Following the birds west
On the flyway: Rajasthan sits on the Central Asian flyway, the great migration route that carries birds each autumn from Siberia, Central Asia and the Himalaya down into India.
Who comes: ducks, geese, cranes, waders and the raptors that hunt them spread across the state from October, settling wherever there is water or grass.
Four habitats, no long drives: the land changes so quickly from east to west that you see four very different bird habitats in under two weeks.
- Nights
- Eleven
- Pace
- Dawn and dusk in the field, rest at midday
- Best months
- November to February, October for the passage
- Good for
- Birders, photographers, patient naturalists
- Starts
- Delhi
- Ends
- Jodhpur
- Bharatpur in the east: at Bharatpur, Keoladeo National Park is a shallow marsh created by a dam the Jat king Suraj Mal built in the eighteenth century.
- Keoladeo's milestones: a bird sanctuary in 1956, a Ramsar wetland in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, with more than 350 species recorded in its 29 square kilometres.
- Sambhar to the west: Sambhar Lake is India's largest inland salt lake, where flamingos feed on the brine.
- Tal Chhapar to the north-west: Tal Chhapar is a small, flat grassland on the edge of the Thar, one of the finest places in India for harriers and eagles.
- Vultures at Jorbeer: outside Bikaner, the carcass dump at Jorbeer is, improbably, one of the best places in India to see them.
- Cranes at Khichan: on the road south to Jodhpur, the village feeds thousands of demoiselle cranes every winter morning, as it has for generations.
- The Bishnoi finale: you finish in Bishnoi country, where blackbuck and chinkara graze beside the houses because the community has protected them for centuries.
- For keen birders, and their partners: it works just as well when one of you birds and the other doesn't. Every stop has a fort, a palace or a painted haveli.
- A long rest every day: in the middle of the day, when the birds rest too. Our birding experiences page explains how we pair naturalists with each site.
The journey, day by day
- Delhi to Bharatpur
- Four to five hours
- Bharatpur to Jaipur
- Three and a half to four hours
- Jaipur to Sambhar
- About an hour and a half
- Jaipur to Churu
- Four to four and a half hours
- Tal Chhapar to Bikaner
- A little over two hours
- Bikaner to Jodhpur
- Three hours to Khichan, then two and a half
Day 1: arriving in Delhi
Met inside arrivals: our team drives you to a calm hotel in central Delhi.
- If you land in the morning: walk in Lodhi Garden before lunch. Its old trees and fifteenth-century tombs are full of parakeets, barbets, hornbills and the city's resident kites.
- Tune your ears: it is a gentle way to start listening.
- Otherwise, sleep: the next three mornings start in the dark.
Days 2 to 4: Bharatpur and Keoladeo
The drive: to Bharatpur after breakfast, about four to five hours, checking in for lunch.
First evening: enter Keoladeo in the late afternoon with a rickshaw guide.
The rickshaw guides: trained by the park, and many are superb naturalists who know where the owls roost and which tree the pythons favour.
- Be at the gate when it opens: the first two hours of light are the best for birds and for photography.
- Winter on the water: ducks of many kinds, bar-headed geese, pelicans and waders, with raptors following them, from the greater spotted eagle to harriers and falcons.
- Sarus cranes: the tallest flying birds in the world live here in pairs and dance with their wings spread.
- Rickshaw, then bicycle: ride by rickshaw one morning and by bicycle the next, with a specialist bird guide on a second bicycle, to reach the quieter side paths and woodland where the warblers and owls are.
- Afternoon outings: Lohagarh, the mud fort that held off the British in 1805, and the summer palaces of Deeg, about 32 kilometres away, with their tanks and fountains.
- Back each evening: return to the park as the birds come in to roost. Our guide to birdwatching at Bharatpur has a fuller species list.
Days 5 and 6: Jaipur and the flamingos of Sambhar
A last dawn: in Keoladeo, then drive to Jaipur, about three and a half to four hours, for lunch and a rest.
Sambhar in the afternoon: about an hour and a half west. Greater and lesser flamingos come in winter for the algae and tiny crustaceans in the salty water, and in a good year tens of thousands gather.
