India Tigers & Bharatpur

Indian Tiger This fabulous Indian adventure visits two incredibly special areas in the north and centre of the country. Our holiday starts in the bustling city of Delhi with the fabulous Sultanpur Jeel wetlands - famous for their wide variety of bird species in such a small area, along with the fabulous wild cattle - Nilgai. The following day we strike north to one of the world’s most famous wetland reserves - Bharatpur National Park. This 29 km² sanctuary is home to an incredibly varied mix of wildlife including huge numbers of waterbirds, raptors, mammals and reptiles. Sadly in recent years there have been several failed monsoons, which has had an impact on large concentrations, however the diversity of species you can see here in just one day is still very impressive. An absolute must for any visitor to the Indian Sub-Continent.

After this exciting start we slow things down with a sedate boat ride on the Chambal River, which is yet another wildlife experience. On sandbanks you should see close up views of Gharial (a fish-eating crocodile) along with its more widespread cousin the Marsh Crocodile or Mugger. Indian Skimmers patrol up and down, the shores can hold Greater Stone-plover, Small Pratincole or maybe the rare Indian River Tern. All the time watching the skies for Bonelli's Eagle, Egyptian Vulture and Pallas’s Gull..

A holiday to northern India isn’t complete without a visit to the world famous Taj Mahal and this is no exception. This incredible monument incredibly changes colour according to the time of day and strength of the sun. A quick visit to the Yamuna River should yield River Lapwing and Ruddy Shelduck whilst Small Indian Mongoose can be observed in the grounds.

Now it is time to head south to the central forests of the Kanha natural park, and an exciting overnight sleeper train journey will ensure we get there refreshed and ready for our next four days.

Kanha is a beautiful natural park with many open, grassy meadows surrounded by forest. These meadows, or maidans, are the result of long-abandoned cultivations and now teem with wildlife and its here you have a very good chance of seeing the magnificent Bengal Tiger. This ultimate jungle predator shares its home with many other sought-after mammals - Sloth Bear, Wild Dog and Leopard included but these can be difficult to see. Surprisingly, Swamp Deer occur here, a rare sub-species adapted to living on drier ground. Bee-eaters and Rollers swoop above the grass to catch insects disturbed by the deer. The forest is alive with songs and calls of orioles and barbets, Jungle Fowl and Peacocks. As night falls the owls and nightjars will test your sound-identification skills. This really is Kipling country; it's likely he found inspiration for his Jungle Book here or in the nearby forests of Pench Tiger Reserve.

Day 1:- Overnight flight from a London Heathrow.

Day 2:- Arrive Delhi in the morning. If we arrive early enough we might be able to arrange a visit to the Sultanpur Jeel wetlands that first afternoon. These seasonal lakes can be fabulous for waterbirds and an excellent way to start our Indian adventure. This will be confirmed nearer the time. Night in Delhi

Day 3:- After an early breakfast we will drive to Bharatpur, a journey of approximately five hours stopping en-route to check a couple of sites for species such as Long-tailed Shrike, Little Green Bee-eater, Ashy & Plain Prinias. Eventually we reach the town of Bharatpur, check into the hotel, have lunch and then spend the rest of the afternoon with our experienced Indian guide birdwatching around the town looking for Brown Hawk Owl, Greater Painted Snipe and Yellow-wattled Lapwing.

Day 4:- Today will be one of the highlight's of the holiday at the world famous Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, also known as Keoladeo National Park. We shall hire a rickshaw for the day to give everyone a chance of a rest from walking through this extensive reserve. During our time and subject to water levels, we should hope to see Sarus Crane, Painted Stork, Red-naped Ibis, Spot-billed Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Bronze-winged Jacana, Greater Spotted Eagle and many other species, in addition to those mentioned above. At least three species of owl can be seen in scrub/forest areas and along the tracks; Dusky Eagle Owl, Spotted Owlet and Collared Scops Owl plus Long-tailed Nightjar, Black-rumped Flameback, Siberian Rubythroat and Orange-headed Thrush. Mammals could included Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer and Indian Mongoose. Night in Bharatpur.

Day 5:- After breakfast we take another rickshaw ride into Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary with your guide to explore more wetland areas and possibly the vast grasslands at the far side.We will be looking for the enigmatic Indian Silverbill, plus larks, pipits and the vividly coloured Red Avadavat. We expect to see some mammals too, including Nilgai and Golden Jackal. The afternoon we drive about 30Km out of town to an area of agricultural fields and open grassland looking for the fabulous Indian Courser. If we happen to find some of these gorgeous waders then excellent views should be afforded as they are quite tolerant of human activity. Night in Bharatpur.

Day 6:- An early breakfast we’ll leave with our luggage and head for the River Chambal at Dholpur for a boat ride. The journey should take around 1½ hours and when we arrive at the river we will board a small motor boat and our adventure begins. Target species for us include the charismatic and very localised Indian Skimmer, Small Pratincole, Greater Stoneplover, Indian River & Black-bellied Terns, River Lapwing, various larks, pipits and perhaps even Bonelli's Eagle. In addition you should get close views of Gharial (a scarce fish-eating crocodile) along with its more widespread cousin the Marsh Crocodile (Mugger) and if you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of the rare Ganges Fresh River Dolphin. You are sure to enjoy this interesting and fabulous boat trip.

