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INDIA - Bird watching in Rajasthan and Punjab – North India
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TOUR CODE EAI-IN03
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Length: 11 DAYS
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No other region in the Indian Sub-continent provides so much
of birding under different climatic conditions as North India.
In this part of India a keen bird watcher gets an opportunity
to learn about variety of birding areas right from Wet Land
birding to the birding in the Semi Arid region to the lust
green tropical areas.
The given 11 days tour is a unique combination of Birding, wild life, cultural & religion heritage, covers the most colorful and progressive areas in the Northern India provides you an opportunity to also learn about the Rajput and Sikh Culture.
Map of India
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COSTS
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Season: September to March. Best: December to February.
Cost includes: all transport, (which could be a bus, raft,
car, boat, train, camel, elephant, or plane), all accommodation,
meals as specified in the itineraries, sightseeing arrangements
including entrance fees, guide fees, local guide.
Cost excludes: international flight to and from the Indian
Subcontinent, visa and passport charges, airport departure
taxes, personal travel or medical insurance, excess baggage
charges, emergency evacuation costs, items of a personal
nature (laundry, postage, etc).
Prices subject to government taxes/levies or prices beyond our control. Prices
and programs are subject to change without notice. All prices quoted
in US dollars. For booking information, liability waiver, and terms and
conditions contact us.
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Day 01:
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Delhi
You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The day includes a sightseeing tour of Sir Edward Lutyen’s New Delhi, the garden city built in 1911 by the British. We also visit the Birla Mandir (Lakshminarayan Temple), the President’s House, Humayun's Tomb (the forerunner of the Taj Mahal), and the India Gate.
Overnight stay at hotel Imperial.
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Day 02:
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Agra
Today after an early breakfast we drive to Agra (205 kms), one
of the greatest Mughal cities in the world. On arrival,
check into the hotel. In the afternoon we take on the guided
tour of Agra covering the famous Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.
Evening at leisure. Overnight at hotel Mughal Sheraton.
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Day 03:
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Fatehpur Sikri & Bharatpur
Today you drive to Bharatpur (55 kms). En-route we visit the ruins of Fatehpur Sikri Fort, which was once the capital of Mughal Empire. After the sight seeing we continue driving to Bharatpur (20 kms). Upon arrival at Bharatpur we check into the Palace hotel.
In the evening we visit the renowned World Heritage-listed bird sanctuary, the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. We travel by Cycle Rickshaw in to the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the finest bird reserves in the world.
The sanctuary attracts inordinate numbers of birds at all seasons, but especially in winter. The parts of the reserve favoured by waterbirds like Little and Indian Cormorants, Oriental Darters, Cattle, Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Painted Storks, Asian Openbills, Black-headed Ibises and Eurasian Spoonbills. Numerous Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas, White-breasted Waterhens and Purple Swamp-hens stalk across the carpets of floating vegetation, whilst in the shallows Woolly-necked and Black-necked Storks, and stately Sarus Cranes wade past motionless Indian Pond Herons. Parties of Common & endangered Siberian Cranes migrates here in the winter months. Amongst the more interesting species are Bar-headed Goose, Lesser Whistling Duck, Spot-billed Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Cotton Pygmy-goose and Comb Duck. Waders are not uncommon and include Black-winged Stilt and Red-wattled and White-tailed Lapwings, whilst both White-throated and Pied Kingfishers are a conspicuous feature of the reserve and a few River Terns patrol the deeper areas of water. Passerines of the wetlands include Wire-tailed and Streak-throated Swallows, and Clamorous Reed Warblers.
Turning our attentions to the drier grasslands and wooded areas, or the skies overhead, we can expect to find Grey Francolin, Barred Buttonquail, Red Collared and Laughing Doves, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Greater Coucal, Dusky Eagle Owl (which has a deep hooting call that is suggestive of the pattern of a bouncing ping-pong ball), Spotted Owlet, Little Swift, Indian Roller, Indian Grey Hornbill, Coppersmith and Brown-headed Barbets, Black-rumped Flameback, Yellow-crowned and Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers, Oriental Skylark, Plain Martin, Long-tailed and Bay-backed Shrikes, Black Drongo, Brahminy and Asian Pied Starlings, Common and Bank Mynas, Rufous Treepie, House Crow, Common Woodshrike, Long-tailed and Small Minivets, Marshall's Iora, White-eared and Red-vented Bulbuls, Yellow-eyed, Common, Large Grey and Jungle Babblers, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Zitting Cisticola, Plain and Ashy Prinias, Common Tailorbird, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Pied Bushchat, Indian Robin, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Paddyfield Pipit, White-browed Wagtail, Purple Sunbird, Oriental White-eye, Baya and Black-breasted Weavers, Chestnut-shouldered (or Yellow-throated) Sparrow, Indian Silverbill and, with luck, the elusive Spotted Creeper.
