India is often known as a land of extremes, and this short tour brings you exactly that. We start in the lush green landscapes of the Indian monsoon, targeting some birds that are seldom seen at other times of the year. Key amongst them is the rare endemic Lesser Florican, seldom seen due to its very secretive behaviour. Monsoon is when it does its spectacular jumping display, which we will look for mainly in agricultural fields near Sonkhaliya. In the same area of Rajasthan, the similarly secretive Rain Quails will be calling and obvious, and this is the best time of year also for seeing Rock Bush Quail, Painted Francolin, Singing Bushlark and Bristled Grassbird.…

This short tour is intended as a pre tour extension to our Snow Leopard Special in Ladakh, and what better way to prepare for this by seeing a different species of Leopard first?! We will visit Jhalana Safari Park in Jaipur, a small park on the edge of the city which is one of the best places to see Asiatic Leopards in the wild.

Before that, we will spend two days targeting some special birds associated with the Indian monsoon. The key bird to search for is the rare endemic Lesser Florican, seldom seen due to its very secretive behaviour.…

Among the rugged mountain landscapes of Ladakh, lives possibly the most elusive of the big cats: the Snow Leopard. As pioneers of this specially designed trip, Asian Adventures have tweaked it over 15 years to give us the optimum chance of spotting one of these beautiful creatures. Our trained guides and local trackers almost always ensure at least a glimpse of this magnificent predator in its natural habitat. We will also enjoy the other unique wildlife that this high-altitude habitat has to offer, including Asiatic Ibex, Bharal (Blue Sheep), Argali, and Tibetan Wolf (the subspecies of the global Grey Wolf found in Nepal and Tibet as well as the Indian Trans-Himalaya region).…

This is a pioneering short extension to our Ladakh Snow Leopard expedition in search of another awe-inspiring large mammal, the ‘Dren-mo’, or Himalayan Brown Bear. In recent years sightings have been fairly regular around the town of Dras, 3,280m in the Kargil district of Ladakh, otherwise noted for being possibly the coldest inhabited place in India!

As well as Brown Bear and the stunning scenery of this seldom-visited region, there will be plenty wildlife to see. Although it is a short tour specially concentrating on Brown Bear, we will of course manage to see several good birds at the same time.…

North and East Sikkim are not regularly visited by birders but provide an excellent variety of East Himalayan birds that are often more confiding and easier to see than in the more popular sites in Arunachal Pradesh.

The first few days of this tour are spent in Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, close to western Bhutan. The sanctuary covers a vast altitudinal range, to over 4,000 m, bringing with it many changes in birdlife as we ascend through the rhododendron and juniper forest to the alpine lakes. We will make use of one or two simple homestays in the area and have time to explore thoroughly, from lower areas around Phadamchen through the famous zigzag roads of Zuluk to the Nathang Valley.…

This is a very special tour to experience one of the birding wonders of the entire world. Only in the last few years have Amur Falcons been known to congregate in such large numbers on migration. For just a few weeks at the end of October and early November in Nagaland, in India’s Northeast, phenomenal numbers of this beautiful falcon gather together to feed and roost during their remarkable migration from eastern Russia and China to southern Africa.

Just as remarkable is the turnaround from a horrific story of large-scale hunting to a local community conservation success: read more about the Amur massacre from Conservation India.…

The main focus of this tour is a birding trek through the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalayas, and third largest in India, the Namdapha National Park. However, we will have time to start with a short trip to ascend the Mishmi Hills, most notably looking for the highly localised Mishmi, or Rusty-throated, Wren-babbler. First described from one specimen collected in 1947, it was not seen again until 2004.

