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Day
01:
Delhi
Arrive Delhi International
airport. You will be met and transferred to the hotel (day room).
Birding at Okhla barrage and city forest with a guide. Connect
overnight train to SawaiMadhopur (railhead for Ranthambore National
Park) at 2145 hours from New Delhi railway station. Overnight in
train. Day
02: Ranthambore National Park
Arrive at 0505 hours and transfer
to the wildlife resort. Morning birding around the resort with a
guide. Afternoon jeep drive in the park with a guide for birding and
tiger-tracking. Overnight in the resort. The birds that one can expect
around the resort are grey francolin, sirkeer malkoha, painted
sandgrouse, Indian courser, yellow-wattled lapwing, southern grey
shrike, Isabelline wheatear, desert wheatear, variable wheatear,
ashy-crowned sparrow lark, greater short-toed lark, blue rock thrush,
common buzzard etc.
Day 03 :
Ranthambore - Bharatpur
Morning tiger-tracking with a guide
in Ranthambore National Park. You can have the option of going to the
park for tiger-tracking or visiting the 1000-year old fort. You will
be transferred to the railway station to connect train to Bharatpur at
1250 hours Arrive Bharatpur at 1535 hours and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight hotel. Day
04-06 : Bharatpur
Three full days of birding in Keoladeo Ghana National Park on foot and cycle rickshaws with a
birding guide. Note: one boat ride will be arranged subject to
availability. Keoladeo National Park has some of the finest wetlands
in the world and is the world heritage site. Over 400 species of birds
find a refuge in the 29 square kilometers of shallow lakes & woodland
of the park. A third of them are winter migrants which breed as far as
Siberia & Central Asia.
Day 07 :
National Chambal Sanctuary.
Transfer to Chambal early in the
morning. Morning boat cruise with a guide to see Indian skimmer,
black-bellied tern, large flocks of migratory waterfowl, cranes such
as common, demoiselle and sarus; fish-eating crocodile and marsh
mugger; Gangetic dolphin; turtles etc. Return by 1500 hours to Agra.
Afternoon visit to the Taj Mahal. Transfer from the hotel in the
evening to connect train to Lal Kuan (railhead for Nainital; 3 hours
drive) at 2130 hr. Overnight in air-conditioned sleeper train.
Day 08 & 09
: Saatal
Arrive Lal Kuan at 0830 hours. You
will be met and transferred to Saatal (2 hours). Full day birding with
a guide. Two nights at KMVN Rest House or a tented camp or similar.
The drive is through the forested area of Saatal. One can see a
variety of Himalayan species along the way such as red-breasted
accentor, chestnut-headed tesia, greater & lesser yellownaped
woodpecker, blue-throated barbet, rufous-chinned laughing thrush,
black bulbul, dark-throated thrush etc.
Day 10 :
Pangot, 15 km from Nainital
You will be transferred to Pangot
via Nainital. Full day birding with a guide at Cheena Peak & Kilbury.
Overnight at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge. The entire drive is through
the forested area of Cheena Peak Range via Snow View Point and Kilbury,
the main habitats for excellent birding. One can see a variety of
Himalayan species along the way such as lammergeier, Himalayan
griffon, blue-winged minla, spotted & slaty-backed forktail, rufous-bellied
woodpecker, rufous-bellied niltava, khalij pheasant, variety of
thrushes etc. Nainital region supports almost 150 bird species out of
which 130 species have been recorded at Pangot and surrounding areas.
The numerous perennial & seasonal creeks are home to an amazing
variety of flora and fauna including the Leopard, yellow-throated
Himalayan matins, Himalayan Palm Civet, ghoral, barking deer, sambhar
etc.
Day 11 :
Pangot
Another day of birding at Pangot
village, Baggar and Gughu Khan. These walks can be very rewarding.
Overnight stay at the lodge. One can see crested serpent-eagle,
mountain hawk-eagle, Woodpeckers such as brown-fronted,
stripe-breasted, rufous-bellied etc. Thrushes such as dark-throated,
mistle etc. Striated Prinia can be see in the terraced fields.
