Tribal India

Join Trip Leader Extraordinaire Hashmat Singh to explore the ancient heart of tribal India! India has hundreds of unique tribal groups, known collectively as the adivasi (literally “first people”) and believed to be descended from India’s pre-Aryan inhabitants. Each has its own distinctive dress, language, arts, dances, and unique cosmology that often combines pagan and Hindu elements. As we explore villages, temples, and tribal gathering places from the hills of Central India to Orissa on the Bay of Bengal, we watch tribal dances, learn about ancient art forms, and meet a wonderful array of peoples from all walks of life. Our journey concludes in Bhubaneshwar, with a visit to its celebrated pilgrim temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath. We also explore Kanha National Park, a renowned wildlife refuge and haunt of the royal Bengal tiger. Hashmat has a passion for introducing people to the hidden treasures of his homeland—this promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime journey!

Itinerary at a Glance

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Days 1-3
Delhi / Kanha National Park

After an overnight at the Taj Palace in Delhi, fly to Nagpur and head to Kanha through a landscape of lush rice terraces. In Kanha National Park, the Indian subcontinent’s greatest reserve and tiger country par excellence, explore by open vehicle and by elephant-back.

Days 4-6
Kawardha / Chilpi / Taregaon

In this heartland of the Baiga and Gond tribes, visit fascinating tribal villages and explore the bustling weekly markets of the Baiga people at Chilpi, Taregaon, and other forest villages.

Days 7-9
Sirpur / Jagdalpur / Narayanpur

In Sirpur, a lovely village on the banks of the sacred Mahandi River, visit what was one of the largest temple towns in India in the 6th and 7th centuries, with Shiva, Vishnu, Buddhist, and Jain temples all within it. We then head to beautiful Kanger Valley National Park along the banks of Kholaba River, with its large tribal population. At the busy tribal market at Narayanpur, we meet members of the Bison Horn Maria, Abhuj Maria, and Hill Maria tribes. Another excursion brings us to villages of the Muria tribes, where we hope to witness a tribal dance.

Days 10-14
Koraput / Rayagada / Jeypore / Gopalpupr-on-Sea

Crossing into the Indian state of Orissa, home to over 60 distinctive tribal groups, we enter a world of lush green mountains with terraced ride paddies. We meet the traditional weavers’ village of Kotpad, visit Korapat’s Tribal Museum, and see people from the Dongariya Kondh tribe as they descend to market from dozens of villages in the Niyamagiri Hills. We also visit Koraput’s famous Sri Jagganath temple, where thousands of pilgrims come each day to receive darshan (a vision of the divine). After exploring Kunduli, the biggest tribal market in Orissa, we drive to the coast at Gopalpur-on-Sea, a sleepy town along the Bay of Bengal.

Days 15-18
Bhubaneshwar / Udayagiri Caves / Konarak

We visit the remarkable rock-cut Jain caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, dating to the second century BC and full of elaborate carvings. Our grand finale is the highly revered Jagannath Temple, one of India’s most important sacred sites, and the Konarak, a dazzling 13th century sandstone temple that is one of the world’s finest religious buildings. Depart via Delhi on Day 18.

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Optional Extensions

If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extension:

• Taj Mahal and Jaipur Extension (4 days)

What the Trip is Like

This trip is rated Level 2, easy to moderate. It is a vehicle-based sightseeing trip. Accommodations are in comfortable hotels as well as some basic hotels. On at least eight nights of our trip, when we are in the interior regions between Raipur and Gopalpur, the hotels are quite basic, so please be prepared for this. These more basic accommodations have been chosen for their proximity to the tribal villages and may not be of the same standard as those we use in larger cities on the trip, but they are the best available in an area with little choice.

Much of the trip visits areas that are not tourist destinations (in fact, few non-Indians venture into the areas where we are on Days 6-10), so this journey is not recommended as a first-time visit to India unless you have experienced similar destinations—this is a trip designed for those who are adventurous in body and spirit!

Travel is by minivan or small bus, depending upon the size of the group. The trip does not involve hiking. While this trip is not expected to be physically strenuous, the long travel days and rural road conditions may be quite demanding. Trip members must be prepared for drives of at least four hours on most days, sometimes on rugged, serpentine mountain roads, with our longest driving day at nine hours.

Explanation of Trip Levels