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Special Birding Tour India
:: Fixed Departure 6th February , 2008
:: Meet Our Bird Specialist
(Richard Mac Donald - Canadian Bird Guide) Of the 8650 species of
birds in the world, India is home to as many as 1200 (roughly 14%), out of which
141 are endemic to this region. What is even more astonishing is that ornithologists
have classified birdlife into 27 Orders and 155 Families and India boasts of 20
Orders and 77 Families.
Richard Mac Donald - Canadian Bird Guide :
Richard Mac Donald, Canadian bird guide has been organizing and leading bird tours
for the last 10 years to Hungary, Eastern England, New Zealand and Australia as
well as leading day tours of the Victoria, ¼, Canada region for over 14 years.
He is an active naturalist and outdoorsman and as a retired Engineer he has the
time to study the various species of birds in the regions that he tours.
He
has recently done extensive research in India and after visiting the country has
come out with the ideal TOUR which he is going to lead in February 2006.
Special
Birding Tour with Richard Mac Donald
Duration: 17 Nights / 18 Days.
Destination
Covered : Delhi - Corbett - Nainital - Delhi - Agra - Bharatpur - Delhi - Nagpur
- Kanha - Nagpur - Delhi
6th of February 2008, Sunday
Day
01: Arrive Delhi
Company representatives will receive you on arrival
at the international airport in Delhi late in the night or midnight. Transfer
to your hotel. Relax.
DELHI, the capital of kingdoms and empires is now
a sprawling metropolis with a fascinating blend of the past and the present. It
is a perfect introduction to the composite culture of an ancient land. A window
to the kaleidoscope - that is India.
Overnight will be at Delhi.
7th of February 2008, Monday
Day 02: Delhi / Corbett : By
Road 250 km in 6 hr Breakfast will be at hotel. Drive to CORBETT National
Park.
On the way we will stop at Ramnagar and look for the fabulous IBISBILL
amongst the riverside boulders.
JIM CORBETT National Park - One of the
greatest National Parks of Asia. Corbett is five hundred and twenty acres of forests,
hills and grasslands, fed by a frisky river - A bio-diversity that is rich, rare
and precious. This Park is the perfect habitat for the tiger, elephant, hog deer,
birds and other wildlife species that is fast vanishing from the earth.
Check
in at the resort and relax. Proceed for an afternoon to KOSI riverbanks and look
for CRESTED KINGFISHER, PLUMBOUS REDSTART & LITTLE FORKTAIL. The resort you
will stay in is surrounded by excellent forest with many birds including the delightful
VELVET FRONTED NUTHATCH.
Relax in the evening at the resort restaurant.
Overnight will be at resort.
8th of February 2008, Tuesday
Day 03: Corbett
Enjoy a full day birding along the riverbanks and in the
nearby green area. Overnight will be at the resort.
9th of February 2008, Wednesday
Day 04: Corbett National Park After breakfast
drive inside the forest and full day BIRDING in the park. Corbett National Park
protects a large tract of forest and savanna in the Himalayan foothills, and was
India's first National Park. In winter is quite cold in these areas and birds
descend from the higher levels of the Himalayas to add to the park's bird riches.
The variety of birds in this area is fantastic and moreover the area has its own
population of tigers. The lodge inside the park is BASIC but with private facilities
and the location is great!!!
Overnight will be inside the forest at rest
house in DHIKALA.
10th of February 2008, Thursday
Day 05:
Corbett National Park Enjoy full day BIRDING in the park. Overnight will
be inside the forest at rest house in DHIKALA.
11th of February 2008, Friday
Day 06: Corbett National Park - Nainital : By Road
120 km in 6 hr Breakfast will be at the guest house.
Drive to
Nainital. The road is uphill and the scenery spectacular. Nainital lies beside
a glacial lake and is backed by a crater like ridge with snowcapped peaks beyond
rising to over 2600 m. The area is a mixture of pinewoods, open country and small
lakes, and the views from some of the hills behind the town are simply fantastic.
Here LAMMERGEIERS and HIMALAYAN GRIFON VULTURES soar overhead.
Reach
by late afternoon and enjoy the evening birding around the resort.
Overnight
will be in Nainital.
12th of February 2008, Saturday
Day
07: Nainital
Breakfast will be at the resort.
Enjoy full day
birding in and around Nainital. Walk among the area's forests and fields in search
of resident and migrant mountain birds. Including RED FLANKED BLUETAIL, STREAKED
LAUGHING THRUSH, ALTAI ACCENTOR AND GOLDEN BUSH ROBIN for some spectacular birding.
Overnight will be in Nainital.
