India
Birds, Tigers and Temples of Central India
March 8 to 24, 2013

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Explore the heart of central India and its wonderful wildlife reserves and national parks as we seek magnificent tigers in action, as well as other mammals, both big and small, and many incredible birds. Begin with the amazing cervids, pythons, and waterbirds of Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur, including many migrant birds from the north, then be captivated by the cultural marvels of the Taj Mahal, Orchha, and Khajuraho. Spend a glorious week in two famous tiger reserves, Bandhargarh and Kanha national parks, the latter being where Kipling wrote The Jungle Book. Become immersed in the quest for tiger while also enjoying other fantastic wildlife. Soak up the wonderful knowledge and hospitality of India's people while staying in lovely accommodations. By the end of the safari, we will have traveled by bus, four-wheel drive, boat, train, plane, and best of all by elephant!

At a Glance

Companion Safaris and Extensions: Extend your stay in India! Continue on to Kaziranga and Nameri National Parks in Assam for eight days, March 23 to 30, 2013, immediately following this tour.

Cost: $5,047 per person, double occupancy, not including airfare. Review cost details.

Leaders: Naturalists Rajveer Singh and Gail and Doug Cheeseman lead throughout the tour. Two additional excellent naturalists, Ansar Khan and Babloo Ikrar Khan, will join us from Khajuraho to Bandhargarh and Kanha National Park until departure. Also, special cultural guides will lead at cultural sites. We travel in three 4WD Innova Toyotas with resident drivers.

Group Size: 11 participants, not including leaders.

Number of Days: 17 days total, including estimated travel time.

Conditions: A non-smoking safari for people who are very interested in all wildlife and spending the maximum time in the field.

Update: This itinerary was updated in November 2012.

Synopsis:

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Detailed Itinerary

March 8 - 10, Friday - Sunday: Flights and overnight in Delhi
Most will have to depart on March 8 or 9 to arrive in Delhi by afternoon or evening on March 10. See Flight Information on page 7. You will be met on arrival by our ground operators, Exotic Journeys, and transferred to the hotel. Overnight at the Radisson Airport Hotel, where we will also meet our wonderful resident naturalists and guides. You may choose to depart earlier to spend extra time in Delhi. Let us know if you are would like to arrive early in Delhi and need extra hotel nights and early airport transfers. Review flight information.
Lodging: Radisson Airport Hotel, Delhi on March 10.

March 11 - 13, Monday - Wednesday: Sultanpur Sanctuary and Bharatpur (Keoladeo Ghana)
After an early breakfast, drive 45 kilometers to the bird sanctuary at Sultanpur, where we should encounter about 50 species of birds in the short time before lunch. We could see Purple Sunbird, Eurasian Thick-knee, Gray Francolin, Indian Roller, Spot-billed Duck, Black-headed Ibis, Little Egret, Red Wattled Lapwing, Greater Coucal, Green Bee-eater, several species of doves, and many passerines.

Continue after lunch for another 185 kilometers through this very interesting countryside to check in at the beautiful Hotel Bagh in Bharatpur. Bharatpur is home to our guides, Rajveer Singh and Ansar Khan who will assist Rajveer later in the trip when we switch from a bus to two 4wheel drives to handle the roads at Bandhavgarh and Kanha. Rajveer's ancestors were Maharajas who have protected the marshlands here since the habitat was created in the late 19th century. Most of India's wildlife reserves were once hunting for sport reserves and Bharatpur was the best one for duck hunting until it became a national park with no hunting allowed. The royal family of Bharatpur originally created the area now named Keoladeo Ghana National Park. They diverted water from irrigation canals by building dams and bunds (embankments) around depressions that collected rainwater. The remainder of the park is deciduous forest and grasslands. "Keolade" is the ancient Hindu temple in the center of the park and "Ghana" refers to the dense forest of former times. Sambar, Nilgai, Chital (Spotted Deer), and Blackbuck are present in woodland and grassland and in the shallow waters of the wetlands. Smooth Otters are sometimes active on the lakes. If the weather is right, large Rock Pythons come out of their underground hiding places to sun themselves, appropriately at Python Point beyond the Keoladeo Temple. Golden Jackals call at night and Striped Hyenas, Bengal Foxes, Palm Civets, and Indian Crested Porcupine are also active at night in the sanctuary. Three species of small, shy felids, Jungle Cat, Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis), and Fishing Cat, are also present, but very difficult to see.

