Desert India Birding Tour

Desert India Birding Tour

Duration: 11 Nights / 12 Days
Places Covered: Ahmedabad - Dasada - Rann of Kutch - Gondal - Gir - Sasan - Bhavnagar - Mumbai

Day 1 : Ahmedabad - Dasada
This is a 90 km drive that takes about 1 1/2 hours. After lunch, drive into the Little Rann of Kutch Sanctuary in search Asiatic wild ass, blue bull, Indian gazelle, wolf, jackal, Indian and desert foxes, desert and jungle cat, etc. Dryland birds like the sandgrouse, houbara bustard, desert wheatear, steppe eagle, montagu harrier, etc can be seen in winter. This is a village-theme resort imaginatively designed using local materials, with a/c bedrooms and attached baths, surrounded by organic agriculture fields, berry plantations, water bodies. A variety of birds can be seen at the property itself.

Day 2 : Rann of Kutch
Visit the marshlands of the Little Rann of Kutch
These lakes and marshlands attract flamingoes, pelicans, cranes, ducks, etc in large flocks.Depart after lunch for Gondal. After lunch, see the Maharaja's private collections (only open for viewing by those staying at their heritage hotels) at Naulakha Palace Museum and the Vintage and Classic Car Collection museum, the Bhuvaneshwari Ayurvedic Pharmacy where herbal medicines are made according to ancient recipes and the historic Swaminarayan temple. Evening tour of the bird-rich lakes and grasslands around Gondal. O/n at Riverside Palace/Orchard Palace.Stay at 11-room Riverside Palace, seven-room Orchard Palace or in the Rail Saloon Suite (This is a beautiful suite in a former royal rail carriage, with drawing room, dining room, toilet, shower room, at no extra cost, that can be given to VIP pax). The two palace guesthouses of Gondal date to the 1800s and have large, high-ceilinged rooms, with attached baths, antique-furnished interior and gardens. The gardens are rich in birds.

Day 3 to 5 : Gondal - Gir
This is a 123 km drive from Gondal to Sasan. Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the abode of the Asiatic lion, panther, sambar, spotted deer, blue bull, 4-horned antelope, Indian gazelle, etc. Crested hawk eagle, crested serpent eagle, bonneli's eagle, paradise flycatcher, treepie, blossom headed parakeet, are among the many birds seen. O/n Maneland Jungle Lodge.

Day 6 : Sasan - Bhavnagar
Evening birding at Victoria Park and Gaurishankar Lake. O/n at Dil Bahar heritage hotel.(FITs) or Nilambag Palace Hotel (groups). Dil Bahar is a four-room 1930s art deco mansion with a vast collection of wildlife pictures, facing Victoria Park.

Day 7 : Bhavnagar
Day trip to Velavadar National Park,one of the best areas for blackbuck viewing in India. Velavadar is the winter roosting ground for a large number of montagu, pallid and marsh harrier. Look for other wildlife like wolf nilgai, Indian fox, jungle cat, hare, etc. Return to Bhavnagar for o/n halt as one day-6.

Day 8 : Mumbai
Fly to Mumbai from Bhavnagar or Delhi from Ahmedabad.