India is one of the greatest nations to visit from the perspective of a birder, naturalist or wildlife enthusiast. Over 1300 bird species – more than all of Australia - have been recorded in this nation. Few places in the world can boast such diversity. And when this is combined with the promise of close encounters with large mammals in a variety of reserves plus views of fascinating reptiles an outstanding time is assured.
INDIA BIRDING & WILDLIFE
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2025
1. Tues 21 January | Arrive Ahmedebad, Gujurat India |
2. Wed 22 January | Ahmedabad to Velavadar Blackbuck National Park |
3. Thurs 23 January | Velavadar Blackbuck National Park |
4. Fri 24 January | Velavadar to Gir National Park |
5. Sat 25 January | Gir National Park |
6. Sun 26 January | Gir National Park to Jamnagar |
7. Mon 27 January | Jamnagar |
8. Tues 28 January | Jamnagar to Great Rann of Kutch |
9 Wed 29 January | Great Rann of Kutch |
10. Thurs 30 January | Great Rann of Kutch |
11. Fri 31 January | Great Rann of Kutch |
12. Sat 1 February | Great Rann of Kutch to Little Rann of Kutch |
13. Sun 2 February | Little Rann of Kutch |
14. Mon 3 February | Little Rann of Kutch |
15. Tues 4 February | Little Rann of Kutch to Ahmedabad Fly to Jaipur |
16. Wed 5 February | tour of Jhalana leopard reserve, Jaipur tour, transfer to Ranthambore |
17. Thurs 6 February | Ranthambhore National Park |
18. Fri 7 February | Ranthambhore National Park |
19. Sat 8 February | Ranthambhore National Park to Bharatpur |
20. Sun 9 February | Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur |
21. Mon 10 February | Bharatpur to National Chambal Sanctuary |
22. Tues 11 February | National Chambal Sanctuary to Agra |
23. Wed 12 February | Agra to Corbett National Park |
24. Thurs 13 February | Birding and Wildlife Safari at Corbett National Park |
25. Fri 14 February | Birding and Wildlife Safari at Corbett National Park |
26. Sat 15 February | Corbett National Park – Delhi |
27. Sunday 16 February | Delhi Cultural Tour * o/n Delhi |
8. Monday 17 February | Tour ends after breakfast |
Itinerary in Detail
Day 1 Arrive Ahmedabad, Gujurat state, India o/n The Pride Ahmedabad
* Any meals on this day are at participant’s expense. Most meals will be covered from Wednesday onwards.
Day 4 - Wed 22 January - Ahmedabad to Velavadar Blackbuck National Park
During a late breakfast we will meet our birding guide before we travel for some three hours to our first major birding location; Velavadar Blackbuck National Park.
o/n The Blackbuck Safari Lodge
Thurs 23 January Velavadar Blackbuck National Park
Velavadar National Park used to be the hunting ground of the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, where the Blackbuck were targeted by the lord’s hunting Cheetahs! Today it is dedicated to the conservation of the Blackbuck and a range of other birds and mammals.
There several species of mammals recorded from the National Park; Indian Wolf, Striped Hyena, Indian Fox, Golden Jackal and Jungle cat plus herbivores such as Nilgai antelope, Wild pig, Indian Hare and several species of rodents.
Fri 24 January Velavadar to Gir National Park
Gir National Park boasts incredible biodiversity. As many as seven perennial rivers flow through the Gir region and the dry deciduous forests adjacent to them support many species of flora and fauna. Some 300 bird species have been recorded at Gir, and our first safari could reveal a wide range of wildlife, including the Asiatic Lion, Striped Hyena, Indian Leopard, Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, and many herbivores like Nilgai [an antelope], Chinkara [a gazelle], Chital [Spotted Deer], Sambar [deer], and Wild Boar.
Gir National Park is a success story for the conservation of Asiatic Lions, which numbered just a dozen at the end of the 19th century, but have increased to approximately 600 now. The safari winds through the spots that are most likely to yield good views of these majestic predators, sometimes even seen in groups. We return to the resort in the evening for dinner and overnight. o/n Gir Birding Lodge
Sat 25 January Gir National Park
A morning safari plus another in the afternoon will allow us to add to our bird list from yesterday.
