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Monumental India Birding Tour

Indian Peafowl. The national bird of India. ©Harri Taavetti


Melbourne Birding Tours 2

Tour Description

On this tour we will visit some of the best birding sites in Northern India. Not only will we see around 300 species of birds, we will also have the chance to see some wonderful mammals such as Tiger and Leopard. We will visit some world-famous sites such as Ranthambore and perhaps the best birding area in India, Koleadeo National Park. This tour will also allow you to explore some amazing forts and cities, all accompanied by local guides who know the history of every site we visit. We are offering it as a 16 day adventure as well as an extension which will take us up into Corbett National Park and Nainital region with the chance of seeing species not found further south. Corbett National Park gives us an extra chance at seeing Tigers in the wild. This extension will take us up into the Himalayan foothills for some brilliant birding and spectacular views

Brief Itinerary

Day 1. November 1st

Arrive Delhi, transfer to hotel Atrio or similar

Day 2. November 2nd

Full day Sultanpur National Park. An optional afternoon city tour ( Those who want to keep birding, spend full day and rest can go for city tour)

Day 3. November 3rd

Departure transfer to Airport in time for flight at 7.45am to Udaipur, arrive at 9.10am and drive to Bera. Transfer to Camp for afternoon Leopard Safari.

Day 4. November 4th

Morning Leopard Safari. After breakfast, birding at Jawai Dam. Afternoon Leopard Safari.

Day 5. November 5th

Morning Leopard Safari. After breakfast drive to Jodhpur, transfer to hotel Marugarh or similar. An Afternoon visit the Mehrangarh Fort.

Day 6. November 6th

Departure transfer to Railway station in tome for train at 5.55am to Jaipur. Arrive at 10.50am. Transfer to hotel Park Regis or similar. Afternoon city tour of Jaipur

Day 7. November 7th

Morning birding at Nahargarh Biological Park. Afternoon birding around Jaipur.

Day 8. November 8th

After breakfast, drive to Ranthambore, transfer to hotel Ranthambore Kothi or similar. Afternoon Game Viewing.

Day 9. November 9th

Morning and afternoon Game Viewing at Ranthambore

Day 10. November 10th

Morning Game Viewing at Ranthambore. Afternoon visit to Soorwal Lake.

Day 11. November 11th Morning Game Viewing. We will then drive to



Bharatpur, arrive and transfer to hotel The Bagh Hotel or similar


Full day birding at Keoladeo National Park


Full day birding at Keoladeo National Park


After breakfast drive to Agra, enroute visit the Fathpur Sikri, arrive Agra and visit the Taj Mahal after drive to Chambal, transfer to Chambal Lodge. Evening birding in and around the lodge


Morning boat ride at Chambal river. After lunch we drive to Delhi, transfer to hotel.


Fly to home

Extension to Corbett & Nainital


After dinner, transfer to railway station for overnight train at 10.05pm to Kathgodam


Arrive Kathgodam at 5.05am. We then transfer to hotel Vikram Vintage or similar for breakfast after drive to Nainital, birding enroute, arrive and transfer to hotel (Please note that check in time is 12.00pm) Afternoon Birding in and around Nainital


Full day birding Pangot area.


Full day birding at Sattal Area.


After breakfast drive to Corbett, transfer to hotel outside the park (Birding enroute)


Full day birding outside Corbett National Park

Day 21. November 21st

Early morning drive to Dhikala (inside the park), arrive & transfer to Forest Lodge (Basic Accommodation)

