10 Days Birding in Gujarat
Delhi - Little Rann of Kutch - Jamnagar coast - Gir NP - Velavadar NP - Delhi
This tour is designed for bird watchers interested in species such as McQueen’s bustard, sociable lapwing, Indian courser, crab plover, white-browed bushchat and very large congregation of birds in different habitats. One also sees the highly endangered mammals in this tour. Bhuj extension (optional 3nights and 4 days): the best habitat for white-naped tit, Marshall’s iora & grey hypocolius. The best tim to go is from November until April.
Day 01: Arrival in Delhi
Arrive in Delhi by flight.
You will be met and transferred to the hotel.
Overnight: Good Standard Hotel
Day 02: Delhi-Ahmedabad-Dasada
Fly to Ahmedabad in the morning.
Drive in the Little Rann of Kutch (2½ hour drive).
The road to Dasada is interesting for birding and many other birds come into the lodge.
Afternoon drive in the Little Rann of Kutch, a sanctuary for the Indian wild ass. An ancient seabed turned by geological forces into saline desert plains, the Rann has grassy patches that offer good bird-watching. The mammals of the Rann are nilgai, chinkara, white-footed desert and Indian foxes, the wolf, jungle cat (occasionally also desert cat), pale and long-eared hedgehogs and hare.
Target Species: Red-necked Falcon, Shikra, Bluethroat, Rosy Starling, Black Ibis, White Pelican, Grey & Pond Herons, Pied, Common & White-throated Kingfishers, Crested & Sykes Larks, Oriental Skylark, Bimaculated Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Singing & Indian Bushlarks, Ashy-crowned & Black-crowned Sparrow-larks and Greater Hoopoe Lark is possible. Desert & Variable Wheatears, Southern Grey, Long-tailed, Rufous-tailed & Bay-backed Shrike, Common Woodshrike are also likely sightings and the Desert Warbler is among the many winter visiting warblers. We will also look for Chestnut-bellied & Spotted Sandgrouse, Indian Courser (Cream-coloured visits occasionally), Quails, yellow-legged and barred buttonquails, grey francolin, wryneck, brown-rock chat, pied bushchat, Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin, Blue-headed Rock Thrush, Black Redstart and Buntings in the scrubby areas. At sunset, it is possible to watch Marsh, Montagu and Pallid harriers, aquila eagles, falcons and buzzards heading for their roosting sites.
Overnight: Rann Riders
Day 03: Dasada
Morning drive to the bets for Macqueen's Bustard.
In the evening we will visit Nawa Talao, a lake where Demoiselle and Common Cranes gather in large flocks. Greater and lesser flamingo are seen in large numbers as are great white pelican with spotbilled and dalmatian recorded. Painted, openbill, wooly-necked, white, black and black-necked stork could be seen as also black, glossy and black-headed ibis. Northern pintail, common teal, spot-billed duck, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, garganey, shoveler, cotton pygmy goose, pochards, tufted duck, lesser whistling duck, brahminy and comb duck are among the many visitors to the lake. Waders include pratincoles, lapwings, sandpipers, ruff and other birds in good numbers.
Target Species: Macqueen's Bustard, Long-legged, Common & White-eyed Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Bonneli's Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Demoiselle & Common Cranes, Greater & Lesser Flamingo, Great White, Spotbilled & Dalmatian Pelican, Painted, Openbill, Woolly-necked, White, Black & Black-necked Stork, Black, Glossy & Black-headed Ibis, Spot-billed Duck, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Lesser Whistling Duck, Brahminy & Comb Duck.
Overnight: Rann Riders
Day 04: Dasada-Jamnagar
Drive to Jamnagar, six hours away.
On the way we are likely to encounter birds of open-country like Indian Roller and Black-shouldered Kite.
On this day, we will also try to get permits to enter the Marine National Park the next day.
Evening visit to Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary for Indian skimmer. Great-crested grebe, black-necked stork, Caspian tern and many other birds can be seen besides most of the species recorded in the Little Rann area.
Target Species: Indian Roller, Black-shouldered Kite, Indian Skimmer, Black-necked Stork, Caspian Tern etc.