Spread over an area of 1,985 sq km in extreme eastern Arunachal Pradesh, Namdapha National Park is seldom visited due to the difficulty of access. The area is mountainous, crisscrossed by many watercourses forming part of the catchment area of the Brahmaputra through the Noa-Dihing (Diyun) river system.…

The mix of broadleaf and coniferous forests of the Neora Valley National Park provide fantastic birding and a great introduction to the Eastern Himalayas, with birds typically a little more confiding than in the further reaches of Arunachal Pradesh for example. Coupled with the magnificent Singalila National Park, where there is a very good chance of seeing the cutest of mammals, the Red Panda, and this is a marvellous wildlife tour.

We start this tour in the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers, at Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. A wide variety of species, such as Red Junglefowl, Small Pratincole, Crested Treeswift, Green-billed Malkoha, Red-breasted Parakeet, Oriental Pied and Great Hornbills, Little Pied Flycatcher and Orange-bellied Leafbird, is an excellent way to kick off our species list.…

This tour focuses on the endemic birds of the Western Ghats of South India, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots due to its large amount of endemism and diversity. The area is important for wintering migrants too, and we are guaranteed some great birds and wildlife throughout as we visit most of the top birding sites in the region. We will see most of the 37 South Indian endemics, plus many of those shared with Sri Lanka, and an excellent selection of large mammals. Key bird species include lots with Malabar and Nilgiri in their name!

Starting from Bangalore (officially now known as Bengaluru) in Karnataka, we take a southerly route through the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.…

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Pristine beaches, clear waters, sandy shores and beautiful sunsets make the Andaman Islands a tropical idyll. But the main interest for us birders of course will be the 20 endemic and near-endemic birds! Being closer to Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia than India, the avifauna is also closely related to that of southeast Asia.

Our target species will include Andaman Green-Pigeon, Andaman Cuckooshrike, Andaman Crake, Andaman Nightjar, Andaman Scops Owl, Andaman Treepie, Andaman Shama and Andaman Teal – some imaginative naming! – as well as non-endemics that are easier to encounter here than in much of the rest of India, such as Slaty-breasted Rail, Black-naped Tern, Black Baza, Violet Cuckoo and Beach Thick-knee.…

When you think of Indian wildlife and birdwatching, the first destinations that come to mind are probably verdant forests, Himalayan mountain passes, or bird-filled wetlands. The western deserts, however, provide some truly spectacular birding in one of India’s richest cultural regions, and are home to some of the rarest birds in India.

Our tour will head out to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, in the Desert National Park, the last remaining stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard, a species that sadly could well be extinct in our lifetimes. En route we will enjoy one of India’s avian spectacles at close quarters, the wintering flock of thousands of Demoiselle Cranes at Khichan.…

The Gujarat coast is one of the richest areas for wintering waterbirds in India and we start in Jamnagar where sites such as Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary and Narara and Pirotan Islands will show us thousands of flamingos and hopefully large flocks of one of our main targets here, Crab Plover. Lakhota Lake in the city attracts large flocks of gulls, with the chance of an Indian rarity.

Gir National Park is the only site remaining in India for the Asiatic Lion. The local population is currently doing well with an estimated 600 lions, and we also have a reasonable chance of seeing Asian Leopard.…

This special tour focusses on one main bird that, with a population of just over 100 individuals, sadly could well be extinct in our lifetimes. The spectacular Great Indian Bustard is by no means the only highlight of this trip though, for the western deserts of India provide some wonderful birding in one of India’s richest cultural regions.

Our tour will head out to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, the last remaining stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard. First though, we will spend some time at India’s most famous bird reserve, the Keoladeo National Park, or Bharatpur. En route from there to the desert we will enjoy one of India’s avian spectacles at close quarters, the wintering flock of thousands of Demoiselle Cranes at Khichan.…

Is there a better introduction to India, its scenery, wildlife and birds, than this classic tour from Delhi? For the first-time visitor it is perfect, and the enormous variety of birds throughout means it is always a thrill, even for the regular birder.