Day 22. November 22nd

Full day birding inside the park

Day 23. November 23rd

After breakfast drive to Delhi, arrive and transfer to hotel


Fly home



Itinerary in Detail

Day 1. Delhi Today you will arrive on your international flights to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. You will be picked up at the Airport and taken to the Atrio Hotel. We will all meet in the restaurant for dinner. Day 2. Sultanpur National Park Full day at Sultanpur National Park. Here we will be birding in a mix of wetlands and woodlands. In the wetland areas we have the chance of seeing Black-necked and Painted Stork, Asian Openbill, Glossy and Indian Black Ibis, a variety of ducks and shorebirds, White-throated Kingfisher and Hoopoe. In the wooded areas we should find Spotted Owlet, Black-rumped Flameback, Common Woodshrike and Red-breasted Flycatcher. Open areas are frequented by Black-winged Kite, Bay-backed and Long-tailed Shrikes, Pied Bushchat, Indian Roller, Green Bee-eater, Purple Sunbird, Tawny Pipit and Ashy Sparrowlark. Sind Sparrow is a special bird of the area, being a recent colonist from further west, and we will make a particular effort to locate it. Further special species that we have a chance of finding include Indian Courser, Indian Thick-knee, Verditer Flycatcher and Brook’s Leaf Warbler. You may also see Nilgai, the largest antelope in India. In the afternoon there will be an optional city tour. Those not wanting the city tour will continue birding for the rest of the day. Days 3 & 4. Varawal Leopard Camp. Today we will fly to Bera and transfer to Varawal Leopard Camp. This luxurious tented camp will be our base for the next 3 days. Every morning and afternoon we will venture out on Leopard Safaris. As well as the leopards, there will be plenty of birds to see as well. We will also visit Jawai Dam where we can see Greater Flamingo, Common Crane, Temminck’s Stint, River Tern, Pied Kingfisher, Asian Openbill, Bar-headed Goose and much more. In the evenings we may see Indian Eagle Owl as it heads out to hunt.

Painted Stork and Spot-billed Duck. ©Harri Taavetti

Leopard ©Paul Hackett



Day 5. Varawal to Jodpur. We will have a final early morning Leopard Safari. Following breakfast, we will drive to Jodpur, the second largest city in the state of Rajastan. Jodpur is known as the blue city as many of the city’s buildings are painted in a sky-blue color. Towering 410 meters over the city is Mehrangarh Fort, an impressive fort built around 1459 and the only Indian fort to have an elevator installed. We will have an afternoon tour of the fort, led by a local guide with extensive knowledge of the fort and the city of Jodpur. We will be spending the night at the Marugarh Hotel Day 6. Jodpur to Jaipur. This morning we will catch an early morning train to Jaipur and check in to the Park Regis Hotel. We will have an afternoon tour of Jaipur which is known as the Pink City and is the capital city of the state of Rajastan. Once again we will have a local guide take us to some of the sites around this historic city. Day 7. Jaipur In the morning we will be birding at Nahargarh Biological Park and afternoon birding around Jaipur. Some of the species possible today are Indian Scops Owl, Black-rumped Flameback, Rufous Treepie, Black Redstart, Purple Sunbird, White-breasted Waterhen and White-throated Kingfisher. In the afternoon we will be birding in the Jaipur area. Day 8. Jaipur to Ranthambore National Park

Following breakfast we will drive to Ranthambore and check into Ranthambore Kothi. Ranthambore National Park, due to its varied terrain and abundance of water bodies, has an excellent population of birds, resident and migrant. In total, a list of 272 species have been documented. We will have our first afternoon safari. Days 9 Ranthambore National Park Morning and afternoon Game Viewing. We have two days with morning and afternoon drives into the heart of Ranthambore as we go in search of Tiger and other mammals. Our priority will be to have a

Mehrangarh Fort ©Knowledge Seeker Wikipedia

Indian Scops Owl. ©Harri Taavetti

Tiger.© Harri Taavetti



sighting of a Tiger, but there are many other animals present with Spotted and Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Nilgai, Leopard, Sloth Bear and Hyena all possible.

Ranthambore is excellent for birds with Painted Spurfowl, Jungle Bush Quail, Brown Crake, Brown Fish Owl, Stork-billed Kingfisher, White-naped Woodpecker, Tickell’s Blue and Taiga Flycatcher, Crested and White-capped Bunting among a wide range of possibilities. Outside the park we will spend some time exploring arid areas in search of Painted Sandgrouse, Variable Wheatear, Southern Grey Shrike among other

