The journey unfolds as a rare passage through India’s most diverse small-cat landscapes, each region offering a distinct setting and signature encounter. The wetlands around Kolkata introduce the fishing cat, a globally vulnerable species and one of the few felines in the world adapted to semi-aquatic life, often encountered along marshes and canals at dusk. In the open grasslands of Velavadar, jungle cats move with confidence through tall grasses and scrub, drawn by abundant prey and the wide-open visibility of one of India’s finest remaining grassland ecosystems.
Jawai’s ancient granite hills bring a sense of intimacy and rarity, offering one of the best chances to encounter the rusty-spotted cat, the smallest wild cat on Earth, seldom seen despite its presence across parts of India. The journey concludes in the Thar Desert, where patience is rewarded as the desert cat, among the country’s least-observed felines, emerges briefly against moonlit dunes, shaped by extremes of heat, wind, and scarcity. Together, these landscapes create a seamless narrative of discovery, a richly layered exploration of India’s most elusive wild cats and the extraordinary terrains they inhabit.
