Rajasthan Bird Tour (trip)
Rajasthan Bird Tour
- Delhi, India
- Active & Adventure
| Contact provider for price | 13 Days | October-March |
| Comfort accommodations | Exertion level: 3 | |
| Operator: Wild World India | 12 people max | |
The vast Thar desert in the northwest, an extension of the Saharan & Arabian deserts, is home to House Bunting, Greater Short-toed Lark, Greater Hoopoe lark, Spanish Sparrow, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Cream-coloured Courser, Tawny Pipit, Desert Warbler, Isabelline Wheatear. Other specialities here are Stoliczka's Bush Chat, Grey Hypocolius, Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Syke's Nightjar. Ironically, this dry region boasts of some of the finest wetlands where migratory birds like Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Marbled Duck, Northern Pintail, Baillon's Crake, Common Snipe, Marsh Sandpipper and Grey Heron flock this wintering ground in large numbers. Brackish lakes and saltpans are visited by large flocks of Demoiselle Crane, Greater Flamingo and Dalmatian Pelican. Other visitors are Pied Avocet, Terek Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Grey Plover and Ruff.
You begin your birding tour with Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary, specially gazetted under the Crocodile Conservation Project and home to the endemic Gharial, marsh crocodiles (muggers) and the highly endangered Gangetic River Dolphin. A birdwatchers' paradise, Chambal is one of the best places to watch the Indian Skimmer. Some other birds you see here are Thicknee, Comb Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Bar-headed Geese, Spoonbill and Greater Flamingo. Bharatpur, with 425 species of birds recorded in and around the tiny 29 sq km park, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its amazingly dense and diverse bird habitat is partly explained by the mixture of shallow marshy lakes, patches of mature woodland scrub and dry open grassland. Best known as the wintering ground of the western population of the Siberian Crane, Bharatpur is more frequented by winter migrants like Grey-lag and Bar-headed Geese. More than 20 species of ducks have been seen at Bharatpur, including Northern Pintail, Gargany, Northern Shovler and rarities such as the Falcated or Marbled Duck.
Ranthambhore's habitat is mainly tropical dry deciduous with several lakes that attract water birds and species such as Black Storks, Brown Crake and Great Thicknee, usually not found in Bharatpur. After a stopover at reservoirs like Surwal nearby and Anna Sagar near Ajmer, you end the birding tour at Sonkhaliya, one of the best places in India to see the endangered Indian Bustard. Other notable species include Lesser Floricans, Indian Coursers, Stoliczka's Bush Chat and Rufous-fronted Prinia. The crop fields contain Common and Sarus Cranes. You could also opt for a 3-day extension to Sambhar lake and Khichan, where villagers feed thousands of Demoiselle Cranes every winter. Celebrated in Marwari folklore as carriers of good luck, the love for these birds saw the inception of the Marwar Crane Foundation (MCF) to oversee the feeding of large flocks.
Loading map, please wait...
Locations visited/nearby
India, Asia
0 testimonials about this trip.
3 testimonials about the provider, Wild World India:
-
Reviewer: Jami Tarris & Theo Allofs
located in
Canada
We would like to thank you for making our last trip to India so successful and pleasurable. As you know, we have traveled to India twice recently, and you made this last trip convenient, efficient and so comfortable for us. As photographers our needs are many and specific, but your office staff, guides and drivers worked in concert to meet our constant demands. We appreciate your expertise and friendly customer service and we will highly recommend your company to colleagues and friends in the future. We look forward to our next photography trip to India and we look forward to working with your company again.
-
Reviewer: Daisy Gilardini
located in
Switzerland
Being a wildlife photographer all you need when traveling is the right light at the right place and moment. Light is all about photography and only Mother Nature can decide about it. Nevertheless having guides that know where and when the right light might be, helps a lot! I would like to thank Wild World India for the great support, perfect organization and best guides during our tiger-shooting safari in India.
-
Reviewer: Ruth Padel
located in
UK
Thank you so much for EVERYTHING, it was really wonderful, and your place at Vanghat is lovely. The lammergeier was the icing on the cake! Meanwhile good luck with all that you are doing and thank you again! Keep me posted on Corbett
Itinerary
Day 01: ARRIVE DELHIArrive Delhi airport and transfer to hotel. Morning at leisure followed by afternoon birding around Okhla Barrage. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02: DELHI to AGRA and CHAMBAL
Early morning depart Delhi by train for Agra. Visit the fabled Taj Mahal and continue drive to Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary. Afternoon boat ride on the Chambal River for birding and wildlife viewing. Overnight at lodge.
Day 03: CHAMBAL to BHARATPUR
Morning birding in Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary. The Chambal is a perennial river bordered by many steep ravines and scrub vegetation along the river bank. The Indian Skimmer is the species to watch out for followed by a drive to Bharatpur. Overnight at lodge.
Day 04: BHARATPUR
Full day birding in Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, considered the finest Heronry in the world as well as an unrivalled breeding site for the Painted Stork, Purple Heron, White Ibis and the Eurasian Spoonbill. It is one of those few places in the world where it is possible to see 150 species in a single morning of birding. Indian Cormorants, Intermediate Egrets, flocks of Great White Pelicans and Night Herons form the bulk of the resident population. Overnight at lodge
Day 05: BHARATPUR
Full day birdwatching in Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary. This superb wetland also attracts many birds of prey like the Eurasian Marsh Harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle and the Steppe Eagle, which is perhaps the most common. Warbler fans will find Smoky, Booted & Brook's Leaf Warbler. Adjoining fields, scrub vegetation and irrigation tanks will reveal Oriental Skylark and Variable Wheatear. Overnight at lodge
Day 06: BHARATPUR
The reservoir of Bund Baretha Sanctuary, an hour's drive away, is good for Indian Skimmers and other species like Eurasian Spoonbill, River Tern and Rufous-tailed Lark. Subcontinent endemics like the Yellow-wattled Lapwing and the Black-capped Kingfisher are also found mostly outside the park. Overnight at lodge
Day 07: BHARATPUR to RANTHAMBHORE
Morning depart Bharatpur by surface for Ranthambhore. Evening birding in buffer area of Ranthambhore National Park. Grasses should be probed for Yellow-leg Buttoned Quail and Jungle Bush Quail. Overnight at lodge
Day 08: RANTHAMBHORE
Morning and evening game drive in Ranthambhore. The grand 1000-year-old fort is a good place to watch out for raptors. The adjoining wetlands are visited by large flocks of Demoiselle Cranes, Spot-billed Pelicans, Greater Flamingos and various water birds. Overnight at lodge
Day 09: RANTHAMBHORE - SURWAL LAKE
Morning birding in Surwal reservoir followed by evening game drive in Ranthambhore National Park. Overnight at lodge.
Day 10: RANTHAMBHORE - AJMER
Morning depart Ranthambhore for Ajmer by surface followed by birding at Anna Sagar Lake. Overnight at hotel.
Day 11: AJMER (Day return birding to Sonkhaliya)
Morning depart Ajmer for a day return birding excursion to Sonkhaliya to return early evening. Overnight at hotel.
Day 12: AJMER to DELHI
Morning excursion to Pushkar Lake and depart for Delhi by train. Arrive Delhi by late evening and transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 13: DELHI
Full day at leisure or free for optional activities. In time transfer to airport to board flight for onward destination.
More information from Wild World India:
- Email this trip page to a friend
-
Comments from Facebook