species. Day 10. Ranthambore National Park Morning Game Viewing at Ranthambore. In the afternoon we will be birding at Soorwal Lake. Here we will expect to see Northern Pintail, Pied Avocet, Demoiselle Crane, Black-headed Gull, Asian Openbill, Dalmation Pelican, Brown Crake, Spotted Redshank, Pallas’s Gull, Dunlin, Kentish Plover, Green Sandpiper and much more. Day 11. Ranthambore to Bharatpur After a final Tiger Safari in Ranthambore, we will transfer to Bharatpur and check into the Bagh Hotel. Bharatpur is one of the best birding regions in India and will be our base for the next three nights. Days 12 and 13. Keoladeo National Park We have two full days to explore the world famous Keoladeo National Park where the abundance of birdlife, in this oasis amongst a sea of surrounding agricultural lands, is simply breathtaking. The extensive flooded areas support huge flocks of wildfowl with the more interesting species including Garganey, Ferruginous and Knob-billed Duck, Cotton Pygmy-goose and Bar-headed Goose. Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas, Grey-headed Swamphens also paddle in the shallow water along with the much larger Black-necked, Woolly-necked and Painted Storks and magnificent Sarus Cranes. A selection

of waders should include White-tailed and Red-wattled Lapwing, Green and Wood Sandpiper and others. Dusky Eagle-owl is a particular speciality here, but other owl species may include Brown Hawk-owl, Indian and Oriental Scops-owls. Nightjar species that inhabit the park can sometimes be found at their daytime roosts, with Large-tailed and Jungle the most likely to be seen. The

area is a magnet for birds of prey and eagles are particularly well represented. We can expect Steppe, Eastern Imperial and

Stork-billed Kingfisher. ©Harri Taavetti

Dalmation Pelican ©Paul Hackett

Steppe Eagle. ©Harri Taavetti



Greater Spotted and perhaps we will also see Booted, Short-toed Eagles. Other raptors include Shikra and Marsh Harrier. In the more wooded parts of the park we will hope to find Yellow-crowned and Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Indian Golden Oriole, thrushes such as Tickell’s, Black-throated and the stunning Orange-headed. If we are lucky we may encounter the often tricky to find Marshall’s Iora. A nice selection of commoner warblers include Siberian Chiffchaff, Blyth’s Reed, Greenish and Hume’s, and with luck we may also see Smoky, Dusky, and Sykes’s. Further possibilities among a long list of other commoner species we should find are Black-crowned Night-heron, Striated and Purple Herons, Indian Cormorant, Oriental Darter, Eurasian Spoonbill, Streak-throated and Wire-tailed Swallow, Bluethroat, Olive-backed Pipit and much more. Day 14. Keoladeo to Agra to Chambal Today we will head to Agra. On the way we will visit the Fathpur Sikri,Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. After our arrival in Agra, we and visit the Taj Mahal. An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in

memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. After our visit we will drive to Chambal and transfer to Chambal Safari Lodge, where we can bird around the grounds in the late afternoon. Day 15. Chambal to Delhi We will have a morning a boat ride the magnificent Chambal River, a delightfully relaxing way to enjoy some fantastic birds. We will be particularly keen to locate the sought-after Indian Skimmer which is regularly seen during these trips. We also have excellent chances to see both Black-bellied and River Terns, Great Thick-knee, Small Pratincole and a variety

of wildfowl and shorebirds. Other species regularly seen on these trips include Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Western Osprey, Pallas’s Gull and more. We should also find Mugger Crocodile and Gharial and with luck we may perhaps also catch a sighting of the rare Ganges River Dolphin. Following lunch, we will drive to Delhi and check in to our hotel. Day 16. Fly to home Time to farewell amazing India, its wonderful wildlife and beautiful birdlife. For

Taj Mahal ©Paul Hackett

Gharial. ©Paul Hackett



those participating in the Corbett extension, we will stay overnight in Delhi

Extension to Corbett & Nainital Day 15th Delhi - Kathgodam After dinner, transfer to railway station for overnight train at 10.05pm to Kathgodam. Day 16 Kathgodam After arriving at Kathgodam we will head to the hotel Vikram Vintage for some breakfast. We will then head to the Nainital area for birding the rest of the day. The following three days we will explore Nainital, surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. The Nainital Valley sits at over 6800 feet and is located in the Kumoun foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. Here it is possible to see over 200 Himalayan bird species including Himalayan Bulbul, Himalayan Griffon, Himalayan Woodpecker, Himalayan Rubythroat, Himalayan Accentor, Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush, Asian Barred Owlet, Griffon Vulture, Striated Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush and plenty more.

