3 Nights / 4 Days | 6 Safaris | Bali–Sumerpur, Pali, Rajasthan
3 Nights / 4 Days
Stay at: A hand-picked boutique camp near Bali / Jawai Bandh | Experience: 6 Safaris & Photography Learning Sessions
There is no fence at Jawai. There never was.
Across roughly 170 sq. km. of granite hills, scrub and open pasture in Rajasthan’s Pali district, leopards live alongside the Rabari shepherd community — in caves above villages, on hillsides where cattle graze, within sight of temples that have stood for centuries. No leopard has taken a human life here in living memory. It is one of the most remarkable stories of coexistence anywhere in the wild world, and it makes Jawai unlike any other leopard landscape in India.
For a photographer, the appeal is the setting. A leopard on a bare granite dome against a monsoon sky is a frame you cannot make in a forest. Over six safaris across three days, we work on exactly that — reading the kopjes, using the enormous open skies, handling hard directional light, and building images that place the animal inside its landscape rather than filling the frame with it.
These departures are deliberately scheduled between our Jhalana batches, so that a photographer can combine both reserves into a single Rajasthan leopard circuit. All three are Friday to Monday.
| Departure | Dates | Days | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch 1 | 28 Aug – 31 Aug 2026 | Friday to Monday | 3 Nights / 4 Days |
| Batch 2 | 04 Sep – 07 Sep 2026 | Friday to Monday | 3 Nights / 4 Days |
| Batch 3 | 18 Sep – 21 Sep 2026 | Friday to Monday | 3 Nights / 4 Days |
Group size: 4 to 8 photographers per batch. Bookings close 30 days before departure or on full occupancy, whichever is earlier.
Safari timings at Jawai shift with the season. For these departures the morning drive runs approximately 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM and the evening drive approximately 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Exact reporting times are confirmed on arrival.
Arrival and Evening Safari
Morning and Afternoon Safaris
Morning and Afternoon Safaris
Final Safari and Departure
Jawai is served by a spread of boutique camps and jungle lodges rather than a single hotel, and availability moves quickly through the season. Rather than lock the tour to one property, we book a hand-picked camp in the Bali / Jawai Bandh belt within a defined comfort standard, and confirm the specific property with you at the time of booking.
Air-conditioned cottage or luxury tent with attached bathroom and running hot water.
Full board — breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus tea and coffee through the day
Early morning tea or packed refreshment before the sunrise drive
Power backup and charging points for camera batteries
Located within a 20–30 minute drive of the safari entry points
Upgrades to a luxury or premium-tented property are available on request and are quoted separately.
Per person, ex-Udaipur or ex-Jodhpur. Road transfers from the airport are included.
Boutique Camp Stay (Double Occupancy Basis):
Single Occupancy
Optional Add-Ons
Jawai has no airport of its own. It sits roughly midway between Udaipur and Jodhpur, and either works well — Udaipur is our default recommendation for its wider flight schedule.
| Airport | Approx. drive to Jawai | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Udaipur (UDR) | 3.5 – 4 hours | Recommended — best connectivity and flight timings |
| Jodhpur (JDH) | 4 hours | Good alternative, useful if flying from Delhi |
| Jaipur (JAI) | 8 hours | Widest flight choice, but a long road day |
Mori Bera (MOI) is the closest railhead at roughly 4 km, followed by Jawai Bandh (JWB) at about 15 km and Falna (FA) at about 35 km. Falna is the best connected of the three, with services from Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. We will arrange a pick-up from whichever station suits your train.
Suggested arrival: land at Udaipur or Jodhpur by 9:00 AM on Day 1 so that you reach camp in time for lunch and the evening safari. Suggested departure: any flight after 5:00 PM on Day 4.
We charge cancellation fees in the following manner:
Camp bookings and confirmed safari slots at Jawai are non-refundable once blocked, irrespective of the cancellation date.
Most leopard photography is an exercise in patience inside dense cover. Jawai is the opposite — open country, long sightlines, and animals that reveal themselves against sky and stone. The frames it offers simply do not exist elsewhere in India.
Then there is the story. For generations the Rabari have grazed their herds beneath caves where leopards sleep, and both have left the other alone. Photographing here means photographing a relationship, not just an animal — and that is a far more interesting body of work to come home with.
Whether you are picking up a telephoto lens for the first time or refining a portfolio, these four days are built to send you home with images you are proud of.