Day 1: Arrival in Delhi
Arrivals into Delhi airport today. Today is a dedicated arrivals day, kept free to accommodate various international flight schedules, and arrival may be at any time. For those arriving early this morning, it may be possible to arrange some introductory pre-tour birding in Delhi (at extra cost).
Day 2-3: Delhi to Tal Chhapar
We will set out early this morning, driving southwest into Rajasthan with time for some roadside birding as we head to Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary for a two-night stay. We will spend the afternoon and following full day exploring the tropical savannah and thorn scrub of Tal Chhapar in search of specialities of grassland and acacia. In this valuable remnant of a once widespread habitat we will look for Indian Courser, Great Grey, Bay-backed and Isabelline Shrikes, Variable, Isabelline and Desert Wheatears, Greater Short-toed, Rufous-tailed and Bimaculated Larks, abundant birds of prey with highlights including Laggar and Red-necked Falcons, and Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers. Our main target here will be the localised endemic Indian Spotted Creeper, and we are also likely to encounter the distinctive endemic antelope Blackbuck.
Day 4: Tal Chhapar to Bikaner and Jaisalmer
A pre-dawn start this morning takes us northwest to the outskirts of Bikaner to search the area around Jorbeer rubbish dump for flocks of the declining and localised Yellow-eyed Pigeon which winters here in good numbers. We will also encounter a selection of Aquila eagles dominated by Steppe Eagle, together with the ubiquitous Black Kites, Egyptian Vulture, and a good selection of dryland birds. Later this morning we will continue our journey southwest to the village of Khichan, where we will spend the night.
Day 5: Khichan to Jaisalmer and Desert National Park
This morning we will linger around Khichan to witness the extraordinary spectacle of up to 8,000 Demoiselle Cranes congregating noisily to feed on grain provided at a feeding station by the local community. Later this morning, as the cranes disperse to spend the day feeding in surrounding fields, we will make our way to the desert town of Jaisalmer, close to India’s border with Pakistan, for a three-night stay. Jaisalmer will be our base for exploring Desert National Park, and we will arrive with time for a first visit into the reserve.
Days 6-7: Desert National Park
Jaisalmer will be our base for exploring this eastern corner of the Thar Desert in Desert National Park over these further two days. Our priority here will be finding the magnificent Great Indian Bustard, which so sadly faces imminent extinction. Desert National Park is its final stronghold, and we will make every attempt to see this incredible bird during our stay. We will no doubt also encounter an exciting selection of unequivocal desert species here, possibilities including Asian Houbara, Cream-coloured Courser, White-browed (Stoliczka’s) Bushchat, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Desert Lark, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Rufous-fronted and Delicate Prinias, Striolated Bunting, Spanish and occasional Sind Sparrows, and Trumpeter Finch, as well as the impressive Imperial Eagle, up to five species of vulture, the delightful Indian Desert Jird, Desert Monitor and Hardwicke's Spiny-tailed Lizard.
Day 8: Jaisalmer to Mount Abu
Today we will leave the desert behind us, travelling south through Rajasthan and eventually climbing to 1220m in the Aravalli Hills to Mount Abu for an overnight stay. Although mostly a travel day with a long distance to cover, we will find time this afternoon to search open fields and scrub jungle for the localised subcontinent endemic Green Avadavat. These hills contrast starkly with the arid lands we have passed through and we can expect several new birds in this new habitat, perhaps Indian Scimitar Babbler, Tawny-bellied and Yellow-eyed Babblers, White-eared Bulbul, Sulphur-bellied and Hume's Warblers, White-capped and Crested Buntings, Red Spurfowl and Grey Junglefowl.
Day 9: Mount Abu to Dasada, Little Rann of Kutch
We will leave Mount Abu by mid-morning on day 9, making our way southwest to Dasada for a two-night stay. On the fringes of the Little Rann of Kutch, this will be our base for exploring an immense region of saline flats by open-topped jeep(s), where birds are concentrated in salt-free ‘islands’ of higher ground, peripheral scrub and vast seasonal wetlands that simply teem with waterbirds in winter. Today, are likely to spend the afternoon at some of these productive wetland areas including nearby Bajana Creek, where we can expect spectacular numbers of Sarus and Common Cranes, Painted and Woolly-necked Storks, Black-headed, Red-naped and Glossy Ibis, both Lesser and Greater Flamingos, Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans, and huge congregations of various waterfowl.
Day 10: Dasada and the Little Rann of Kutch
We will spend today in the Little Rann of Kutch enjoying a superb selection of species that may include wintering MacQueen’s Bustard, Eastern Orphean, Syke's and Paddyfield Warblers, Crested Lark, Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin, Blue capped Rock Thrush, Baya Weaver, Citrine Wagtail, Small Buttonquail, and Pallid Scops Owl. No doubt we will also revisit nearby wetlands, perhaps adding White-tailed and Yellow-wattled Lapwings, Collared, Oriental and Small Pratincoles, White and Black Storks, Asian Openbill, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Spot-billed Pelican, Knob-billed Duck, Lesser Whistling-Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Gull-billed and River Terns, Black-winged Stilt, and Marsh Sandpiper. Besides the diversity of birds we will also encounter groups of Asiatic Wild Ass in the vastness of the Rann proper, with Jungle Cat, Asiatic Wildcat and 'Desert' Fox all possible here.
Day 11: Dasada to Moti Virani, Kutch
Today will be mostly a travel day as we leave Dasada to make our way west across the Gulf of Kutch to Moti Virani, close to the town of Bhuj in Kutch district for a three-night stay.