Target birds will include Grey Francolin, Indian Peafowl, Shikra, Small Minivet, White browed Fantail, Great Tit, Grey Breasted Prinia, Oriental White-eye, Oriental Magpie Robin, Indian Robin, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Indian Roller, Pied Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Lesser Golden Back & Golden Oriole, Ashy Prinia, Common Tailorbird, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warblar, Greenish Warblar, Tawny Bellied Babbler, Common Babbler, Red-Naped Ibis, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Crested Tree Swift, Green Bee Eater, Coppersmith Barbet, Rufous Treepie, Dusky Crag Martin, Indian Blackbird, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Purple Sunbird, and Indian Silverbill.
Sun 26 January Gir National Park to Jamnagar
We leave Gir National Park for Jamnagar right after breakfast. It’s a five-hour drive covering 230 km to the western coast of Gujarat. We arrive in the afternoon after having lunch enroute at a local restaurant, and check into our hotel. After a short break, we step out for a session of evening birding at Lakhota Lake.
The target birds at Jamnagar are Lesser and Greater Flamingos, Dalmatian Pelicans, Greylag Geese, Demoiselle Cranes, Common Cranes, Great Crested Grebe, Crab Plovers, Eurasian Oystercatchers, Ruddy Turnstones, Common Redshank, Black tailed Godwits, Common Greenshank, Bar tailed Godwit, Pallas’s Gull, Heuglin’s gulls, Little Tern, Caspian Tern, Slender billed, Brown headed and Black headed Gull , Northern Shoveller, Gadwall, Gargeney, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Pochard, Common Pochard, Lesser Whistling Ducks , Spotbilled Ducks, Comb Ducks, Cotton Pygmy Duck, Black necked Grebes and Crested Grebes, among many others. o/n Hotel Sayaji Jamnagar
Full day birding at Narara and Khijadiya
Before breakfast we leave for a full days birding in the greater Jamnagar area. We will take a picnic breakfast.
The Jamnagar district has two important bird habitats: Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary and Marine National Park.
Located just ten kilometres away from the city of Jamnagar, Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary has freshwater and saltwater lakes, mudflats, creeks, and mangrove scrubs that attract a lot of local and migratory birds. Around 220 different species of birds have been observed at Khijadiya during the winter season, including migratory waterfowl and shorebirds.
Marine National Park is in the Gulf of Kutch and abounds with marine life. Around its mangroves and mudflats, we will find terns, gulls, storks, ibis and migrants.
o/n Hotel Sayaji Jamnagar
Tues 28 January Jamnagar to Great Rann of Kutch
We have an early breakfast at the hotel and then pack up and leave for the Nakhatrana, Great Rann of Kutch, 350 km to the north. It’s a long drive and can take up to 8 hours.
En-route we may have opportunity to see some raptors and search for shore birds on salt pans by the roadside. But main birding along the coast will follow on a different day. On arrival in the Nakhatrana area the search will begin for some of the key species found locally, including Marshall’s Iora and White-naped Tit [above].
We lunch on the way at a local restaurant and check into a resort in the evening for dinner and overnight stay. o/n Infinity Rann of Kutch
Wed 29 January, Thurs 30 January and Fri 31 January Great Rann of Kutch
The Great Rann of Kutch, spanning an area of 7500 square km, is a thriving bird habitat, and a very unusual one at that. It is one of the largest salt deserts in the world. On the southern edge of the desert is Banni Grassland, a biodiversity hotspot with a good variety of avifauna. The mainland has arid plains, dry riverbeds and a few hillocks. Every winter season, these areas teem with thousands of birds, so much so that we need three full days of birding here to fully tap into its potential.
On Wednesday we depart for Fulay every early (at first light) after tea and biscuits and with a packed breakfast and packed lunch. The drive will take us to the only known regular wintering site in India for Grey Hypocolius [above]. We should see at least six species of raptor and many more birds around Chhari Dhandh wetland in the Banni grasslands. We may also see Indian Eagle Owl, Sykes’s Nightjar, Sirkeer Malkoha, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Asian Desert Warbler, Greynecked Bunting, Red-tailed Wheatear and perhaps Painted Sandgrouse towards the end of the day.
