Arrive Ahmedabad

Arrive Ahmedabad

Arrive Ahmedabad, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

You will be briefed about your tour & assisted during hotel check-in. Later you will visit Sabarmati Ashram. Sabarmati Ashram, formerly known as 'Satyagraha Ashram", situated in Ahmedabad at the Kocharab Bungalow of Jivanlal Desai, a barrister. Later on it was shifted to the banks of Sabarmati river and then it came to be known as 'Sabarmati Ashram'. Gandhi stayed at the Ashram from 1915 to 1933 later on the Ashram was disbanded. The Ashram is a witness to many important historical events.

Continue your visit with Vishala Village complex displays as superb utensils museum. You will also have the opportunity to dine at famous ‘Vishalla Restaurant’, an authentic village restaurant serves premium quality Gujarati cuisine. Overnight Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad / Velvadar (Surface)

Ahmedabad / Velvadar (Surface)

Today early breakfast and enjoy the Heritage Walk of the old quarters of Ahmedabad City. More of the beauty and rich heritage culture of Ahmedabad could be explored by taking a heritage walk. The walk starts from at 8 AM from Kalupur Swaminarayan temple and ends at Jumma (Jama) masjid by 10 AM to 10:30 AM. 

Later check out and drive to Velavadar National Park (145Kms / 3-4Hrs approx.). Check in at your lodge and rest the day at leisure. Overnight Velvadar.

Velvadar National Park

Velvadar National Park

Morning and Afternoon Safaris by open jeeps /Gypsys in Velavadar National Park known for its large blackbuck antelope population, Velavadar is also one of the few places where the wolf is proliferating in India though they are rarely seen in the daylight. Jackal, jungle cat and hare are more easily seen and Indian foxes on the periphery. Sirkeer malkoha, painted francolin, chestnut-bellied and spotted sandgrouse, rufous-tailed, crested and Sykes’ larks, red-rumped swallows, desert and variable wheatears and other birds are seen and many raptors visit especially short-toed snake eagle, imperial, steppe, tawny, greater and lesser spotted eagles, laggard falcon, hobby, common kestrel, red-necked falcon, peregrine falcon, white-eyed and long-legged buzzard, black-shouldered kite, shikra, Eurasian sparrow-hawk and occasionally northern goshawk. Rarities include the Stoilczka’s bush chat. In the evening, witness a massive roost of Montagu, pallid and marsh harrier. Overnight Velvadar.

Velvadar / Sasan Gir (Surface)

Velvadar / Sasan Gir (Surface)

Post breakfast, check out and head towards Sasan Gir (200Kms / 4Hrs approx.).

Sasan gir or Gir National Park has gradually developing into one of the world's largest tracts of dry deciduous woodland as the terrain becomes more undulating to the south and west.  Within this landscape is Gir National Park, the last refuge of Asiatic Lion, a highly endangered species whose range once extended as far as Greece.  Today the population of this species stands at around over 400 individuals which, together with the 300 or so Leopards within the sanctuary, bestows Gir with one of the most significant concentrations of big cats in India.  

Check in at your hotel and rest of the day at leisure. Overnight Gir.

Gir National Park

Gir National Park

Morning & evening Safaris (04 Safaris in Gir National Park) by open Gypsy. Gir is the last abode of the Asiatic lion and has a thriving population of the panther (leopard), sambar, chital (spotted deer), nilgai (blue bull antelope) and wild boar. Other key mammals include Chinkara, or Indian Gazelle, and Chousingha, the world's only four-horned antelope.  The forests, interspersed with grasslands and dissected by rivers, also support a diverse avifauna, with key species here including Brown Fish and Mottled Wood Owls, Laggar Falcon, White-bellied Minivet, Rufous Treepie, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Marshall's Iora, Tawny-bellied and Yellow-eyed Babblers, Rufous-fronted Prinia, and Black-headed Cuckooshrike.  

Spend your nights in a comfortable wildlife lodge on the edge of the sanctuary. Overnight Gir.

Sasan Gir / Jamnagar (Surface)

Sasan Gir / Jamnagar (Surface)

Following breakfast, check out and drive to Jamnagar (220Kms / 4-5Hrs approx.).

Arrive Jamnagar & check in at hotel.

In the afternoon, visit Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, a possible site for the Indian skimmer. This sanctuary is a breeding area for many species of birds that do not nest elsewhere in peninsular India.  Great-crested grebe, black-necked stork, Caspian tern and many other birds can be seen. Overnight Jamnagar.

Explore Gulf of Kutch

Explore Gulf of Kutch

Visit coastal areas along the Gulf of Kutch, one of the finest birding stretches along the Indian coastline. You are likely to see crab-plover, Kentish plover, oystercatcher, ruddy turnstone, broad-billed sandpiper, sanderling, dunlin, curlew sandpiper, black-headed gull, Pallas’ gull, Temminck's stint, lesser-crested tern, gull-billed tern, common tern, little tern, black-bellied tern, whiskered tern, whiskered tern, darters, western reef egret and other birds could be seen on this route. Overnight Jamnagar.

Jamnagar / Moti Virani (Surface)

Jamnagar / Moti Virani (Surface)

After an early breakfast, check out and drive from Jamnagar to the Gulf of Kutch into the Kutch peninsula passing good wetlands and dry land bird habitats to Moti Virani near the town of Bhuj (300Kms / 6-7Hrs approx.)