The Bagh is a lovely hotel set in a 200-year-old heritage garden on twelve acres, owned by our outfitters, Exotic Journeys. The birding right on the grounds is wonderful. We'll also have memorable experiences with morning and afternoon game viewing and birding inside the national park, which is twelve kilometers from our hotel. We'll enjoy opportunities to meet park rangers and local conservationist and talk with professionals from every area we visit throughout the trip. At Bharatpur, there are wide trails for walking around the bunds. Darters, cormorants, ducks, geese, egrets, eagles, jacanas, and dozens of other birds are there. Migrants have arrived, including cranes. We hope to take an enchanting boat trip shortly after dawn one morning around one of the lakes, depending on the water levels. If the water levels are too low for a boat trip, instead of having lunch at The Bagh the last day, we'll take a picnic lunch to drive 45 kilometers to Bund Baretha to bird along the lake there and in the vegetation between the lake and the old palace that overlooks it.
Lodging: The Bagh, Bharatpur

March 14, Thursday: Fatehpur-Sikri and the Taj Mahal
Enjoy the dawn action in the garden of The Bagh. After breakfast drive to Agra, located along the river Yamuna, famous the world over as the "City of Taj." About 40 kilometers before arriving in Agra, make an interesting stop at the national monument, Fatehpur-Sikri, an abandoned city (for lack of water) that was built on top of a rocky ridge. Fatehpur-Sikri was built 400 years ago by the Emperor Akbar as the first planned city in the Indo-Islamic style. Although it was deserted only a decade after completion, it is a beautiful blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture in red sandstone with lovely fretwork.

After checking into our hotel in Agra, we will spend the afternoon at the magnificent Taj Mahal. Built by Emperor Shah Jehan in memory of his beloved consort Mumtaz Mahal, this mausoleum is pure white marble. Begun in 1631 and completed in 1653, over 20,000 people worked on the buildings and grounds, combining Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. Stay until sunset, a wonderful time to be here with light passing through the multi-cut screens to cast intricate shadows on the wall, certainly one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The gardens are home to Hoopoes and other birds, including falcons that hunt small birds on the Taj grounds.
Lodging: Taj Gateway Hotel (or similar), Agra

March 15, Friday: Train to Jhansi, then to Orchha on the Betwa River
We'll have an early breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to Agra Cantonment Railway Station to board the Shatabdi Express for the two and a half hour train ride to Jhansi. On arrival, we'll drive 180 kilometers to Khajuraho, stopping at beautiful Orchha for lunch and a splendid visit there. Dating from the Bundela dynasty of medieval times, this amazing citadel was constructed on the Betwa River. Its vistas are lovely to photograph with forts, palaces, temples, and chhatris (dome-shaped pavilions). After lunch at the Orchha Resort, we'll finish our drive to Khajuraho to arrive for dinner and overnight at the Taj Chandela.
Lodging: Hotel Taj Chandela, Khajuraho

March 16, Saturday: Beautiful temples at Khajuraho and on to Bandhavgarh National Park
Khajuraho is known for its temples, which are among the most creative examples of Indian architecture. Only 22 temples survive today out of the 85 that were built between 950 and 1050 AD during the Hindu dynasty of the Chandela Rajputs. Khajuraho sculpture is sublime and sensuous. The carvings depict griffins, nymphs, beasts, demons in revolt, gods in cosmic evolution, fear, doubt, jealousy, ardent love, and consummate passion. The temples are world famous, not only for their symmetry and design, but also for intricate and erotic carvings on their walls. Many of the temples are dedicated to the Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The most magnificent, called the Kandariya Mahadeo Temple, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, representing Chandela art at its zenith. Later this morning meet Ansar Khan and Babloo Khan who will join Rajveer to have three naturalists, plus two new drivers. We will have three 4W vehicles (Toyota Innovas with three rows of seats) with 3 participants 3 naturalists and 3 English speaking drivers riding in each vehicle. It is 240 kilometers from Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh National Park with a stop for lunch in a local restaurant.
Lodging: Tiger Den Resort, Bandhavgarh