Thursday, again armed with a picnic lunch, will see us target Naliya grasslands and Lala Bustard Sanctuary to look for, among other birds, the Indian Bustard. Sadly this species is becoming harder to find in Gujurat. The area holds other species including Bimaculated Lark, Long-legged Buzzard, Fan-tailed Warbler and many others as well as Indian Gazelle (Chinkara).
Friday will be determined by what we have seen so far, although we will probably aim to spend some time at Mandvi Beach where target species include Crab Plover, Terek and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Slenderbilled, Pallas’s, Brown-headed and Heuglin's Gulls, Lesser-crested and Caspian Terns, Kentish Plover and Great Knot.
o/n Infinity Rann of Kutch
Sat 1 February Great Rann of Kutch to Little Rann of Kutch
After three busy days of birding, we leave the Great Rann of Kutch for the Little Rann Of Kutch to the east. It’s a long drive that takes up most of the day. We lunch mid-way and arrive at the resort around early evening. If you wish, you may do a little birding around the resort, or you may simply lounge around and relax. We dine and overnight at the resort.
o/n Royal Safari Camp, Bajana (Deluxe Cottage)
Sun 2 February Mon 3 February Little Rann of Kutch
The Little Rann of Kutch is closer to the Gulf of Kutch, and this makes it somewhat different from the Great Rann Of Kutch to the north. Proximity to the sea leads to periodic flooding of low-lying areas. On top of it, monsoon rains create marshy conditions and scrubby vegetation that attract a lot of wildlife. From birding point of view, the Little Rann of Kutch is ideally located at the crossroads of bird migration and it teems with large numbers of avian wonders every winter. You may see huge flocks of several aquatic birds here, besides the Indian Wild Ass.
You may well be rewarded with views of Macqueen’s Bustard [left], Lesser and Greater Flamingos, Small and Oriental Pratincoles, Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers. Sociable Lapwing is sometimes seen in nearby fields outside of the sanctuary and if they have been located, it should be possible to take one drive in the afternoon to look for them. Rosy Starlings [below] congregate around the villages depending on the time of year. We will look for crepuscular and nocturnal species this evening with a high powered torch.
On the Monday we will continue to explore the Little Rann via jeep safaris. We will search for a variety of species including McQueens Bustard, Desert Fox, Striped Hyena and Pallid Scops Owl.
About 200 species of birds may be spotted at the Little Rann Of Kutch. The target species are: Short-eared Owl, Montagu’s & Pallid Harriers, Dalmatian & Great White Pelicans, Greater & Lesser Flamingos, Greater Spotted, Steppe & Eastern Imperial Eagles, White-rumped Vultures, Common Cranes, Pied Avocets, Northern Shovelers, Eurasian Wigeons, Marsh Harriers, Macqueen’s Bustard, Greater Short-toed Larks, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Chiffchaff and Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Pale Sand Martins, Red-rumped & Wire-tailed Swallows, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Greater Hoopoe Lark, Sykes's nightjar, Pallid Scops Owl, Spotted Sandgrouse, Red-necked Phalarope, Cream-colored Courser, Sociable Lapwing, and Collared Pratincole.
o/n Royal Safari Camp, Bajana (Deluxe Cottage)
We check out from the resort in the morning at 5am with packed breakfast and drive to Ahmedabad. We are aiming for the 10-40am flight to Jaipur. arriving after midday. Today lunch is at your own expense! Dinner and overnight at Jaipur.
The afternoon is at your leisure until 3 pm where we will have a three hour city tour before returning to our hotel for dinner.
o/n Ikaki House
The first few hours of the morning, after breakfast we visit the Jhalana Leopard Safari Park. This 23 square kilometre park is home to over 30 leopards; of which seven have their territory in the visited part of the park. Jhalana is slowly becoming a favoured destination to spot leopards in wild.
Once a reserve forest around Jaipur, Jhalana has always been home to leopards and other smaller fauna including spotted deer, blue bulls, wild boars and loads of resident as well as migratory birds. Safari at Jhalana has been operational since December 2016 and as of now two safari routes are open for visitors.
