Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole

Home , Nagarhole National Park

Naturetrek Tour Itinerary

Outline itinerary

Day 1 Depart London

Day 2 Arrive Mumbai and fly to Mangalore. Transfer to Bekal

Day 3 Bekal (Christmas Day)

Day 4 Bekal (Annular Eclipse)

Day 5 Transfer to Nagarhole, pm jungle activity

Day 6/9 Nagarhole - am and pm jungle activities

Day 10 Transfer to Bangalore and fly to Mumbai

Day 11 Arrive Mumbai and fly to London

Extension

Day 10 Nagarhole to Wayanad

Day 11/13 Explore the area around Wayanad on foot

Day 14 Transfer to Calicut and fly to Mumbai

Day 15 Arrive Mumbai and fly to London

From top: Annular Eclipse and Tiger

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf’s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK

T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Dates

Monday 23rd December 2019 – Thursday 2nd January 2020 Cost: £4,995 Extension to Nagarhole till Monday 6th January 2020 Cost: £895

Single room supplement £1,695 (extension add: £495)

Grading

Grade A (easy). Day walks only.

Asian Elephants

Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole Tour Itinerary

Introduction

India boasts a mammal fauna of over 450 species. Many visitors are familiar with the well-known national parks in the north of the country, and of course the magnificent Bengal Tiger. In fact, this supreme predator occurs over a much wider range than might be expected, and in the south of the country there are Project Tiger reserves which also offer the opportunity to observe some of the very rare mammals found only in south India and Sri Lanka. The moist, tropical Indian Elephants in Nagarhole hill forests of the state of Kerala form a distinct vegetation zone in the Western Ghats hills, which has resulted in the evolution of many bird species unique to this region of the country and a corresponding rich diversity of endemic mammals.

The focus of this exciting new tour will be the annular eclipse on 26th December 2019 which will be observed from a beautiful beach location. The second part of the trip visits the Nagarhole National Park with the chance of seeing many widespread Indian species such as Indian Elephant, Sloth Bear, Tiger and Leopard, as well as Gaur and Dhole and a selection of the endemic south Indian mammals, including Nilgiri Tahr, Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Travancore Flying Squirrel, Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Stripe-necked Mongoose and Nilgiri Marten. Although rare, but if lucky, Melanistic Leopard (also called Black Panther) can be sighted in Nagarhole.

If you would like to extend your stay, why not join us for a trip to the Wayanad.

Tour Itinerary Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole

Day 1 In Flight We depart London in the afternoon on a scheduled Jet Airways flight to Mumbai and connect with a flight to Mangalore.

Day 2 Bekal After the morning flight to Mangalore in the state of Karnataka we have a two-hour drive along the coast and across the state boundary to Bekal in Kerala. The Taj Bekal Resort and Spa will be our very comfortable hotel for the next three nights.

We will arrive around lunch time and have time to relax and recuperate after flight. The hotel has elegant rooms and a restaurant that serves a range of food from authentic Kerala cuisine to international cuisine. The hotel is set in beautiful gardens with swimming pool and spa facilities.

Day 3 Bekal – Christmas Day – Eclipse Talk The day will be free for you to enjoy as you wish.

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Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole Tour Itinerary

Tour Itinerary Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole

The hotel gardens and lagoon offer excellent birdwatching opportunities and a naturalist guide will help you to locate and identify the local avian species.

Just a few hundred meters from the hotel is Kappil Beach, a broad stretch of palm fringed sand that is usually almost deserted. An ideal place to relax and watch the Indian Ocean waves breaking on the shore.

In the evening there will be a Christmas dinner (as of now the hotel has not announced a mandatory Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner for resident guests. However, if it is decided by the hotel at a later stage to arrange a mandatory dinner, it will have to be paid directly) after which you will be informed about the following morning’s eclipse.

Day 4 Bekal (Annular Eclipse) On the morning of day 4 the eclipse begins just after 8am local time with the annular phased lasting for three minutes, just before 9:30am. The amazing sight of the sun shining like a ring of fire around the moon and blocking out 93% of sunlight.

During December the weather is typically dry and sunny along the Malabar Coast of India providing a very good chance of clear skies for the eclipse.

Naturetrek will provide you with eclipse glasses to watch the eclipse in safety.