We may come across Collared Scops Owl and Long-tailed and Indian Nightjars at their daytime roosts. The reserve harbours many wintering passerines from northern and central Asia or the Himalayas including Red-breasted Flycatcher, Blyth's Reed, Booted, Dusky, Smoky, Hume's Leaf and Greenish Warblers, Bluethroat, Siberian Rubythroat, Tickell's Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit, Citrine Wagtail and Spanish Sparrow. Bharatpur's birds of prey are the crowning feature of this wonderful reserve. The sky is rarely empty of soaring shapes and at times the air seems positively crowded. Eagles are frequently encountered and the most usual species include Imperial, Steppe, Greater Spotted, Short-toed, Bonelli's and Booted. Other raptors of interest include Black and Black-shouldered Kites, White-rumped, Red-headed and Egyptian Vultures, and Shikra. Mammals are quite conspicuous and include Indian Grey Mongoose, Golden Jackal, the inquisitive Northern Palm Squirrel, Rhesus Macaque, Wild Boar, the beautiful Spotted Deer, Sambar and the huge Nilgai.
Evening return to the hotel. Overnight at hotel Laxmi Vilas Palace.
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Day 04:
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Bharatpur
Today full day is devoted for ‘bird watching’ in the sanctuary, with picnic lunch.
(Bicycle rickshaws shall be used to-&-from from the park entry gate.)
Overnight at hotel Laxmi Vilas Palace.
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Day 05:
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Ranthamborer
Today we drive to Ranthambore National Park (225 kms), a
haven for a multitude of wild animals. The journey takes
approximately 5 hours to reach Ranthambore. After arriving at
Ranthambore we check in to the hotel.
Evening we visit the game Park for wild life viewing.
Ranthambhore Sanctuary protects some 400 square kilometres of rocky hill and plateau country covered in dry, deciduous jungle on the fringes of the Vindhya range in eastern Rajasthan. The reserve, which has a magnificent setting, is famous as one of India's foremost Tiger sanctuaries, but its bird life is equally exciting. The terrain is quite varied, for in addition to the rocky hills with their deciduous jungle there are small lakes and, just outside the reserve, some dry open country. The area around the reserve headquarters is dominated by an impressive 11th century fortress situated on the highest land in the area. In the early morning the raucous screeches of Indian Peafowl ring out across the forest. Amongst the more interesting birds we may well find here are Painted Spur fowl, Jungle Bush Quail, White-naped Woodpecker and Tawny-bellied Babbler. If we are fortunate we will encounter the rare Painted Francolin.
Other species we should encounter include Striated (or Little) Heron, Black Stork, Crested (Or Oriental) Honey Buzzard, Long-billed Vulture, Spotted Dove, Alexandrine Parakeet, Green Bee-eater, Dusky Crag Martin, White-bellied Drongo, Large Cuckooshrike, Common Iora, Large-billed Crow, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, White-browed Fantail, Grey-breasted Prinia and Sulphur-bellied Warbler. In the dry, partly cultivated areas outside the reserve we should find Indian Bush Lark, Rufous-tailed Lark and Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark. Other species typical of this semi-arid environment include Rock Bush Quail, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Chestnut-bellied and Painted Sandgrouse, Sirkeer Malkoha, Isabelline and Southern Grey Shrikes, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Variable (or Eastern Pied), Isabel line and Desert Wheatears, and Tawny Pipit. A nearby shallow lake is thronged with water birds at this season and we may find Dalmatian Pelican, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Demoiselle Crane, Great Thick-knee, River Lapwing, Temminck's Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Brown-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, and Indian Skimmer, as well as numerous Ruffs and Black-tailed Godwits.
The surroundings are good for wintering Greater Short-toed and Bi maculated Larks, Rosy Starling and Red-headed Bunting. We will also visit the interior of the reserve by jeep in search of mammals such as Tiger, Jungle Cat, Ruddy Mongoose, Hanuman Langur and Dorcas Gazelle (or Chinkara). If we are very lucky we will even come across a Leopard or a Sloth Bear.
We return to our hotel before it gets dark. Overnight at Sawai Madhopur Lodge.
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Day 06:
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Chinnar
Early morning we visit the game park for wild life viewing. In the late afternoon we visit other interesting ‘bird-watching’ sites in jeeps.
Overnight at Sawai Madhopur Lodge.
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Day 07:
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Jaipur
Today we drive to Jaipur (180 kms). After a drive of 3 hours we arrives at JAIPUR, the vibrant capital of Rajasthan, popularly known as the ‘pink city’ because of the pink-coloured buildings in its old city. On arrival we check into the hotel.
