Bird Watching in India (Endangered Bird Route)

Duration- 8 Nights / 9 Days

Places- Delhi-Kaziranga-Nameri-Delhi

Mode of Transportation- Flight & Land transportation

Meals- All meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Tour Manager- Available at your service right from your arrival till departure

Inclusions- All inclusive except expense of personal nature like laundry, entry fee of camera etcetera

This short, standalone tour goes to the Indian state of Assam, home to two magnificent national parks for us to visit. In fact, the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River here are considered one of the most biologically diverse areas in all of India, and a great bird-and-wildlife-filled trip will be in the cards.

Looking for some difficult yet highly prized species in and around the wondrous Kaziranga National Park, such as Bengal Florican, Greater Adjutant, Blue-naped Pitta, Indian Grassbird, and Swamp Francolin. After three full days here, we will continue our travels through the beautiful, undisturbed wilderness of the Himalayan foothills to Nameri National Park, where we will have two full days exploring. This area protects numerous species, and here we will look for special birds such as White-winged Duck, Ibisbill, and Greater Adjutant. Once we have finished here we will head back to Guwahati, where this short but exhilarating trip will conclude.

This trip will also offer fantastic opportunities of some of India’s major mammals and reptiles such as Greater One-horned (Indian) Rhinoceros (the only place in the world where this species can be seen reliably), Asian Elephant, Barasingha (Swamp Deer), Gaur, Wild Water Buffalo, Indian Leopard, Western Hoolock Gibbon, Ganges River Dolphin, and Gharial, along with plenty of more common and widespread species. With luck we may even find Bengal Tiger or Clouded Leopard, either one sure to be yet another highlight.

Day 1– Arrival Delhi

A very warm welcome to India’s capital city!!! Upon arrival you will be welcomed by your English speaking tour manager and chauffer. Tour manager will help you with hotel check in and discuss the tour details. Depending upon your flight timings local excursions can be planned for the day.

Today’s Excursion- It can be discussed and planned as per your arrival in Delhi

Night Stay- Delhi

Day 2– Delhi to Guwahati (Flight / 2:30 hours) to Kaziranga National Park (125 miles / 4 hours)

The day will start very early today when we leave for Delhi Airport to board flight to Guwahati. Upon arrival at Guwahati, we will be transferred to Kaziranga National Park.

Evening at Kaziranga is at leisure

Night Stay- Kaziranga

Day 3 to Day 5– Kaziranga National Park

We will have three full days to explore this fascinating and exciting national park, where we will take jeep safaris to travel around. Our visit in and around this national park is sure to be a very interesting, bird-and-wildlife-packed time. Some very special birds are possible during our stay here.

Watch for the Day- Bengal Florican, Greater Adjutant, Blue-naped Pitta, Indian grassbird, Swamp Francolin, Spot-billed Pelican, and Pallas’s Fish Eagle.

There are plenty of other birds for which we will keep our eyes open as we make our way through various open grasslands and wetlands.

Other Birds-Black-necked Stork, Painted Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Black Stork, Asian Openbill, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Bar-headed Goose, Grey-headed Lapwing, AlexandrineParakeet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Zitting Cisticola, Chestnut Munia, Red Avadavat, Bengal Bush Lark, Finn’s Weaver, Baya Weaver, Streaked Weaver, Black-breasted Weaver, and Spot-winged Starling

Birds around scrubby and wooded areas- Siberian Rubythroat, Common Green Magpie, Kalij Pheasant, Red Junglefowl, Common Emerald Dove, White-rumped Shama, Rufous Woodpecker, Grey-headed (Black-naped) Woodpecker, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Speckled Piculet, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Maroon Oriole, Blue-eared Barbet, Great Barbet, Verditer Flycatcher, and Smoky Warbler.

Mammals- Greater One-horned (Indian) Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, Gaur, Wild Water Buffalo, Barasingha (Swamp Deer), Sloth Bear, Western Hoolock Gibbon. Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Jungle Cat, and Fishing Cat, or Leopard Cat.

Endangered Species- Gharial and Ganges River Dolphin

Night Stay- Kaziranga

Day 6– Kaziranga National Park to Nameri National Park (55 miles / 2:30 hours)

We will leave the Kaziranga National Park area after a final early-morning bird-and-wildlife-watching session before commencing our journey to Nameri National Park, where we will be based for the next three nights. If we have time, we will start birding here in the afternoon to make a start on some of the possible highlights of the area. Great Hornbill and Red-breasted Parakeet are occasionally around our accommodation, so we will be on the lookout for those.

Night Stay- Nameri

 Day 7 to Day 8– Nameri National Park

Nameri National Park is a gorgeous, undulating wilderness area in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. A large proportion of the national park area is made up of swamp forest, interspersed with areas of open grassland split up by many river tributaries.

Endangered Bird- White-winged Duck- Nameri is one of the best places in the world to try to find the rare, highly elusive, and Endangered White-winged Duck.

Other Birds- Greater Adjutant, Green Cochoa, Long-tailed Broadbill, Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Pied Falconet, Pied Harrier, Oriental Hobby, White-browed Piculet, Grey-bellied Tesia, Pale-chinned Blue Flycatcher, and Black-backed Forktail, and we will make sure to try to find as many of these as possible.

On one day we will take a boat/raft ride along the river, where we could find the monotypic and highly sought Ibisbill along with exciting species such as Small Pratincole, River Tern, River Lapwing, Great Stone-curlew, Sand Lark, Bengal Bush Lark, Striated Grassbird, and the huge Crested Kingfisher.

Night Stay- Nameri

Day 9– Nameri National Park to Guwahati (135 miles / 5 hours) to Delhi (Flight / 2:30 hours)

Post breakfast we will leave for Guwahati to board our flight to Delhi.

Night stay- Delhi (Depending upon your onward journey)

Note- The itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling.

All meals- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation for 8 Nights / 9 Days

All mode of domestic transportation

All the permits / permissions

Professional Guide

National Park/birdwatching reserve entrance fees and jeep safaris

Raft trip at Nameri

International flight

Travel insurance

Any service / activity not mentioned in Itinerary

Camera Permits

Expense of personal nature like laundry, entry tickets for camera etcetera

Optional tours