Flora & Fauna Field Tour
Northern India
Tour Itinerary
Nov. 1 -19, 2010
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Brief introduction of the trip This
three week tour to Northern India provides the best opportunity to visit the
ancient Indian Culture and see the country's birds, and mammals. It
alsol provids an opportunity to visit three of the most famous and major cities of
Northern India, known as Golden triangle: Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, . The
whole tour is well focused on birding by providing the best
opportunity to visit the three most beautiful National Parks of India. Delhi:
This is the capital of India and is divided into the old and new. The old
Delhi was established by Mughal Emperors while New Delhi was designed by
the British Government. The India Gate: This is a great memorial for eighteen thousand soldiers, who died in First world war. It was built by the British Govt. after the war. Agra: Visit the TAJ MAHAL, one of the wonder of the world. This is a great memory of love, built by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, in the 17th century in memory of his wife. Red
fort: is a beautiful
and impressive fort in Northern India, built by the Mughals. The
Keola Deo National Park Bharatpur: In India they call this paradise on the Earth.
You will find that this is the finest bird sanctuary in the
world. About 400 species of birds and about 27 types of mammals have
been recorded in only 29 square kilometers. Ranthambore
National Park: (Under the Tiger Project) This is one of the best habitat for
tigers, leopards, and Sloth Bears, and more than 30 species of mammals have been recorded, including the Sambar
and spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Blue Bull and Indian Gazells ( Chinkara
Antilopes) and Common Langur (Hanuman Monkey). Rhesus Macaques are
commonly seen. The Corbett National Park: (Tiger Project) This is one of the first national parks of India, with the richest habitat for the tigers, leopards, wild elephants, Himalayan Black Bear and Sloth Bears. Over 50 species of mammals, more than 570 birds and 25 species of reptiles have been recorded in Corbett, including crocodile and alligators (Gharial). You will see more during this trip than you can anticipate.
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Oriental Magpie Robin |
Bengal Tiger |
Ibisbill |
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Wallcreeper |
Lammergeir |
Sarus Crane |
| Day
1: Arrive New Delhi
: Transfers from Airport to
Hotel Ashok Country Resort
or similar. |
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| Day
2: Morning
is for leisure. afternoon - City tour of
New and Old Delhi, visits to the House of Parliament, President House, India
Gate .
Then take the train Janshatabdi to Ranthambore at 1.10 pm,
arriving Ranthambore at 6 pm., then transfer to hotel, check in to Tiger
Den Resort.
The birds commonly seen in Delhi.
Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black kite, Asian Pied Starling, Common and Bank
Myna, Red-vented Bulbul, Rock Dove, Red Wattled Lapwing, Collared and
Laughing Dove, Brown headed and Coppersmith Barbets, Yellow- Footed
Green Pigeon, White throated Kingfisher, and several types of Wagtails
are also possible. |
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Day 3 : Ranthambhore : Early excursion to the park by open jeep, to look especially tigers and leopard and Sloth Bears. Other Mammals
: Our Target birds will be
: Long-billed and Red-headed Vultures, Painted Spurfowl, Jungle Bush
Quail, Plum-headed Parakeet, White bellied Drongo, Marshalls, Iora,
White-browed Fantail, White-napped woodpeckers, Stork-billed Kingfisher,
Brown-fish Owl, and Short-toed Eagle. |
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Day
4 : Ranthambhore : Target birds are:
Sarus and Demoiselle Cranes, Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans, Great
Thick knee, Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, Small Pratincole.
Pallas's Gull, Indian River and Whiskered Turns, and Indian
Skimmers. |
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5 : Ranthambhore / Bharatpur :
AM : Visit the park by jeep
or by canter (a bigger vehicle) if the tiger was not seen yesterday or
birding around the resort to look for Painted and Chestnut-belled
Sandgrouses, Indian Bush Lark, Rufous-fronted Prinia, long-billed
Pipit, Indian Courser, Variable Wheatear and Desert Wheatear. Later on,
we drive to Bharatpur, check into hotel Kadamb
Kunj Resort or Udai Villas Palace. |
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Day
6-8 : Bharatpur : We will have two full days of birding in Keoladeo National Park and one full day at Bundh Baretha. Bharatpur is a
great birding place in India where participants will feel like home.
