Like most commodities in India, holidays for families are shopped for on the basis of one overarching condition—that they should be a family package. Some trust the time-tested promises of old cities such as Rishikesh, or the multifaceted timelessness of a colourful Jaipur or a stunning Srinagar. Hill stations, with their easy charms of crowded mall roads, cheap coffee and pastry and brief distractions from the summer heat have stayed no-brainers for younger families.

Holidays to see wildlife and experience nature, however, are rarely the subject of family vacays in the Indian context, whose traditional economy needs them to be all-encompassing. But with conservation slowly coming to the forefront with the explosion of social media and responsible travel quickly gaining ground as a credible industry, younger families holidaying in National Parks, wetland explorations for birders sharing bloodlines, and parents bonding with children in the midst of captivating worlds inhabited by critters—can be both collectively engaging and educational. We look at 10 left-field, mindful—and bang-for-the-buck—trips across India for whom love for wildlife runs in the family.

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