Northern India 8-24.2.2018
Babita Tours and Avescapes Travels organize a trip to the Northern India's most spectacular natural sites. During the trip the landscapes vary from breathtaking Himalayan snow peaks to low-lying plains and wetlands of the mighty Ganges valley. Diversity of habitats along our route gives us a chance to see an incredible variety of bird and animal species.
The tour is bird-oriented, but naturally we will also enjoy other wildlife, landscapes and cultural gems of India. Besides up to 350+bird species there are excellent opportunities to see the magical and highly endangered Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear and many, many other mammal species. While exploring the Indian nature, we can also wonder the everyday hullabaloo of Indian towns and countryside.
For photographers, Indian mystic and exotic nature and landscapes offer unparalleled opportunities to get their memory cards full of numerous birds and animals, but also the country's culture. Thanks to Indian main religion, Hinduism, the great majority of Indians are vegetarians, so the birds and animals are not hunted or otherwise killed. That is why they are mostly very tame and approachable, unlike in China, for example.
In addition to natural wonders, we will visit one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra. And Indian food is, of course, already an experience!
Travelling on behalf of the rare and handsome Bengal Tiger, the undisputed king of the animal world, is not a bad idea. Tiger's huge size makes an unforgettable hit with you, but despite of size it is agile and strong. Therefore, it has through the times been the target of admiration and respect, but also, unfortunately, hunting and poaching. Visiting the Indian national parks supports financially local people and encourage them to continue the fight against poaching. Thanks to many national parks in India, Tiger population is, thankfully, nowadays increasing.
Group size will be 8 to 10 persons + Avescapes Travels guide + Babita Tours guide, as well as local guides. In the national parks, we are moving by Gypsies (kind of small Jeep) or larger pick-up (Canter). Outside the parks we will have a minibus. With a small group, you will get much more out of the trip!
Birding and its intensity will be adjusted to the wishes of the group. Mostly we will walk along roads and trails, distances being very reasonable. In Himalayan foothills, some walks can be a bit steep. The maximum altitude will be around 2500 m asl. Inside Ranthambhore and Corbett national parks moving is only possible by vehicles and it is not allowed to get off them.
Kumeria, Corbett and Nainital are located approx. 300 km to the North from Delhi. Nainital is quite mountainous, and some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas can be seen beautifully. Chambal, Bharatpur and Ranthambhore are located to the Southand South-West from Delhi. So, practically the trip is divided into Northern week and Southern week. Two nights we will be travelling by night train. In the trains we will travel in first class cars. Each cabin has 4 bunks (upper and lowerbeds) and to the corridor there is a curtain / lockable door. Once you travel to India, an Indian train is a must experience!
Itinerary
Day 1.Delhi-Kumeria
The tours tarts at Helsinki airport, by an evening flight on Thursday, 8 Feb. (See flight schedules at the end of the itinerary). Plane lands in Delhi the next morning at dawn. Directly from the airport we start about 300 km drive to the north towards Kumeria next to the Corbett National Park. Along the way we cross the Indian life stream, the mighty Ganges river. However, here it is not yet quite so mighty than further East.
Already on the first afternoon, we will try one of India's rarest wintering birds, the species undoubtedly found in every birders’ wish list: 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. However, luck is needed to see it. Besides Ibisbills, also Wallcreepers are wintering on the rocky banks of the river. Other potential exotic species include River Lapwing, the huge Crested Kingfisher, Plumbeous Redstart and White-capped Water Redstart. Lunch is enjoyed somewhere along the way a good level restaurant.
Accommodation and dinner in a cozy, lodge-type The Den Resort.
Day 2.Kumeria
Immediately at dawn we will do a "pre-breakfast walk" around the lush and bird-filled The Den garden. The species found just outside of your doorstep include Velvet Nuthatch, Crimson Sunbird, White-crowned Laughing Thrush and Red-billed Blue Magpie, to mention a few.
During the day, we will make a couple of trips by bus to the nearby hills, forests and riverbeds, where 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. Lunch, dinner and accommodation in The Den.