March 17 - 18, Sunday - Monday: Search for tiger and birds in Bandhavgarh National Park
Like Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh National Park has both fascinating historical monuments and wildlife but Bandhavgarh is more remote and much less visited. Twice a day we will sally forth by jeep for birding and game viewing with a break in the middle of the day for lunch and a rest. The elephants and their mahouts (owners/trainers) are an experience in themselves and we'll should have two opportunities to get atop an elephant if mahouts have located tigers when they go out at dawn looking for them. It is amazing to see how unafraid tigers here are, truly habituated to being observed by people on elephant back. There is no guarantee that tigers will be found each day, but in the past we have been very fortunate to photograph tigers here. The park, now extending over 435 square kilometers, is excellent tiger habitat. Chinkara Gazelles graze on the grassland areas with Chausingha Deer and Nilgai. Nilgai or Blue "Cow," largest of the Asian antelopes, has always been protected by religious sanction in Hindu areas. Rhesus Macaque and the Black-faced Langur are common in Bandhavgarh. The birding is outstanding around the lodge with Green Pigeons, Blossom-headed Parakeets, Gray and Malabar hornbills, minivets, leafbirds, flycatchers, and others. We'll hope to see Mottled Wood Owl and Brown Fish Owl out hunting for prey in the evening. The temples in the park include 10th century rock carvings of the incarnations of Vishnu. Blue Rock Thrushes, Crag Martins, and other birds reside among the temple rocks. In this dry deciduous habitat, the nighttime temperatures from November through mid-February can reach down to almost freezing and up to about 70˚F during the day, so bring warm clothes for evening even though we will be there in March when the weather will be warmer. In fact, we will be here on St Patrick's Day in a very green place, as the deciduous trees will all be leafing out and the grass should be looking quite lush already!
Lodging: Tiger Den Resort, Bandhavgarh

March 19, Tuesday: To Kanha National Park for great Tiger viewing!
We'll have one more morning game drive at Bandhavgarh, then drive to Kanha National Park after an early lunch. It is a distance of 230 kilometers to arrive in time for dinner. On arrival, check in at a lovely new hotel named The Baagh. Both Kanha and Bandhavgarh are part of Project Tiger begun in 1994 to give tigers more protection. Kanha is one of the largest national parks in India, 1,945 square kilometers of which 940 square kilometers comprise a "core zone" that is strictly patrolled.
Lodging: The Baagh, Kanha

March 20 - 22, Wednesday - Friday: Search for tigers and other wildlife at Kanha
Travel mostly by 4W vehicles within the park. If tigers are spotted by Mahouts, we will join the Mahouts on elephant back in the diverse habitats of Kanha to try to photograph and observe tigers. We'll have an opportunity to meet resident tribal leaders. On Wednesday afternoon when the weekly market is held, all the park vehicles are used for carrying groceries, so there are no game rides on Wednesday afternoons. So we may do a tribal village visit then. We will also check if we might watch an elephant get bathed in the river by the mahout if that is happening that afternoon. The other two days we will have a morning game drive and afternoon game drive.

