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India - Western: Desert Specials

© Demoiselle cranes by Adam Riley
India - Western: Desert Specials 2026

16 Feb 2026 - 28 Feb 2026 (13 days)

USD4,695 NO SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Dušan Brinkhuizen

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Tour Price (Per person): USD4,695 (GBP3,592 * EUR4,088 * AUD7,180)

Single Supplement: USD720 (GBP551 * EUR627 * AUD1,101)

Flight costs: USD280 (GBP214 * EUR244 * AUD428)

This tour pairs with: India - Western: Forest Owlet Extension 2026

India - Western: Desert Specials 2027

16 Feb 2027 - 28 Feb 2027 (13 days)

USD4,800 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth

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Tour Price (Per person): USD4,800 (GBP3,672 * EUR4,179 * AUD7,341)

Flight costs: USD310 (GBP237 * EUR270 * AUD474)

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

India - Western: Desert Specials 2028

15 Feb 2028 - 27 Feb 2028 (13 days)

USD4,900 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Nigel Redman

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Tour Price (Per person): USD4,900 (GBP3,749 * EUR4,266 * AUD7,494)

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

India - Western: Desert Specials 2029

13 Feb 2029 - 25 Feb 2029 (13 days)

USD5,200 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Glen Valentine

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Tour Price (Per person): USD5,200 (GBP3,979 * EUR4,528 * AUD7,952)

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

The wonderfully diverse nation of India is well-known for its verdant landscapes and the snow-capped Himalayas. It therefore surprises many people to learn that India is also blessed with some incredible deserts, and our tour showcases this much-underrated habitat by exploring some of India’s less frequented parks and reserves in the county’s dry, western parts. Desert National Park, Tal Chappar and the Great and Little Ranns of Kutch are amongst the most important of the protected areas of western India and we will visit all of them. We will also pay a visit to the more verdant Mt Abu along with an extension to the deciduous forests of Tansa Reserve. 

Along the way we are going to see some of the most threatened and rare birds not only of India but of the whole world.  Species we are searching for include the Great Indian Bustard which sadly teeters on the brink of extinction, the almost equally rare White-browed Bush Chat, along with Indian Spotted Creeper, Yellow-eyed Pigeon, Green Avadavat, Sociable Lapwing, Macqueen’s Bustard, White-naped Tit, Marshall’s Iora, and for those doing the extension the recently rediscovered Forest Owlet.  We also stand a great chance at picking up two of the more difficult monotypic families in the world, namely Crab-Plover and Grey Hypocolius. The general birding is excellent with lots of breeding specialties supplemented by vast numbers of overwintering northern migrants including famous congregations of cranes, impressive flocks of waterfowl and waders and a number of interesting passerines.  Mammals are yet another interesting feature of this trip and along the way we can expect to see Blackbuck, Indian Gazelle and Indian Wild Ass amongst others.

Top Birds

Grey Hypocolius, Great Indian & Macqueen’s Bustards, huge numbers of Demoiselle, Common & Sarus Cranes, Dalmation & Spot-billed Pelican, Green Avadavat, Indian Spotted Creeper, Sociable Lapwing, Crab-plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Indian Courser, Red-headed, Cinereous & White-rumped Vultures, Eastern Imperial Eagle, White-eyed Buzzard, Laggar Falcon, Merlin, Jungle Bush & Rock Bush Quails, Yellow-legged & Barred Buttonquails, Black Francolin, Painted, Spotted & Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Sykes’s & Savanna Nightjars, White-naped & Indian Black-lored Tits, Marshall’s Iora, Brown Rock Chat, Pied & White-browed Bush Chats, Bimaculated, Rufous-tailed & Sykes’s Larks, Indian Bush Lark, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Desert Whitethroat, Bay-backed Shrike, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Eastern Orphean, Asian Desert Warbler and Striolated Bunting.

Top Mammals

Asiatic Wild Ass, Asiatic Lion, Blackbuck, Nilgai, Chinkara (Indian Gazelle), with chances for Golden Jackal, Bengal and the desert subspecies of Red Fox, Striped Hyena, Wolf, Jungle Cat and Wild Cat

Habitats Covered

semi-desert scrub, salt-flats, seasonal wetlands, grassland, scrubland, dry deciduous forest, coastline

Expected Climate

warm during the day, with cooler nights and cold mornings

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader

Tour Pace & Walking

mostly relaxed with some longer drives

Accommodation

mostly good, basic but comfortable around Zainabad

Ease of Birding

mostly unchallenging

Photographic Opportunities

very good

What our clients say about us

David Hoddinott
LB - India 2019

To David Hoddinott with many thanks. In my book, you are still the best guide I’ve ever birded with. Please give my regards to the office team. I am very proud to be part of the Rockjumper Family.

David Hoddinott
SS, India 2018

David Hoddinott is wonderful and a great leader.

Stephan Lorenz
MM & GM, Southern India 2018

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.

David Hoddinott
TM, India 2018

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.

Robert Williams
PR, India 2023

As usual another fantastic journey masterfully organized and enabling us to discover places and birds in the best possible way. Supreme guide, all matters perfect, except the lack of heating in the bus. Chilly India, believe it or not !

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Route Map

Tour Route Map

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