Day 3. Kumeria – Corbett NP
After morning birding and breakfast, we head towards the Corbett National Park. 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. Fair 30 km way to our accommodation Dhikala, located in the middle of the park, passes through the sal-dominated forests along the Ramganga river. On the way, of course, we will be watching and photographing simply insane variety of birds and animals. Especially animals, such as Spotted and Hog Deers are very tame and literally ignore our shutter-sound filled presence. On the way, we will enjoy the picnic lunch, too. With a little bit of luck, we can suddenly find ourselves in the middle of hectic "tiger hunt" already on the first afternoon!
Dinner and accommodation are in Dhikala, inside the park, by a dammed lake in Ramgangariver (which, depending on the previous monsoon rains, either is watered or not).
Day 4. Corbett NP
It is still dark when we gather for a quick breakfast before our morning Tiger safari. The first hours of the morning are usually the best time to encounter the Tiger, after they have been hunting during the night. Naturally we see lots of other stuff, too, but finding Tiger will be our main priority. The park will be closed during the day, so we will come back to Dhikala to have a lunch and a well-earned few hours “siesta”. In the afternoon, until sunset, we will explore some other areas of the park.
Corbett is an amazing place to admire magnificent raptors and vultures such as Pallas's and Lesser Fish-eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Changeable Hawk-eagle, Griffon, Himalayan, Red-headed and Black Vulture. In addition, despite being tiny, the Collared Falconet is very much a raptor, too! Other possible species include massive Great Slaty Woodpecker, as well as numerous other woodpecker species, clown-like colorful Common Green Magpie and noisy, but skulking Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler.
Dinner and accommodation in Karan’s Corbett Motel outside the park in town of Ramnagar.
Day 5. Corbett NP - Nainital
Until around noon we will explore different parts of Corbett. In the afternoon, we continue to the northeast and the town of Nainital, lying on the foothills of the magnificent Himalayas, approx. 2000 m height. The first tens of kilometers the landscape is dominated by flat fields and scattered forests, but soon the road becomes curving and starts rising upwards. There are lush and dense hills around us, to be changed more conifer-dominated forests as we climb higher. Also, the climate changes cooler and clearer. Time allowing, we will stop birding on different altitudes, but we will try to reach Nainital before dusk.
Accommodation and dinner in a fine hotel Vikram Vintage Inn.
Days 6 to 8. Nainital, Sattal and Pangot
Following three days we will explore Nainital surroundings, often characterized by spectacular mountain scenery. Day-trip destinations include Pangot, an area with breathtaking scenery to the roof of the world, snow-capped Himalayan mountains. When the visibility is good, we can see two nearly 8,000-meter-high peaks, Nanda Devi and Trishul. Sattal area, on the other hand, is located slightly lower down and is characterized by the seven lakes (Sattal = seven lakes), surrounded by lush and dense slopes, riverbeds and agricultural environments with bushes and scrubs. This area attracts several specialties from the Himalayas to spend the winter.
Potentials pecies 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.
Accommodation and dinners in Hotel Vikram Vintage Inn. Picnic lunches.
In the evening of the third day here, we will drive to Kathgodam to catch the night train for Delhi and Agra.
Day 9. Delhi - Agra - Chambal Safari Lodge
We must change train and station very early in the morning in Delhi. We enjoy breakfast on the train between Delhi and Agra. Before arriving Agra, the day dawns, revealing that the mountainous landscapes have changed to vast, open farming plains. With a little bit of luck, we might see one of our target species, Sarus Crane, already from the train.
From Agra, we will continue by bus towards the Chambal Safari Lodge, where we arrive suitably for lunch.
After lunch we will have a walk around the lodge.
Dinner and accommodation at Chambal Safari Lodge.
http://www.chambalsafari.com/weekend-getaways-from-delhi.html
Day 10. Chambal Safari Lodge - Cambal river
Today we make a boat ride along Chambal River. Depending on the situation, it takes place either in the morning or the afternoon. The boat ride lasts three to four hours, and reaching the starting point takes about an hour by bus. In addition, we make an excursion to the surrounding farming areas to search e.g. Sarus Crane. Also many irrigation pools attract a great variety of storks, herons, ducks and waders, making our bird list longer and longer. Usually today’s bird list has been the longest of the whole trip.
