North West India Expedition

This 15 day tour is the complete expedition of North West India. It features many of India’s iconic cities such as Gujarat, Jaipur, Udaipur etc. This tour is mix of cultural and wildlife highlights.

The tour begins in Delhi where you’ll overnight following your arrival. The next morning, we will be travelling to Ahmedabad where we’ll spend one night. We will do birding at Thol Bird Sanctuary / Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. There are 150 species of birds in the sanctuary of which nearly 60% (90 species) are stated to be waterbirds which are mostly wintering birds. The most prominent of these species is the flamingos. At one time 5-6 thousand flamingos were reported here. Sarus cranes (Grus antigone), the tallest of the flying birds, nest here in large numbers.

Our next stop is Little Rann of Kutch, is a salt marsh where we will spend two nights. The Little Rann of Kutch is home to the Indian wild ass (khur). To conserve this species, the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary (IWAS) was created in 1973. The sanctuary is also home to many species of migratory birds, such as pallid scopes owl, sykes night jar, peregrine falcon, Merlin, lesser and greater spotted eagle, sarus crane, ducks, the Dalmatian pelican, and flamingoes, as well as land birds like the sandgrouse, the francolin and the Indian bustard. It is also home to various mammals such as the Indian wolf, desert fox and nilgai.

Our next stop is Rajkot which has many historical and landmark places where we will spend one night. We will do short birding at Rajkot to look for skyes lark, wader, gulls etc.

Our next stop is Sasan Gir which is the only place to see Asiatic Lions in Asia where we’ll spend two nights. Gir includes about 38 species of mammals, around 300 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles and more than 2,000 species of insects. The carnivores group mainly comprises the Asiatic lion, Indian leopard, jungle cat, striped hyena, golden jackal, Bengal fox, Indian gray mongoose and Ruddy mongoose, and honey badger. Desert cats and rusty-spotted cats occur but are rarely seen. We will do multiple Safaris there.

Our next stop is Velavadar which is home to Blackbuck in India where we will spend two nights. Blackbuck National Park mainly includes blackbucks, wolves, hyenas, fixes, jackals, jungle cats etc. We will witness lesser florican which is considered to be an endemic Indian species, Red neck falcon, lesser and demoiselle crane etc.

Next, we’ll visit Udaipur, also known as “City of Lakes” where we’ll spend two nights. Udaipur, with its lakes, and historic palaces and architecture, is a major destination to visit. Udaipur is well known for handicrafts such as paintings, marble articles, silver arts and terracotta. The Shilpgram is a platform where regional handicraft and hand-loom products are developed. Craft bazaars are organised by the Shilpgram, with an aim to encourage the regional arts and crafts, the handicraft and hand-loom works.

Our next stop is the Pink City, Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Jaipur gets its nickname from an historical event—to celebrate the visit of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1876, its buildings were painted pink. Many of them remain pink today. Among the places we’ll visit are the Jantar Mantar observatory and the Amer Fort, both of which are World Heritage Sites, Hawa Mahal, a five-story pyramid-shaped monument with 953 windows; three unique palaces—the City Palace, Jal Mahal, and Rambagh Palace. You will once again have an opportunity to shop for unique handicrafts and you’ll also have a chance to ride a camel.

On our last day, we will travel from the Jaipur to Delhi where guests will connect with their return flights to home.