Overnight: Hotel President
Day 05: Jamnagar
We will visit the coastal areas along the Gulf of Kutch, looking for Crab-plover and other birds could that be seen on this route. Time permitting, walk to Lakhota Lake to watch brown-headed gulls and a variety of ducks. Hotel President.
Target Species: Crab-plover, Kentish Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Pallas' Gull, Temmincks Stint, Lesser-crested Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Black-bellied Tern, Whiskered Tern, Darter, Western Reef Egret
Overnight: Hotel President
Day 06: Jamnagar-Gir National Park
Depart at dawn with a picnic lunch for Porbandar, two hours away.
This coastal city is good for watching and photographing birds at close range. Besides large flamingo and crane flocks, this area also gets Yellow-legged Gull, Heuglin's Gull, Sandwich Tern, Black-bellied Tern etc. Travel four hours to Gir NP and check-in at Gir Birding Lodge.
Target Species: Yellow-legged Gull, Heuglin's Gull, Black-bellied Tern
Overnight: Gir Birding Lodge
Day 07 & 08: Gir National Park
Gir is the last abode of the Asiatic Lion and has a thriving population of Panther (Leopard), Sambar, Spotted Deer, Nilgai & Wild Boar, Chousingha (the world's only four-horned antelope) and Chinkara. Of course we will also concentrate on finding the many birds of Gir.
Target Species: Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Bonneli's Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Laggar Falcon, Shikra, Painted Sandgrouse, Quail, Black-Hooded & Golden Oriels, Marshall's & Common Iora, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue, Red-Throated & Asian Brown Flycatchers, Yellow-Crowned, Brown-Capped Pygmy, Black-Rumped Flamebacks, Green And Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eaters, Black, Ashy & White-Bellied Drongos, Large Cuckoo Shrike, Small Minivet, White-Eared Bulbul, Tawny-Bellied, Yellow-Eyed, Jungle & Large Grey Babblers, Grey-Breasted, Ashy, Rufous-Fronted, Plain, Jungle & Graceful Prinias, Zitting Cisticola, Clamorous Reed-Warbler, Booted & Greenish Warbler, Lesser & Hume's Warbler, Orphean Warbler and Blyth's Reed Warbler.
Overnight: Gir Birding Lodge
Day 09: Gir-Velavadar
Travel six hours from Gir to Velavadar.
In the evening we will witness a massive roost of Montagu, Pallid and Marsh Harrier.
Overnight: Bhavnagar or Blackbuck Lodge.
Day 10: Velavadar-Ahmedabad-Delhi
Known for its large blackbuck population, Velavadar is also a place where the Wolf is proliferating. Jackal, Jungle Cat and Hare are more easily seen and Indian Fox is often on the periphery. Some excellent birds can be seen here too.
Target Species: Sirkeer, Malkoha, Painted Francolin, Rufous-Tailed, Crested & Sykes' Larks, Desert & Variable Wheatears, Stoilczka's Bushchat, Indian Bustard, Short-Toed Snake Eagle, Imperial, Steppe, Tawny, Greater & Lesser Spotted Eagles, Laggar Falcon, Red-Necked Falcon, White-Eyed & Long-Legged Buzzard, Black-Shouldered Kite and Shikra.
Drive to Ahmedabad (4 hours) to then fly back to Delhi.
Connect flight to your destination.
OR opt for an extension tour to Bhuj!
Tour Price: Rate of Exchange UK £1 = INR 70 will apply
2 paying persons: UK £ 1590 per person; 4 paying persons: UK £ 1150 per person; 6 paying persons: UK £ 1115 per person;
8 paying persons: UK £ 1090 per person; 10 paying persons: UK £ 1065 per person; 12 paying persons: UK £ 1030 per person;
Single room supplement: UK £ 420
The price is valid from Oct 2011 to June 2012
Price includes: Land transport, accommodation, meals as per the itinerary, guided birding, permits, safaris.
Price excludes: International and domestic flights, Indian visa, travel insurance, tips, laundry, phone calls, all drinks, bottled water, extra snacks and meals not specified above, camera/video (if applicable), fee at monuments etc.