India’s dawn chorus A nature-lovers, bird and wildlife tour escorted by Liz Light departing from Auckland on 28 October 2017 India’s habitat diversity and altitude variations give it a rich bird life. It has over 1200 bird species, including 70 raptors, 30 duck and geese species and 8 stork varieties. We visit 5 magnificent National Parks; 2 in the Himalayas, 2 on the Ganges Plains and 1 on the Deccan Plateau. In this season we see masses of migratory birds from north Asia. The wildlife (tigers with luck) is a bonus. Small group (max 10 people), luxurious and hosted from New Zealand by Liz Light, an award winning writer, photographer and bird-lover. At each destination we will be accompanied by an expert local ornithologist. 20 days, including the return airfares from New Zealand, all internal flights, guides, bus and train transport, and much more. Cost $ 8860 per person, Twin-share; for a Single Room $ 10,960 Introducing your Host: Liz Light Liz has been in love with India since she saw a picture of a group of women wearing saris when she was nine years old. She has visited this magnificently diverse country many times and loves the warm welcome and humour that is special to India, the delicious food and, of course, the vast national parks that make this country a delight for bird and wildlife enthusiasts.. More information: Colour India www.colourindia.co.nz / [email protected] / Liz 021 2353932 / 09 4220111 Program: Auckland – Mumbai - Bandhavgarh National Park – Srinigar in Kashmir - Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Himalayas – Delhi and Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary – Agra and Keoladeo Ghana National Park - Delhi – Auckland All hotels booked for this tour include breakfast. Lunch and dinner, when included, are indicated (L&D) Day 01 Sat, 28 Oct Auckland – Mumbai – Jabalpur (D) Please arrive on Friday night (27 October) at Auckland International Airport at least 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure of your flight in the early hours of Saturday morning. Check your bags through to Mumbai. Liz will meet you at the airport, after check-in. 1:15 am Depart from Auckland by flight SQ 4282 6:45 am Arrive in Singapore. On arrival at Singapore Airport, please proceed in transit to connect your onward flight to Mumbai. 7:45 am Depart from Singapore by flight SQ422 10:40 am Arrive in Mumbai On arrival in Mumbai, after clearing passport control and customs collect your baggage and connect to your flight to Jabalpur. Get rupees at an ATM at the airport. 2:10 pm Depart from Mumbai on Spice SG 2548 4:10 pm Arrive in Jabalpur. You will be met at the airport and then driven 26 km to the Motel Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat, above the Narmada Gorge. The accommodation is sweet with a sunny garden on the cliffs above the Narmada Gorge. In the morning there could be birding in the garden. Your accommodation for 1 night will be at Motel Marble Rocks including breakfast Motel Marble Rocks Bheda Ghat, Madhya Pradesh 483053, India Tel: +91 76128 30424 Day 02 Sunday 29 October Jabalpur – Kanha (B/L/D) After a slow morning in the garden of our motel, and a quiet boat ride down the amazing Narmada Gorge, we check out of our accommodation (at 12), then have lunch and depart for Khana National Park by bus. Distance 150 kms /4 hrs On reaching Kanha, check-in at your lodge-style accommodation. Your accommodation for 3 nights will be in Infinity Wilderness Hotel including all main meals Infinity Wilderness Hotel Village Baherakhar, Nikkum, Tehsil Birsa, Dist. Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh 481111 Tel: + 91 7636290290, 9650193665, 09650193666, Day 03 Mon, 30 Oct Kanha National Park (B/L/D) Kanha National Park, in central India, is 1945 km square. The landscape is undulating with rocky ridges, flat grassy meadows and sal forest. It has over 300 bird species, some of the more interesting being Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White Rumped Shama, White Bellied Drongo, Spangled Drongo. Racket Tailed Drongo, Tawny Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Grey Francolin, Painted Francolin, Black Naped Flycatcher, Common Iora, Eurasian Blackbird, Gold Mantled Chloropsis, Jerdon's Leaf Bird, Golden Oriole, Black Hooded Oriole, Common Grey Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Tickell's Flowerpecker, Verditor Flycatcher, Tawny Fish Owl, Barred Jungle Owlet, Spotted Owlet, Brown Fish Owl, Indian Scops Owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Crested Serpent Eagle, Shikra, Common Kestrel, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Pariah Kite, White Eyed Buzzard, Oriental Honey Buzzard and Indian Pitta. Early morning, bird watching safari. Birds will be our focus but there is a good chance of seeing tigers, two species of monkey, different kinds of deer and much more. We enjoy a picnic breakfast in the park before returning to our lodge. There is bird watching in the garden of our lodge but there is also time to relax before the afternoon safari. Mid-afternoon we will depart for another birding safari in Kanha National Park Dinner is at our lodge. Day 04 Tue, 31 Oct Kanha (B/L/D) Early morning birding safari as above. In the mid-afternoon you can take another bird / wildlife w a t c h i n g safari or simply relax at our lodge or explore the local culture in the village nearby. Day 05 Wed, 01 Nov Kanha – Jabalpur – Delhi (B) After a relaxed morning you will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to Jabalpur airport. It is 150 km and may take up to 04 hours. 