KAZIRANGA - NAMERI - SHILLONG - NAMDAPHA- CALCUTTA
15 days London to London
Day 1: London to India
Depart for Calcutta flying direct with British Airways
(daily departures).
Day 2: London - Calcutta - Kaziranga
Arrive Calcutta early morning. Met on arrival at
the visitor's lounge and transferred to your hotel
Hyatt Regency near airport for freshening up. Later
in the day you will be transferred to the airport
to connect to your flight to Guwahati. Met on arrival
and transferred to Wild Grass Lodge in Kaziranga
National Park (5 hrs). Prior to the departure you
will stop near Ulubari Bazaar to try for the Greater
Adjutant Stork.
Day 3: Kaziranga
Early this morning we will go for an Elephant Ride
to the Central Range of Kaziranga National Park.
There have been reports of good tiger sightings
from this area. There are some great perches on
this trail for raptor sightings, as well as lakes
with otters and groups of wild elephants moving
through the park.
Afternoon we will be in the Eastern Range where
the largest lake is full of migratory waterfowl.
It is also the place to see the One Horned Rhinoceros
and the wild water buffalo cooling from the Indian
Sun. With luck you can go all the way to the mighty
Brahmaputra to see the Gangetic Dolphin.
Day 4: Kaziranga
Early this morning we will move to Panbari Forest
Reserve to search for rare Hoolock Gibbon (only
ape in India) and Hornbills. This area is also good
for woodland birds such as Yellow-vented Warbler,
Great Hornbill, and Redheaded Trogon.
Afternoon we will head for the Western Range where
we probably get the best chance to see raptors.
Day 5: Kaziranga - Nameri
This morning we will proceed by road to Nameri National
Park (85 kms 2hrs) for a full day bird-watching
tour. We will arrange accommodation at Nameri in
tented camps for overnight stay.Situated in an excellent
forest on the northern edge of the Brahmaputra River
flood plain it is a very rich birding area (370
species recorded so far), perhaps rivalling Manas
National Park, which has been closed to visitors
for about 12 years. The White-bellied Heron and
White-winged Duck are both found here but will take
some luck to see. Other species that are on the
park list that you may encounter are: Jerdon's Baza,
Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Pallas's, Lesser, and Grey-headed
Fish-Eagles, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Changeable Hawk-Eagle,
Swamp Francolin, White-cheeked Partridge, Kalij
Pheasant, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Masked Finfoot
(rare), Pale-capped and Pin-tailed Pigeons, Common
Hawk-Cuckoo, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Blue-eared Kingfisher,
Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Wreathed and Great Hornbills,
Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Brown and Tawny Fish-Owls,
Streak-throated Woodpecker, Long-tailed Broadbill,
White-throated Bulbul, Black-backed and Spotted
Forktails, Large Scimitar-Babbler, Rufous- necked
Laughingthrush, and Green Magpie.
Day 6: Nameri to Shillong
Early this morning we will be going by road to
Shillong (80 kms 2hrs) in the state of Meghalaya
(Literally meaning Land of Clouds).
Hidden below the state of Assam in the state of
Meghalaya Shillong is a popular hill station. Home
to the Dark Rumped Swift and Mausynram - the wettest
place on Earth- it also has some beautiful waterfalls
and orchids to offer.
On arrival you will check in to your hotel The Polo
Towers for 02 nights.
The hotel has 50 rooms with telephone, television
and attached private facilities. Other amenities
include swimming pool, shopping arcade, table tennis,
golf and multi-cuisine restaurant.
Location: Guwahati Airport - 120 kilometers: Shillong
Airport - 31 kilometers: Guwahati Railway Station
- 100 kilometers: City Centre - 1 kilometer
Government grading: Four-star hotel
Our comments: a budget property with poor maintenance.
The location is however very good After freshening
up you will proceed to the Shillong Peak (1965 meters;
10 kms from town) to look for Tawny-breasted Wren
Babbler and other Northeast Indian hills state species
such as Crested Finchbill, Rustycapped Fulvetta,
Striated Bulbul, etc.
Day 7: Shillong
This morning we will be birding at Mawphlang to
try for Golden Babbler, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush,
White-browed Shrike Babbler, Rufous-winged Fulvetta,
Grey Sibia, Ashy Bush Robins etc.
Later we will proceed to Cherrapunjee (2 hrs) to
look for Dark-rumped Swift an endemic species.
Evening will be free to explore this hilly station
wrapped in myths and cloud.
Day 8: Shillong - Guwahati - Dibrugarh
- Namdapha
This morning we will proceed by road to Guwahati
(103 kms; 3hrs) to connect to our flight to Dibrugarh
to proceed to our next destination - Namdapha National
Park for 05 nights. En-route we will be birding
along Old Shillong - Guwahati Road mainly trying
for the endemic Grey Sibia. Also we may see the
Stripe Breasted Woodpeckers, Maroon Orioles and
Rufescent Prinia. Met on arrival at Mohanbari (Dibrugarh)
airport and transferred to Deban Rest house via
the checkpost at Miao (215 kms 5hrs) to Namdapha.