- On the margins: black-winged stilts, sandpipers and plovers in the shallows, larks and wheatears in the scrub.
- Sunset on the dam: set up the telescope on the long stone dam, then drive back to Jaipur for dinner.
- Jal Mahal at first light: on day six, on the road to Amer, when the lake is still and filled in winter with migrant ducks.
- The rest of the morning: Amber Fort as the gates open, the bazaars of the walled city, or a quiet hour in a palace garden with the resident birds.
- Flexible order: Sambhar's numbers depend heavily on the monsoon, so we check with local birders first, and may switch these two days if the birds are closer one evening than the other.
Day 7: Churu and the widow's reservoir
The drive: north-west through Sikar and Fatehpur to Churu, about four to four and a half hours.
On the way: the painted havelis of Fatehpur.
- The merchant town: after lunch and a rest, walk Churu's tall merchant mansions with a guide.
- Sethani ka Johara: a stone-stepped reservoir a few kilometres west of town. In the late afternoon nilgai come down to drink, and the water and trees fill with birds.
- Where you sleep: Malji ka Kamra, a 1920s merchant's mansion of stucco and frescoes.
Day 8: Tal Chhapar, dawn and dusk
A five o'clock start: leave Churu with coffee and a packed breakfast to reach Tal Chhapar, about 85 kilometres away, at first light.
Blackbuck: most active in the first two hours, with hundreds grazing and sparring on the open grass.
- Eagles: tawny eagles hunt the spiny-tailed lizards that live in burrows across the grassland, and steppe eagles and the globally threatened eastern imperial eagle come for the winter.
- Small things: huge flocks of larks rise and settle around you. Look for the cream-coloured courser running, stopping and running again, and desert foxes near their dens.
- Midday: rest at a simple lodge near the sanctuary, the one night where comfort is basic and the hours are priceless.
- The harriers: back in the late afternoon. Montagu's and marsh harriers are the stars, with pallid and hen harriers in smaller numbers.
- The roost: in season many birds use a communal roost, and at dusk you watch them drop out of the sky one after another to settle in the grass.
- Read first: the blackbuck of Tal Chhapar.
Days 9 and 10: Bikaner, Jorbeer and Gajner
A second dawn on the grass: then a little over two hours to Bikaner, a palace hotel, a long lunch and a proper rest.
Late afternoon: Junagarh, built between 1589 and 1594 and one of the most richly decorated forts in Rajasthan, or the camel research farm on the edge of the city, where the herds come home at dusk.
- Jorbeer early: a carcass dump, so bring a strong stomach, but one of the best places in India for vultures, including winter migrants, with steppe eagles and other raptors around them.
- Gajner: after breakfast, about 30 kilometres west to the royal hunting lodge beside a lake, where woodland and water draw birds and antelope.
- Dinner: back in Bikaner, with the city's own bhujia and rasgullas.
Day 11: the cranes of Khichan, then Jodhpur
Before dawn: leave Bikaner for Khichan, a village near Phalodi about three hours south-west.
The season: from about September to March, thousands of demoiselle cranes fly in from Central Asia.
- The feeding: every morning villagers scatter grain on a walled feeding ground. The cranes circle, land in waves and fill the enclosure with grey and black, calling softly.
- Why it exists: one of the great bird spectacles of India, because a village decided to share its grain. Read the demoiselle cranes of Khichan.
- On to Jodhpur: breakfast in Phalodi, then about two and a half hours for a late lunch and a rest.
- Last light: walk up to Mehrangarh and watch the blue city turn violet below you while kites and pigeons wheel around the ramparts.
Day 12: Bishnoi villages and home
Out at dawn: into the Bishnoi villages around Jodhpur.
Sacred trees and antelope: the community holds the khejri tree and the blackbuck sacred, and the antelope graze near the houses, quite unafraid.
- Farmland birds: larks, bee-eaters, rollers, grey francolins and, in winter, harriers quartering the fields.
- Visiting respectfully: our page on Bishnoi villages explains how.
- Home: fly from Jodhpur Airport via Delhi or Mumbai.
What you can hope to see at each stop
Keoladeo: the wetland and its woods
Winter waterfowl: ducks and geese in great numbers, including bar-headed geese.