4:30 pm Depart Jabalpur on SG-2642 6:30 pm Arrive in Delhi. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your Hotel Your accommodation at Delhi Airport for 01 night is in Hotel Ibis Aerocity including breakfast. Ibis Aerocity Delhi Airport Asset Area 09, Hospitality District, Aero City, Delhi International Airport, New Delhi - 110037 Tel: +91 11 4302 0202 Day 06 Thu, 02 Nov Delhi – Srinagar in Kashmir (B/L/D) In time transfer to Delhi airport to connect flight to Srinagar 9:25 am Depart Delhi on GoAir G8-128 10:45 am Arrive in Srinagar On your arrival at the Srinagar Airport, you will be met by our representative who will arrange your transfer. It’s about 40 minute drive through the heart of Srinagar city. We arrive at our houseboat in time for a light lunch. Your accommodation in Srinagar for 03 nights is in Deluxe Houseboat including breakfast Later we take a shikara ride on the world famous Dal Lake to enjoy bird watching. Dal Lake is a bird watchers’ paradise. A ride on a shikara can provide an observant and patient person with wonderful insights into bird behavior. Man and nature co-exist happily in the valley. Man-made islands, comprised of reeds, willow rods and aquatic vegetation, provide a rich source of food in the form of frogs, lizards, mice, grasshoppers and other insects for many bird species. White-breasted Kingfishers, with robust bills, perch on branches of willow trees and dive into water to catch little fish. Wagtails can be seen dashing from leaf to leaf, sometimes leaping into the air to catch prey. The Little Grebe, a small swimming bird much smaller than a duck, is common as are Pariah Kites, scavenger birds that help clean the area. Day 07 Fri, 03 Nov Hokarsar (B/L/D) In the morning we visit Hokarsar Wetland. Thousands of migratory birds come to this wetland from Siberia and central Asia in winter and many other migratory species use the wetlands as their transitory camp in October. Hokersar, 14 kms north of Srinagar, is a world class wetland spread over 14 square kilometres including a lake and marshy areas. A record number of migratory birds have visited Hokersar in recent years. Birds found in Hokersar include migratory ducks and geese such as the Brahminy Duck, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Garganey, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, Northern Pintail, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, and Eurasian Pigeon. We have a late lunch on houseboat. Later in the afternoon there are two glorious heritage Moghul gardens to visit for those who are gardens enthusiasts, otherwise the afternoon is free. You can watch birds from the verandah of our houseboat. Day 08 Sat, 04 Nov Dachigam National Park (B/L/D) Early in the morning, after breakfast, we proceed to Dachigam National Park. It is 22 km from Srinagar and is spread over an area of 140 sq km with altitude ranging from 1700 m to 4200 m. Dachigam has over 150 species of birds including Himalayan Monal, Cheer Pheasant, Koklass Pheasant, Bearded Vulture, Himalayan Griffon, Golden Eagle, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-billed Chough, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Streaked Laughing Thrush, Tickell's Thrush, Spectacled Finch, Orange Bullfinch, Black and Yellow Grosbeak, Kashmir Flycatcher, Dark-sided Flycatcher, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Paradise Flycatcher, Tytler's Leaf- Warbler, White-throated Tit, Green-backed Tit, Peregrine Falcon, Himalayan Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, Himalayan Woodpecker, Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, and many more. There are numerous mammal species which include Hangul, Himalayan Brown Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Langur Monkeys, Himalayan Marmot and Leopards. We will be taking a picnic lunch. Day 09 Sun, 05 Nov Srinagar – Delhi (B) After breakfast, we take a heritage and cultural walk of the old city of Srinagar. Walk through history at Zaina Kadal, and through narrow streets into the Jama Masjid, and Shah-e-Hamdaan. Meander through old bazaars bedecked with dry fruits, silks, spices and much more. We will visit a handloom centre famous for production of woolen and pashmina shawls and fine handloomed carpets made here in the valley.