13th of February 2008, Sunday
Day
08 Nainital Breakfast will be in the resort.
Enjoy birding at the
lake and around Nainital. Overnight will be in Nainital.
14th of February 2008, Monday
Day 09 Nainital - Delhi: By Road 260
km in 7 hr Early morning birding will be around the resort.
Proceed
for Delhi after breakfast.
This will be a long drive and you will need
to relax on reaching Delhi.
Overnight will be in Delhi.
15th of February 2008, Tuesday
Day
10: Delhi - Agra - Bharatpur:
By Road 250 km in 6 hr Proceed to
Agra in the morning after breakfast.
AGRA: Two great Mughal monarchs,
Akbar and Shah Jahan, transformed the little village of Agra into a befitting
second capital of the Mughal Empire - giving it the name Dar-ul-Khilafat {seat
of the Emperor}. Today a visitor to Agra is caught up in a world of contrasting
edifices, of red sandstone and white marble, narrow galleys and quaint buggies,
and that irresistible charm that this favorite city of the Mughals still retains.
It is not surprising, that modern Agra still reflects its Mughal heritage most
conspicuously. A walk down the narrow bustling streets of the city will introduce
the visitor to the wafting aroma of Mughlai cuisine. Proceed to Agra in the evening.
Proceed to visit Taj on reaching Agra.
TAJ MAHAL: Little needs to be said
about this architectural wonder which is always the soul raison-de-etre for every
tourist's visit to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial
to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. This monument took 22 years to be completed
and was designed, and planned by Persian architect Ustad Isa. Apart from its stunning
design balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also noted particularly for its
elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work ever
seen.
Continue drive to Bharatpur.
The Keoladeo Ghana National
Park is one of the finest water-bird sanctuaries in the world. The Maharaja of
Bharatpur artificially created the lake and wetland in the 19th century. By building
small dykes and dams and diverting water from an irrigation canal, he converted
this low-lying area into a fine wild fowl shooting preserve. In a few years, the
new wetland surrounded by marginal forests was able to support thousands of water
birds.
Commonly referred to as Bharatpur, the Park is a delight for bird
watchers. Over 375 species of birds are found here and raised paths, camouflaged
by babul trees and undergrowth make viewing easy. A quiet ride by boat in the
early hours of the morning is also unforgettable experience. The cacophony is
unbelievable as painted storks, open bills, spoonbills, egrets, cormorants, white
ibis and multitudes of others, tend their young. Jacanas with their iridescent
colors and elegant tail feathers and purple moorhen can be seen delicately treading
over the floating vegetation.
Every
year Bharatpur waits with bated breath for the arrival of the Siberian cranes.
There are only two wintering places for this rare species one in Iran and the
other Bharatpur and these beautiful birds with their distinctive red beaks and
facial patches, fly over 6400 km from their summer retreats.
Colorful
kingfishers, graceful pelicans rare Siberian cranes and Trans- continental fliers
- the migratory water - fowl are amongst the 375 species of birds found in the
Keoladeo National Park. The most spectacular nesting is that of the egrets, storks,
herons and cormorants, which make over 10,000 nests every year. This makes outstanding
bird havens of the world. The park covers an area of 28.73km.
The story
of Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is incomplete without an account of the migratory
waterfowl. The most prominent waterfowl coming to this park are bareheaded and
greyleg geese. Ducks also create a lot of fluttering in the lakes. The ducks usually
found here are pintail, widgeon, common shelduck, shoveler, garganey, teal, etc.
Attracted by the influx of the waterfowl the predatory birds-tawny eagles,
spotted eagles short-toed eagles imperial eagles and fishing eagle also arrive.
They all form the apex of the biological pyramid of the sanctuary and complete
the avian food chain of the ecosystem. There are large herds of the nilgai, chital,
wild boar and fear cows in addition to a few herds of sambar.
Reach and
check in at the hotel. Overnight will be at Bharatpur.
16th of February 2008, Wednesday
Day 11: Bharatpur Breakfast will be at the
resort. Proceed on RICKSHAW for viewing the birds.
Return to the lodge
in the evening and relax. Overnight will be in Bharatpur.
17th
of February 2008, Thursday
Day 12: Bharatpur Enjoy BIRDING
in the park. Take a boatride in the park and in the afternoon enjoy the birding
from the RICKSHAW again.
Overnight will be in Bharatpur.
18th of February 2008, Friday
Day 13: Bharatpur - Delhi: By Road
180 km in 4 hrBreakfast will be at the resort. Enjoy birding in the park
and then start for Delhi after lunch. Reach and check in at hotel. Evening dinner
will be at the resort.
Overnight will be at the hotel.