Namdapha, located in Arunachal Pradesh one of the
remotest states of India in the Northeastern corner
is one of the most biogeographically diverse area
in India. Its avifauna is a unique blend of Himalayan,
Sino-Tibetan and Indo-Burmese form. The mammals
found here include the Clouded and Snow Leopard
along with the Tiger and the leopard. It is the
place form where recently the two new species of
deer to India was discovered. In short it is the
'The Last Wilderness'. The forest here is primitive
with only restricted areas open for foreigners and
Indians alike.
N.B. You will require a Restricted Area Permit,
which we will organise for you to visit Arunachal
Pradesh.
Overnight we will be at the rustic Deban Resthouse.
Deban rest house is at 390 meters altitude inside
Namdapha National Park. It is a basic rest house
with clean sheets and beds and lodging facilities
with five rooms and excellent location.
The rest house is located above the confluence of
Deban and Noa-dihing Rivers and is surrounded by
forests rich in woodpeckers, babblers and thrushes.
Day 9: Namdapha (Deban - Firmbase)
Early in the morning we will explore the Gibbon's
Land area and the adjoining Moti jheel. Here we
will try to see the Little Heron, Black Stork, Sand
Lark, Striated Grassbird, Snowy Throated Babbler,
Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Pale Blue Flycatcher
and Blyth's Kingfisher.
Later trek to Firmbase (13 kms/ 5hrs). Overnight
stay will be at the basic forest guesthouse.
Day 10: Namdapha (Firmbase - Hornbill)
Early morning we will trek to Hornbill Camp (8kms/4h).
This area is good for Great, Rufous-necked and Wreathed
Hornbill. Other species include the Jerdon's Baza,
Crested Goshawk, Rufous Bellied Eagle, White Tailed
Eagle, White Cheeked Partridge, Kalij Pheasant,
Pallas's Gull, Pompadour, Thick-billed and Pin-tailed
Pigeons, Green and Mountain Imperial Pigeons, Green
Billed Malkoha, Mountain and Collared Scops Owl,
Speckled and White Browed Spiculets, Chestnut Headed
Tesias, Rufous Gorgetted, Little Pied, Ultramarine,
Snowy-browed, Sapphire, Hill Blue and Pygmy Blue
Flycatchers, yellow Bellied, Broad-billed, Chestnut-headed,
Grey Cheeked, Golden-spectacled and Blyth's Leaf
Warbler. Overnight we will be camping at the Hornbill
Jungle Camp.
Day 11: Namdapha (Hornbill - Bulbulia)
Early morning we will proceed for a day trek to
Ranijheel (800 meters; 7kms each way). Here and
along the way up you will try for Pale-headed Woodpecker,
Red-billed Scimitar Babbler, Lesser and Greater
Rufous-headed Parrotbills. Later we will return
to Hornbill for overnight stay at Hornbill Jungle
Camp.
Hornbill Jungle camp is a basic camp with clean
lodging and dining facilities and four rooms. It
is located inside the park with some open area to
move about overlooking the forest.
Day 12: Namdapha (Bulbulia- Haldibari
- Deban)
Early this morning we proceed for a trek to Haldibari
and explore the area for the. Later we trek back
to Deban (25 kms/7 hrs). Overnight you will be at
Forest lodge in Deban.
Day 13: Deban - Dibrugarh
Early morning we will try the area around Deban
forest rest house for Black-breasted Thrush, the
river area for Ibisbill, Crested Kingfisher, White
Bellied Heron and the Lesser Fish Eagle. Later we
will return to Dibrugarh via Miao. On arrival you
will check in to the Chang Bungalow for overnight
stay.
Tea is grown in India for almost 200 years now and
the Assam Tea known for its colour and strong body.
The seeds of the tea that we see today go through
a lot of research and experiment before they are
carefully nurtured by the women to finally land
up as an invigorating cup of tea before us. In the
process of tea-making the Planter plays a key role
and lives in the two tier bungalows known as Chang
Bungalows where the tea is dried after plucking
in the lower tier and the Manager lives upstairs
always keeping an eye on the tea below.
Day 14: Dibrugarh - Calcutta
Early morning we will take a tour through the tea
plantation to have a feel of the Assam tea and the
story behind it. Later today you will be transferred
to the airport in time to board our flight to Calcutta.
On arrival you will check-in to The Park for overnight
stay.
The Park Hotel is equivalent to our 4 star hotels,
in an excellent location offering very good service
and wonderful restaurants. Rooms here very comfortable,
with all those facilities usually offered by a hotel
of this standard. This evening you will go for a
guided tour through the city of Calcutta.
Calcutta is a city of glaring contrasts: a curious
blend of the old and the new, partly feudal, partly
born out of growing urbanisation, partly un-definable.
It is a medley of the east and the west, a graft
of a European city imposed on the Asian landscape
that gives Calcutta its bewildering charm, confusion
and excitement. Being just about 300 years old,
Calcutta hardly has many great historical monuments.
