04 Mar 2028 - 14 Mar 2028 (11 days)
USD3,295 SPACES AVAILABLE
Tour Leader: Local Leader
Tour Leader: Rockjumper Tour Leader TBC
Tour Price (Per person): USD3,295 (GBP2,491 * EUR2,874 * AUD4,666)
Single Supplement: USD935 (GBP707 * EUR816 * AUD1,324)
Home to over a billion people in arguably the world’s richest cultural landscape, India is a country with no equal. This great nation boasts a staggering geographical diversity ranging from deserts and forests to tropical, palm-lined shores and snow-capped peaks. India is, of course, also famous for its rich avifauna and iconic mammalian megafauna, foremost of which is the regal Bengal Tiger. Our tour visits the core mammal, birding and cultural sites including the fabled Ranthambhore National Park, the exquisite wetlands of Keoladeo and incomparable Taj Mahal. Join us in this unforgettable celebration of India’s incredible birds, iconic mammals, dramatic scenery, and kaleidoscope of cultures!
Sarus Crane; Black-necked Stork; Bar-headed Goose; Red Avadavat; Painted Sandgrouse; Painted Spurfowl; Black Bittern; Bluethroat; Indian Peafowl; Indian Courser; Alexandrine & Plum-headed Parakeets; River Tern; Pheasant-tailed Jacana.
Bengal Tiger; Leopard; Sambar; Nilgai; Chital; Hog Deer; Sloth Bear (rare); Jungle Cat.
wetlands, teak woodlands, rivers, sal (oak & rhododendron) forests, dry acacia woodlands
cool to mild on the central plateau, cold in the early morning.
Teams of 15 with 1 Rockjumper Tour Leader and 1 Local Tour Leader
UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.
Undemanding. Suitable for all birding / wildlife interest levels. India is an assault on the senses first time around, requiring a little tolerance to begin with.
Comfortable to very comfortable.
Undemanding. Most species provide good visuals in open conditions. Mostly savanna & woodland birding.
Taj Mahal; Agra Fort; Ranthambore Fort
Good to excellent. From vehicle and in lodge gardens.
Feedback for India – Western Deserts 2026 Overall, this was quite a trip. I had gone on the India – Northern Birds & Tigers just prior to this trip, so the number of new birds for us was low. However, we got most of the birds we were hoping for, a testament to Dušan and the highly-skilled local guides. We were well taken care of during the trip and all the accommodations were first class. The group were all serious birders, and we all got along together well and were able to contribute to the very respectful tally of the birds. The travel was a lot more than I anticipated. Several days were essentially all driving, with a brief stop or two to stretch and check for birds. I strongly recommend adding a day at Mt. Abu. We had only a few hours of birding there, sandwiched between very long drives. Adding a day there will be a great relief from spending so much time in the bus and allow us to catch up a bit on our sleep. I did a survey among our group and all greed that adding a day would be a great relief and would not keep any of us from choosing the trip. The birds were nearby, which helped a lot as we didn’t have a long drive to get to the birds. One location in particular, Desert National Park, was almost two hours. A closer accommodation needs to be scouted out. Dušan did a great job, and his enthusiasm kept us going when sleep depravation was hitting us. The guy never wanted to quit. We got all three mega birds, the Hypocolius, the Indian Spotted Creeper, and the Forest Owlet, quite well. All three were a great experience, especially the Hypocolius, as most of the group were family listers. We even had one of our group finish off the families during the trip! Thanks for offering and recommending this trip.
This was a great trip. A terrific itinerary and we saw lots of birds and we saw tigers at Ranthambhore and Corbett. Glen and [the local leader] were excellent guides—great spotting skills, and they made sure everyone saw the bird. The logistics worked very well because Glen and [the local leader] were a great team.
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 the first group birding tour Ive ever taken (meaning, more than myself and either one or two other persons). Rockjumper and Nigel Redman made it a very pleasurable experience, with wonderful birds, beautiful landscapes, and good flexibility and adaptability to the various challenges and obstacles thrown our way on the trip. I heartily recommend both this tour and Nigel Redman as a tour leader! I would happily go on any tour for which Nigel was the leader; his knowledge of ornithology, history, and birding folklore is encycylopedic, and his easy humor and casual nature made for happy hours in our vehicles or over dinner tables (this, in contrast to the group next to us in some of the dining halls, where hardly a word was spoken by any tour member when the trip leader was going through the days list; that was a dictatorship; Nigels tour was a democracy in many ways.)
An excellent tour! Paul Josop lived up to our expectations for a Rockjumper guide - excellent knowledge of the birds; conscientious about getting everyone on the birds; on top of all the arrangements for meals, lodging and transportation; worked well with the local guide; and shared his excitement and good humor throughout the trip. The WhatsApp group that he set up was brilliant. He shared photos with us, as did other participants, and it was an easy way for us all to keep in touch. We would love to travel with Paul again.
India - Western: Desert Specials 2026 - February 2026
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2026 - January 2026
India - Southern: Endemics of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2026 - January 2026
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2025 - November 2025
India - Northeast: Mishmi Hills & Assam specialities 2025 - April 2025
India - Northeast: Eaglenest & Beyond 2025 - April 2025
India - Northwestern Himalayas 2025 - March 2025
India - Red Panda Quest 2025 - March 2025
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2025 - February 2025
India - Weakland (North) 2024 - November 2024
India - Assam Extension II 2024 - April 2024
India - Assam Extension I 2024 - March 2024
India - Southern: Birding & Wildlife of the Western Ghats (Small Group) 2024 - January 2024
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2023 - December 2023
India - Northeast: Eaglenest & Beyond 2023 - April 2023
India - Assam Birding & Big Game Extension II 2023 - April 2023
India - Assam Birding & Big Game Extension I 2023 - March 2023
India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2023 - January 2023