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India3rd February to 8th March 2007
Max De Boos, Dave Sheils, Mayette and Steve Anyon-Smith
(Joining our group was Sir Giles Scunthorpe, an expert on the world’s most dangerous swimming sites and his partner Fifi, who was raised on a farm and whose agricultural interests are shared by most members of Queensland’s Corby family)
The Plan
My bogy animal has been the tiger. So the plan evolved from my tireless travel mate Dave’s desire to test the limits of his stomach and help search for big striped cats and other critters we had missed seeing elsewhere. Given that India is blessed with some awesome historic and architectural wonders it wasn’t difficult for Bro Dave and I to interest our partners in joining us. But like most parties there were late changes to attendees and so the mix of participants in our little journey ended up being rather unusual and with a most diverse range of interests. We had interesting times ahead.
Whilst wildlife watching was certainly the most important element of our tour and drove our itinerary to a large extent, many of India’s best cultural sites were at or near our preferred wildlife spots so our five weeks’ stay had many dedicated cultural days. We chose February because this time of year in India coincides with the dry season, the weather is not too hot and over-wintering migratory birds are present.
We chose to use an Indian travel and tour company, Delhi-based Prudent Networks, to organise all the logistic arrangements for our trip (see “Prudent Networks”, below).
Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Little Rann of Kutch - Lothal – Gir National Park - Bhavnagar – Velavadar National Park– Mumbai – Jaipur – Ranthambore – Bharatpur – Agra – Khajuraho - Bhandavgarh National Park - Kanha National Park - Pench National Park – Delhi – Corbett National Park - Delhi
Day 01 : Arrive Mumbai
Assistance on arrival and transfer to Hilton Hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 02: Mumbai
Morning excursion to Elephanta Caves. Afternoon city sightseeing tour. Evening transfer to railway station to board Mumbai-Ahmedabad Express at 1935 hrs. Overnight on board.
Day 03: Arrive Ahmedabad Wild Ass Sanctuary
Arrive Ahmedabad at 0510 hrs. Assistance on arrival and drive to Dasada. Drive in the Little Rann of Kutch (Wild Ass Sanctuary) to see the Asiatic Wild Ass and other Fauna. Overnight at the hotel Rann Riders.
Day 04: Little Rann of Kutch
Full day visit the Little Rann of Kutch for birding and nature watch. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 05: Little Rann of Kutch
Full day visit the Little Rann of Kutch for birding and nature watch. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 06: Little Rann of Kutch - Lothal
Morning, leave for Palace Utelia near Lothal. Arrive Lothal and check in at Palace Utelia. Visit the Bronze Age archeological site nearby. Afternoon village tour. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 07: Lothal-Sasangir (Gir National Park)
Morning, leave for Sasangir. Arrive Sasangir and check in at Lion Safari Camp. Gir national park is the last refuge of the Asiatic Lion. After lunch, jeep drive into the national park. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 08: Gir National Park
Visit the park in the morning and evening. Overnight at the hotel
Day 09: Gir National Park
Visit the park in the morning and evening. Overnight at the hotel
Day 10: Sasangir -Bhavnagar
Drive to Bhavnagar. Check in at Hotel Nilambagh Palace. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 11: Bhavnagar
Excursion to Velavadar National Park (60 kms). Jeep Safari for game viewing. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 12 : Bhavnagar
Day return excursion to Palitana. At Palitana visit the Jain temples on Setrunjay hills. Return to Bhavnagar for overnight stay. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 13: Bhavnagar-Mumbai (By Air)
Morning, transfer to the airport to connect to flight 9W 3412 0915/1025 hrs for Mumbai. On arrival transfer to Hotel Sea Princess. In the afternoon visit the 2000 year old Kanheri Caves. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 15: Mumbai/Jaipur
Morning, transfer to the airport to connect flight 0525/0700 hrs for Jaipur. Assistance on arrival and transfer to Hilton Hotel. Early afternoon excursion to Amber Fort. Visit pink city and other sites in Jaipur. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 16: Jaipur/Ranthambore (bloody long way)
Morning drive to Ranthambore and upon arrival check in at Dev Vilas Resort. Afternoon excursion to Ranthambopre Fort. Overnight at the resort.
Day 17: Ranthambore
Morning and evening game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 18: Ranthambore/Bharatpur (not quite as long but still long)
Morning birdwatching around Ranthambore before leaving for Bharatpur and upon arrival check in at Hotel Laxmi Palace. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 19: Bharatpur
Visit Keoladeo Ghana NP and other sites for birds outside the park.
Day 20: Bharatpur/Agra (not far at all)
Morning drive to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri. Upon arrival check in at Grand Imperial Hotel. Afternoon city tour visiting the world famous Taj Mahal, Red Fort etc. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 21: Agra/ Khajuraho (6 hrs)
Morning drive to Khajuraho and upon arrival checkin at Hotel Clarks. Afternoon at leisure. City tour visiting the world famous Kamasutra (erotic) temples. Overnight at the Holiday Inn Hotel.
Day 22: Khajuraho/Bhandavgarh (7 hrs)
Morning tour visiting the world famous Kamasutra (erotic) temples. Afternoon transfer to Bhandavgarh National Park. Check in Tiger Den Resort.
Day 23: Bhandavgarh
Morning and evening jeep ride for game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 24: Bhandavgarh
Morning and evening jeep ride for game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 25: Bhandavgarh/Kanha/ (5 hrs)
Morning drive to Kanha National Park. Upon arrival check in at Tuli Tiger Resort. Afternoon game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 26: Kanha
Morning and evening jeep ride for game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 27: Kanha/Pench National Park (4 hrs)
Morning jeep safari in Kanha before transferring to Pench. Afternoon jeep ride for game viewing. Overnight at the Pench Jungle Camp.
Day 28: Pench/Nagpur
Morning jeep ride for game viewing. Transfer to Nagpur and catch overnight train to Delhi.
Day 29: Delhi
Upon arrival check in at The Claridges. Morning shopping. Afternoon visit to Qutb and city tour.
Day 30: Delhi/Corbett National Park (5 hours)
Morning drive to Corbett National Park. Upon arrival check-in at Infinity Resort. Evening game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 31: Corbett National Park
Morning and evening jeep ride for game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 32: Corbett National Park
Morning and evening jeep ride for game viewing. Overnight at the resort.
Day 33: Corbett National Park/Delhi
Morning jeep ride for game viewing. Afternoon drive to Delhi. Upon arrival check in at The Claridges. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 34: Depart Delhi
Shopping and transfer to International airport to connect onward flight.
A Wildlife, Culture An Lifestyle Experience Trip
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