Days 17th-19th Nainital, Pango, Sattal area In the Pangot area we will see some wonderful birds but also experience spectacular views to the snow-capped Himalayan Mountains. This area attracts several specialties from the Himalayas to spend the winter. Potential species encountered in

Nainital area include Cheer and Koklass Pheasant, both with very reduced distribution in Himalayas, Hill Partridge, Lammergeier (or Bearded Vulture), Mountain Hawk-eagle, several laughing-thrush-species, Altai and Rufous-breasted Accentor, Golden Bush-robin, Siberian Rubythroat, Black-headed Jay, White-browed Shrike-babbler, Rufous Sibia and Russet Sparrow. In any case, after these three days, our lists should be filled by overwhelming selection of exotic and colorful species of the Himalayas. Day 20th Kumeria Full day birding outside Corbett National Park. On the first day we will try one of India's rarest wintering birds, the Ibisbill. Kosi river near Ramnagar town is the only known site for this species in India, apart from the very remote areas of the Northeast. Another target species is the Wallcreeper which spend their winter along the rocky banks of the river. During the day, we will make a couple of trips by bus to the nearby hills, forests and riverbeds, where

Rufous Sibia ©Harri Taavetti

Siberian Rubythroat ©Harri Taavetti

Ibisbill ©Harri Taavetti



possible species are Spotted and Little Forktail, Long-billed Thrush, Brown and Tawny Fish Owl, Great Hornbill, White-tailed Rubythroat and several different woodpecker species. Day 21st Corbett National Park Early morning drive to Dhikala (inside the park), arrive & transfer to Forest Lodge (Basic Accommodation) Corbett National Park is India's first national park, founded in 1936 to protect the endangered Bengal Tiger and was named after the famous hunter, ecologist, writer and naturalist Jim Corbett who played a key role in setting up the park. Today, the park covers up to 1318 square kilometers, including a 521 sq km core area (the park itself) and 797 km² buffer zone. Only a part of the park is opened to tourists. By the Corbett gate, we jump on open jeeps (Gypsy), our vehicles for following days inside the park. Travelling 30 km to our accommodation at Dhikala located in the middle of the park, we pass through the sal-dominated forests along the Ramganga river. On the way, we will be watching and photographing a fantastic variety of birds and animals, such as Spotted and Hog Deer. On the way, we will enjoy the picnic lunch. With a little bit of luck, we may see our first tiger on the first afternoon! Dinner and accommodation are in Dhikala, inside the park, by a lake in Ramganga river (which, depending on the previous monsoon rains, either is watered or not). Day 22nd Corbett National Park Today we will be exploring the Dhikala section of Corbett Park. As well as the chance of seeing a Tiger we may also see Pallas's and Lesser Fish-eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Changeable Hawk-eagle, Griffon, Himalayan, Red-headed and Black Vulture and the tiny Collared Falconet. Other possible species include massive Great Slaty Woodpecker, as well as numerous other woodpecker species, clown-like Common Green Magpie and noisy, but skulking Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler. Day 23rd Corbett – Delhi Early morning start on our drive back to Delhi, birding along the way. On our last night together we’ll dine and toast to our amazing trip, review our bird lists and reminisce about our favourite times on the tour. Day 24th Fly home Head home with possibly to 350+ birds on your list and fabulous memories of incredible India

Himalayan Giffon ©Harri Taavetti

Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler ©Harri

Taavetti



Cost Cost for the 16 day tour: $5,260 USD per person twin - share. Single Supplement: Add $985 USD Cost for the extension: $2,470 USD per person twin – share. Single Supplement: Add $395 USD

Inclusions All accommodation and meals. Transportation while on tour.

Non Inclusions International flights. Personal snacks and alcohol.

Sarus Crane. ©Harri Taavetti

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