Arrive Moti Virani, check in at Birding Camp & take rest. CEDO (Centre for Desert & Ocean) Homestay for Birders and Nature Lovers situated in the tiny village of Moti Virani, approved by Incredible India and Gujarat Tourism. The facility is run by a family with vast experience of the area and subject. Overnight CEDO Camp.

Birding in Kutch

Birding in Kutch

After breakfast, visit the roost of the Grey Hypocolius at Fulay, one of the few sites where this bird is seen in India.

Afternoon tour the Banni region, India’s largest grassland area. This is one of the important bird areas with a great concentration of Aquila and other eagles. The water bodies here are known for their large flocks of waterfowl.  Overnight CEDO Camp.

Birding in Kutch

Birding in Kutch

Enjoy Morning & Afternoon Jeep Safari with a local expert naturalist to Lala Bustard Sanctuary.  This is also a breeding area of Lesser Florican, although this secretive bird is rarely seen outside of the monsoon when it displays conspicuously.  Other key species here include White-browed (Stoliczka's) Bushchat, White-naped Tit and Rufous-fronted Prinia in the thorn forests of Phot Mahadev, Marshall's Iora, Grey-necked Bunting, Indian and Cream-colored Coursers, Red-tailed Wheatear, Southern Grey Shrike, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, various waterfowl in Banni's Chhari Dhand, and a host of gulls and waders in the Jakhau mangrove swamps and Pingleshwar sea coast.  Some of the more distinctive mammals of the region include Desert Cat, Chinkara or Indian Gazelle, Long-eared and Pallas's Hedgehogs, and Indian Desert Bird. Overnight CEDO Camp.

Moti Virani / Dasada (Surface)

Moti Virani / Dasada (Surface)

Early morning breakfast, check out and drive to Dasada (330Kms / 6-7Hrs approx.). Driving east to the Little Rann of Kutch (7hrs), birding en-route, in particular for the numerous raptors of the region which include Bonelli's, Short-toed and Eastern Imperial Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard, Red-headed Falcon, and six species of vulture.  

Spend the evening, and following three days exploring a part of what is perhaps the bleakest, dustiest, most desolate region of India.  At its furthest extension the Gulf of Kutch, along with much of northern Kutch touching the border of Pakistan has been transformed by geological uplift and the resultant marine transgression into an immense region of salt flats, inundated to a depth of 0.5m during the monsoon when it becomes one of the world's largest saline wetlands.  This unique environment is preserved as India's largest protected area, a part of which is the Wild Ass Sanctuary whose principal role is the strict protection of the last remaining population of Khur, or Asiatic Wild Ass. Overnight Dasada.

Dasada (Little Rann of Kutch)

Dasada (Little Rann of Kutch)

Experience Morning & afternoon safari in the Little Rann of Kutch, a sanctuary for the endangered Asiatic Wild Ass. The mammals of the Rann other than the wild ass, there are chances of seeing nilgai, chinkara gazelle, white-footed desert and Indian foxes, the wolf, jungle cat (occasionally also a desert cat), pale and long-eared hedgehogs and hare.

Crested and Sykes larks, Oriental skylark, bimaculated lark, greater short-toed lark, singing and Indian bush larks, ashy-crowned and black-crowned sparrow-larks, are likely sightings and greater hoopoe lark is possible. Desert and variable wheatears, southern grey, long-tailed, rufous-tailed and bay-back shrike, common wood shrike are also likely sightings and the desert warbler is among the many winter visiting warblers. At sunset, it is possible to watch marsh, Montagu and pallid harriers, Aquila eagles, falcons and buzzards heading for their roosting sites. Overnight Dasada.

Dasada (Little Rann of Kutch)

Dasada (Little Rann of Kutch)

Morning drive to the bets, elevated patches in the Rann covered with scrub and grass. In winter, this is a likely area for Macqueen’s bustard. Long-legged, common and white-eyed buzzard, booted eagle, Bonneli’s eagle.  Short-toed snake eagle, are often seen during the drive.

Evening, visit to Nawa Talao, a lake where demoiselle and common cranes gather in large flocks during the winter months.  Greater and lesser flamingo are seen in large numbers as are great white pelican with spot billed and Dalmatian recorded. Painted, open bill, wooly-necked, white, black and black-necked stork could be seen as also black, glossy and black-headed ibis. Northern pintail, common teal, spot-billed duck, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, garganey, shoveler, cotton pygmy goose, pochards, tufted duck, lesser whistling duck, brahminy and comb duck are among the many visitors to the lake. Overnight Dasada.

Dasada / Nalsarovar / Ahmedabad (Surface)

Dasada / Nalsarovar / Ahmedabad (Surface)

Early morning, check out with packed breakfast and drive to Nalsarovar (68Kms / 1.5Hr approx.). We need to reach Nalsarovar before sunrise. Nalsarovar is a shallow lake that occurs over a flat, extensive low-lying stretch of land in Gujarat. The lake covers an area of about 115 sq. km. on land, which is mainly marshy. About 250 species of birds may be seen here, including large species of waterfowl. These include local residents and winter migrants. Various water birds, such as flamingos, pelicans, storks, ducks, egrets and herons flock at the lake in winter. Kingfishers and darters also make themselves at home here.

Later continue drive to Ahmedabad.

Arrive Ahmedabad, check in at hotel and take rest. Overnight Ahmedabad.

Depart Ahmedabad / Home (Flight)

Depart Ahmedabad / Home (Flight)

Today you will be transferred to airport in time to catch your flight back home or to onward destination. Bid farewell to Incredible India with wonderful memories.