The dominant tree in Kanha is Sal, which is an important hardwood in southern Asia. Bamboo thickets, "Dadar" (grassy plateau), and lightly wooded meadows with many rivers and streams support abundant wildlife. We hope to spot the endangered Hard-ground Barasingha (a subspecies of Swamp Deer), Barking Deer, Spotted Deer (Chital), Gaur, which is the largest bovine, the very shy Chowsingha (Four-horned Antelope), Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, Common Langur, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, and the Dhole (Asian Wild Dog). Some of the birds we hope to encounter are Red-naped Ibis, Jungle Owlet, Blue-bearded and Little Green bee-eaters, Crested Bunting, Red Junglefowl, Indian Peafowl, Oriental Darter, Indian Pond Heron, Woolly-necked Stork, Bronze-winged Jacana, Indian Grey Hornbill, Brown-throated Barbet, Lesser Flameback, White-eyed Buzzard, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Pied Harrier, Red-headed Vulture, Alexandrine and Plum-headed parakeets, Yellow-legged Green Pigeon, Sirkeer Malkoha, Greater Coucal, Collared Scops-Owl, Grey, Indian and Savannah nightjars, Crested Treeswift, Indian Scimitar-Babbler, Tawny-bellied and Yellow-eyed babblers, Tickell's, Blue and Verditer flycatchers, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Olive Tree Pipit, Black-headed Oriole, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Rufous Treepie, Scarlet Minivet, White-rumped Shama, and Red Avadavat.
Lodging: The Baagh, Kanha

March 23, Saturday: Fly to Delhi for flights homeward or fly to Kolkata for the Assam Extension
After a dawn outing and breakfast, drive from Kanha to either the Raipur or Nagpur airport. Both airports are about the same distance of 250 km. We'll take a picnic lunch and stop en route.

After a dawn outing and breakfast, drive from Kanha to the closest airport, which is at Nagpur, a distance of 266 kilometers. We'll take a picnic lunch and stop en route. If not joining the extension to Assam, board IndiGo's evening flight to Delhi. On arrival in Delhi, transfer to the Radisson Airport Hotel for dinner and dayrooms until about 10:00 pm. Transfer back to the airport for a night flight homeward, arriving home on Saturday, December 1. Most international flights from Delhi leave after midnight. For those continuing on the extnsion to Kaziranga and Nameri National Parks in Assam for Rhino and other wonderful wildlife not found in Central India, board the evening flight to Kolkata with Rajveer, Ansar and Babloo.

For those not continuing on our optional extension to Assam, you will drive to the Raipur airport to fly to Delhi for your connecting flights homeward. We will book the Raipur/Delhi flight for you and add the cost to your final payment. Review flight information.

For those continuing on our optional extension to Assam, you will drive to the Nagpur airport to fly to Kolkata. We will book the Nagpur/Kolkata flight for you and add the cost to your final payment. Review flight information.

Another choice is to stay longer in Delhi. We are happy to assist you with your arrangements. Delhi, the capital of India, has a fascinating history and nonstop action at most every street corner, whether it is snake charmer or dancing bear! The old city, built by Shah Jehan in the 17th century, is basically Indo-Islamic architecture, whereas New Delhi is a mixture of east and west. Attractions include the Jamma Mosque Red Fort, Raj Ghat, Gandhi Memorial Museum, Hamayun's Tomb, Birla Temple, Jantar Mantar, Delhi Zoo, and Connaught Place, New Delhi's main shopping center. We have been to the Gandhi Memorial Museum and Hamayun's Tomb and enjoyed the birds on the grounds as well. Throughout the city Black Kites, excellent garbage collectors, are usually seen overhead. Birds are protected and come to feed on the temple grounds, especially Rose-ringed Parakeets, even White-breasted Kingfisher and several species of passerines. Oriental Turtle-Dove, Common Myna, Yellow-billed Babbler, Dusky Crag-Martin and both Large-billed and House crows are some of the common species in the city. The Tomb of Humayan provides good bird habitat in charming gardens that are said to have inspired Shah Jehan to build the Taj Mahal.

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Costs

Payments and Cancellations: All reservations require a deposit due at the time of making the reservation. Upon receiving your deposit and reservation form, we will send trip materials with additional information to help you prepare for your safari. Until the final payment due date, deposits are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person. This fee may go toward another tour if reserved within six months of the cancelled trip's departure date. There are no refunds given after the final payment due date. If you are a single traveler and desire so, we will find a roommate for you, if we cannot find a roommate we may have to charge you the single supplement fee. We reserve the right to charge for cost increases that occur between now and the date of travel, including changes due to the cost of lodging and transportation.

