Top 10 Endangered Mammals of West, Central and Northeast India in 18 Days

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Shanti Palace or similar

Your adventure begins as you touch down in New Delhi, a centre of civilization for millennia, and now the capital of India! You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. If time permits, perhaps a little birding in Sultanpur National Park can be done to prepare you for the journey ahead. Or maybe take in some of the historical sites like Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, or Lodhi Gardens.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast in Delhi, Lunch and Dinner in Velavadar
Accommodation: Blackbuck Safari Lodge

Start on the first leg of your quest as a flight to Ahmedabad and a 4-hour drive take you to your first destination: Velavadar National Park. 

Created for the conservation of the Blackbuck, Velavadar is a tiny but unique grassland ecosystem. The Indian Wolf and the Golden Jackal are the main predators in the park. 

Other mammals likely to be seen are Bengal Fox, Indian Hare, Indian Desert Gerbil, Jungle Cat, and Blue Bull.

If time permits, you can begin your exploration of Velavadar on this day itself with an afternoon safari.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Velavadar
Accommodation: Blackbuck Safari Lodge

Morning and afternoon guided safaris in Velavadar National Park.

Explore this beautiful wilderness with the help of morning and afternoon safaris. Photograph the beautiful Blackbuck or go in search of the elusive Indian Wolf, all while getting in some quality birdwatching.

Key species: Blackbuck, Jungle Cat, Bengal Fox, Golden Jackal, Striped Hyena, Indian Hare, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, White-eyed Buzzard, White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Grey Francolin, Painted Francolin, Laggar Falcon, Red-necked Falcon, Indian Bush Lark, Singing Bush Lark.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast in Velavadar, Lunch and Dinner in Gir
Accommodation: Gir Birding Lodge

From Velavadar, continue onwards to Gir in the morning (a 6.5-hour drive), last bastion of the mighty Asiatic Lion, where you can take a jeep safari and explore their kingdom. 

These magnificent predators once ruled from western India all the way to eastern Europe but hunting and habitat loss have restricted their habitat to Gir and some of the surrounding areas.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Gir
Accommodation: Gir Birding Lodge

Morning and afternoon safaris in Gir National Park for wildlife viewing and bird watching.

Continue exploring the Lion’s domain, and learn more about the big cat, its fellow forest dwellers, and the unique habitat that it lives in. Apart from being home to this regal predator, Gir is also a delight for birdwatchers. The area hosts a variety of habitats, including forest, grassland, cliffs, and ponds, which play home to a wide variety of bird species both resident and migratory.

Key species: Asiatic Lion, Blue Bull, Marsh Crocodile, Oriental Darter, Western Osprey, Woolly-necked Stork, Mottled Wood Owl, Spotted Owlet, Indian Scops Owl, Oriental Honey Buzzard.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast in Gir, Packed Lunch and Dinner in Little Rann of Kutch
Accommodation: Rann Riders or similar

Morning safari in Gir Lion Sanctuary.

From the home of the Lion, we venture northwards into the region known as the Little Rann of Kutch (a 6-hour drive)

Arrive at Rann Riders in the evening, where you will be staying during this leg of your journey.

Enjoy the place. You will have ample opportunities for photography.

From the home of the Lion, we venture northwards into the region known as Kutch. Once part of an ancient seabed, tectonic forces have pushed this region upwards, creating the unique seasonal saltmarsh you see today, last home of the Indian Wild Ass, a beautiful creature whose conservation is the mission here.

Key species: Indian Wild Ass, Blue Bill, Bengal Fox, Indian Scops Owl, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Common Buzzard, Black Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Sarus Crane, Greater Hoopoe-Lark.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in The Little Rann of Kutch
Accommodation: Rann Riders or similar

Morning and afternoon safaris for wildlife viewing and bird watching.

Explore this amazing and unique landscape with the help of morning and evening safaris. The open landscape, stark stunning vistas, and unique wildlife make for amazing photographic opportunities, made better with the help of a skilled and experienced guide. The bleak desert-like landscape may look incapable of supporting life but look closer and you will be proven wrong. Even here, there are animals and birds uniquely evolved to handle life in a region like this, not to mention many people whose cultures and traditions have been shaped in some way or the other by the harshness of this land.

Key species: Indian Wild Ass, Striped Hyena, Blue Bill, White-footed Fox, Pallid Scops Owl, Steppe Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Common Crane, Greylag Goose, Bar-headed Goose, White-tailed Lapwing, White-eared Bulbul.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast in Rann Riders, Packed Lunch, Dinner in Pench
Accommodation: Tuli Tiger Corridor

After an early morning transfer to Ahmedabad (a 2.5 hour drive), you will take a flight today to Nagpur, and then a drive onwards to Pench National Park (a 3-hour drive).

Today is a day of contrasts. In almost stark contrast to the harsh and desert-like saltmarshes of Kutch, you will travel today to the lush evergreen and deciduous jungles of Central India. From admiring the Asiatic Lion in Gujarat, you will soon be laying eyes on its cousin, the mighty Tiger! This gives you a peek at the diversity in landscapes and wildlife that India has to offer. If time permits, maybe a night safari in search of Indian Wolves can be done. In addition to the wolves, other nocturnal beauties, like the Giant Flying Squirrel or nightjars can be seen.

