Blessed with exceptionally various landscapes and surreal surroundings, northern India has each aspect to fulfill the avid wildlife lover with its huge treasure trove of pure sources.
Guests from all around the world are awestruck not solely by the may of the lofty Himalayas and holiness of the river Ganges but additionally by a number of the most spectacular Indian wildlife {that a} wildlife safari in India has to supply.
This specifically curated North India chook and wildlife itinerary will cowl a staggering number of landscapes, every house to its distinctive wild neighborhood. Taking you to a number of the greatest India Nationwide Parks, this Indian safari is geared for birders and wildlife fanatics and is ideal for photographers and households as nicely.
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Day 1 – Delhi
Most first-time guests to North India begin their journey from Delhi. Even in case you intend to only go by the town, there’s a wealth of birdlife in several corners of the capital the place you’ll be able to simply spend a number of hours of fruitful birdwatching.
Good birding could be had on the banks of the Yamuna river whereas Lodhi gardens and Buddha Jayanti Park maintain a nice choice of species. As well as, some historic websites function appropriate habitats for a lot of birds.
Species to look out for are the better flamingo, Eurasian spoonbill, striated grassbird, and lots of species of geese and raptors similar to booted eagle, marsh harrier, and peregrine falcon amongst many others. In a single day Delhi.
Days 2 and three – Kosi River and Kumeria Reserve Forest, Uttrakhand
The Western Himalayan foothills, some 250 km northeast of Delhi supply glorious wildlife and birding alternatives. Your own home for the following two nights would be the luxurious Click on Resort Corbett Tiger Den on the outskirts of the world-famous Jim Corbett Nationwide Park, named after the legendary man-eating-tiger hunter, Jim Corbett. With an Asian elephant inhabitants of over 2,000 people in Uttarakhand, that is your first probability to identify them in the course of the journey.
On arrival, you’ll be able to spend the latter a part of the day looking alongside the Kosi river for brown dipper, little forktail, noticed forktail, three species of wagtail, brown fish owl, tawny eagle owl, and different lowland species.
Subsequent day is spent within the forests round Mohan searching for nice barbet, orange-bellied leafbird, crimson sunbird, black bulbul, rusty-cheeked scimitar babblers, a wide range of warblers, tits, and flycatchers. Tracks of leopards and wild tigers are generally seen, although the massive cats are solely sometimes noticed. Two nights at Tiger Den.
Days 4 and 5 – Jim Corbett Nationwide Park
The Dhangari Gate of Corbett Nationwide Park is a brief thirty minutes drive from Kumeria and is a superb place to identify Sirkeer Malkhoa (sirkeer cuckoo)and streak-throated woodpeckers. On the 31 km drive to Dhikala, elephant and tiger sightings are frequent, principally in the course of the hotter months. In any other case, it’s not usually simple to identify the Royal Bengal Tiger within the dense jungles of Corbett. A jungle safari will take you nearer to a sighting of a lifetime.
Mammals of Corbett Nationwide Park
Tiger, leopard, elephant, jungle cat, fishing cat, leopard cat, sloth bear, Himalayan black bear, chital deer, sambar deer, hogg deer, barking deer, goral (goat-antelopes), wild boar, jackal, rabbit, Indian gray mongoose, otters, Indian pangolins, yellow-throated martens, langur, and rhesus monkey.
The tiger, the nationwide animal of India, is the largest cat on the earth and a glimpse of this endangered species will depart you in awe. The elusive leopards are harder to identify, so in case you see one think about your self a really fortunate individual.
Count on to see nice hornbill, grey-headed fishing eagle, and Pallas’s eagle on a stump in the midst of the Ramganga Reservoir when you attain Dhikala. Right here you’ll spend the remainder of the afternoon in your open automobile searching for grassland specialists just like the marsh harrier, black francolin, pink avadavat, and oriental skylark are fairly frequent right here.
There might be two extra recreation drives within the morning and night on the second day within the everlasting seek for the tiger. Benefit from the lovely panorama and scan the forest for the well-known tiger stripes. Driving by the forest east of Dhikala is the very best place to identify the elusive cat as prey is plentiful within the chaur grasslands of Corbett.
