Wildlife tourism in India is synonymous with tigers, but why not with big cats? Visitors from every corner of the world; if they wanted to see this striped predator in their natural habitat, they would visit the Indian national park known for frequent tiger sightings. After a ten- to fifteen-day itinerary and covering more than 3 to 4 national parks or tiger reserves, visitors go back to their respective countries mostly with a bag full of tiger photographs. Now they want to return to India, but they are unsure where to go and what to see next since they have already visited most of the famous national parks. The question in their mind is, another big cat, which one?
Yes, another big cat!!
India is a land of diversity, which is not only in the people or culture but also in biological systems. We have four biodiversity hotspots, 10 different biogeographic zones, and 16 forest types. This diversity supports many different animal species, which also include big cats. Some big cats live with other big cats in their own respective niche, while some avoid other big cats and find them in a unique landscape. Some big cats are highly adopted and found in different landscapes, while some are less adopted, and some are specialized and located in a particular type of landscape.
In this blog we will discuss the big cats of India and where to find them.
Tigers
As mentioned above, India is the best place in the world to see wild tigers. As per the last census, there are 3682 tigers in various tiger reserves and forests in India. This number accounts for more than 75% of wild tigers in the world. There are 58 tiger reserves in India, distributed among various landscapes.
Though tigers are found in most of the landscapes in India, the most famous landscape for tiger sightings is the central Indian highlands. The various tiger reserves in the central Indian landscape offer excellent tiger safaris in India. These reserves are located close to each other with a 4–6-hour drive between them and from the nearest airport and railway station. If someone is interested in adding more diversity to the central Indian itinerary, I suggest they add Satpura Tiger Reserve as well and keep one day for Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the tiger reserve. However, because of its altitudinal variation, it shows high biodiversity and a resemblance to fauna from the Himalayas and the Western Ghats.
If you have already done Central India for tigers, then I would like to suggest you go to Corbett Tiger Reserve, which you can combine with the most famous cultural tour of India, known as the Golden Triangle, which covers Delhi – Agra – Jaipur. You can also add Varanasi, along with Khajuraho and Panna Tiger Reserve, if you have not visited them previously. You can add Sariska and Ranthambore tiger reserves also in this itinerary, in which Ranthambore is famous for its frequent tiger sightings. Corbett Tiger Reserve is wealthy in terms of biodiversity and is also known for its highest number of tigers. Elephants, gharials and many birds are another attraction in Corbett for a wildlife enthusiast.
In South India, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve and Bandipur Tiger Reserve are famous for tiger sightings, where, apart from tigers, one can see various species endemic to this region, which mostly include birds, amphibians and reptiles. These two tiger reserves are also famous for elephants, wild dogs and leopard sightings.
Asiatic Lions
Very few people know that lions are naturally found in India. Yes, India is the only country in the world where lions are found. Earlier they were distributed to much of India, but because of indiscriminate hunting and habitat destruction, a small population of lions was localized in the western part of India in the Gir forests of Gujarat. At the end of the 19th century, there were 20 lions left when the Nawab of Junagarh imposed a ban on lion hunting.
Because of the conservation effort by the Indian government, the lion survived the 19th and 20th centuries, and now there are 891 lions in the Gir landscape. They roam in larger areas outside national parks and are even found in coastal areas of Gujarat also.
Seeing them in the wild is comparatively easier than tigers because they are mostly in a group, which is known as a pride. Anyone can reach Gir National Park from Rajkot airport, which is four and a half hours away. Another connection is Ahmedabad, which is an international airport that connects flights from various destinations within and outside India.
Leopards
Common leopards are the most common big cat species; they are smaller than tigers and lions but are highly adaptable and can easily camouflage. These are the characteristics that make them adopt any kind of habitat, including human-modified landscapes like urban settings. Though they are present in all tiger reserves, and if you are lucky, you might get to see them on one of your jeep safaris. Visitors often report seeing leopards while on safari or mostly while coming back from a safari outside the park gates.
In tiger reserves with thriving tiger populations, leopards primarily inhabit areas outside the core regions of those reserves. outside the core areas. They mostly live outside the areas where tiger concentrations are higher to avoid conflicts. The tiger reserves with excellent leopard sightings are Nagarhole, Bandipur, Pench and Tadoba.