Universal Time (UT) Local time (IST = UT + 5½ hours) Start of Partial Eclipse (C1) 02:34 08:04 Start of annular eclipse (C2) 03:54:03 09:24:03 End of annular eclipse (C3) 03:57:12 09:27:12 End of Partial Phase (C4) 05:34 11:04

The duration of annularity will be around 3 minutes 8 seconds.

After the eclipse you will have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy the surroundings

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Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole Tour Itinerary

Day 5 – 9 Nagarhole National Park Today we will drive to Nagarhole National Park, to the west of Mysore, where we will spend five nights at the Serai Resort. From here we can explore this 640-square kilometer National Park, sitting in the Western Ghats, the lengthy chain of mountains running right down the western side of peninsula India. A region of hills and hollows, Nagarhole contains a mixture of Teak and Mathi forest, little villages and cultivated land. Travelling by canter, we will explore these grasslands and forests where we will see some of the 1,000 Elephants that range through the area. The Park should also provide us with our first chance of seeing the Gaur or Indian Bison, the largest and most impressive of all the world’s wild cattle. With luck we may see Tiger, Leopard or Sloth Bear, or perhaps a pack of Dhole (Asiatic Wild Dog). Chital (Spotted Deer), Common Langurs and Wild Boar are numerous here. Although rare, but if lucky, Melanistic Leopard (also called Black Panther) can be sighted in Nagarhole.

The Serai is a beautiful resort, with accommodation in sixteen rooms set directly on the edge of the Kabini River. All of the rooms have lovely views of the river with air conditioning and other amenities. It is a wonderful place to relax and watch the birds and mammals from the comfort of your private veranda. There is a well-equipped gym, a fantastic pool, spa, and a well-stocked library (No Television in the rooms, only one in the common area). This resort also provides complimentary wireless internet. The Wild Grass restaurant provides buffet spreads including vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Lunch and dinner are of a traditional Indian style.

Tour Itinerary Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole

There are several activities available at the resort, from bike trails to star gazing and nature walks. The biggest draw is of course Nagarhole National Park, with canter safaris and boat safaris to explore the park. We will be looking for some of southern India’s bird specialties here, such as Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-backed Woodpecker and Malabar Crested Lark. Nearby, where the river has been dammed, we may take to the water in coracles in search of the waterbirds that favour its marshy fringes. Indian Shags, Little Cormorants, and a variety of storks and kingfishers are all to be found here

Day 10 Nagarhole – Bangalore – Mumbai We transfer on a five hour drive from Nagarhole to Bangalore airport. Depart Bangalore in the evening on a scheduled Jet Airways evening flight to Mumbai.

Day 11 Mumbai – London On arrival at Mumbai, connect with your flight to London, arriving at 7am.

NB. Please note that the itinerary above offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather and other local considerations can necessitate some reordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available.

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Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole Tour Itinerary

Wayanad Extension

(The minimum number of people required to run this extension is six; however, we may decide to operate it with fewer people, at our discretion, with local cultural guides as there are no birding guides available there.)

Day 10 Nagarhole – Wayanad Today those of you joining the extension will travel by road for three hours to Wayanad and stay in a comfortable Wayanad Wild for four nights. It is situated in the heart of the rainforest, with rooms peeking out of the treetops and an infinity pool tipping over into foliage. The spacious rooms at Wayanad Wild are well-equipped with modern facilities and amenities. The balconies give you a stunning view of the tree lines further down the slope. Salvaged ship- wood and bamboo accessories lend a warm and earthy counterpoint to the light steel structures that are set built without removing the trees on the sloped terrain; together defining the living experience here! A time at Wayanad Wild is going to be a felt experience we can assure you. Simply put, it is an invitation to live in nature. To facilitate this the rooms are set up on lush green hill slopes with cosy and well-appointed bedrooms. However, they have no air conditioning as the air here is cool all year round, being at an altitude of 2,900 feet above sea level.

Wayanad Wild is close to the edge of a forest reserve where the greens appear unbounded. No television screen can match this natural spectacle and as such you will not find a TV in your room. We would prefer that you got all your shows from nature live and wild and for free while here. The evenings are marked by birdsong before a campfire is lit and gentle gaiety fills the air.

Tour Itinerary Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole

Meals at Wayanad Wild are understated yet unusual in their makeup and wholesomeness. The fish is fresh and comes straight from the harbour and from the river. A specialty here is Kingfish, stuffed with chillies and small onions that makes for a flavourful repast. The rice most often served is Paalthondi, native to the district, and the special Bamboo rice that is painstakingly gathered and cleaned to make the local rice pudding, Payasam.