Possibles pecies in Chambal area include Indian Skimmer, Black-bellied and River Tern, Pallas's Gull, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Great Thick-knee, Collared Scops and Brown Hawk Owl, Spotted Owlet, Sarus Crane, Black-necked Stork, Bay-backed Shrike...
Besides all the birds, we should see Mugger Crocodiles, Gharials and, with some luck, also the highly endangered Ganges River Dolphins.
Dinner and accommodation Chambal Safari Lodge, picnic-lunch.
Day 11. Chambal Safari Lodge – Taj Mahal - Bharatpur
After breakfast, we head towards Agra and Taj Mahal. Guided visit to the mausoleum takes a couple of hours. After this, we will enjoy lunch in Agra. After lunch we continue towards Bharatpur and Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Birding on the way, and if time allows, we might have an afternoon walk in Keoladeo NP.
Accommodation and dinner in Hotel Forest Lodge inside the park.
Day 12. Bharatpur, Keoladeo Ghana National Park
Full day birding in Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The park is one of UNESCO World Heritagesites. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/340/. It is not allowed to drive cars inside the park, so we move on foot or by bikerickshaws. For lunch, we return to our hotel. Possible species in Keoladeo NPark are e.g. Painted Stork, Intermediate Egret, Black Bittern, and many other heron and egret species, White-tailed Lapwing, as well as numerous other wader species, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Orange-headed and Tickell’s Thrush, Dusky Eagle Owl... In addition, if we are lucky, we might see the huge Rock Python.
Day 13. Bharatpur - Ranthambhore
After breakfast we leave this bird-filled national park behind and head towards Bharatpur town, and actually beyond it. There is a dry, in places almost desert-like field area, holding many interesting species, such as Indian Courser, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Long-billed Pipit and Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark.
In the afternoon, we return to Bharatpur for lunch. Here we also will try one of our target species, Greater Painted-snipe. After these, leaves our train towards Sawai Madhopur station and the Ranthambhore National Park. The train ride takes about three hours. From the station, it is about 10 miles’ distance to our accommodation. Dinner and accommodation in The Sher Garh Resorts.
Day 14. Ranthambhore National Park
Early in the morning, when it is still almost dark, we start the first Tiger safari inside the national park. The main focus will obviously be looking for Tiger, but also birds and other animals can be seen in great deal, including no less than Leopard and Sloth Bear. The bird species include Indian Vulture, Grey Francolin, Painted Spurfowl, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, White-bellied Drongo and Rufous Treepie (that can eat even from your hand). From the safari, we return to our accommodation to spend a few hours’ siesta, as like Corbett, also this park is closed during day time. In the afternoon, there is another Tiger safari.
Accommodation, lunch and dinner in The Sher Garh Resorts.
Day 15. Ranthambhore - night train to Delhi 04/12/2015
In the morning, we still have a third tiger safari. The park has a great variety of routes, which always will be drawn before the opening of the gates. Thus, we are not likely to explore one route more than once. In the afternoon, we do an excursion somewhere nearby, for example, Soorwal dam lake. In the evening we will return back to our accommodation for dinner, after which we go Sawai Madhopur station for the night train to Delhi.
Day 16. Delhi - Finland 12/05/2015
We arrive in Delhi early in the morning. Breakfast is served at a hotel close to the airport. After that, this all comes in an end, and with loads and loads of exotic experiences and possibly up to 350+ bird species on our lists we leave our farewells to this unique, versatile and nature-rich country, and head to the airport to catch our homeward flight.
Price: 3990 euros/person
Includes:
-direct Finnair flights Helsinki-Delhi-Helsinki
-all accommodations in shared twin rooms (2 nights at shared 4 person's AC cabins in night train)
-all meals according to the trip itinerary
-all land transports
-the tips
-english-speaking tour leader Harri Taavetti and other local tour leaders
Traveller's insurance
Every participant must have a personal international traveller's insurance of their own.
Avescapes Oy is an accredited travel agency (1328/15/Mj). We follow all the general terms and agreements by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority. The general terms of our own can be found in Finnish from here.
Please sign in or ask more by using the form below.
You can also contact tour leader Harri Taavetti for more information:
Tel. +358 40541 2729