Starting from Delhi we will have time for some local birding at for example Sultanpur National Park before continuing on to Jaipur, and an afternoon safari at Jhalana where we have a very good chance of seeing Asian Leopard. From there it is on to Ranthambore National Park. Once the hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur and the British, it was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1955 and a National Park in 1980.…

Chopta in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary provides some excellent winter and spring birding, and fantastic landscapes. A mix of pine and deodar forest with rhododendrons, amidst lush ‘bugyals’ or grassy meadows, it is probably the best and most easily accessible place in India to see the stunning ‘nine-coloured’ state bird of Uttarakhand, the Himalayan Monal. That alone would be worth the long drive, but the area has much more to offer.

This week-long tour is offered as an extension to the Classic North India birding tour. It is a little more arduous, with a couple of long drives and basic accommodation, but the birds and the luxurious stay at the end, make it all worthwhile!…

The Eastern Himalaya region teems with biodiversity, including some very special birds and mammals. Manas National Park, named after the Manas River, is a tiger reserve on the Bhutan border, and part of an important elephant corridor. It has a fantastic selection of mammals including the gorgeous Golden Langur. For birds it is a prime site for the critically endangered Bengal Florican, and may also produce Black-tailed Crake, Pied Harrier, Wreathed Hornbill, Red-headed Trogon, Indian Grassbird, Hodgson’s Bushchat and Rufous-vented Laughingthrush.

Cherrapunjee is famous for being one of the wettest places in the world.…

Northeast India is one of the most bird-rich regions in the world. The dense forests are home to various species of skulking babblers and similarly plumaged warblers, but also beautiful pheasants and other stunners such as Fire-tailed Myzornis, Himalayan Cutia, Beautiful Nuthatch, Ward’s Trogon and, of course, the recently discovered Bugun Liocichla.

We start this tour with a visit to lowland Nameri National Park on the Jia Bhoreli river, which has a wide variety of species and some key targets we are unlikely to see elsewhere, including Pied Falconet, Oriental Hobby, Wreathed Hornbill and White-winged Duck.…

The Mishmi Hills is the main focus of this tour, after our main Northeast India trip further west, but the lowland wet forests of Assam have some fantastic birding, and we should manage a brief taster of these in the Jeypore forest area of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, before heading to Roing. Finding the rare Brown Hornbill would make this very worthwhile, but we could also be lucky with White-winged Duck, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Ruddy Kingfisher and Silver-breasted Broadbill.

The Mishmi Hills of northeastern Arunachal Pradesh has become popular in recent years as travel restrictions in the state have eased.…

This is a specialist birding trip in the spectacular Great Himalayan National Park, focussed on the stunning, enigmatic and very seldom seen Western Tragopan. It is timed to be at the peak of Tragopan activity so we should definitely hear them calling, and have the best possible chance of seeing this amazing bird.

Find yourself in the midst of this pristine landscape of the mighty Himalayas, enjoying some fantastic birding and hopefully one of the least observed birds in India! As well as the tragopan we hope to see Cheer and Koklass Pheasants, Himalayan Monal, Bearded Vulture, Golden Eagle, White-cheeked Nuthatch, Spotted Nutcracker, Long-billed Thrush, White-throated Tit, Pink-browed Rosefinch, Red-headed Bullfinch and Collared and Spot-winged Grosbeaks.…

Kashmir and Ladakh at the northern extreme of the Indian Subcontinent, across the Himalayas, offer a stark contrast to the rest of the country, in landscape and culture as well as birds and wildlife. The location attracts migrants from northern parts of the Palearctic, and there are several vagrant species seldom seen anywhere else in India. However, we will be mainly concentrating on localised breeding species, such as Black-necked Crane, Ibisbill, Kashmir Nuthatch, Kashmir Flycatcher.

A few days based in Srinagar (staying on a houseboat on the edge of Nigeen or Dal Lakes!) will be spent exploring surrounding forests and valleys, at sites that are likely to include Dachigam National Park, Gulmarg and Yousmarg.…