Afternoon we go for the guided Sightseeing tour of Jaipur city, visiting the City Palace complex and Jantar Mantar (Observatory) and Walk around the local bazaar.
Overnight at hotel Rajputan Sheraton.
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Day 08:
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Ganganagar (484 kms)
Today we take on a long drive to the border town of Ganganagar (484 kms.). The drive is although a long one but is quite scenic. We start early in the morning so that we reach Ganganagar late in the afternoon. Upon arrival we check into the hotel.
Overnight at the hotel.
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Day 09:
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Amritsar (via Harike)
Today we drive to the holy city of Amritsar, which is also the center of Sikh religion.
En-route stops at the extensive but as yet infrequently visited Heike wetlands to enjoy good views of the endangered Yellow-eyed Doves from Central Asia.
Evening we arrive at Amritsar and check into the hotel. Overnight at
Hotel Mohan International.
Harike: The extensive but as yet infrequently visited Harike
wetlands were formed by the creation of an irrigation barrage
on the River Sutlej, one of the five great rivers of the Punjab
(which derives from the local words for 'five rivers'). Above the
barrage is a large lake and the slow-flowing channels of the Sutlej
and its tributary the Beas, fringed by large marshes.
At dawn a light mist often hangs over the Harike wetlands, and as
the new day begins we will hear the beautiful singing and
accompanying music of the sunrise prayers at an attractive Sikh
temple that is situated right on the edge of the lake. At this
time the wintering Yellow-eyed Doves from Central Asia are still
clustered at their roost sites in the trees that border the lake
and we should enjoy good views of this declining and endangered
bird, right down to the broad yellow orbital ring. As the sun rises
a huge and noisy roosting flight of thousands of House Crows,
Common and Bank Mynas, and Asian Pied Starlings passes overhead.
Nearby flocks of Indian Cormorants take to the wing and head off
to feed in the marshes, whilst Little Cormorants and Oriental
Darters sun themselves on dead snags. As we walk along the bunds
we will be looking out in particular for four more specialties of
Harike; White-tailed Stonechat, the localized and threatened
Rufous-vented Prinia (which favors the denser reed and cane
growth), Striated Babbler and Sind Sparrow, a species restricted
to the drainage of the Indus basin. As we explore these rich
wetlands we shall see a very wide variety of herons, ducks, waders,
gulls and terns, but the waterbird we shall most be hoping to see
is the rare Indian Skimmer.
Harike is one of the few places where
this declining species is frequently to be found and we have a
good chance of finding a flock cruising one of the channels and
slicing the still waters with their strange bills. In the small
patches of shisham and acacia woodland we will keep a lookout for
the little-known Brook's Leaf Warbler, a northwestern Himalayan
breeding species which regularly winters here in very small
numbers, as well as other winter visitors such as Olive-backed
Pipit, Dark-throated Thrush (of the black-throated form) and
White-crowned Penduline Tit.
Other species we may well encounter
at Harike include Black-necked Grebe, Cattle and Intermediate
Egrets, Black-crowned Night and Purple Herons, Glossy Ibis,
Greylag Goose, the handsome Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck,
Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Spot-billed, Ferruginous and
Tufted Ducks, Garganey, Common and Red-crested Pochards,
Black-shouldered Kite, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrow
hawk, Greater Spotted Eagle, Brown Crake, White-breasted Waterhen,
Purple Swamphen, Common Moorhen, Pied Avocet, Common Snipe,
Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Pallas's
(or Great Black-headed), Caspian, Brown-headed and Black-headed
Gulls, Gull-billed Tern, Red Collared Dove, Greater Coucal,
Spotted Owlet, Pied Kingfisher, Common Hoopoe, Sand and Crested
Larks, Barn Swallow, Paddyfield and Rosy Pipits, Bluethroat,
Common Stonechat (here of the eastern maura group, sometimes
split as Siberian Stonechat), Yellow-bellied Prinia, Moustached,
Paddy field and Clamorous Reed Warblers, Striated Grass bird,
Large Grey Babbler, Bay-backed Shrike, Oriental White-eye and
Black-breasted, Streaked and Baya Weavers.
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Day 10:
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Amritsar
Early in the morning we visit the Golden temple, the holiest
shrine of the Sikh religion. Thereafter, we proceed for
full-day excursion to Harike wetlands for bird watching.
Evening we return to our hotel at Amritsar. Overnight
at Hotel Mohan International.
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Day 11:
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Delhi
At the early hours in the morning we are transferred to the
railway station to board air-conditioned Shatabdi Express
train for Delhi departing at 0515 hrs. It arrives at 1050
hours. We are met at the railway station at are transferred
to the hotel. Rest of the day free for independent
activities. Overnight at Hotel Imperial.
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