Hemming the rugged lands of southern India are the impressive Western Ghats Mountains, a land of endless valleys, rolling tea estates and breathtaking highland vistas, well-known for harbouring a superb range of highly localised endemic birds and a host of special mammals. This comprehensive tour showcases many of these special creatures: the gorgeous Indian Pitta, Nilgiri Laughingthrush, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, rare Sri Lanka Frogmouth, exquisite Malabar Trogon, Malabar Whistling Thrush, and Heart-spotted Woodpecker are just some of the incredible birds we will search for, while Indian Elephant, Gaur (Indian Bison), Wild Boar and Smooth-coated Otter are potential mammalian highlights. Join us for an unbeatable birding exploration to the southern part of this immense and extremely rewarding nation!
Painted Bush Quail; Red Spurfowl; Nilgiri Wood & Grey-fronted Green Pigeons; Malabar Grey Hornbill; White-cheeked Barbet; Blue-winged Parakeet; Malabar Woodshrike; White-spotted Fantail; White-bellied Treepie; Indian Black-lored Tit; Malabar Lark; Grey-headed, Flame-throated & Yellow-throated Bulbuls; Broad-tailed Grassbird; Indian Scimitar & Rufous Babblers; Wynaad, Nilgiri & Palani Laughingthrushes; Malabar Starling; Nilgiri Thrush; White-bellied Blue, Black-and-orange & Nilgiri Flycatchers; Nilgiri Blue & White-bellied Blue Robins; Malabar Whistling Thrush; Nilgiri Flowerpecker; Crimson-backed Sunbird; Nilgiri Pipit; Indian Pitta; Sri Lanka Frogmouth; Malabar Trogon; Heart-spotted Woodpecker.
Dhole (rare); Gaur (Indian Bison); Smooth-coated Otter; Nilgiri Tahr.
sholas (montane forests), teak woodlands, lakes, wetlands, montane grassland
warm during day, cool at night, rain unexpected
12 with 2 Rockjumper leaders / 8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate
basic to comfortable lodges and hotels
mostly unchallenging
+-250
Lake Periyar, roadside temples and shrines, Western Ghats Mountains, tea plantations
good
We really enjoyed both tours. The leader, Stephan Lorenz, was very helpful and worked hard to make the birding trips a success. We appreciated the local guides on both trips as well. They were all very good at getting the job done and making it all enjoyable and seamless. We always feel we are in good hands when we go on a Rockjumper tour.
This trip was great! We were told the trip should generate about 250 bird species and our total was very close. Peter was excellent at finding birds, leading us and keeping a positive group atmosphere. The local guides also were competent and helpful. Accommodations are not an important aspect of a trip to me but the ones we stayed at were excellent, as were the meals. The trip was an excellent introduction to India for me tho I was happy to have it very much concentrate on birding.
This was my first Rockjumper trip. I definitely will be a repeat customer. The booking process was easy and painless. The transport and hotel logistics during the trip were flawless. David Hoddinott and Ansar Khan were excellent guides and worked diligently to make sure we saw as many birds as possible.
Greg de Klerk and David Erterius were great - super knowledgeable and really kind. You can tell that they both care about birds and their guests. I hope I can go on a Rockjumper tour with them again.
We had a great tour. It was smaller even than usual, as two of the participants departed after two days due to illness. Glen, was as always his uber-keen birder, cheerful self. His magic pulled out quite a few surprising sightings.
10 Nov 2024 - 21 Nov 2024 (12 days)
USD5,495 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: André Bernon
Tour price (Per person): USD5,495 * GBP4,404 * EUR5,119 * AUD8,358
Single Supplement: USD1,450 * GBP1,162 * EUR1,351 * AUD2,205
Can be linked with: Sri Lanka - Endemic Birds & Big Game 2024
10 Jan 2025 - 21 Jan 2025 (12 days)
USD4,995 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Carlos Bocos
Tour price (Per person): USD4,995 * GBP4,003 * EUR4,653 * AUD7,597
Single Supplement: USD750 * GBP601 * EUR699 * AUD1,141
Can be linked with: Sri Lanka - Endemic Birds & Big Game (Small Group) 2025
India North Summer Test Tour (Tpss) - May 2024
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2024 - January 2024
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2023 - December 2023
India - Assam Birding & Big Game Extension II 2023 - April 2023
India - Northeast: Eaglenest & Beyond 2023 - April 2023
India - Assam Birding & Big Game Extension I 2023 - March 2023
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2023 - January 2023
India - Western: Forest Owlet Extension 2023 - January 2023
India - Western: Desert Specials 2023 - January 2023
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2023 - January 2023
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2022 - December 2022
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2020 - February 2020
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2020 - January 2020
India - Highlights of the North 2019 - December 2019
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2019 - December 2019
India - Highlights of the North 2018 - December 2018
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats II 2018 - November 2018
India - Andaman Islands Endemics 2018 - November 2018
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats I 2018 - January 2018
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