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India - Western: Desert Specials

© Demoiselle cranes by Adam Riley
India - Western: Desert Specials 2027

15 Feb 2027 - 01 Mar 2027 (15 days)

USD5,595 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth

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Tour Price (Per person): USD5,595 (GBP4,270 * EUR4,885 * AUD8,079)

Single Supplement: USD990 (GBP756 * EUR864 * AUD1,430)

Flight costs: USD280 (GBP214 * EUR244 * AUD404)

India - Western: Desert Specials 2028

04 Feb 2028 - 18 Feb 2028 (15 days)

USD5,900 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Nigel Redman

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Tour Price (Per person): USD5,900 (GBP4,503 * EUR5,151 * AUD8,520)

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

India - Western: Desert Specials 2029

06 Feb 2029 - 20 Feb 2029 (15 days)

USD6,200 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Glen Valentine

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Tour Price (Per person): USD6,200 (GBP4,731 * EUR5,413 * AUD8,953)

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 visitors to learn that India also boasts remarkable desert ecosystems. This tour focuses on these underappreciated habitats, exploring some of the less-visited parks and reserves of the country’s arid western regions.

Key sites include Desert National Park, Tal Chappar, and the Great and Little Ranns of Kutch, all of which rank among the most important protected areas in western India. In contrast, we will also spend time in the more verdant and scenic Mount Abu, adding ecological variety to the journey.

This tour offers the chance to observe some of the most threatened and sought-after bird species in India, and indeed globally. Targets include the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, the scarce White-browed Bush Chat, as well as Indian Spotted Creeper, Yellow-eyed Pigeon, Green Avadavat, Sociable Lapwing, Asian Houbara, White-naped Tit, and Marshall’s Iora. We will also search for two of the world’s more enigmatic monotypic families: Crab-plover and Grey Hypocolius.

General birding throughout the tour is excellent, combining resident specialties with large numbers of overwintering northern migrants. Expect impressive gatherings of cranes, substantial flocks of waterfowl and waders, and a wide range of desert-adapted passerines. Mammal viewing is another highlight, with good chances of encountering Blackbuck, Indian Gazelle, and Indian Wild Ass, among others.

Top Birds

Great Indian Bustard & Asian Houbara; Grey Hypocolius; Crab-plover; huge numbers of Demoiselle & Common Cranes; Dalmatian & Spot-billed Pelicans; Green Avadavat; Indian Spotted Creeper; Sociable Lapwing; Indian Courser; Red-headed, Cinereous & White-rumped Vultures; Eastern Imperial Eagle; White-eyed Buzzard; Laggar Falcon; 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; Desert Whitethroat; Bay-backed Shrike; Rufous-fronted Prinia; Eastern Orphean & Asian Desert Warblers; Sind Sparrow.

Top Mammals

Asiatic Wild Ass; Blackbuck; Nilgai; Chinkara (Indian Gazelle); with chances for Golden & Grey Wolves; Bengal and the desert subspecies of Red Fox; Striped Hyena; Jungle & Wild Cats.

Habitats Covered

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

Expected Climate

Variable temperatures from very cold to warm.

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader

Tour Pace & Walking

MODERATE TO CHALLENGING: This tour requires a good level of fitness, stamina, and overall health. It’s best suited for experienced birders who are comfortable with a more active itinerary. Please note that it may not be ideal for avid photographers, new birders, or those with mobility or health concerns.

Moderate. Long travel days, many target species.

Accommodation

Variable. Comfortable in larger towns to basic at some sites.

Ease of Birding

Moderate to easy. Most species provide good visuals in open conditions but may require repeat attempts. Target driven tour with long days.

Photographic Opportunities

Good to very good in open conditions, lighting can be difficult. No dedicated hides.

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
CH, India 2018

David Hoddinott is simply outstanding: Calm, focused, truly excellent knowledge of the birds, their calls and habits. He has a wonderful sense of humour, too.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
CV, India - Western: Desert Specials 2026

Dusan was a great guide. His prep everyday for the best locations specifically to visit for the specialty birds was outstanding and mostly successful. The local crew were also outstanding. Bablu is a great source of all information and a very pleasant travelling companion. The driver and his assistant came up with an outstanding plan to retrieve my forgotten phone. The long drives were taxing but I understand as the distance between areas we visited were extensive. The food was way better than I had expected. All the hotels were great.

Nigel Redman
MC, India 2023

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.)

Clayton Burne
PWN, India 2013

Clayton was friendly, informative and fun.... Very athletic and cheerful. Find him to be a wonderful guide.

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Route Map

Tour Route Map