Apart from tiger reserves, there are few leopard reserves recently declared, where leopard sightings are outstanding. One leopard reserve is in Jhalana, and another one is in Bera, while Jhalana is located inside the city limit of Jaipur. Bera, or Jawai Conservation Reserve, is located in between Jodhpur and Udaipur, around 150 km from both places. Both places are becoming very famous for leopard sightings.
A melanistic form of leopard also known as black panther is also found in some parks of India which includes Nagarhole, Bandipur, Tadoba, Pench and Manas Tiger reserve.
Snow Leopard
Another big cat, highly adopted to high altitude trans-Himalayan region. As per recent census the number of snow leopards in India is around 718 in which 477 is found in Ladakh, which is a cold desert. Ladakh in India is the best place to see them in wild. Unlike tiger, leopard and lion safari seeing a snow leopard is not an easy thing. Only a person with considerable fitness can go on this tour because the terrain is tough, oxygen level is low and temperature goes much below freezing point.
The trekkers from different lodges and homestays go out in search of snow leopard early in the morning with their spotting scope and if they spot one they communicate on wireless so that everyone gets the information. Then all tourists reach that spot from where they can see the snow leopard, mostly with the help of spotting scope because they are mostly quite far away on a terrain which is almost impossible to climb or reach.
Snow leopard tours require minimum 8-10 days because you need a day or two to acclimatize with the challenging environment and 5-6 days for trekking snow leopard. You reach Leh airport from Delhi and then spend two days in Leh for acclimatization which is mandatory as per the government guidelines.
Another place for snow leopards is Spiti, which is in Himachal Pradesh. Here sighting is also good but infrastructure wise Ladakh is better.
Clouded Leopard
Not really a big cat, but we can count them as medium-sized cats; the clouded leopard is the smallest of all the big cats in India. They are mostly found in tropical evergreen or moist deciduous forests of northeast India. Nowadays their sightings are reported from the Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.
The cloudy pattern on their coat makes them highly camouflaged in their habitat, which is why seeing them is not easy in the wild. Clouded Leopard National Park in Tripura is another place where chances to see them are better but not like tigers and lions. People often spotted them in Namdapha Tiger Reserve also, which is in Arunachal Pradesh.
To reach Manas Tiger Reserve, you have to land at Guwahati International Airport, which is very well connected with several places of India. From Guwahati it takes around 4-5 hours to reach Manas. Apart from clouded leopard Manas is also famous for Indian one-horned rhinoceros, black panther and wild buffalo.
Conclusion
India is the only country in the world with five big cats, and recently another big cat was reintroduced in India: the cheetah. They are now adapted to their new home, and soon tourism also will start for the cheetah in India.
Big cats, being dangerous animals, always attract human curiosity and are associated with bravery and courage, which led to their large-scale hunting in the past. Now their population is smaller, making them harder to see, while places like India offer the chance to see five big cats in the jungles. The contribution of ecotourism to the conservation of big cats is evident from various examples. We hope to contribute more to their conservation, which helps us protect them and their natural habitats
Mr. Vibhav Srivastava is a seasoned wildlife biologist and ecotourism professional with over 20 years of experience across wildlife research, forest management, conservation education, and sustainable tourism in India.
Currently at Nature Safari India, he curates immersive wildlife experiences, leads conservation communication, and designs educational outreach programs. His expertise spans both in-situ and ex-situ conservation, with extensive field work in all major wildlife landscapes of Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southern India. Notable contributions include all-India tiger monitoring with the Wildlife Institute of India, community-based conservation initiatives, and training forest staff and nature guides.
He has held key roles with RARE India, National Zoological Park (New Delhi), Le Passage to India, Tiger Protection Group, and served as Chief Naturalist at Kanha National Park, deepening his expertise in biodiversity conservation and human-wildlife interactions.
An accomplished educator and communicator, Mr. Srivastava has delivered over 30 lectures at prestigious institutions including Delhi University, BHU, Amity University, and IITTM. He is a published author and researcher, with co-authored books, scientific publications, and paper presentations at national seminars. His work consistently bridges conservation science, community engagement, and responsible tourism.
He holds a Master’s degree in Botany, has received professional training from the Wildlife Institute of India, and was nominated among the top five naturalists in India for the TOFT Best Naturalist Award.
