Wildlife Conservation & Restoration Tourism
- About Wildlife Conservation & Restoration Tourism in India. Feature Information
about Wildlife Parks, Tiger Reserves & Bird Sanctuary in India.
Birding Trails of North India
Duration : 16 Nights / 17 Days
Destination Covered : Delhi - Ranthambore - Bharatpur - National Chambal
Sanctuary - Nainital - Saatal - Corbett - Sultanpur Lake - Delhi
Day 1 : 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 2 : Ranthambore
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 3 : 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 4 - 6 : 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 7 : 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 8 - 9 : 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
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)
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
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 - Delhi
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.
Birding Trails of North India Reservation
Form
--›
