For wildlife enthusiasts India has much to offer. The bird sanctuary at Bharatpur, with over 300 species, is recognised as one of the best of its kind in the world. The semi arid forests of Sariska and Ranthambhor harbour rich assortment of mammals, notably nilgai, tiger and sambar. Ranthambhor and Bandavgarh are among the few places in India where you have the chance to see the elusive tiger in broad daylight. Wildlife areas alternate with the colours of Jaipur, the magic of the Taj Mahal and the exquisite temples of Khajuraho. If time permits, extend your stay and visit Corbett National Park, in the foothills of the Himalaya. The best time to take this tour is from November through April. However, for travel in March or April Bharatpur may be omitted from your itinerary and replaced by an extra night elsewhere.
Think of Rajasthan and all that comes to mind are
the images of forts, palaces, lakes, colourful festivals and the
mighty Thar Desert. But the state of Rajasthan is not only the Thar
Desert. The topography of Rajasthan ranges from the barren desert,
scrub-thorn arid forests, rocks and ravines to wetlands and lush,
green forests. Each of these areas is a haven for a wide spectrum of
wildlife, bestowing the state with some of the most fascinating
wildlife sanctuaries in India.Rajasthan boasts of three
national parks and over a dozen sanctuaries. Most of these areas are
open to visitors round the year but are closed briefly during the
monsoon. The wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan offer some of the
best wildlife tours in India and can be explored either by jeep or
on elephant back. For those looking for adventure, these wildlife
sanctuaries of Rajasthan provide the kind of excitement that really
makes the adrenaline flow.
The Rann of Kutch wildlife sanctuary lies in the southeast of the province Sindh bordering India . The marshy Runn of Kutch and its surrounding desert area in Sindh is one of the most potential habitat for numbers of animal and birds in the province. This area is known to be a breeding ground for flamingoes and staging ground for pelicans , cranes , storks , and many species of waterfowl and also important site for animals like wild ass, Blue bull , chinkara , and desert wolf , which have been sighted regularly. This area used to have the only population of the Indian Wild Ass or Onager in Pakistan. Unfortunately they are thought to have been exterminated. Nilgai may be found here.
Assam is the largest and most accessible of the north-east States. The word Assam is derived from the Sanskrit word 'asoma' meaning peerless. The land of Assam is, in fact peerless, judging by its sheer natural beauty and cultural richness. Home to diverse races, Austric, Mongoloid, Aryan and Dravidian, who settled in these hills at different points of time, Assam has developed its own peculiar composite culture, one of variegated colour. It is a vibrant land of contrasts, each nook and corner of which, has something special and rare to offer. Assam is bordered in the north and east by Bhutan and the State of Arunachal Pradesh. To its south lie the States of Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
Assam's early history includes some semi mythical Hindu rulers such as Narakasura, mentioned in the Mahabharata, who ruled from Pragjyotishpura (modern day Guwahati). The Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited the area in 640 BC. During the 13th century, the Ahoms, a Shan tribe from Myanmar (Burma) conquered Assam, adopted Hinduism and established a dynasty which lasted till 1826 when it was annexed by the British. This allowed Assam's Hindu culture to blossom in relative peace.
The British developed the initial tea industry and now Assam grows 60% of India's Tea and produces a large proportion of India's Oil.
The Independence day weekend was approaching and we had multiple plans for the long weekend. But none of them worked out since monsoon was active in most of the Western Ghats. While Naren, Ashwath and I were getting ready to drench in the rains of Kemmannugundi, we came across this announcement from the Youth Hostel Association of India(YHAI). They were organizing a 2 day trek to Soligeri, a small village amidst the Kaveri valley.Along with us, Seema and Chinmay also registered for the trek.
This part of the Kaveri valley had been sealed off for normal public since many years due to the activities of forest brigand Veerappan. It is only recently that a few routes here have been opened. But since this place falls in the prime forest lands of Cauvery Wildlife Division, Kanakapura, a trek to this place involves some logistics issues. It is not advisable to venture into these forests without getting prior permission from the forest office. This was one of the motivating factors for us to join this YHAI conducted trek.
Shashidhar from YHAI, Bangalore was leading the trek. After completing the formalities of filling up the application form for the trek, we got started in a tempo traveler(TT) by around 9AM. Our group had 15 participants. The first break was at Kanakapura where our breakfast was arranged by a few members of Youth Hostel and Rotary Club. After Kanakapura we continued on NH209, crossed Sathanur and reached a village called Honnaganahalli where we took a left turn. From here it was around 2-3km on the village road before we reached the Harihara village(720m). This is where we picked up two villagers as our guides. After a mini break for jaggery-sweetened tea at the village, we started again for the last leg of our journey. Most of us climbed on to the roof of the TT and had fun avoiding the tree branches, some of them being thorny. After 15min of this joyful ride we finally reached the starting point of the trek at around 12.30PM.
Alpine brings to you an exciting and memorable India Bird Paradise Tour. Our meticulously designed Bird Tour Packages are ideal for ornithologists, bird lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, taking you to some of the finest bird sanctuaries and national parks of India. Our 19 Nights/20 Days India Bird Paradise Tour Package would also cover some of the most fascinating tourist destinations of India, including Delhi and Agra, to add more color and charm to your India Tour.
For wildlife enthusiasts India has much to offer. The bird sanctuary at Bharatpur, with over 300 species, is recognised as one of the best of its kind in the world. The semi arid forests of Sariska and Ranthambhor harbour rich assortment of mammals, notably nilgai, tiger and sambar. Ranthambhor and Bandavgarh are among the few places in India where you have the chance to see the elusive tiger in broad daylight. Wildlife areas alternate with the colours of Jaipur, the magic of the Taj Mahal and the exquisite temples of Khajuraho. If time permits, extend your stay and visit Corbett National Park, in the foothills of the Himalaya. The best time to take this tour is from November through April. However, for travel in March or April Bharatpur may be omitted from your itinerary and replaced by an extra night elsewhere.
Delhi/ Ahmedabad/ Bhavnagar/ Gir/ Zainabad/ Ahmedabad/ Delhi/Malai. 
Delhi/ Banglore/ Cochin/ Periyar/ Delhi 