Hundred of birds can be seen each day. Target Birds
: Dusky Eagle Owl, Collared Scops Owl. Brown hawk owl, Long-tailed
Nightjar, Orange headed Thrush, Imperial, Lesser and Greater Spotted
Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, and Black Bittern, Purple Heron, Pintail Snipe,
Blue-throat, Brown Crake, Greater Painted Snipe and White-tailed
lapwing, Baya, Black-throated Weaver and Streaked Weaver, White-eared
Bulbul and Wire tailed Swallows and lots more. |
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Day
9 : Bharatpur / Agra/
Bharatpur : AM
Drive to Agra (about an hour drive by car) visit the TAJ MAHAL and Red Fort of Agra, time for shopping, then back
to Bharatpur. This is not a
serious day for birding, but booted Eagle and Black Ibis will be our
target. PM:
Visit the Indian Village, perhaps you will have dinner with an Indian
Family. |
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10 : Bharatpur / Fort Uncha Gaon: AM, Drive to Corbett NP, stay at For Uncha Gaon to avoid the longer
drive (This is an old fort, built by Jat Maharajas in the olden days before
freedom, recently converted into a hotel) and providing good opportunity for
birding. |
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11 : Fort/ Claridges : AM,
drive to Corbett Park, stopping at the holy Ganges
river, and to look for River Dolphin.
Several types of gulls and terns can be seen. Indian
Skimmers are also possible. The we continue the drive to Corbett, checking into Claridges Hide-away Resort. |
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Day
12 : Claridges/Nainital : The target
birds are : Oriental Pied and Great Hornbills, Black Stork, Jungle
Owlet, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Black hooded oriole, long tailed and
Scarlet Minivets, Kalij Pheasant, Red Jungle Fowl, Lesser and Greater
Yellow- Nape, Streak - throated Woodpeckers,
Lineated Barbet, Rock and White capped Buntings, Barking Deer (Muntjac)
will be new for us. PM,
Drive to Nainital, stopping to bird at Kosi river and to look for Ibisbill
and wallcreepers, We will visit the Jim Corbett Museum on
the way, and check into Vikram
Vintage Inn. |
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Day
13 &14: Nainital : We
will have two full days of birding in different areas, including Sat
Tal, Mongoli Valley, Snow
view Point and Pangot. We will have a great opportunity to see the high attitude birds,
including several types of thrushes and Laughing Thrushes, Tits, Tree
creeper, more than ten species of Flycatchers, Mrs Gould's Sunbirds,
Crimson Sunbird, and several types of Woodpeckers. Target birds are
: Rufous-breasted and Black-throated accentors, Rusty-Checked
Scimitar and Black-chinned Babblers, Orange-flanked Bush Robin, Blue-fronted Red Start, Blue-capped Red Start, Chestnut-bellied,
White-tailed and Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Black-throated, Black-lored,
spot winged Tits, Buff-barred, Lemon-rumped, Hume's Golden-spectacled.
Warblers. Red-billed Leiothrix, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker,
Yellow-breasted Green Finch. Rufous Sibia, Grey-headed Parakeet,
Yellow-bellied and White-throated Fantail. Black Eagle. Mountain Hawk
Eagle, Common Buzzard and about six types of vultures can be seen,
including Lammergeir. |
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Day
15: Nainital / Quality Inn : PM, Birding in
Kumeria Reserve Forest or along the Kosi River, look specially for Little
Forktails, Brown Fish and Tawny Fish Owls. |
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Day
16: Quality Inn / Dhikala : PM
: Excursion to the park by jeep, looking especially for birds and tigers in
the Grass land. |
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Day
17: Dhikala : AM + PM, 'Game
Viewing" in the park by jeep. We will enjoy birding all day around the
Dhikala. Target
birds are : Collared
Falconet, common Green Magpie, Lesser and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos,
Small Niltava, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Ashy and Black Bulbuls, Crested
and Pied Kingfisher, Crested Bunting, Zitting and Bright- headed
Cisticolas, Jungle Prinia, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Red breasted
Parakeet, Lessor Coucal, Scaly-bellied, Himalayan Flamback, Grey-Headed
and Great-slaty woodpeckers and lots more. |
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Day
18 : Dhikala / Quality INN
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Day
19 : Quality Inn/ Delhi
: AM drive to Delhi The participants, who are taking the one week extension trip, stay in Delhi Hotel. |
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COST OF THE TRIP (Based on a group of Six/Eight people in
twin sharing room) US $ 2940 per person Single Supplement US $ 650 The
Cost includes : 1. Accommodations with all meals. The
cost does not includes
1.
Tips for porters, who carry your bags in and out of the
hotels
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