Included:

• All activities, leaders, transport, park and monument entry fees, and accommodations as described in the detailed itinerary above.
• Tips to drivers and lodge personnel, including bellboys.
• Meals from breakfast on March 11 through dinner on March 23 and mineral water.
• English speaking local guides for the sightseeing tours.
• Representative meetings at the airports and hotels for assistance.
• Airport transfers at times and dates specified in the detailed itinerary – after midday on March 10 and on the night of March 23 on departure.
• Porterage at airports and railway station.
• Government service tax and value added tax.
• Still camera fee.

Not Included:

• All airfare, airport and departure taxes, and excess baggage fees. International airfare is approximately $1,350 from USA to Delhi. Internal airfare between Nagpur and Delhi is approximately $96 (quoted July 2012 and subject to change) and will be added to your Final Payment. Note: Airfare is more if continuing on the extension.
• Extra nights at the Radisson Airport Hotel in Delhi are $258 for a double and $240 for a single and a single airport transfer with "meet and greet" service is $50 per vehicle (quoted July 2012 and subject to change).
• Gratuities for Rajveer, Ansar and Babloo. Tipping is, of course, discretionary, however we suggest budgeting $15 per day or a total of $210 per participant for your trip. This does not include the trip extension. The gratuity will be collected at the end of the tour.
• Video camera fee in the parks of India, which is approximately $3 to $10 per day, per camera, depending on the park. On arrival at the Delhi airport, sometimes the people at customs make a note on the passport about a video camera and a form has to be filled in that it is for personal use and will be taken out of the country.
• Travel insurance.
• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, medical costs or hospitalization, room service, alcoholic and other beverages, and items not on the regular menu (if you have special dietary needs, please indicate them on your reservation form), etc.

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Sign-up

To Make a Reservation: Please contact us (there are many methods of contacting us) to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. Then, print our reservation form, fill out one form per person, and post it to us in the mail with your deposit. Or fill out our handy online information request and we will send you more information.

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Other Details

Leaders: Rajveer Singh grew-up at Bharatpur near Keoladeo National Park. His family members are descendents of Maharajas and have a reverence for wildlife that fostered his very early comprehensive interest in birds and mammals. He graduated from the University of Rajasthan, has studied nature and wildlife extensively, and has led many wildlife and birding groups throughout India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Rajveer is an excellent guide and an expert on mammals and birds of India with a lot of passion for sharing his love of India's natural and cultural history.

Both Babloo Ikrar Khan and Ansar Khan were born at Bharatpur and come from an important family of foresters who have worked in the Keoladeo National Park for two generations. Both have traveled widely, are experts on the birds and mammals of India, and have extensive experience leading bird and wildlife tours in north, central and east India.

Ansar specializes in wildlife photography. Many of his photographs have appeared in magazines and books and can be seen on his website, Wild Focus India. He is also active with the Life Line for Nature Society, a Bharatpur-based conservation and wildlife awareness nonprofit. Babloo is a member of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature India and was awarded a grant by the Oriental Bird Club to survey the status of vultures in the eastern district of Rajasthan. Both are highly respected among naturalists in India. They will be wonderful guides joining Rajveer to the national parks of Bandhargarh and Kanha and on the Assam Extension to Kaziranga and Nameri National Parks.

Gail and Doug Cheeseman have been leading wildlife safaris since 1978. They have found leading safaris to be a fresh way of blending a desire to observe nature with a wish to inspire travelers towards the values of conservation and education. Doug influenced the lives of many biology majors while teaching zoology and ecology at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, during his 35-year career there. He turned to leading safaris full time in 1998. Gail is a birder and naturalist, plus a meticulous coordinator of trip logistics. Gail and Doug lead as many trips as their schedule can accommodate, including Africa and the Neotropics.

Flights: Please let us know if you would like help arranging your own international flights. You should plan a round-trip flight from your home to Delhi.