Key Species: Leopard, Indian Wolf, Sambar, Blue Bull, Giant Flying Squirrel, Jungle Nightar, Spotted Owlet, Indian Scops Owl.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Tuli Tiger Corridor

Morning and evening jeep safaris in Pench National Park will help you search for India’s national animal, the Tiger! But while searching for this King of the Indian jungle, don’t forget to admire his subjects as well. Pench is home to healthy populations of Leopards, Indian Wild Dogs, and Golden Jackals, not to mention the various deer species that can be found here. In addition, the jungles are home to many beautiful birds, from the mighty Changeable Hawk- and Crested Serpent Eagles, to the graceful Indian Nuthatches and Indian Pittas.

Key species: Tiger, Leopard, Blue Bull, Sambar, Indian Wolf, Indian Wild Dog, Golden Jackal, Indian Pitta, Black-hooded Oriole, White-eyed Buzzard, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Indian Vulture, White-rumped Vulture.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Note: Pench National Park remains closed every Wednesday afternoon for safaris

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Tuli Tiger Corridor

Explore the jungle further and get to know about it a little more with the help of another round of morning and evening jeep safaris. Few may know that Pench was the setting of, and one of the inspirations behind, Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’, but looking at the jungle and seeing its creatures, it’s not difficult to imagine. Follow in Mowgli’s footsteps as you look for more tigers, or even just enjoy the feel of the forest as you drive through.

Key species: Tiger, Leopard, Blue bull, Sambar, Indian Wolf, Indian Wild Dog, Golden Jackal, Jungle Nightar, Indian Golden Oriole, White-eyed Buzzard, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch in Pench, Dinner in Tadoba
Accommodation: Wildlife Resort

Morning safari in Pench. Drive to Tadoba after lunch. The largest and oldest national park in the state of Maharashtra, Tadoba is teeming with tigers and Sloth Bears, making it an important destination for every wildlife lover. Arrive at Tadoba in the afternoon and begin your exploration of this place with a session of evening birdwatching in and around your resort. You will have ample opportunities to photograph people, landscapes and birds today.

Key species: Orange-headed Thrush, White-naped Woodpecker, White-eyed Buzzard, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Indian Vulture, White-rumped Vulture, Grey-headed Fish Eagle.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Wildlife Resort

Morning and afternoon drives to locate and photograph the tiger.

Tadoba: named after Taru, the local deity worshipped by the tribes here. The Gond kings once ruled these forests in the vicinity of the Chimur hills, until hunting was banned in 1935, and the area declared a national park in 1955. Follow in the footsteps of these ancient tribes, of whom Taru himself was once said to be a chieftain, as you explore the forest with morning and evening jeep safaris.

Key species: Tiger, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Nilgai, Sambar, Indian Wild Dog, Golden Jackal, Sloth Bear, Black-rumped Flameback, White-eyed Buzzard, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Indian Vulture, White-rumped Vulture, Grey-headed Fish Eagle.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Packed Lunch from Tadoba, Dinner on own
Accommodation: Hotel Pride

Enjoy the morning safari in Tadoba.

Drive to Nagpur airport (a 3-hour drive). Connect the late afternoon flight to Kolkata.

A

rrive in Kolkata in the evening. You will be met and transferred to the hotel.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast in Kolkata, Lunch in Guwahati and Dinner in Kaziranga
Accommodation: Wildlife Resort

Transfer to Kolkata airport in the morning.

Take a flight from Kolkata to Guwahati, in the northeast of India. From Guwahati, a 5-hour drive will take you to Kaziranga National Park, home to 2/3 of the world’s population of One-Horned Rhinoceros. If you are a birdwatcher, there are plenty of birdwatching opportunities en route to whet your appetite.

Key species: Golden Langur, Hog Deer, Greater Adjutant, Lesser Adjutant, Great Hornbill, Long-tailed Shrike, Indochinese Roller.

If you are a bird watcher, you can opt to spot en route for bird watching.

Arrive in Kaziranga in the evening.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Wildlife Resort

Explore the eastern range of Kaziranga with a morning game drive, a great way to introduce you to the birds and animals of the park and continue your exploration with an afternoon drive into the park. 

Not only is Kaziranga home to the One-horned Rhinoceros, but it is also among the top protected areas in the world when it comes to tiger density. In addition, it is home to the gentle giants: Asiatic Elephants, as well as Water Buffaloes. The grasslands and marshy patches, crisscrossed by rivers and dotted with lakes, are ideal for birdwatchers as well.

Key species: One-horned Rhinoceros, Asiatic Elephant, Tiger, Water Buffalo, Swamp Francolin, Slender-billed Vulture, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Great Hornbill, White-tailed Eagle.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Wildlife Resort

Today, you get the opportunity to explore the western range of Kaziranga with a morning game drive, as well as another safari into the park. Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammal species, including the largest populations of One-horned Rhinoceros, Eastern Swamp Deer, and Water Buffalo, as well as being identified by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area.

Key species: One-horned Rhinoceros, Asiatic Elephant, Tiger, Water Buffalo, Swamp Francolin, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, Red-headed Vulture, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Jerdon’s Babbler, Great Hornbill.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Shanti Palace

Today you have the morning at leisure to reflect on the journey of the last two weeks. A quick, early-morning birding session around the resort would be a great way to end your stay at Kaziranga. 

After breakfast, transfer to Guwahati airport (a 5-hour drive) to connect with an afternoon flight back to Delhi, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight stay.
This tour can be customized for you.

Meals: Breakfast

Sadly, all journeys have an end, and this is the conclusion of your magnificent odyssey in search of India’s endangered creatures. 

After breakfast, transfer to Delhi airport to connect to the flight back home.

Tour ends.
This tour can be customized for you.