There are about 700 Asian elephants in Corbett; they’re a part of a migrating inhabitants that additionally lives in Rajaji Nationwide Park. These Asian elephant herds can usually be seen feeding on the inexperienced grass on this space. You’ll spend two eventful nights at Malani Forest relaxation home. Needless to say there isn’t a telephone reception at Malani and so they run on photo voltaic.
Day 6 – Corbett to Nainital
After breakfast, you bid adieu to Corbett and take the scenic journey again to Dhangari Gate and onwards to the city of Ramnagar. Have lunch at any of the nice wayside eating places, then cross the barrage over the Kosi River, the place there’s a small park on the left.
Right here you’ll be rewarded with giant flocks of Brahminy geese (ruddy shelduck), and different frequent waterbirds like cormorants and darters. The reservoir partitions are one of many few locations the place you’ll be able to spot the uncommon wall creeper.
In the direction of the tip of the day drive to Nainital (38 km), the hill city at 7000′ the place you’ll be spending three nights. In a single day at Nainital.
Days 7, 8, and 9 – Nainital
Nainital is a lovely hill station, affording glorious views of the Himalayas and a number of the outstanding peaks similar to Nanda Devi (the second-highest mountain in India) and Trishul Peak. Many fascinating chook species are discovered within the native gardens and the encompassing hillsides, making birding in Nainital a memorable expertise.
Birds just like the red-billed blue magpie, chestnut-crowned laughing thrush, and black-headed jay could be seen inside strolling distance of Vikram Classic Inn, your house throughout your keep in Nainital.
The plush Mongoli Valley is a thirty minute drive downhill from Nainital the place you’ll spend the higher a part of the day searching for striated laughing thrush, Asian barred owlet, orange-flanked bush robin, and slaty-headed parakeet.
On the third morning, comply with a path uphill from the resort until it meets a highway. Cross the highway and stroll down the steps in the hunt for Indian black-lored tits, bolden bush robin, and white-capped bunting.
The Uttarakhand Authorities has an distinctive community of fresh and inexpensive guesthouses. For many who need to spend extra time birding or climbing, these present glorious bases.
Day 10 – Agra
One of the simplest ways to journey to Agra from Nainital is by driving right down to the railway station at Kathgodam,(38 km) and catching the in a single day prepare to Agra Cantt railway station. You’ll arrive in time to catch a glimpse of the solar rising over the Taj Mahal, a vacation spot on the high of most customer’s lists.
The river Yamuna flows straight behind this mausoleum and early morning sightings on the banks may embrace waders like frequent sandpiper, black-winged stilts, plovers, nice thick-knees, gulls, river terns, and extra.
After a protracted day of sightseeing and birding, you’ll drive for about two hours in direction of Bharatpur. Enroute, don’t overlook to pay a go to to the traditional metropolis of Fatehpur Sikri. This UNESCO World Heritage Website was constructed within the sixteenth century, was the capital of the Mughal empire for 10 years, and has one of many largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid. In a single day on the gorgeous Bagh Resort, Bharatpur. Whereas at Bagh Resort don’t overlook to go to their magnificent chook hides. Golden oriole, hoopoe, black-winged stilt, white-throated kingfisher, and pond heron are frequently seen.
Day 11 and 12 – Bharatpur
Bharatpur is house to the world-famous Keoladeo Nationwide Park, the preferred chook sanctuary in India, and it’s essential to spend a minimum of a number of days on any journey to North India. That is in all probability the one place on the earth the place as many as 130 species have been recorded in a single morning of birding.
The sanctuary is well-managed and the birds should not simply spooked. Throughout winter, the park is house to just about 400 species and on a very good day, a customer can hope to identify practically half of them, particularly the interval between October and March when big numbers of Paleoarctic migrants arrive and mingle with the resident birds.
There is a superb community of tracks throughout the park which may both be explored on foot or bicycles accessible for rent on the entrance gate. Nice white pelicans fly in throughout winter whereas Dalmatian pelicans happen yearly. The gorgeous black-necked stork is on the decline, however thankfully can nonetheless be seen at Bharatpur. In a single day at Bharatpur.