Arrival: Arrive in Delhi (DEL) by the evening of March 10 at the latest. For most, this will mean departing on March 8 or the morning of March 9. From the East Coast, you should fly via Europe to Delhi. There is a choice from the West Coast, with some flights traveling west over the Pacific, crossing the International Dateline.

Departure: For those not continuing on our optional extension to Assam, on March 23 in Raipur (RPR) board IndiGo's evening flight at 7:35 pm that arrives in Delhi (DEL) at 9:20 pm (we will book this flight for you and add the cost to your final payment). Arrange your departure for home from Delhi (DEL) on a late night flight (most flights leave after midnight) on March 23 or very early morning on March 24 (possibly requiring an extra hotel night, not included).

For those continuing on the optional extension to Assam, on March 23 in Nagpur (NAG) board a flight to Kolkata (CCU) (we will book this flight for you and add the cost to your final payment). Arrange your departure for home from Delhi (DEL) on a late night flight (most flights leave after midnight) on March 29 or early in the morning on March 30 (possibly requiring an extra hotel night, not included).

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Transportation and Lodging: We stay in excellent lodges throughout India. We use many forms of comfortable transportation: air-conditioned coaster bus, Shatabdi Express train from Agra to Jhansi, four air-conditioned 4WD Toyota Innovas (three participants per vehicle, plus naturalist and driver), national park open jeeps with three rows of seats in Bandavgarh and Kanha, and airplane.

Climate: Temperatures vary at this season from cool to very comfortable, depending on the time of day. It will be very cool in the early morning and in the evening. It will be the "dry" season, but rain will likely be encountered, as climates are fairly unpredictable these days. Bring a warm jacket that is rain and wind resistant. Insects are not normally a problem in these areas, but we recommend that you bring insect repellant. The extension in Assam will be warmer weather than the part in central India.

Travel Insurance: Emergency Medical Insurance is optional, but encouraged, for this tour. Read about travel insurance and our recommendations and requirements.

Trip Materials: Detailed information about your specific tour will be sent to you after you make your reservation with us. These trip materials include information about flights, packing, entry and departure requirements, airport transfers, gratuities, packing, etc. Please take a moment to read this important informtation upon receipt.

Conditions: We We have a strict non-smoking policy - smoking is not permitted at any time or any place during our tours. We try to spend as much time in the field as possible, sometimes resulting in long days but giving you a more in-depth experience. Travel to remote places is exciting, but understanding and accepting the risks, both medical and logistical, are important. Minor medical problems can usually be treated, but due to the fact that we often travel to locations far from medical facilities, there can be no expectation for immediate medical treatment or evacuation, even in cases of trauma. Anyone with health problems needing close medical supervision should not consider going on this trip. Bring enough medication for the duration of the trip for any chronic medical needs, since pharmacies are usually not available. When you send your tour deposit and signed reservation form, you certify to us that you do not knowingly have any physical or other conditions that would create a risk for yourself or for other trip participants. For all tours that are ship-based, please note that although we cannot guarantee a request for a specific cabin, we do guarantee that you will be in a cabin of equal or greater value specified in your reservation.

Mailing List: If you would like to be on our mailing list or request information, please use our online information request form or contact us to give us your name, address, email address and phone number. Please note we will never share your personal information with anybody!

Responsibility: Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. All rates are based on current tariffs, exchange rates and fuel prices and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner's risk.

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is registered as California Seller of Travel #2063050-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC). In event of a client canceling where a refund is applicable in accordance with the schedule above, or in the event that CES needs to cancel the trip, all payments for transportation or travel service not provided to the client shall be promptly refunded, unless the client instructs us otherwise in writing. All client payments are deposited into a trust account in accordance with California law. If for any reason a valid refund is not forthcoming, the client may request reimbursement from the TCRC within six months of the scheduled end of the tour. Please feel free to ask us for more information.

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All material © Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris.
All photos © Doug or Ted Cheeseman, unless otherwise credited.
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