Northern India: Birds and Tigers

Dates: 29th Jauary - 15th February 2025

To mark 18 years of leading tours we're offering a special in 2025 where we'll be searching for wildlife in Northern India. This tour takes us from the semi-desert area of Ranthambore to the bird rich wetland at Bharatpur in the plains. We then move on to Corbett National Park in the terai before finishing in the Himalayan foothills. Each area offers a different array of birds and mammals and although this is not specifically a photography trip there are numerous excellent opportunities throughout the tour to capture images of birds and mammals.

You can expect somewhere in the region of 380 - 400 species of birds and some superb mammals. Bengal Tiger is on most people's wish list and a priority for us whilst in the National Parls. Although Tigers are never guaranteed we have a very good chance of catching up with them at some point. Ranthambore perhaps offers the best chance with the higher denisty of individuals and more open habitat. All is not lost though if we don't see them here as in 2024 we had great views of a large female in Corbett National Park. Asian Elephants are regularly seen in Corbett whilst Sloth Bear also occur here they are perhaps seen more frequently in Ranthambore. Leopard are also a possibility but also require a decent amount of luck to be seen. Nilgai; also known as blue bulls are easily seen as are Sambar Deer, Chitall (or Spotted Deer) and Muntjac. We should also encounter the rare and endangered Gharail whilst on the Chambal River along with Mugger Croccodile.

From the first day in Delhi we'll encounter an exiciting array of birds starting with a visit to Sultanpur where we'll encounter a range of wetland birds including Comb Duck, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Painted Stork and Black-necked Stork. Surrounding scrub holds a range of warblers and chats as well as the chance to catch up with roosting owls such as Brown Hawk Owl and Indian Scops Owl. There's also a chance to catch up with Sind Sparrow; a regional speciality that has a very rstricted range. Moving on to Ranthambore we concentrate on looking for Tigers but there is also an exciting range of birds here that we won't see elsewhere such as Painted Spurfowl and Painted Sandgrouse as well as many others. Our next destination is Bharatpur where you can expect a great variety of wetland species and it's very possible to see 150 species in one day. Other birds in the surrounding area include Painted Snipe, Indian Skimmer and Black-belied Tern. The second part of the tour sees us heading north to Corbett which is a biodiversity hotspot with a rich variety of mammals and birds which at this time of year include Ibisbill, Wallcreeper, Himalayan Rubythroat, Nepal Cupwing and a large number of woodpeckers (including Great Slaty Woodpecker and raptors such as Pallas's Fish Eagle and Collared Falconet. Finally we leave the heat behind and head into the Himalayan foothills where we'll encounter a whole new range of birds once again. We'll venture out early morning to look for Koklass Pheasant as well as Hill Partridge when we also have chance of catching up with birds that have moved out of the high mountains to winter in the area such as Altai Accentor and Spot-winged Grosbeak. Many other exciting birds occur in the region and we'll seek out Golden Bush Robin, Long-billed Thrush and Chestnut-headed Tesia, to name just a few. The last hotel also has a privaye feeding station where any keen photographers will get the chance to photograph various laughingthrushes and pheasants with over 30 different species regularly visiting.

This comprehensive and exciting tour takes you to some of the best birding and wildlife destinations in this region of Northern India.

Short list of key species: Bengal Tiger, Indian Elephant, Nilgai, Sambar Deer, Chital, Gharial, Mugger Croccodile and many more including possible Sloth Bear and Leopard (to name a few). Indian Courser, Ibisbill, Painted Spurfowl, Koklass Pheasant, Cheer Pheasant, Hill Partridge, Black-necked Stork, Black Bittern, Collared Falconet, Pallas's Fishing Eagle, Bearded Vulture, Himalayan Vulture, Inidan Spotted Eagle, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Sarus Crane, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Painted Snipe, River Tern, Black-bellied Tern, Indian Scops Owl, Dusky Eagle Owl, Indian Bush Lark, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Nepal (Immaculate) Cupwing, Black-chinned Babbler, Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush, Wallcreeper, Long-billed Thrush, Himalayan Rubythroat, Himalayan Bluetail, Mrs' Gould's Sunbird and many more.

Please contact me for a full itinerary if you're interested in coming on this trip.

Dates: 29th January - 15th February 2025

Cost: £3,400 per person if two sharing (not including flights). £475 single supplement

Price includes: 17 nights accommodation, all meals and transport throughout the tour. British and Indian guides througout the trip.

Accommodation: We'll be staying in comfortable hotels throughout the tour (more details are available on the itinerary on request).

Group size: 12 (maximum); minimum of 6 for tour to go ahead

Booking: Please email: steveduffield70@gmail.com

Where to meet: You will be met at Delhi airport on arrival