After 11 am we will return to Jaipur for our lunch before driving to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
o/n The Pugmark Resort (Deluxe Cottage)
Thurs 6 February Fri 7 February Ranthambhore National Park
We will have two full days to explore this tiger reserve. We do two wildlife safaris; one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Hundreds of bird species can be spotted at the park, but our birding expedition of Ranthambore will focus on Indian Pitta, Shikra, Painted Spurfowl, Painted Sand-grouse, White-rumped Flameback, Indian Golden Oriole, Great Tit, Crested Bunting, Common Tailor Bird, Paradise Flycatcher, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Painted Stork, Lesser Whistling Duck, Little Cormorant, White-breasted Waterhen, apart from several others.
And we will try to see Tiger!
o/n The Pugmark Resort (Deluxe Cottage)
After breakfast at the resort, we set out to scour these areas and look for birds like Black Francolin, Painted Francolin, Grey Francolin, Common Quail, Rain Quail, Blue-breasted Quail, Jungle Bush Quail, Rock Bush Quail, Painted Spurfowl, Indian Peafowl, Lesser Whistling Duck, Greylag Goose, Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck, Comb Duck, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Common Teal, Garganey, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveller, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Tufted Duck, Small Button Quail, Yellow-legged Buttonquails, Barred Buttonquails, Eurasian Wryneck, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, White-naped Woodpecker, Brown-headed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Indian Courser, etc.
After a busy of birding at Ranthambore, we retire to our resort for dinner and overnight.
Sat 8 February Ranthambhore National Park to Bharatpur
We hit the northward road from Ranthambore to Bharatpur right after breakfast. A four-hour journey on a metalled road cutting through rural Rajasthan takes us to Bharatpur, which is home to Keoladeo National Park, previously known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary.
Keoladeo is often hailed as one of the best birding hotspots in the world. An acknowledged World Heritage Site, Keoladeo National Park hosts nearly 400 bird species, including several wintering migratory birds, especially waterfowl. The park’s geography comprising of dry grasslands, wetlands, swamps and scrubs make it a thriving avian habitat. Every year, thousands of birders and ornithologists visit Keoladeo to see and photograph hundreds of birds. A good day of birding at Keoladeo National Park can yield up to 150 bird species. The prized sightings include Indian Courser, Sociable Lapwing, Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle, Dusky Eagle-Owl, Darters, Large-tailed Nightjar, Indian Nightjar, Grey Nightjar, Sarus Crane, Demoiselle Crane, Black-necked Stork, Painted Stork, Asian Openbill Storks, Common Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Black Bittern, Greater Painted Snipe, Marshall's Iora, Brook's Leaf Warbler and Siberian Rubythroat.
Upon our arrival in Bharatpur, we check into a resort and go birdwatching. We return in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Sun 9 February Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur
Full day birding inside Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary via bicycle rickshaw.
Battery Rickshaw for the entire day birdingKeoladeo covers an area of 29 square kilometres and has several birding trails worth exploring. After breakfast, we head out for another birding tour of Keoladeo National Park, but this time we cover different areas to seek out newer avian specialties.
Our target birds for the include raptors such as Egyptian Vulture, White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Eurasian Marsh Harrier, Shikra, Indian Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon. A birding session along the wetlands of Keoladeo reveals the likes of Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Comb Duck Egrets, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Painted Stork, Open-billed Stork, Cormorants, Darters, Ibises, Spoonbills, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Spot-billed Duck. We also scour the woods to look for Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Little and Temminck’s Stints, Ruff, Little-ringed and Kentish Plovers, and White-tailed Lapwing. Persevering birders may even be rewarded with a rare sight of Sociable Lapwing.
o/n Hotel Sunbird [pictured below]
Mon 10 February Bharatpur to National Chambal Sanctuary
After breakfast, we head out for a 2-hour drive from Bharatpur to Dholpur, about 90 km away. Our focus is on the river Chambal and the adjoining National Chambal Sanctuary, which hosts around 250 species of resident and migratory birds of North India. After an early breakfast drive to Chambal Safari Lodge.
The Chambal River originates in the Vindhya mountains of Madhya Pradesh in central India, from where it flows first in the north-westerly direction into Rajasthan and then towards southeast into Uttar Pradesh. Though the river’s course through Rajasthan isn’t long, its passage through Dholpur attracts a lot of avian species, and it’s this birding area of Chambal National Park we target. The most sought-after bird here is the Indian Skimmer, but there are a lot of other winged beauties to watch and photograph. The checklist includes Indian Courser, Black-bellied Terns, Great Thick-knee, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Sarus Crane, Bar-headed Goose, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Darters, Gull-billed Tern, River Tern, Little Tern, Black-bellied Tern, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern and several others.