After lunch along side the river you’ll be taken to Agra (another 1½ hours drive) to visit the world famous Taj Mahal - an absolute must for an one visiting central India. It is breath-taking. We will be spending about 2-3 hours there, which will be plenty of time to see the mausoleum and Red Fort as well as a stroll around the grounds. Departing we drive through to Agra train station and ready ourselves for a night on an 1st class, air-conditioned sleeper. The adventure continues into the night as we will provided you with a packed dinner to enjoy on the train along as the train rumbles on. Night between Agra and Jabalphur.

Day 7:- Arrive at Jabalpur station around 8am where you will be met on the station platform by our driver who will duly take us for breakfast at the luxurious Hotel Jackson in Jabalapur. We will then be driven (approx. 4 hours) to Kanha and check into the sumptious Earth Lodge on the edge of the National Reserve. We have lunch and then enjoy an easy afternoon birding around the resort with your second Indian wildlife guide, who is intimate with the area. Expect to see Golden-fronted Leafbird, Coppersmith Barbet, Indian Grey Hornbill, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker and Common Langur to name just a few candidate species. Night at the excellent Earth Lodge.

Days 8 - 11 :- Enjoy the splendour of Kanha National Park on morning and afternoon safaris each day. Although one of our mornings will be spent exploring the area around the lodge, with the option to go back to the park, subject to availability (& payable locally). Home to the ultimate jungle predator, the Bengal Tiger, close-up views of this, the most majestic of the big cats is an unforgettable life-time experience. As well as Tiger, Kanha is an excellent place for Gaur, Swamp Deer, Wild Dog and Jungle Cat. Sloth Bear and Leopard are occasionally seen, but require more luck! You’ll explore a network of trails by jeep through the dry open forests and meadows (referred to as maidans) of the Maikal Hills. Your guides will be looking for fresh Tiger pug marks along the tracks and listening for the alarm calls of Sambar and Spotted Deer as well as other inhabitants of the forest, like the Langur Monkeys. When you hear those alarm calls the feeling of excitement is quite indescribable and that’s before you even see a Tiger! Whilst it would be inappropriate to guarantee a sighting of any wild animal, your chances of seeing Tiger here are high. When a Tiger is located in cover away from the trails, it is often possible to transfer from your jeep to an elephant to increase your chance of a close encounter.

This tour is not all about Tigers, as Kanha is bursting with biodiversity and boasts an impressive bird and mammal list.

Birds abound and species include some rather gaudy unforgettable ones like Scarlet Minivet, Red Avadavat, Orange-headed Thrush, Verditer Flycatcher and Plum-headed Parakeet. Species come in all shapes and sizes, from the elegant Asian Paradise-flycatcher and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo to the rather ugly yet eclectic Lesser Adjutant stork and the impressive Changeable Hawk-eagle. Silhouetted against the sky hornbills are prominent with both Indian Grey and Malabar Pied possible, the latter of which is near-threatened. As you turn a corner you might come across Red Spurfowl or Red Junglefowl along one of the forest trails. And the list continues….

.......however, if we have seen Bengal Tiger and most other mammals and birds we may use our jeep to explore some of the areas outside of the park.

Day 12:- Spend a final few hours (early morning) around the lodge area (on foot) or just enjoying the view. Then later in the morning we will be taken to Nagpur Airport (5 ½ hours) to check in for an early evening flight back to Delhi. On arrival in Delhi we’ll collect our bags and will head for our last meal at a hotel near the airport before checking in for our international flight home.

Day 13:- Flight departs Delhi.

What's been said...

Norman says : Loved the trip. Julian is an excellent guide and when you add in another exceptional local bird guides the whole experience is fantastic. I think I had my best ever day's wildlife watching at Bharatpur NP, and I have had a few over the years, not to mention the wonderful Tiger moments - I shall always remember - AND it was so much fun.

Chris says : The holiday was fantastic. I think riding in a rickshaw is the way birdwatching should be done all the time! The places and the guides were excellent. Tiger was something I thought I might never see and when we did I felt like I was a wildlife presenter, which is a magical memory that will stay forever. We went to some great places with so much to see and lots of fun.

N & P Haynes (Feb 2012)

Sorry this is a bit late coming in! I only do email under extreme duress. We had a brilliant trip. Ken was a superb guide -- ably supported by Ganesh and Rahim (our jeep driver) and I gather that the other driver was excellent too? As well as the Tigers at Kanha our extension to Chambal River and Agra was fabulous too and will definitely be booking another trip next year.

J & F Allcock (March 2011)

I greatly enjoyed the trip - Tiger, Leopard, Indian Wild Dog, deer, etc, together with super birding. Our accommodation at the Earth Lodge was excellent and my thanks indeed to Ken for looking after the group so well. It was fabulous.

P Cheesman (March 2011)