SOUTHERN INDIA
Journey from the mammal-rich lowlands of Nagarhole to the endemic-rich mountains of the Western Ghats and the tranquil beauty of the south Indian backwaters.
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| 2008 November 16-December 7 with Terry Stevenson |
2009 November 15-December 6 with Terry Stevenson |
Fee $7975 (2008 fee). 22 days
From Bangalore. Limit: 9
Mostly very good accommodations (including a palace and a charming country inn) but also 3 nights basic; easy to moderate terrain, warm climate.
See our triplist for 2007.
Often neglected in favor of better-known parts of Asia, Southern India is one of the region’s best-kept secrets with an exciting variety of mammals, more than 20 endemic birds, and some of South Asia’s most magnificent national parks. This moderately paced tour takes us to all the best wildlife habitats in the southwest subcontinent, where Crimson-fronted Barbets, Indian Pittas, and White-bellied Treepies share their forest homes with Langur monkeys, Sloth Bears, and Spotted Deer.
Our journey begins in scenic rural India to the south of Bangalore, where among the rice paddies, coconuts, and silk farms we’ll visit a wetland area to see the endangered Spot-billed Pelican—breeding right in the gardens of a small village while the friendly locals and playing children go about their business right below them. We’ll then visit the famous Nagarhole National Park. Here endemic Malabar Parakeets and White-cheeked Barbets call from within our lodge grounds; an exotic variety of hornbills, woodpeckers, bulbuls, and drongos inhabit the dry deciduous woodlands; and Indian Elephants and Gaur (the world’s largest bovine) graze along the lakeshore.
Most of the following two weeks will be spent traveling through the Nilgiri, Anamalai, and Cardamom mountains, collectively known as the Western Ghats. It’s here that most of the endemic and near-endemic birds survive, and we’ll journey by foot and (occasionally) on elephant back to enjoy such birds as Gray Junglefowl (far more beautiful than its name suggests), Malabar Trogon (a real treat), and Black-and-rufous Flycatcher. In the undergrowth we’ll search for Wynaad Laughingthrush and White-bellied Shortwing (two of the harder endemics), while the middle levels are better for White-bellied Blue-Flycatcher and Indian Scimitar-Babbler. Overhead, the loud swoosh of wings at any time may signal Great or Malabar Pied hornbills.
Leaving the mountains behind, we’ll descend to a vast, flooded area known as “the Backwaters,” where among the paddy fields and fishing boats we’ll see hundreds of resident and migrant waterbirds. Yellow Bitterns skulk in the reedbeds, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged jacanas forage in the floating weed, and Lesser Whistling-Duck and Cotton Pygmy-goose swim among the Indian Cormorants and stalking herons and egrets.
We finish the tour on the southwest coast at Cochin, a thriving port city with a fascinating history, a mix of the old and new, Indian and Chinese. So if you’d like to see something of Southern India’s rural life as well as a mix of fabulous endemic birds and great mammals, join us in November.
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