Chambal also reveals an interesting variety of wildlife such as Gharials, Marsh Crocodiles, Gangetic Dolphins, Striped Hyenas and Wolves. After a full day’s birding at Chambal.
After a day in the Chambal area we transfer to Agra for an overnight stay.
o/n Hotel Royale Sarovar Portico Agra (Deluxe Room. [Dinner at Agra at individual’s expense.]
Tues 11 February National Chambal Sanctuary to Agra
We will have a dawn tour of the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. Officially acknowledged as one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal attracts millions of tourists every year. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his dead wife Mumtaz Mahal, and is rightly called the monument of love. The Taj Mahal epitomizes the sublime art and architecture of the Mughal empire. The majestic layout of the monument and the works of intricate carving and stonemasonry on the tiles, panels, apses, domes, windows and vaults are of the highest imagination and quality ever seen.
Just 2.5 kilometres away is the Agra Fort, which is more ancient than the Taj. It is a sprawling structure and used to be the residence of former Mughal kings, but is now a popular tourist destination of Agra. We will enjoy a tour of this complex.
After our Taj Mahal visit we will drive a few hours north to New Delhi for a one night stay. This will reduce our travel time to Corbett National Park the following day.
o/n) Hotel Golden Tulip Vasundhara (Deluxe Room)
Wed 12 February Birding and Wildlife Safari at Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park is among the most prominent national parks of India. Tens of thousands of wildlife lovers, photographers, birdwatchers, and vacationers visit Corbett every year to admire its unique biodiversity.
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Corbett has a varying geography consisting of dense deciduous forest, grasslands, riverine belts, and a large lake. The Bengal Tiger is its chief attraction and it is on our wishlist during the two wildlife safaris of Corbett National Park: one in the morning and another in the afternoon. On both occasions, we also look for the avian specialties of Corbett. As many as 500 species of birds have been observed in Corbett, and our target for the includes the likes of Kalij Pheasant, Great Hornbill, Tawny Fish Owl, Ibisbill, Common Iora, Great Hornbill, Himalayan Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Crested Tree Swift, Black-hooded Oriole, Collared Falconet, Wallcreeper, Nepal Wren Babbler. And if we happen to be lucky, we also catch sight of the tiger. Besides that, there is a lot of wildlife to see in Corbett National Park.
We return to our resort in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Birding in Corbett National Park gives us a great chance to see several endangered bird species of the Himalayas. The forest at Kumeria, located about 20 km from Tiger Camp, is the place to go looking for these rare winged beauties. It is there we head to after breakfast at the resort.
A good birding session at Kumeria usually yields Ibisbill, Brown Dipper, Common Green Magpie, Nepal Wren Babbler, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Black-chinned Babbler, Black-crested Bulbul, Crested Fisher, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Tawny Fish Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Green-backed Tit, Himalayan Bulbul, Great Tit, Rufous Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape Woodpecker, among others.
We may continue birding at Kumeria the whole if the sightings are good, or, if you wish, we may head for a Tiger Safari in the Bijrani zone, where the tiger population in Corbett is the highest. More often than not, these tiger trails of Corbett National Park throw up a sight of the majestic predator. Alongside, there is a lot of wildlife such as elephants and deer to watch and photograph.
We end our busy of Corbett birding tour at the resort.
o/n Camp Riverwild
Sat 15 February Corbett National Park – Delhi
After a little last minute birding around our accommodation we have a drive back to the capital city of India – New Delhi.
Sun 16 February Delhi Cultural Tour
We will visit Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar. Have a cycle rickshaw ride through the lanes of Old Delhi. We will visit the Jama Masjid and Rajghat and have a drive past India Gate, the President’s House and a variety of modern government buildings.
Despite what we have seen, Delhi, its people, its traffic and its monuments, will be an eye-opening experience!
Mon 17 February Tour finishes after breakfast.
Our Indian Guide: Ranbir Singh
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