Where leopards and humans co-exist

In the rocky borderlands of southern Rajasthan, between the Aravalli hills and the plains, lies Jawai, a strikingly different kind of wilderness. Here ancient granite kopjes rise from scrub and farmland around the great Jawai Bandh reservoir, creating a raw, sculptural landscape where leopards live in extraordinary harmony with the local Rabari herding community.

The leopard is the undisputed icon of Jawai, denning among the boulder caves and emerging at dawn and dusk to survey their stony kingdom. What makes this place unique is the peaceful coexistence between these big cats and the people who have shared the land for generations. Alongside the leopards you may spot hyena, jackal, crocodile basking by the reservoir, and a wealth of birdlife including flamingos and cranes drawn to the water.

There is no formal park or zone system here; instead, safaris range across open countryside in jeeps, with expert trackers scanning the hills for the tell-tale shape of a leopard on a sunlit rock. The experience is intimate and exclusive, far from the crowds of the major reserves.

Jawai represents a quietly powerful model of community-led conservation, where tourism gives both villagers and predators a shared stake in protecting the landscape. It is wild India on a human scale, where culture and wildlife are beautifully intertwined.

For travellers, Jawai offers a luxurious, soulful counterpoint to a Rajasthan of palaces and forts. With boutique lodges, dramatic scenery and the thrill of leopard-tracking, it is the perfect wild finale to a journey through the desert state, leaving you with a deeper sense of how wildness and tradition can flourish side by side.