19th of February 2008, Saturday
Day 14: Delhi - Nagpur: Nagpur
- Kanha: By Road 255 km in 6 hr After breakfast drive to Kanha.
This
is the place that has been described by RUDYARD KIPLING in his great book "The
Jungle Book". Located in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha National
Park is a tiger reserve that extends over an area of over 940 square km. A horseshoe
shaped valley bounded by the spurs of the Mekal presents an interesting topography.
Steep rocky escarpments along the edges offer breathtaking views of the valley.
Realizing the danger on the Tiger population in the country, the Government
started the "Project Tiger" at Kanha and in 1974 the area was declared
a Tiger reserve. The park is also the habitat of the high ground Barasingha.
In 1930s, the Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries - Hallon and Banjar
of 250kms to 300kms each. Though one of these was subsequently disbanded .The
area remained a protected one until 1947. Depletion of the tiger population in
the year that followed led to the area being made an absolute sanctuary in 1952.
Patient watching should reward the visitor, with a sight of Indian Fox,
Sloth bear, Striped hyena, Jungle cut, Lepord, Mouse Deer, Chausingha or four
horned antelope, Nilgai, Ratel and Porcupine Kanha has some 200 species of birds.
Watchers should station themselves in the hills, where the mixed and bamboo forests
harbour many species and in the grassy forest clearings. Water birds can be seen
near the park's many rivulets and at Sarvantal, a pool that is frequented by water
birds and the area in front of the museum. The birds comprise of Racket Tailed
Drongo, Crested Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Peacock, Golden Oriole, Treepie,
Whitenecked Stork, Shikra, White-eyed Buzzard, Roseringed Parakeet, Shama, Red
Munia, Large Green Barbet, Crimson Breasted Barbet, Lesser Golden Backed Woodpecker,
Hair Crested Drongo, Common Teal, Pintail Duck, etc.
Enjoy birding on
the way. Reach in the afternoon and relax at the resort. In the evening start
the birding tour in the forest.
Overnight will be at the resort.
20th of February 2008, Sunday
Day 15: Kanha Enjoy a full day game
viewing inside the jungle. (Two safaris) There would be a lot of birding today
as we would take roads around the forest to places not frequented by people and
in the bushes.
Overnight will be at the resort.
21th of February 2008, Monday
Day
16: Kanha
Enjoy a full day game viewing inside the jungle. (Two safaris)
There would be a lot of birding today as we would take roads around the forest
to places not frequented by people and in the bushes.
Overnight will be
at the resort.
22th of February 2008, Tuesday
Day 17: Kanha
- Nagpur By Road 255 km in 6 hr Proceed for the morning safari
and birding into forest.
Start for Nagpur after lunch. Reach and check
in at hotel. Dinner will be served in the hotel.
Overnight will be in
the hotel.
23th of February 2008, Wednesday
Day 18: Nagpur
- Delhi Breakfast will be at the hotel. Proceed to the airport for flight
to Delhi. Reach and check into hotel close to the airport for the day.
Visit
to SULTANPUR BIRD SANCTUARY or THE OKHLA BARRAGE for some afternoon birding depending
on where the flamingoes have arrived with packed lunch.
Return to Delhi
in the evening and after a FAREWELL DINNER proceed to the airport in time for
flight home.
The package includes: a) Accommodation at first
class hotels and lodges.
b) Guided sightseeing tour of agra.
c) All transfers
in ac coach with driver.
d) Expert birding guide on tour at all places in
the north.
e) Separate birding guide for Kanha.
f) Assistance at the airports/stations.
g) Daily buffet wholesome meals at all places.
h) All applicable taxes
and service charges.
i) Safaris included at all national parks.
j) All
monument entrances like taj mahal, etc.
k) Bottled water all through the tour.
l) All monument charges.
m) Economy class air travel for mentioned sectors.
n) All meals at all places.
o) Battery car ride at Taj Mahal.
p) National
park permits included and
q) Rickshaw rides at bharatpur included.
CITY |
FIRST CLASS HOTELS & LODGES | NIGHTS
|
DELHI | QUTAB
HOTEL | 01 |
CORBETT | CORBETT
JUNGLE RESORT | 02 |
NATIONAL PARK | DIKALA
GUEST HOUSE (BASIC) | 02 |
NAINITAL THE | VIKRAM
VINTAGE | 03 |
DELHI | PARK
| 01 |
BHARATPUR
| LAXMI VILAS PALACE |
03 |
DELHI | QUTAB
HOTEL | 01 |
KANHA | TULI
TIGER RESORT | 03 |
NAGPUR | TULI
INTERNATIONAL | 01 |
DELHI |
QUTAB HOTEL | DAY USE |