The Endangered Species of The Indian Scrub and Thar Desert

Meals: on own
Accommodation: Hotel Shanti Palace

Your adventure begins as you touch down in New Delhi. You will be met at the airport by our representative and transferred to the hotel. You have the evening free for sightseeing or shopping, or just to rest. You may ask us for tours (optional) covering various monument sites, museums, bird watching habitats, tourist market, food joints, theatre, performance venue etc.

Overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Umaid Bhawan

After an early breakfast, we will check out and drive to Sultanpur National Park for a half day of birding, and then continue to Jaipur. We will arrive in Jaipur by late evening.

Overnight stay

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Forest Rest House

Today, we have a morning safari in Jhalana. Not only is Jhalana home to a dense population of leopards and deer, but is also an ideal birding destination, with species like Jacobin Cuckoo, Indian Pitta, Jungle Nightjar, and more calling it home. After our safari, we will check out and travel to our next destination, Tal Chapper, from where we enter the desert habitats and concentrate on some of the real specialties of this tour.

Overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Forest Rest House

We have the full day to explore the grassland sanctuary of Tal Chapper. Once the hunting ground of the Maharaja of Bikaner, this small protected area has a large population of Blackbuck and Chinkara, and a very impressive list of birds. These include Indian Eagle-Owl, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, White-eyed Buzzard, Laggar Falcon, large flocks of the declining Yellow-eyed Pigeon, Indian Spotted Creeper, Rufous-tailed and Great Grey Shrikes, huge mixed flocks of Greater Short-toed and Bimaculated Larks, and Water and Buff-bellied Pipits.

Overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Lal Garh Palace

We have another morning session of birding in Tal Chapper to look for targets. At 0900hrs, we will leave for Bikaner. We can spend the rest of the day birdwatching in the Jorbeer Conservation Reserve, where you can enjoy close views of the largest congregations of raptors to be found in India. Hundreds of Himalayan, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures gather here, joined by equally large numbers of Steppe Eagle, Black-eared Kite, and smaller numbers of Tawny and Eastern Imperial Eagles, with the chance of something rarer such as White-tailed Eagle or Saker Falcon, both of which have wintered in recent years. It is also fascinating to see birds such as Hoopoes feeding amongst the dumped cattle carcasses.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Paddav LC

In the morning, we will check out, and travel to Kheechan, which is famous for its wintering flock of several thousand Demoiselle Cranes. For years the villagers have put out grain, as much as 500 kg per day, for the cranes. The morning feeding time provides an amazing sight and sound. In the afternoon, we will leave this spectacle and move on the city of Jaisalmer, and Desert National Park, where we will arrive by evening.

Overnight stay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Paddav LC

We have a full day of birding today to explore the very unique Desert National Park. This is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Great Indian Bustard, now sadly reduced to a population of less than 200 birds and with a real risk of extinction during our lifetimes.

Overnight stay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Paddav LC

We have another full day of birding today in Desert National Park to look for more targets. Aside from the bustard, there are several specialities to find here, including many raptors, Spotted and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Cream-coloured Courser, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Desert Lark, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, the little-known White-browed (Stoliczka’s) Bush Chat, Red-tailed Wheatear, Plain Leaf Warbler, and Trumpeter Finch.

Overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Siana Camp

From Jaisalmer, we head to Siana, a small village lying where the desert begins to merge into the rugged Aravalli Hills. Siana is surrounded by dry plains and rocky outcrops, as well as patches of scrub jungle. This mosaic of habitats supports a good diversity of birds. Siana is also home to a healthy population of leopards.

Overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Sunset Inn

After an early breakfast, we will check out and get ready for a long drive to Abu Road, where we will arrive in the late afternoon. We will spend the evening birding to look for targets. The most sought-after species here is the Green Avadavat, a munia whose range has been restricted to Mount Abu after the pet trade diminished its numbers.

Overnight stay

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Shanti Palace

After some final birding in the Mount Abu, we drive east to Udaipur for our afternoon flight back to Delhi.

Overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: None

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.