Northern India & the Himalayan Foothills

Tour Code: IND29

A 17-day classic birdwatching and wildlife holiday visiting Bharatpur and the Himalayan foothills of northern India.

£4,595

Flight Inclusive

£4,095

Land Only

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Tour Itinerary and Reports

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1 Itinerary 20 Tour Reports

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Rajan Jolly

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Carbon Footprint

3987kg CO2e

With International Flights

1387.2kg CO2e

Tour Only

What does this mean?

Highlights

Perfect introduction to birdwatching in India
Storks, herons & wildfowl… to laughing-thrushes, babblers & forktails
Great Black-headed Gull, Olive-backed Pipit, Red-flanked Bluetail & Siberian Rubythroat
Ibisbill, Lammergeier & Wallcreeper amongst highlights
Chance of Tiger in Corbett National Park
Plus Asian Elephant, Nilgai, Smooth-coated Otter and various deer & monkeys
Superb scenery, including the Western Himalaya from Nainital
Sightseeing tours of Agra including the Taj Mahal
Reptiles, including Gharial & Mugger Crocodiles plus huge Rock Pythons
Expertly escorted by an Indian Naturetrek naturalist

Summary

The marshes, forests and Himalayan foothills of northern India must surely represent most birdwatchers’s dream holiday destination, combining as they do the mystic appeal of the east with a stunningly varied avifauna. The itinerary for this exciting tour is acknowledged as providing the classic Indian birdwatching tour and by concentrating on three main centres, allows plenty of time to absorb the range of different species evident with each change in elevation. The frustrations of travel in this vast country are also kept to a minimum.

Our tour begins in the capital city, Delhi, but even in the densest urban areas of India, birds are rarely absent and the circling clouds of Black Kites over the city are an astonishing sight for European eyes. The outskirts of the city offer an excellent chance to gain an introduction to Indian birdlife and it is easily possible to see 80 or more species at Sultanpur National Park and Bird Sanctuary, where we spend our first day.

Keoladeo Reserve at Bharatpur in Rajasthan is one of the most outstanding wetland areas in Asia and we will spend four days exploring this paradise for birds. Here we will find jheels crowded with huge numbers of wildfowl and waterbirds, savannah inhabited by dry country birds, and patches of forest frequented by woodpeckers, barbets, minivets and many other woodland birds. Turning our attention skywards we will see clouds of storks, eagles and vultures soaring on the thermals over the marshes and during our walks we will frequently meet these raptors, perching tamely in waterside trees causing endless identification headaches. Every corner of this relatively small reserve is full of interest and after we have savoured the initial spectacle of the geese, ducks, storks and herons that crowd the wetlands, we can devote time to looking for wintering flycatchers and northern visitors such as Olive-backed Pipit, Siberian Rubythroat and Dusky Warbler. Elsewhere Dusky Horned Owls peer down from bulky stick nests, Painted Snipe bob at the edges of swampy pools and nightjars perch motionless in their day-time roosts. Although we may find nearly 200 bird species during our stay, not all the attractions are ornithological and other Bharatpur residents include huge Rock Pythons, Nilgai, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Smooth Otters and even the rare Fishing Cat.

After pausing for a day to admire the Moghul splendours of the Red Fort and Taj Mahal at Agra, we travel back to Delhi then into the forested hills and wide river valleys of the Corbett National Park which was named after the famous hunter-turned-conservationist, Jim Corbett. Asian Elephants, Wild Boar and herds of deer browse the vegetation in this superbly scenic reserve, the latter providing prey for a healthy population of Leopards and Tigers. We will search by jeep for these elusive predators, although the abundance of ground cover provides plenty of hiding places to conceal somnolent big cats during the daylight hours and sightings are always a bonus. Easier to find are the rare fisheating Gharial Crocodiles which occur along the fast-flowing Corbett rivers, sharing this habitat with Blue Whistling-thrushes, Plumbeous Redstarts and White-capped River Chats. Mysterious Ibisbills descend from the higher mountains to spend the winter months on some of these rivers and Wallcreepers are often to be seen probing for insects in the crevices of riverside boulders. At Corbett, our base is a comfortable hotel just outside the park boundary, where we are free of the prohibition on walking that applies inside the reserve and can more easily enjoy the superlative birdwatching.

Our final destination takes us deeper into the Himalayan foothills to spend four nights at the hill resort of Nainital. The increase in elevation to over 2,000 metres will bring a new selection of birds, including representatives of such typical Himalayan families as laughing-thrushes, forktails and accentors, plus wintering gems from the north like the Red-flanked Bluetails, which can often be found in our hotel garden. If conditions permit, the icy peaks of the western Himalayan mountains may be observed from a ridge above the resort, evidence of our proximity to this most impressive of mountain ranges which exert such influence on the avifauna of the region.

At the end of our stay in this most idyllic of locations we return to Delhi but, before reaching the capital, we have one last natural history treat as the road crosses over the sacred River Ganges and we may be rewarded by views of the rare Gangetic Dolphin in the waters below the bridge. A fine conclusion to a tour which provides a staggering variety of birdwatching and natural history encounters.

Outline Itinerary

Day

Fly Delhi

Day

Delhi

Days

3 - 6

Bharatpur

Day

Agra; drive Delhi

Days

8 - 11

Corbett

Days

12 - 15

Nainital

Day

Delhi

Day

Fly London

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What's Included?

Food

All included in the tour cost, except for main meals in Delhi. Allow ?30.

Accommodation

A mixture of comfortable hotels and simple tourist lodges, most with private facilities.

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Itineraries

Itinerary

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Northern India & the Himalayan Foothills

£4,595

£4,095

Why Choose Naturetrek?

Tour Itinerary and Reports

Can I Help You?

Rajan Jolly

Carbon Footprint

Highlights

Summary

Outline Itinerary

What's Included?

Food

Accommodation

Documents

Itineraries

Tour Reports

Dates & Prices

2026

Fri 6th - Sun 22nd Nov 3 SPACES £4,595 Book Now

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2027

Fri 5th - Sun 21st Feb SPACES £4,595 Book Now

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Fri 5th - Sun 21st Nov SPACES £4,595 Book Now

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2028

Fri 4th - Sun 20th Feb SPACES £4,595 Book Now

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Fri 3rd - Sun 19th Nov SPACES £4,595 Book Now

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