Day 12-13: Kutch
On the edge of the salt flats of the Great Rann, the area surrounding Moti Virani comprises vast grasslands, sun-baked alluvial flats and shallow seasonal wetlands, punctuated by rocky outcrops and dry thorn scrub. Over these two full days we will explore these varied habitats on foot and by jeep, looking for a handful of restricted range specialities in this unique habitat at India's extreme western extension. Among our targets here is the monotypic Hypocolius, a Middle Eastern species that visits the Kutch area in winter to feed on the fruits of the native 'toothbrush tree'. We will also be looking for Persian (Red-tailed) Wheatear, White-tailed (Marshall’s) Iora, White-naped Tit, the scarce and nomadic White-bellied Minivet, Sirkeer Malkoha, Black Francolin, Rock Bush-Quail, Barred Buttonquail, Red-headed Falcon, Merlin, Tawny Eagle, the critically endangered Indian Vulture, Sykes’s Nightjar and Rock Eagle-Owl. as well as the small numbers of Sociable Plover that overwinter in this region. Grasslands host Asian Desert Warbler, the 'Desert' form of Lesser Whitethroat, Grey-necked and occasional Ortolan Buntings, and up to four species of sandgrouse with the chance of wintering Black-belllied and Spotted alongside resident Chestnut-bellied and Painted. Further afield we will scan sandy beaches and mudflats along the coast hoping to find the striking Crab Plover, Tibetan (Lesser) Sand Plover and Terek Sandpiper. We also have a further (though increasingly slim) chance of Great Indian Bustard nearby if it has eluded us in Jaisalmer.
Day 14: Moti Virani to Jamnagar and Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary
This morning, we will drive back east across the Gulf of Kutch before turning south parallel to its southern shore as we head to the town of Jamnagar for the night. Although our final plans for this afternoon and tomorrow morning will depend on tide times, we are most likely to visit Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, and impressive reserve that brings together a large freshwater wetland with a wide expanse of tidal marshes and mud flats. We can expect a rich selection of waterbirds here, including Black-necked Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Pacific Golden and Grey Plovers, Black-winged Stilt, Black-crowned Night-heron, Oriental Darter and River Tern, with the chance of Indian Skimmer.
Day 15: Jamnagar and Narara to Ahmedabad
This morning we will visit Narara Bet for access to the shores of the Gulf of Kutch. The intertidal zone of this incredibly rich marine habitat hosts a selection of shorebirds, including good numbers of the striking Crab Plover, alongside Greater Sand-Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Broad-billed and Curlew Sandpipers, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, and the occasional Great Knot. We can also expect a selection of gulls and terns, such as Caspian, Black-bellied, Whiskered, Gull-billed, and Lesser Crested Terns, and Pallas's and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, as well as Osprey and Pallas’s Fish-Eagle. Later in the day, we will drive to the city of Ahmedabad for the night.
Day 16: Depart Ahmedabad
Departures from Ahmedabad airport today or continue with post-tour extension.
Post-tour extension: Asiatic Lion, Blackbuck & Harriers
Post-tour Extension Day 1-2: Ahmedabad to Velavadar National Park
Our tour extension begins in Ahmedabad on day 1 (day 16 of main tour). From here, we will drive southwest to Velavadar National Park for a two night stay. We will spend the afternoon and following day exploring the park’s extensive tropical savannah grasslands from open-topped jeep(s). Besides a good population of the distinctive endemic Blackbuck, Velavadar hosts a variety of mammals including Nilgai and Jungle Cat. It is also among the best sites in India to see Indian Wolf and Striped Hyaena, and we will make every effort to locate these elusive mammals here. Velavadar's grasslands are also home to a sizeable harrier roost, and we will enjoy good numbers of Eurasian Marsh, Pallid, Montagu’s and smaller numbers of Hen Harriers as they congregate at dusk. We will also have a second chance here to enjoy some of the grassland specialities we should have already seen during the main tour, in particular White-browed (Stoliczka’s) Bushchat, various wheatears and Sykes’s Lark, as well as various waterbirds in seasonal wetlands.
Day 3: Velavadar to Gir National Park
After a final morning safari at Velavadar, we leave on the journey southwest to Gir National Park in the southern part of Gujarat’s Kathiawar peninsular for a two-night stay. The flat drylands and scrub that dominate much of Gujarat will gradually develop into one of the world’s largest tracts of dry deciduous woodland as the terrain becomes increasingly undulating, and some birding along the way may turn up some new species not seen during the main tour. Gir is the final refuge of the highly endangered Asiatic Lion which will be our target here; we will arrive at Gir by evening, ready for our first safari in open-topped jeep(s) into the reserve tomorrow.
Day 4: Gir National Park
Spend the day exploring Gir National Park during morning and afternoon safaris. Besides Asiatic Lion, the park also hosts a high concentration of Leopard and an abundance of herbivores including Chinkara (Indian Gazelle) and Chousingha (Four-horned Antelope). The forests are interspersed with grasslands and dissected by rivers, with the varied terrain supporting a diverse avifauna. Many of the species we see at Gir will not have been seen on the main tour, key among them including Mottled Wood-Owl, Crested Hawk-Eagle, Brown Fish-Owl, Indian Paradise Flycatcher and Black-headed Cuckooshrike.
Day 5: Gir to Rajkot, depart
After a final morning safari at Gir, we leave on the drive to Rajkot. Departures from Rajkot this evening.