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Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole Tour Itinerary

Day 11 – 13 Wayanad Wayanad is a paradise for nature and animal lovers, with its lush greenery, hill forests and endemic wildlife. The wilderness offers the most exciting experiences when explored on foot. The Wayanad Wild brings you closer to nature. It is indeed a rare place where you get to meet nature in its natural habitat – unseen, unsullied and untamed! The forest is your constant companion, peeping in through your windows or assigning a pretty butterfly to eavesdrop on your lively chatter upon the balcony. To those smitten by raw nature even the pool offers front row seats to the unusual spectacles of the forest around.

The hills of Wayanad are home to a great many species of birds both common and rare. It is a paradise for bird lovers. The blue-tinted Malabar parakeet, the orange minivet, the flame throated bulbul and the crested serpent eagle are a few of them. Bird watching is an important part of any Wayanad holiday. Indulge your passion for birds at Wayanad Wild.

Wayanad Wild is a holiday experience located in the rainforests of the Western Ghats in Lakkidi, North Kerala. One of eight hot-spots of biodiversity in the world, the Ghats are home to an abundant variety of fauna as well as majestic trees, gurgling streams and outlandish rock formations.

Tour Itinerary Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole

Day 14 Sunday Wayanad – Calicut – Mumbai We travel three hours by road to Calicut airport to board the afternoon flight to Mumbai. Arrive Mumbai at 4.25pm. The layover in Mumbai is long but Mumbai’s terminal 2 is a state-of-the-art terminal with a wide choice of eateries and lounges. The airport Hotel Niranta, located at the same terminal (level 1 of terminal 2) http://www.nirantahotels.com can be pre-booked for a very reasonable cost.

Day 15 Monday London In the morning we will depart Mumbai on a scheduled Jet Airways direct flight to London. We are due to arrive back in London at 7am.

Grading

The aim of this holiday is to enjoy the annular eclipse and tour Nagarhole – the best national park of southern India in search of the mammals and birds. There is no ‘trekking’ involved, but whenever possible we will be birding and mammal-watching on foot.

Weather

Expect it to be variable! There could be sunny weather at lower altitudes, but much cooler, cloudier weather in the hills. Rain is possible but unusual during this season.

Clothing

Please read the clothing list, sent to you on booking, thoroughly. Stout walking shoes/boots or sturdy trainers with ankle protection will be necessary for walking in the national parks. You will need shorts and T-shirts, as well as warm trousers, sweaters and jackets in the hills. Leech socks, a sun hat and suntan lotion will be essential.

Food & accommodation included in the price

All food and accommodation is included in the price except for main meals in Taj Bekal.

Flights

We use scheduled Jet Airways flights for this tour to India. Please note that there are no direct flights to Mangalore or Calicut from UK.

If you would prefer to travel in Business class (normally available at a supplement charge of around £2,295), please call us for competitive quotes. If you would prefer to travel from regional airports (will be subject to an additional charge of around £195), please let us know at the time of booking so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

Southern India - Annular Eclipse and Nagarhole Tour Itinerary

These prices are only approximate and could vary according to availability and season. We will be pleased to approach the airline and offer you a quote on request.

Mammal & bird lists

Where available these are automatically provided on booking, and we will gladly send them to you before this, if you would like a more detailed preview.

Entry requirements

All UK passport holders and most other nationalities require a visa for India, which is obtainable in advance from your nearest embassy. No vaccinations are mandatory for entry, but as recommended in our brochure we think it is wise to also be protected against TB, polio, typhoid, tetanus and hepatitis A and to take malaria prophylactics. Above all, it is essential to consult your GP about your individual requirements as soon as possible before travelling.

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How to book your place!

In order to book your place on this holiday, please give us a call on 01962 733051 with a credit or debit card, book online at www.naturetrek.co.uk, or alternatively complete and post the booking form at the back of our main Naturetrek brochure, together with a deposit of 20% of the holiday cost plus any room supplements if required. If you do not have a copy of the brochure, please call us on 01962 733051 or request one via our website. Please stipulate any special requirements, for example extension requests or connecting/regional flights, at the time of booking.

Please book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Please provide us with your passport details (passport number, date of issue, date of expiry and your date of birth) at the time of booking.