MUMBAI: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), in collaboration with the Maharashtra forest department, will launch five wildlife tour packages from Mumbai on November 19, offering travellers organised trips to tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra.The packages, branded ‘VANDARSHAN – Explore Nature. Discover Wildlife!’, will combine train travel, accommodation, local transport and wildlife safari arrangements.Each itinerary will cover four nights and five days, with confirmed train tickets and safari permits included as specified in the respective packages.The tours will use the Vidarbha Express (12105), which departs from Mumbai every Thursday, for the onward journey.The return journey will be on train 12106 from Gondia every Sunday. Boarding and deboarding stations will depend on the itinerary selected.The five itineraries will cover Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve with Bor Tiger Reserve; Tadoba with Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve; Pench with Umred-Paoni-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary; Tadoba with Umred-Paoni-Karhandla; and Tadoba with Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.IRCTC West zone has earmarked a limited inventory of six berths each in AC 3-tier and AC 2-tier for every departure, making the packages a limited-capacity offering for wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, families and nature lovers.The initiative seeks to make wildlife tourism more accessible by bringing rail connectivity and safari arrangements under a single package, while promoting Maharashtra’s biodiversity and forest destinations.Bookings will be available through IRCTC’s tourism website.For package details and counter bookings, travellers can contact 8287931886.
