India recommended for 'amazing' wildlife
India tours are hugely popular among those on overland adventure trips partly because of the wonderful variety of experiences the country has to offer.
One excellent example is the way it is possible to travel from bustling, crowded towns and cities to wild jungles, plains and mountains within moments.
According to leading wildlife filmmaker Harry Marshall, it is this juxtaposition between India's wildlife and human communities that makes it such a fascinating time.
Mr Marshall, whose latest series The Secrets of Wild India airs Mondays on Nat Geo Wild UK, told Wanderlust magazine: "Despite 1.2 billion people India still has so much of its wildlife and so many unique habitats to support them all.
"In the West we killed off our dangerous animals centuries ago. In India people live alongside tigers and elephants and King Cobras. That is amazing," he added.
India boasts a rich variety of wildlife, from big cats like leopards, panthers and tigers to giants such as the Asian elephant and rhinoceros and smaller animals like monkeys, snakes and foxes.
With animals a common feature of everyday life, it is unsurprising that Indians have a special relationship with the country's fauna.
"Hinduism preaches ahimsa - non-violence," explained Mr Marshall.
"Ahimsa was really big with the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi and provided an early environmental code that at best still works."
However, there are still times when the human population comes into conflict with the animal kingdom.
"The pressure of the human population and all that this entails, is the biggest threat to India's last wild places," said the wildlife expert.
"The pressure points are where human vested interests and the needs of wildlife come into conflict. Ahimsa is a washer to reduce the friction - but it is not a solution."
Different parts of the country are best for spotting different types of wildlife, Mr Marshall explained.
For example, Sasan Gir in Gujarat is the only place to see Asiatic lions, while Anaimalai and Indira Gandhi National Park is a great place for birds and Bandhavgarh an excellent site for spotting tigers, he advised.
