India?
The Gir Forest in Gujarat is the only place on earth to see wild Asiatic lions. Elevated India arranges private safaris there with expert naturalists and exclusive lodges, often paired with the temples and heritage of Gujarat.
What wildlife can you see in India besides tigers?
India offers Asiatic lions (Gir), the greater one-horned rhinoceros and wild elephant (Kaziranga), leopards (notably Jawai in Rajasthan), and over a thousand bird species. Each reserve can be arranged as a private, naturalist-led safari within a wider journey.
Journeys That Take You There