Perhaps, the oldest remembered is the site where
the Kalighat Temple now stands. Today Calcutta is
the largest city in India with a population over
10 million and boasts of India's first ever Metro
rail system. It is a city that shocks on first impression
but eventually the visitor falls in love with it.
The sightseeing of the city includes a visit to
the Victoria Memorial, Calcutta's most imposing
and monumental dream in marble opened by the Prince
of Wales in 1921 and often called the "Taj"
of the British Raj, St. Paul's Cathedral and the
Indian Museum, the largest in India, with one of
the best collections of Indian art.
Day 15: Calcutta - London
This morning we will be transferred to Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose International Airport for our flight
BA 146 to London. Suggested check-in time to the
airport is at Estimated time of departure from Calcutta.
Extension: Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuary:
Day 16: Calcutta - Sunderban Wildlife
Sanctuary
This morning we will proceed by road to Sonakhali
(2 hrs 30 mins) On arrival to Sonakhali Jetty we
will move in to a semi-luxury boat for 02 nights.
Cruise to Sudhanyakhali watchtower through mangrove
creeks and canals of Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuary.
Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuary: The Sunderbans, extending
over an area of 1,000,000 hectares, is the world's
largest delta, formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra
and Meghna rivers. The region has extensive mangrove
forests and the contours are in a constant state
of flux, caused by the monsoon flooding each year.
Roughly a third of the delta is water, consisting
of rivers, channels and tidal creeks up to 8 kilometers
wide.
The area of the Reserve is 2585 sq. km., covering
land area of 1600 sq. km. and the water body occupying
over 985 sq. km. Within this area, 1330.12 sq. km.
is designated as core area, which was subsequently
declared as Sundarbans National Park in 1984. The
entire Sundarbans area was declared as Biosphere
Reserve in 1989.
The main attractions of the Sunderbans are the Tiger,
large reptiles like the Monitor Lizard, Estuarine
Crocodile the Olive Ridley Turtle, and the Indian
Python.
Here we will see the Black Capped, White Collared,
Stork Billed, Brown Winged, Common and Pied Kingfisher.
Other birds include the Scarlet Flowerpecker, Mangrove
Whistler, Grey and Purple heron, Asian Openbill,
Little Green Heron, Forest wagtail, Asian Paradise
Flycatcher, Loten's and Purple Rumped Sundird. Afternoon
we will visit Sajnekhali watchtower. From the watchtower
we will try to catch a glimpse of the elusive Tiger.
Other mammals expected are the Chital, Wild Boar
and the Rhesus Macaque. After spending some time
on the watch tower we will anchor for the day. Evening
at leisure on the boat. Overnight you will be at
the boat.
Day 17: Sunderban Widlife Sanctuary
This morning we will be birding from the boat. Our
efforts will be primarily focused on seeing the
Goliath Heron the largest heron in the world. Later
in the morning we will cruise to Bagna and Burir
Dabri watchtower to try for mammals sighting form
the boat.
Evening local cultural show in village Bali. Cruise
back to anchoring point. Overnight we will be at
the boat.
Day 18: Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuary
- Calcutta
Morning we will go for creeks cruise by manually
oared country boat for about an hour. We will see
the highly endemic mangrove flora from close quarters
and also hope to see the Salt Water Crocodile and
the Water Monitor. If we are lucky we may catch
a glimpse of the Indian Rock Python or some other
snake. Later in the morning cruise to Dobanki and
Netidhobani watchtower to sight wildlife. Cruise
back to Sonakhali. Upon arrival at Sonakhali jetty
you will be transferred to the car for surface transfer
to Kolkata. Met on arrival and transferred to your
hotel. Overnight you will be in your hotel- The
Park
The Park Hotel is equivalent to our 4 star hotels,
in an excellent location offering very good service
and wonderful restaurants. Rooms here very comfortable,
with all those facilities usually offered by a hotel
of this standard. This evening you will go for a
guided tour through the city of Calcutta.
Calcutta or is a city of glaring contrasts: a curious
blend of the old and the new, partly feudal, partly
born out of growing urbanisation, partly un-definable.
It is a medley of the east and the west, a graft
of a European city imposed on the Asian landscape
that gives Calcutta its bewildering charm, confusion
and excitement. Being just about 300 years old,
Calcutta hardly has many great historical monuments.
Perhaps, the oldest remembered is the site where
the Kalighat Temple now stands. Today Calcutta is
the largest city in India with a population over
10 million and boasts of India's first ever Metro
rail system. It is a city that shocks on first impression
but eventually the visitor falls in love with it.
The sightseeing of the city includes a visit to
the Victoria Memorial, Calcutta's most imposing
and monumental dream in marble opened by the Prince
of Wales in 1921 and often called the "Taj"
of the British Raj, St. Paul's Cathedral and the
Indian Museum, the largest in India, with one of
the best collections of Indian art.
Day 19: Calcutta - London
This morning we will proceed to Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose International Airport for your flight to London.
Suggested check-in time to the airport is at Estimated
time of departure form Calcutta airport.
End of our Services
