Western India & the Himalaya

Land Tour
Highlights

Highlights

  • Rich and varied birding with endemics and impressive concentrations
  • Diverse habitats from wetlands and grasslands to desert and coastal environments to the Himalayan foothills
  • Excellent reserves, lodges, scenic wonders and very different cultures, plus the Taj Mahal

Tour Overview

India is a vast country and our Western India & Himalaya birding tour will focus on two very different areas: Gujarat in the dry west and the foothills of the Himalayas. The west is relatively sparsely populated and here we will search for Asiatic Lion, Indian Wolf and Blackbuck and an array of rare or endemic bird species, such as Gray Hypocolius, White-naped Tit, Crab Plover, Terek Sandpiper and Saunders’s Tern. The scenery will be spectacular!

After a visit to world-famous Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur) and the Taj Mahal at Agra we make our way via Delhi to the foothills of the Himalayas. Here we stay at Corbett National Park, where tiger and leopard are possible and next we will bird in the vicinities of two hill stations. Birdlife in the latter two locations will be very different from what we have encountered so far, and our lists will grow by leaps and bounds. Expect a trip list between 300 and 400 bird species, plus a number of large mammals and reptiles.

What's Included

Tour Price Includes

  • Internal flights included
  • Comfortable accommodations, ranging from good to basic and clean
  • All meals included; several will be vegetarian.
  • Eagle-Eye guide plus local guide throughout
  • Park, conservation and entrance fees
  • Gratuities

Tour Price Does Not Include

  • Travel to and from start/end location
  • Travel Insurance
  • Items of a personal nature

What to Expect

Our days on our Western India & Himalaya birding tour will start early, with occasional siestas during the warmest part of the day, and there will be several late afternoon/evening forays. There will be some easy to moderate hikes, but much of the birding will be from or near the vehicle.

Our accommodations are comfortable and there is enough choice in the cuisine to suit everyone’s taste. Transportation will generally be in comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles, except during safari rides. There are a number of long drives of 3 to 4 hours or more.

Daytime temperatures will usually range from mild to hot, but evenings and nights can be cool or even cold, especially in the mountains.

Air pollution is occasionally a problem for people with breathing difficulties, so you may wish to bring a simple mask along.

Each evening, the day’s list of birds and other wildlife will be reviewed and plans for the next day will be discussed.

Featured Wildlife

While we cannot guarantee sightings of the birds or mammals listed below, we believe that encountering these species is quite likely during this tour.

  • Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans
  • Painted Stork
  • Demoiselle and Common Cranes
  • Steppe and Eastern Imperial Eagle
  • Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture)
  • Sandgrouse
  • Koklass and Khalij Pheasants
  • Gray Hypocolius
  • Wheatears
  • Forktails
  • Blackbuck
  • Asiatic Lion
  • Bengal Tiger
  • Indian Wolf

Tour Reviews