Warblers such as Tickell's Leaf-Warbler, Greenish, Golden-spectacled,
Grey-hooded. Flycatchers such as asian brown, rusty-tailed,
ultramarine, verditer, tickell's blue, rufous-bellied Niltava etc.,
orange-flanked bush robin, blue-capped redstart. Laughing thrushes such
as white-throated, striated & streaked, chestnut-crowned etc. Look for
accentor, upland pipit, blue-winged minla, whiskered yuhina etc.
Day
12 : Mongoli Valley-Corbett NP
Drive early morning to Bajun (45
minutes) and trek into Mongoli Valley. The trek will last about 4-5
hours. Packed lunch will be served. Drive to Corbett National Park
from Mongoli (3 hours) stopping en route to look for Ibis bill.
Overnight stay in a cottage at Tiger Camp. One can see crested
woodpeckers such as greater yellow nape, scaly-breasted, speckled
piculet etc. Large flocks of slaty-headed parakeets, numerous spotted
and oriental turtle doves, grey bushchat, russet sparrow. Cuckoo:
indian, oriental, large-hawk and eurasian. Large-billed crow, grey
treepie, black-headed jay, maroon oriole, large cuckoo shrike, tits
such as rufous-naped, black-throated & yellow-browed and smaller
numbers of black-lored and green-backed. White-tailed nuthatches,
chestnut bellied nuthatches and bar-tailed treecreeper.
Day
13 : Dhikala Forest Lodge (Corbett National Park)
Drive early morning to Dhikala
tourism zone. Arrive at the main tourist complex, Dhikala - check in.
Afternoon visit to the grasslands for birding. Overnight stay at
Dhikala Forest Lodge. Birding in the lower jungle track along the
Ramganga river is very rewarding for water birds such as river
lapwings, waders, mergansers and other waterfowl. While relaxing at
the lodge or visiting the grasslands one can see large-tailed
nightjar, jungle owlet, spot-bellied owlet, grass owl, common and
white-tailed stonechat, black francolin, purple and crimson sunbird,
golden-fronted leaf bird, black-shouldered kite, hen harrier,
changeable hawk-eagle etc.
Day
14 : Corbett National Park
Morning elephant safari through the
grasslands and dense forests. This is the best mode of transport for
wildlife viewing. Return at 0900 hours for breakfast and then spend
time till lunch on a watchtower overlooking a water hole. Drive to
Tiger Camp. Arrive Tiger Camp for dinner. Overnight stay.Some of the
best birding areas of Dhikala are Sambhar Road and Khinanauli. One can
expect to see great slaty woodpecker, great hornbill, puff-throated
babbler, white-rumped shama, pallas's fish eagle etc.
Day 15 :
Corbett National Park-Delhi Meals:
Morning bird walk at Kumeria and a
walk from Garjia temple to Tiger Camp. Return for lunch. Afternoon
drive to Kathgodam (2½ hr.) to connect overnight train to Delhi or
connect train from Ramnagar at 2110 hr. Overnight in train.
One can look for black bulbul,
brown-eared bulbul, brown fish owl, little & spotted forktail,
yellow-bellied and white-browed fantail, crested laughing thrush,
black-winged cuckoo shrike, little heron, wallcreeper, red-breasted
parakeet, short-billed and long-tailed minivet, brown dipper,
ashy-crowned sparrowlark etc.
Day 16 :
Delhi
Arrive Delhi early in the morning.
You will be met and transferred to the hotel. Full day excursion to
Sultanpur bird sanctuary (2 hours drive one way) with a guide. Return
in the evening. Overnight stay at the hotel. One can expect Indian
courser, greater flamingo, great white pelican sarus and common crane,
shikra, lesser thick knee, plaintive and grey-bellied cuckoo, crested
serpent eagle, a lot of other waterfowl etc.
Day
17 : New Delhi
Transfer to the airport to connect
flight to the next destination. |