Big waterbirds: pelicans, storks, spoonbills, herons, egrets, ibises, darters and cormorants.
- All year: sarus cranes.
- Raptors: the greater spotted eagle, harriers and falcons.
- In the woodland: owls, kingfishers, bee-eaters and many warblers.
- After the monsoon: from August to October a breeding colony of painted and open-billed storks fills the acacia trees.
- A good winter morning: can give a keen birder well over a hundred species before lunch.
Sambhar: flamingos and waders
Flamingos: greater and lesser, often far out on the flats, which is why a telescope matters.
- In the shallows: black-winged stilts, sandpipers and plovers.
- In the scrub: larks and wheatears.
- Numbers: rise and fall with the rains.
Tal Chhapar: raptors of the grassland
Harriers: Montagu's, marsh, pallid and hen.
Eagles: tawny, steppe and eastern imperial, plus short-toed snake eagles and spotted eagles.
- The laggar falcon: a special bird here, and now in decline.
- Winter visitors: cinereous vultures, demoiselle cranes and bar-headed geese.
- On the ground: great flocks of larks, crested larks and cream-coloured coursers.
- August and September: Eurasian rollers on every wire.
Jorbeer, Gajner and Khichan: the desert
Jorbeer: vultures, including winter migrants, with steppe eagles.
- Gajner: waterbirds and woodland species around the lake.
- Khichan: thousands of demoiselle cranes.
- Bishnoi villages: around Jodhpur, farmland birds, harriers and the antelope that share the fields.
What you won't see, and why it matters
Siberian cranes: once wintered at Keoladeo, and were last seen in the winter of 2001 to 2002.
- The great Indian bustard: recorded at Tal Chhapar as recently as 2009, it now survives mainly in the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer.
- White-rumped vultures: once bred at Tal Chhapar, until the vulture crash of the early 1990s.
- Why we tell these stories: they explain why the birds that remain need visitors who care. Read our article on the great Indian bustard.
Where you'll stay
Delhi and Jaipur: palace comfort
Delhi: The Imperial or The Oberoi, New Delhi, both calm and central.
- Jaipur, a palace: Rambagh Palace, with peacocks on its lawns and gardens full of resident birds.
- Jaipur, a haveli: Samode Haveli, inside the walled city.
Bharatpur: a royal palace or a lodge by the gate
- Laxmi Vilas Palace: a royal family palace on the edge of town, now a heritage hotel, about fifteen minutes from the park gate. Ask for a room in the heritage wing.
- By the gate: several hotels and lodges stand close to the park entrance, which makes dawn starts very easy. We suggest one that fits your style when we plan.
Churu and Tal Chhapar: a mansion and a simple lodge
Malji ka Kamra: built in the early 1920s for the merchant Malchand Kothari, a heritage hotel of stucco, columns and frescoes.
- At Tal Chhapar: no luxury lodges, only simple guesthouses and lodges near the sanctuary. Basic, but they give you both dawn and dusk on the grassland.
- If you would rather not: we visit Tal Chhapar from Churu at dawn and continue to Bikaner, and you miss the harrier roost.
Bikaner and Jodhpur: palace hotels
Bikaner: Laxmi Niwas Palace, part of the red sandstone Lalgarh complex, or Narendra Bhawan.
- Bikaner old city: Bhanwar Niwas, a merchant haveli.
- Jodhpur: RAAS Jodhpur below the walls of Mehrangarh, or Umaid Bhawan Palace on its own hill.
When to go
November to February: the winter migrants are at every stop, and the eagles, vultures and cranes are all in place at Tal Chhapar and Khichan.
Cold dawns: sometimes close to freezing in the grassland and on the salt flats, and often misty at Bharatpur, which is beautiful for photographs. Pack warm layers, a hat and gloves.
October is different and wonderful: the end of the breeding colony at Keoladeo overlaps with the first ducks, rollers are still passing through Tal Chhapar and the grass is green.
- Heart of season
- November to February
- Keoladeo peak
- December to February
- Sambhar flamingos
- Usually December and January
- Harrier passage
- Peaks from late September
- Not run
- April to September
- October days: warmer, so midday rests matter more.
- March: still good, but the migrants start to leave and the heat builds quickly.
