Winter is short in India. It’s the time when large numbers of migratory birds fly in from the colder regions of Siberia, China, Central Asia and other places in high latitudes. Many rare Himalayan bird species, too, fly down to the foothills of the mighty mountain range to escape the chilly conditions and incessant snowfall at the peaks. These migrating and resident avian specialties are the focus of our Winter Birdwatching Tours of India.
Selecting the Indian birding hotspots that see maximum avian action in winter season, we have put together a host of birding tours in North, Northeast, and West India.
Northeast India boasts unrivalled biodiversity in the subcontinent. It makes for an exceptional avifauna habitat that is home to as many as 70 percent of the Indian bird species. Our Arunachal, Assam and Nagaland Birding Tour strings together three of the best birding destinations of India in a single expedition lasting 15 days. The target is the rare winter birds of Northeast India.
Mishmi Hills in Arunachal Pradesh host several of these species and we explore different elevations of this mountain range, from the low-altitude town of Roing to the heights of Mayodia Pass. In the neighbouring state of Assam, a large wetland named MaguriBeel sees huge flocks of migratory birds every winter season, and the lowland rainforests of DehingPatkai and Jeypore Range are abuzz with a wide variety of avian species. To the east of Assam, the mountainous state of Nagaland witnesses hundreds of thousands of Amur Falcons flying in from Siberia and Northern China, giving Nagaland the nickname, ‘Falcon capital of the world’. Our winter birding trip of Northeast India stitches together all these hotspots.
Nearby, in the state of Bengal, the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary provides an excellent setting for our Latpanchar Short Birding Tour. Our main target on this tour is Rufous-necked Hornbill, a vulnerable species that begins its nesting season just before the end of winter. To track and find this beauty, along with scores of others, we scour the birding trails below the Latpanchar village, which is located at 4500 feet.
The Himalayan foothills in North India reveal an equally impressive cast of winter birds, particularly at Jim Corbett National Park, the setting of our Corbett Short Birding Tour. On this tour, you catch sight of winged beauties such as Ibisbill, Nepal Wren Babbler, Great SlatyWoodpecker, Great Hornbill, and Pallas's Fish Eagle. Alongside, you get to go on tiger safaris of Corbett to look for the striped predator.
Higher up in the middle of the Himalayas, waders such as Brown-headed Gulls fly in from Central Asia every year and make the high-altitude lakes of Ladakh their home for several months. Our Ladakh Birding Tour centres around these very lakes, that is the lakes of Tso Moriri (altitude 4522m) and Tso Kar (4530m), which are also among the few breeding grounds in the world for Bar-headed Goose and Black-necked Crane. This Himalayan birding tour also takes you to the heights of Khardung La (one of the highest motorable passes in the world) for peeks at some rare birds that are hard to come by at lower elevations.
Moving away from the mountains, we step into a surreal world of vast mudflats and marshes on our Gujarat Birding Tour in western India. What makes Gujarat a superb destination for winter birding is its mid-way location on the migration routes of several birds. The Great Rann of Kutch and Little Rann of Kutch are crowded each winter with these birds, mostly waders. Gujarat’s Gir National Park, a great birding hotspot, also gives us the chance to see the Asiatic Lion.
Each one of our India Winter Birding Tours has been chosen for its potential to throw up great sightings. Please go through the tour plans and itineraries to choose the one you want to sign up for.
Delhi – Dibrugarh – Mishmi Hills - Mayodia Pass - Roing - Maguri Beel – Tinsukia – Digboi - Patkai & Jeypore - Kohima - Chizami – Khonoma
15 Days / 14 Nights
Our Arunachal, Assam and Nagaland Birding Tour dovetails three ace birding destinations of India in a single birdwatching adventure. Put together, the bird count and avifauna diversity of these three North-Eastern states is unrivalled throughout the Indian subcontinent. More than two-third of around 1300 bird species found in India can be seen in the hills, forests, grasslands, wetlands, lakes and rivers of Arunachal, Assam and Nagaland. Many of these winged beauties are rare and exotic.
Delhi – Corbett National Park
05 Days / 04 Nights
Birdwatching and tiger sighting go hand in hand on our Jim Corbett Short Birding Tours. Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is the oldest national park of India and a protected area for the Bengal Tiger. Its location in the foothills of the Lesser Himalayas and its geography comprising hillocks, ravines, grasslands, deciduous forests, marshes and riverine belts make it a biodiversity hotspot teeming with an incredible variety of wildlife and avifauna. As many as 580 species of birds have been spotted here and certain areas of the park (such as Durga Devi zone).
Jalpaiguri – Latpanchar
05 Days / 04 Nights
The quiet village of Latpanchar in the Himalayan foothills of northern Bengal is the focus of our Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary Short Birding Tours. Spread out over 159 sq. km of forested area between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers, the sanctuary is home to a wide variety of wildlife, but what stands out the most is its avifauna. About 200 bird species have been spotted here, and the most prized sighting is that of Rufous-necked Hornbill in the four months of its nesting season.
Ahmedabad - Velavadar - Gir National Park - Jamnagar - Great Rann of Kutch - Little Rann of Kutch - Ahmedabad
14 Days / 13 Nights
The speciality of our Gujarat Birding Tour is the diverse bird habitats it covers. Drawing from decades of birding experience in this westernmost state of India, we pick out the choicest of Gujarat birding hotspots to ensure maximum sightings during your India birding holiday. Our Gujarat birding itinerary takes you to national parks, bird sanctuaries.
Delhi – Leh - Khardung La - Puga - Tso Moriri – Tso Kar
10 Days / 09 Nights
Our Ladakh Birding Tour rouses the birder and mountain adventurer in you. It showcases rare Himalayan birds in the most pristine and surreal landscape of the world’s mightiest mountain range. At the centre of our tour are birding expeditions at the two high-altitude lakes of Tso Moriri and Tso Kar in southeast Ladakh. These huge sapphire pools on a high Himalayan plateau are marvels of geography that beggar description.
Our India birding tour packages are a cut above the competition, and they especially stand out for their wide range. Put together, these tours throw up sightings of around 700 bird species.
Andaman Birding Tour takes you to one of the world’s remotest birding hotspots and treats you to pageantry of endemic birds.
View Details
Our North India Birding Tour is perfect for those who want a birdwatching holiday packed with hundreds of bird sightings,
View Details
Eaglenest is the centrepiece of our Northeast India birding tours. As a birdwatching destination,
View Details
The question of What Travel is interesting but more for what it tells you about the people doing the asking. The question of What Travel is interesting but more for what it tells you about the people doing the asking.
Know More The question of What Travel is interesting but more for what it tells you about the people doing the asking. The question of What Travel is interesting but more for what it tells you about the people doing the asking.
Know More