A photo odyssey with Jason Fernandes

I grew up spellbound by documentaries on Bandhavgarh’s legendary tigers, Charger and Sita in the late 90s. This whetted my appetite, and in 2009, I saw my first wild tiger, Kallu, on field.

Kallu led me down a rabbit hole of exploring Kanha, Satpura, Pench & Tadoba, to name a few.

In 2012, Kenya, my Africa debut, felt like stepping onto a movie set. Time stretched like the savannah before my eyes. Just to soak in everything- the landscape, the people, was special.

The rest, as they say, is history.

What started as a hobby, blossomed into a full-blown boots and backpack affair. Today, I spend an average of 180-200 days on the field in India & Africa. Wilderness Uncut sprouted from this desire to spend more time on the field. Watching a tiger still excites me, and the day that is gone, there is nothing left. 

JASON FERNANDES,
Trip Leader

My tête-à-tête with wildlife began quite serendipitously in 1996.

As a Naturalist, I mastered tracking tigers in national parks of India like Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Dudhwa, and Central India’s Kanha and Bandhavgarh, among others.

Going beyond tiger loyalism, I segued into Rajasthan, Gujrat, national parks in South India, and Sri Lanka, guiding wildlife and cultural tours.

Cloistered from the city hullabaloo, I had the honor of working with Sir David Attenborough and Nigel Marvin on award-winning international films like- Tiger: Spy in the Jungle (BBC), Lost Land of the Tiger (BBC), Life of Mammals (BBC), Warriors of the Monkey God (BBC), and Monkey Thieves (Nat Geo). I have assisted acclaimed photographers like Steve Winter and Jonathan Scott with logistics, permits, and location management for film shoots.

27 years into the wild, and it feels like the odyssey has just begun.

Digpal,
Private Guide & Naturalist
Scroll to Top