01 Feb 2025 - 17 Feb 2025 (17 days)
USD7,895 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth
Tour price (Per person): USD7,895 * GBP6,011 * EUR7,119 * AUD11,837
Single Supplement: USD1,195 * GBP910 * EUR1,078 * AUD1,792
Can be linked with: India - Assam Extension (Small Group) 2025
06 Jan 2026 - 22 Jan 2026 (17 days)
USD8,300 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Glen Valentine
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD8,300 * GBP6,319 * EUR7,484 * AUD12,444
Can be linked with: India - Assam Extension (Small Group) 2026
We start our incredible tour in New Delhi, exploring the nearby Sultanpur jheel for a host of ducks, geese, gulls and waders, in addition to rarer species such as Striated Grassbird, Red Avadavat, Yellow-bellied Prinia and Sind Sparrow.
We move on, ascending the Kumaon Himalayan foothills to Manila Here we bird amidst endless forested vistas and towering snowcaps seeking out high altitude specialities that include Cheer, Kalij and Koklass Pheasants, no less than five species of Zoothera thrushes, the lovely Golden Bush Robin and much, much more. Descending lower down the foothills, we reach the famous Corbett National Park. This scenically spectacular area affords some excellent birding with good chances for Tawny and Brown Fish Owls, Pallas's and Lesser Fish Eagles, Red Junglefowl, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Crested Treeswift, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Rufous and Grey Treepies, beautiful White-crested Laughingthrush, stunning Rufous-bellied Niltava, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, three species of elegant forktails, skulking cupwings bird flocks often containing over 30 species, as well as two monotypic families in Wallcreeper and Ibisbill.
We spend time in the famous Ranthambore National Park, where we search for the desirable Bengal Tiger, undoubtedly one of the best places on earth to see this giant cat! Other game abounds and we stand reasonable chances of observing Leopard and Sloth Bear. The rich woods, chaurs and dry thickets of this scenically stunning park also offer up Red Junglefowl, the resplendent Indian Peafowl, Indian Scops Owl, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Crested Serpent Eagle, White-bellied Drongo, the active White-browed Fantail and the endemic Painted Sandgrouse.
Next we visit the world-famous waterbird sanctuary of Keoladeo National Park, better known as Bharatpur. Here we will bird the jam-packed wetlands that teem with waterfowl, pelicans, herons, storks, cranes, raptors, waders and migrant passerines. Some of the species we will look for include Sarus Crane (the world's tallest flying bird), Cotton Pygmy Goose, Painted and Black-necked Storks, Asian Openbill, Black Bittern, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas and migratory White-tailed Lapwing.
A boat trip down the Chambal River takes us to one of the last strongholds of the strange Ganges River Dolphin and Indian Skimmer. Other river specialists here include Black-bellied and River Terns, River Lapwing and the bizarre Gharial. Nearby grassland and scrub plains are host to Indian Courser, the endemic Sykes's Lark, a trio of wheatears and Isabelline Wheatear. Finally, we head to the fabulous Taj Mahal - allowing us to marvel at the elegance of its design and the immense numbers of intricately carved and inlaid semi-precious stones that adorn its walls.
This fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable birding and wildlife tour of Northern India is taken at a leisurely pace and its multi-faceted birding, wildlife and cultural focus means it can be enjoyed by both birders and non-birders alike.
Sarus Crane; Koklass & Cheer Pheasants; Ibisbill; Wallcreeper; Long-billed Thrush; Little Forktail; Painted Sandgrouse; Black Bittern; Indian Skimmer; Sykes's Lark; Bluethroat; Red-billed Blue Magpie; Golden Bush Robin; Collared Falconet; Black Francolin; Indian Peafowl; Indian Courser; Indian Skimmer.
Bengal Tiger; Leopard; Sambar; Nilgai; Chital; Hog Deer; Yellow-throated Marten; Ganges River Dolphin (rare); Sloth Bear (rare); Jungle Cat.
wetlands, teak woodlands, rivers, sal (oak & rhododendron) forests, dry acacia woodlands
cool to mild in lowlands, cold in Himalayan foothills with a chance of snowfall
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
Moderate to undemanding. Suitable for all birding / wildlife interest levels. India is an assault on the senses first time around, requiring a little tolerance to begin with.
Comfortable to very comfortable.
Undemanding. Most species provide good visuals in open conditions. Some forest edge, but true forest birding is limited.
+-375
Taj Mahal; Kosi, Chambal River; Fatehpur Sikri; Agra Fort; Himalayan scenery
Good to excellent. From vehicle & in lodge gardens.
Clayton was friendly, informative and fun.... Very athletic and cheerful. Find him to be a wonderful guide.
We really enjoyed both tours. The leader, Stephan Lorenz, was very helpful and worked hard to make the birding trips a success. We appreciated the local guides on both trips as well. They were all very good at getting the job done and making it all enjoyable and seamless. We always feel we are in good hands when we go on a Rockjumper tour.
As usual another fantastic journey masterfully organized and enabling us to discover places and birds in the best possible way. Supreme guide, all matters perfect, except the lack of heating in the bus. Chilly India, believe it or not !
To David Hoddinott with many thanks. In my book, you are still the best guide I’ve ever birded with. Please give my regards to the office team. I am very proud to be part of the Rockjumper Family.
We had a wonderful trip with Rich Lindie and Stephan Lorenz, and we would certainly be happy to travel with either of them again. They were both excellent with the birds, had a great sense of humour, and were helpful and patient when individuals required extra assistance. In addition to the birding, we enjoyed a long list of mammals sighted in the various national parks. The accommodations and meals were also very good.
Testing tour for summer days only (Tpss) - July 2024
India - Assam Extension II 2024 - April 2024
India - Assam Extension I 2024 - March 2024
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2024 - January 2024
India North Summer Test Tour (Tpss) - January 2024
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2023 - December 2023
India - Assam Birding & Big Game Extension II 2023 - April 2023
India - Northeast: Eaglenest & Beyond 2023 - April 2023
India - Assam Birding & Big Game Extension I 2023 - March 2023
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2023 - January 2023
India - Western: Forest Owlet Extension 2023 - January 2023
India - Western: Desert Specials 2023 - January 2023
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2023 - January 2023
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2022 - December 2022
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2020 - February 2020
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2020 - January 2020
India - Highlights of the North 2019 - December 2019
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2019 - December 2019
India - Highlights of the North 2018 - December 2018
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats II 2018 - November 2018