Day 1: Arrival in Kochi; transfer to Thattekad Bird Sanctuary

After arrival in the Kerala port city of Kochi, we will drive a few hours to Thattekad Bird Sanctuary. Thattekad is one of the most famous birding sites in all of India, a major birding hotspot described by legendary Indian ornithologist, Salim Ali as ” the richest bird habitat on peninsular India”. Although it is small sanctuary (10 square miles/25 square kilometres), it boasts impressive avian diversity, with more than 300 bird species recorded within the tall, lowland evergreen forests there. We will begin our exploration of the area in the afternoon, and have a further full day and a morning to cover this exceptional area. Three nights will be spent at a birding lodge, situated on the banks of the Edamalayar River, less than ten minute’s drive of the sanctuary, within full view of the verdant jungle. Thattekad is an extraordinary area for nightbirds, with more than 10 species of owl recorded (including Brown Fish-Owl, Brown Boobook, the rufous morph of Oriental Scops-Owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl and the rare Sri Lanka Bay Owl among them), and is home to several species of nightjars (e.g., Jerdon’s, Jungle and Great Eared). Sri Lanka Frogmouth is often seen during the daytime too! While on the hunt for nightbirds, we may also come across the rare Slender Loris.

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Days 2-3: Thattekad Bird Sanctuary

These days will be spent in Thattekad, either side of lunch back at our nearby lodge. Thattekad offers some impressive specialties, not least Flame-throated Bulbul, White-bellied Blue-Flycatcher, and the spectacular White-bellied Treepie, as well as Malabar Gray Hornbill, Gray-headed Bulbul, and the distinctive “Malabar” form of Greater Flameback, (a potential future split). We will also be on the lookout for Black Baza, Black-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher, Slaty-legged Crake, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Gray-fronted Green-Pigeon, and Malabar Trogon. We will be using the services of local bird experts, so if there are active day roosts of any nightbirds, like Sri Lanka Bay-Owl or Sri Lanka Frogmouth, they will lead us straight to them! On the afternoon of the second day we will change tact, and visit a bird blind at the forest edge, where feeders have been set up to get some close ups of a wonderful variety of Indian birds. The blinds here have recorded more than 100 species, including species like Blue-throated Blue and White-bellied Blue Flycatchers, Indian Pitta, Malabar Parakeet, and Asian Fairy-Bluebird. Mammals in Thattekad, include India’s smallest deer (Indian Mouse-Deer) and the subcontinent’s largest species, Sambar.

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Day 4: Thattekad to Munnar

After some final early morning birding around Thattekad, we will drive up into the mountainous Munnar region of Kerala, where rolling hills are dotted with tea plantations on the edge of Eravikulam National Park, which is home to Anaimudi, the highest peak in Southern India (8790ft/2680m). We will be staying for two nights at a wonderful boutique hotel on an active coffee and cardamom plantation that is complimented with some of the most spectacular vistas in the region. The estate is located at a lofty 6560ft (2000m), and we will welcome the cooler climate after the recent heat and humidity of the lowlands. An afternoon walk on the estate will be undertaken to look for specialties like Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon, and the handsome Black-and-orange Flycatcher. A nigh time spell of spotlighting might also produce some mammals, such as Malabar Giant Flying Squirrel, Indian porcupine, or perhaps even a Leopard Cat if fortune shines upon us.

Day 5: Eravikulam National Park. On this day we will ascend higher still, entering Eravikulam National Park, and taking special park vehicles to a trail that leads through native grasslands and sholas (montane forests). This area in rich in endemic species, some of which are confined to these upper elevations, like Palani Laughingthrush, Nilgiri Sholakili, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Painted Bush-Quail and Nilgiri Pipit. We will return to the estate for lunch, before heading out to a local shola in the afternoon in search of whatever endemics we may have not yet seen. We may also encounter one of the regular herds of Asian Elephants, which frequent the tea plantations and meadows in the area.

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Day 6: Munnar to Pollachi via Chinnar Widlife Sanctuary

Today we will head south into the southern state of Tamil Nadu. We will descend down the drier eastern slope of the Western Ghats, where deciduous Sandalwood forests give way to thornscrub and thorn forests on its lower slopes. We will make a special stop within these habitats at Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary to look for the local Yellow-throated Bulbul, where we may also encounter the Grizzled Giant Squirrel in the same area. We will continue our descent from Chinnar into the lowland plains of Tamil Nadu, around the town of Pollachi, an area peppered with coconut groves and tracts of forests in the neighbouring foothills. We will venture out in the afternoon in search of Blue-eared Kingfisher, Blue-bearded Bee-eater and Blue-faced Malkoha. Two nights will be spent at a boutique nature resort within a coconut plantation, in the foothills of Sethumadai.