You’ll spend the following day on the Band Baretha Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour and a half drive from Bharatpur and a birdwatcher’s paradise. There are various common species discovered right here, however the star attraction right here is the Indian skimmer. There’s a dam on the finish of the lake the place you’ll be able to search for the brown crake, painted snipe, dusky crag Martin, and the rarer crag martin.
In your leisurely return to Bharatpur, there are spots to see booted eagle, desert wheatear, tawny pippin, Blyth’s pipit, and long-billed pipit.
Day 13 and 14 – Ranthambore Nationwide Park
Day 13 will take you to among the finest nationwide parks in India, Ranthambore. As soon as a well-known looking floor of the former maharajas of Rajasthan, the Ranthambore Nationwide Park gives an distinctive probability to see the royal Bengal tiger in its pure habitat. It may be simply included along with your tour to Bharatpur as it’s only a two-hour prepare/highway drive.
You possibly can entry the park by non-public jeep or canters, however to keep up the circulation of holiday makers, the variety of automobiles allowed contained in the park throughout morning and afternoon is tremendously restricted.
Ranthambore is an thrilling Indian Nationwide Park. Primarily generally known as the house of the Bengal tiger, the park has wonderful wildlife, with a complete of 40 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, and 35 species of reptiles. A wildlife safari in Ranthambore will convey you nice animal sightings.
Mammals of Ranthambore:
Tigers, sloth bear, leopard, noticed deer, sambar deer, chital, nilgai, jackal, desert fox, Indian fox, jackal, striped hyena, jungle cat, desert cats, caracal, frequent langur, macaque, Indian wild boar, chinkara, frequent palm civet, 5 striped palm squirrel, palm civet, frequent yellow bats, rufous tailed hare, Indian false vampire, Indian flying fox, Indian gerbil, Indian mole rat, long-eared hedgehog, ratel, Indian porcupine, small Indian mongoose, small Indian civet, and customary mongoose.
Reptiles of Ranthambore:
Snub-nosed marsh crocodiles, tortoise, desert monitor lizards, banded kraits, frequent kraits, Ganga soft-shelled turtles, cobras, Indian pythons, saw-scaled vipers rat snakes, Russel’s vipers, North Indian flap-shelled turtles and the Indian chameleon.
The gorgeous surroundings of steep cliffs and a thick expanse of jungle dotted with historic ruins are value a go to in itself. Semi-desert specialties discovered listed below are painted spurfowl, painted sandgrouse, the Eurasian owl, and Indian eagle owl (rock eagle owl).
Other than huge cat and sloth bear sightings, there may be loads of good birding, each inside and outside the park. Half a day must be saved apart for birding on the primary highway to the park. Indian courser and the yellow-wattled lapwing could be discovered right here. The acacia woodlands on both aspect of the highway are good for white-bellied drongo and the scarce white-naped woodpecker, and the black-rumped flameback woodpecker. You can be spending two nights at any of the lodges exterior the park.
Day 15 – Return to New Delhi
Your return journey to Delhi from Ranthambore might be by rail. It takes about six hours by specific prepare to achieve Delhi and when you have the afternoon to spare, head to the Humayun Tomb (constructed within the 1560s), ten minutes from the railway station.
You possibly can spend a very good couple of hours birding right here looking out for noticed owlets, black kite, black-rumped flameback woodpecker, and lots of different resident species.
Return to the resort/airport to clean up, earlier than catching the flight to your subsequent vacation spot.
(In case you select to return to Delhi by automotive, cease at a spot known as Sonkh, about 15 km from Bharatpur, on the highway in direction of Mathura, to see a number of Indian black ibis (also called red-naped ibis) feeding within the open fields.
Last ideas
In case you dream of seeing wonderful Indian wildlife and birds, we hope this Indian safari itinerary helps you get on the market and make this lifetime expertise a actuality!
Jyotsna Ramani is a journey author that has visited 40 international locations. Initially from India, Jo has been touring to Nationwide Parks in India since she was a toddler. You possibly can examine her travels at Wander with Jo.
