India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2025

01 Feb 2025 - 17 Feb 2025 (17 days)

USD7,895 - No Spaces Available

client-img

Tour Leader: Lev Frid

Tour price (Per person): USD7,895 * GBP6,277 * EUR7,563 * AUD12,631

Single Supplement: USD1,195 * GBP950 * EUR1,145 * AUD1,912

India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2026

06 Jan 2026 - 22 Jan 2026 (17 days)

USD8,300 - Spaces Available

Book Now

client-img

Tour Leader: Glen Valentine

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*

Tour price (Per person): USD8,300 * GBP6,599 * EUR7,951 * AUD13,279

We start our tour in New Delhi, where we explore Sultanpur jheel and the surroundings of Okhla Island on the Yamuna River. Here we will enjoy 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 the welcoming hill station of Nainital. Here we bird amidst endless forested vistas and towering snowcaps. Here we will seek high altitude specialities that include Cheer, Kalij and Koklass Pheasants, Black-headed Jay, no less than five species of Zoothera thrushes, the lovely Golden Bush Robin, Nepal Cupwing, Chestnut-headed Tesia and much, much more. Descending lower down the foothills, we reach the famous Corbett National Park. This scenically spectacular area affords some thrilling birding with excellent chances for Tawny and Brown Fish Owls, Pallas's and Lesser Fish Eagles, Red Junglefowl, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Himalayan Swiftlet, White-rumped Spinetail, Crested Treeswift, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Lineated and Brown-headed Barbets, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Rufous and Grey Treepies, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, beautiful White-crested Laughingthrush, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, stunning Rufous-bellied Niltava, Long-tailed Minivet, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Wallcreeper, Ibisbill, three species of elegant forktails, skulking cupwings and tesia, and bird flocks often containing over 30 species!

Our India birding and wildlife tour takes in Ranthambore National Park, where we search for the mythical Bengal Tiger, undoubtedly one of the greatest tiger tours in India and greatest wildlife experiences on earth! 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 excellent birding and species we will look for include Red Junglefowl and the resplendent Indian Peafowl, the uncommon White-naped Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, Indian Scops Owl, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Crested Serpent Eagle, migratory Long-tailed Shrike, Common Iora, White-bellied Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Small Minivet, the active White-browed Fantail, Grey-breasted Prinia and the endemic Painted Sandgrouse.

Next we visit the world-famous waterbird sanctuary of Bharatpur. From our fabulous hotel, we walk around 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), Red-crested Pochard, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Painted and Black-necked Storks, Asian Openbill, Black Bittern, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas and migratory White-tailed Lapwing. The marshy edges also attract migrant passerines such as Bluethroat, Blyth’s and Clamorous Reed Warblers, and Western Yellow, Citrine and White-browed Wagtails. Raptors are especially well represented at Bharatpur and include Eastern Imperial, Greater Spotted, Steppe and Indian Spotted Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, Western Marsh Harrier and Laggar Falcon. We will also search the park's arid Acacia dominated woodland and dry grasslands for Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Indian Grey Hornbill, Greater Coucal, Oriental Skylark, Brahminy Starling, Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Indian Silverbill, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Siberian Rubythroat, to name but a few. Nightbirds may include Dusky Eagle-Owl, Spotted Owlet and Large-tailed and Indian Nightjars.

A boat trip down the Chambal River, one of the last strongholds of the strange Ganges River Dolphin and Indian Skimmer. Other river specialists here include Black-bellied and River Terns, Small Pratincole, 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. We also visit the fabled Agra Red Fort that serves as a monumental reminder of the region’s fascinating history. 

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.

Top Birds

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.

Top Mammals

Tiger, Leopard, Sambar, Nilgai, Chital, Hog Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Ganges River Dolphin, Sloth Bear, Jungle Cat

Habitats Covered

wetlands, teak woodlands, rivers, sal (oak & rhododendron) forests, dry acacia woodlands

Expected Climate

cool to mild in lowlands, cold in Himalayan foothills with a chance of snowfall

Max Group Size

6 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

undemanding

Accommodation

comfortable to luxurious hotels & lodges

Ease of Birding

mostly unchallenging

Number of Species Expected

+-375

Other Attractions

Taj Mahal; Kosi, Chambal and Yamuna Rivers; Fatehpur Sikri; Agra Fort; Himalayan scenery

Photographic Opportunities

incredible

What our clients say about us

Glen Valentine
BG, Pvt Castleman India

This was a great trip. A terrific itinerary and we saw lots of birds and we saw tigers at Ranthambhore and Corbett. Glen and [the local leader] were excellent guides—great spotting skills, and they made sure everyone saw the bird. The logistics worked very well because Glen and [the local leader] were a great team.

Stephan Lorenz
LC & PD, Northern India 2017

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.

Stephan Lorenz
MM & GM, Southern India 2018

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.

David Hoddinott
LB - India 2019

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.

David Hoddinott
FG, India 2018

David Hoddinott was at his best even on new grounds full of lifers.

  • Your details

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • Contact permission

    We would love to send you Newsletters (twice yearly).via Type a message, Promotions/Discounts (weekly), Blog Articles/Image of the Month (monthly) and other content that we think you would find interesting. If you are happy with this then please select your preferences below. If you would like to unsubscribe from previous subscriptions, or leave our mailing list entirely, then please do so by visiting the Preference Centre link at the bottom of these emails.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Route Map

Tour Route Map

English