- The wider picture: read Rajasthan in January and Rajasthan in October.
- Every year is different: everything depends on the monsoon.
- A dry year: Keoladeo's water depends heavily on supplies brought in from outside and the park can be much quieter, and Sambhar can dry out early.
- We check first: we ask local birders about the water year before you book, and adjust the nights between sites if one is having a poor season.
Make it yours
Shorter: seven nights
The shape: three nights at Bharatpur, one in Jaipur for Sambhar, and three in Churu and Bikaner with Tal Chhapar in between.
- Fly home: from Jaipur or Delhi.
- The trade: you lose Khichan and the Bishnoi villages, but keep the three great habitats.
Longer: two weeks or more
Desert National Park: two nights near Jaisalmer for its grassland birds, including sandgrouse, larks and, with great luck, the great Indian bustard.
- Tigers and forest birds: add Ranthambore, as in our big cats and birds journey.
- Kutch: its wetlands hold flamingos on a far grander scale.
- Serious birders: often add a fourth night at Keoladeo.
For photographers
Fewer sites, longer stays: with a private vehicle and a naturalist who understands light.
- Timing: every outing set for the first and last hours of the day.
- Kit: a long lens of 400mm or more helps for birds, and a beanbag on the window frame steadies it.
- More: our photography journey and photography tips.
For a partner who doesn't bird
- Something at every stop: Lohagarh and the palaces of Deeg at Bharatpur, Amber and the bazaars in Jaipur, the painted havelis of Shekhawati, Junagarh in Bikaner and Mehrangarh in Jodhpur.
- Two cars: we arrange a separate guide and car, so one of you can spend a morning with the eagles while the other is in a fort or a spa.
With a festival
Bikaner's Camel Festival: held each January.
- The Nagaur cattle fair: in January or February, it brings camels, bullocks and Marwari horses to the grounds outside Nagaur, between Bikaner and Jodhpur.
- Folded in: either fits this route if the dates fall right.
How we bird, and what we ask of guests
Our responsible travel page explains how we work in fragile places, and our ethical animal encounters guide covers wildlife across Rajasthan.
No playback, no bait: we never use recordings near nests or roosts, and we never bait birds for a photograph.
- Stay on the tracks: we keep to permitted tracks and paths, and never ask a driver to chase blackbuck or flush a harrier from its roost.
- Quiet and muted: we keep our voices low and wear muted colours. Sound carries a long way over open ground and water.
- Keep back: from flocks of flamingos and cranes. If they start walking away from you, you are too close.
- Take rubbish away: especially plastic, which animals eat.
- Pay local people properly: we hire local guides and rickshaw pullers, pay them properly and tip them directly. Their income is part of why these places are protected.
- Follow the rules: we check current rules and fees locally, because they change, and we follow them.
How we look after you
When you are ready, plan your journey with one of our planners, and tell us your target species.
Door to gate: we meet you inside the arrivals hall in Delhi and stay with you to the departure gate in Jodhpur.
- Private chauffeur: throughout, with a flask of hot tea and a packed breakfast ready for every dawn start.
- Specialist guides: a bird guide joins you at the key sites, alongside the park's own rickshaw guides at Keoladeo and local naturalists at Tal Chhapar.
- Optics: we carry a telescope for the distant water birds and make sure everyone in the car has binoculars.
- Your planner on WhatsApp: throughout, for a change of plan when the birds move, a doctor or a different dinner.
- Live bird news: we check water levels and bird reports with local birders before and during the journey, and adjust the order if it helps.
- No published prices: every journey is different. After one conversation we send a quote and a day-by-day plan you can change as often as you like.
Who will love this journey, and who won't
Birders of any level: keen or beginning birders and wildlife photographers.
Sky watchers: anyone who finds a sky full of geese more moving than a palace.
- Early risers: you are happy to rise before dawn most days and rest at noon.
- The trade you accept: one simple night at Tal Chhapar in exchange for the harrier roost.
- Big cats above all: our Palaces and Tigers journey is the better choice.
- Not right if: you dislike early starts or long stretches of open country, or you are travelling between April and September.
- First visit, great cities: start with our Royal Rajputana and add two nights at Bharatpur.
