Indian safari: the perfect 2-week itinerary to watch wildlife in India

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Good birding can be had on the banks of the Yamuna river while Lodhi gardens and Buddha Jayanti Park hold a fine selection of species. In addition, some historical sites serve as suitable habitats for many birds.

Species to look out for are the greater flamingo, Eurasian spoonbill, striated grassbird, and many species of ducks and raptors such as booted eagle, marsh harrier, and peregrine falcon among many others. Overnight Delhi.

On arrival, you can spend the latter part of the day searching along the Kosi river for brown dipper, little forktail, spotted forktail, three species of wagtail, brown fish owl, tawny eagle owl, and other lowland species.

Next day is spent in the forests around Mohan looking for great barbet, orange-bellied leafbird, crimson sunbird, black bulbul, rusty-cheeked scimitar babblers, a variety of warblers, tits, and flycatchers. Tracks of leopards and wild tigers are commonly seen, though the big cats are only occasionally spotted. Two nights at Tiger Den.

The tiger, the national animal of India, is the biggest cat in the world and a glimpse of this endangered species will leave you in awe. The elusive leopards are more difficult to spot, so if you see one consider yourself a very lucky person.

Expect to see great hornbill, grey-headed fishing eagle, and Pallas’s eagle on a stump in the middle of the Ramganga Reservoir once you reach Dhikala. Here you will spend the rest of the afternoon in your open vehicle looking for grassland specialists like the marsh harrier, black francolin, red avadavat, and oriental skylark are quite common here.

There will be two more game drives in the morning and evening on the second day in the eternal search for the tiger. Enjoy the beautiful landscape and scan the forest for the famous tiger stripes. Driving through the forest east of Dhikala is the best place to spot the elusive cat as prey is plentiful in the chaur grasslands of Corbett.

There are about 700 Asian elephants in Corbett; they are part of a migrating population that also lives in Rajaji National Park. These Asian elephant herds can often be seen feeding on the green grass in this area. You will spend two eventful nights at Malani Forest rest house. Keep in mind that there is no phone reception at Malani and they run on solar.

Here you will be rewarded with large flocks of Brahminy ducks (ruddy shelduck), and other common waterbirds like cormorants and darters. The reservoir walls are one of the few places where you can spot the rare wall creeper. 

Towards the end of the day drive to Nainital (38 km), the hill town at 7000′ where you will be spending three nights. Overnight at Nainital.

Birds like the red-billed blue magpie, chestnut-crowned laughing thrush, and black-headed jay can be seen within walking distance of Vikram Vintage Inn, your home during your stay in Nainital.

The lush Mongoli Valley is a thirty minute drive downhill from Nainital where you will spend the better part of the day looking for striated laughing thrush, Asian barred owlet, orange-flanked bush robin, and slaty-headed parakeet.

On the third morning, follow a trail uphill from the hotel till it meets a road. Cross the road and walk down the steps in search of Indian black-lored tits, bolden bush robin, and white-capped bunting.

The Uttarakhand Government has an exceptional network of clean and affordable guesthouses. For those who want to spend more time birding or hiking, these provide excellent bases.

The river Yamuna flows directly behind this mausoleum and early morning sightings on the banks could include waders like common sandpiper, black-winged stilts, plovers, great thick-knees, gulls, river terns, and more.

After a long day of sightseeing and birding, you will drive for about two hours towards Bharatpur. Enroute, don’t forget to pay a visit to the ancient city of Fatehpur Sikri. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was built in the 16th century, was the capital of the Mughal empire for 10 years, and has one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid. Overnight at the stunning Bagh Resort, Bharatpur. While at Bagh Resort don’t forget to visit their magnificent bird hides. Golden oriole, hoopoe, black-winged stilt, white-throated kingfisher, and pond heron are regularly seen.

The sanctuary is well-managed and the birds are not easily spooked. During winter, the park is home to nearly 400 species and on a good day, a visitor can hope to spot nearly half of them, especially the period between October and March when huge numbers of Paleoarctic migrants arrive and mingle with the resident birds.

There is an excellent network of tracks across the park which can either be explored on foot or bicycles available for hire at the entrance gate. Great white pelicans fly in during winter while Dalmatian pelicans occur annually. The stunning black-necked stork is on the decline, but fortunately can still be seen at Bharatpur. Overnight at Bharatpur.

You will spend the next day at the Band Baretha Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour and a half drive from Bharatpur and a birdwatcher’s paradise. There are many regular species found here, but the star attraction here is the Indian skimmer. There is a dam at the end of the lake where you can look for the brown crake, painted snipe, dusky crag Martin, and the rarer crag martin.

On your leisurely return to Bharatpur, there are spots to see booted eagle, desert wheatear, tawny pippin, Blyth’s pipit, and long-billed pipit.

You can access the park by private jeep or canters, but to maintain the flow of visitors, the number of vehicles allowed inside the park during morning and afternoon is greatly restricted.

Ranthambore is an exciting Indian National Park. Primarily known as the home of the Bengal tiger, the park has amazing wildlife, with a total of 40 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, and 35 species of reptiles. A wildlife safari in Ranthambore will bring you great animal sightings.

The stunning scenery of steep cliffs and a thick expanse of jungle dotted with historical ruins are worth a visit in itself. Semi-desert specialties found here are painted spurfowl, painted sandgrouse, the Eurasian owl, and Indian eagle owl (rock eagle owl).

Apart from big cat and sloth bear sightings, there is plenty of good birding, both outside and inside the park. Half a day should be kept aside for birding on the main road to the park. Indian courser and the yellow-wattled lapwing can be found here. The acacia woodlands on either side of the road are good for white-bellied drongo and the scarce white-naped woodpecker, and the black-rumped flameback woodpecker. You will be spending two nights at any of the lodges outside the park.

You can spend a good couple of hours birding here on the lookout for spotted owlets, black kite, black-rumped flameback woodpecker, and many other resident species.

Return to the hotel/airport to freshen up, before catching the flight to your next destination.

(If you choose to return to Delhi by car, stop at a place called Sonkh, about 15 km from Bharatpur, on the road towards Mathura, to see several Indian black ibis (also known as red-naped ibis) feeding in the open fields.

Final thoughts

If you dream of seeing amazing Indian wildlife and birds, we hope this Indian safari itinerary helps you get out there and make this lifetime experience a reality!

Jyotsna Ramani is a travel writer that has visited 40 countries. Originally from India, Jo has been traveling to National Parks in India since she was a toddler. You can read about her travels at Wander with Jo.

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