 

Day 7: The Valparai Foothills

We will make a day trip to the foothills around the high altitude tea town of Valparai. As we ascend into the hills, the steep roadsides will be scoured for Nilgiri Thar, a stocky goat that is endemic to the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats that is frequently seen by the roadsides there. During the climb we will traverse dry scrub transitioning into wet montane forests (sholas) higher up, a transition zone that offers another chance at the local Yellow-throated Bulbul should we need it, as well as for Legge’s Hawk-Eagle and Rufous-bellied Eagle. In the sholas, we will be on the lookout for another endemic mammal, the Nilgiri Langur, as well as the scarce Wayanad Laughingthrush. Specific forest patches on these hillsides are also home to another striking primate, the Lion-tailed Macaque. We may also encounter Great Hornbills within the older growth forests birded during the day too. At the end of the day, we will return to Pollachi for a second night, and make a stop at dusk for emerging flying squirrels or palm civets.

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Days 8-9: Coonoor and Kotagiri

We will leave Pollachi after breakfast on day 8 moving north towards the Nilgiri Massif, an isolated group of hills separated from the main chain of the Western Ghats. We will stay two nights at wonderful forested resort in Coonoor, a hill station located at a very pleasant 5413 ft (1,650m) above sea level. We will split our time between birding the grounds of our hotel and forested areas downhill near the town of Kotagiri. Birdwise, our main quarry in this area will be the very local Nilgiri Laughingthrush, along with Nilgiri Sholakili, Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon, and Black-and-orange Flycatcher. The supporting cast is provided by Crested Goshawk, Indian Blue Robin, Orange Minivet, Indian Scimitar-Babbler, and Heart-spotted Woodpecker. However, birds will not be the only focus, and our time around Kotagiri will also be spent searching for mammals, as there black Leopards and Sloth Bears also occur in the area, alhough we still need some fortune to find them.

 

Day 10: Coonoor to Bokkapuram

In the morning we will visit a high elevation site close to the highest peak in the region, Dhoddabetta at 8530ft (2600m), where it is often good to get photos of some of the high elevation specialties of the Western Ghats. After that we will move north down the ghats, to the Sigur Plateau north of Ooty, where we will take time to bird in bamboo jungle and scrub. This area is home to Malabar Lark, Malabar Barbet and Nilgiri Thrush, more Western Ghats specialties, as well as two critically endangered birds-of-prey, Indian and White-backed Vultures. Other species that may feature there include White-rumped Shama and Crested Treeswift. We will have a single night at a wonderful wildlife lodge, where animals like elephants, Wild Boar, Dhole (Asian Wild Dog), or even Leopards can sometimes be seen from the safety of your room or the restaurant!

 

Days 11-13: Nagarhole Tiger Reserve

After some final birding around Bokkapuram, we will leave the Sigur Plateau behind and head north into the third Indian state of the trip, Karnataka. For the afternoon of day 11 and all of days 12 and 13, we will use jeeps and boats to explore Nagarhole National Park for an Indian safari experience. The park is loaded with birds and mammals. The bird list of more than 300 species includes regional specialties like Gray Junglefowl, Malabar Parakeet, Malabar Starling, Malabar Woodshrike, and White-cheeked Barbet. A profusion of other birdlife occurs, including Red Spurfowl, Indian Peafowl, Painted and Asian Woolly-necked Storks, Red-naped Ibis, Indian Pitta, Blue-faced Malkoha, Malabar Pied-Hornbill, White-bellied Woodpecker, Plum-headed Parakeet, Vernal-Hanging-Parrot. Of course, we will also be seeking other animals too, like Asian Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Gaur, Spotted and Barking Deer.

 

Day 14: Kabini to Mysore & Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

After some final birding outside of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, we will drive east to Mysore for the penultimate night, a city known for its incredible architecture and culture, it is the gateway to the Deccan Plateau from the Western Ghats. We will take an afternoon boat trip along the Cauvery River to explore the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, which is loaded with birds, like Indian Spot-billed Duck, Great Thick-knee, Painted Stork, Indian Pond-Heron, Oriental Darter, Spot-billed Pelican, Eurasian Spoonbill, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Stork-billed and Pied Kingfishers, Asian Green Bee-eater, Common Iora, Spot-breasted Fantail, Wire-tailed Swallow and Purple-rumped Sunbird.

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Day 15: Ramanagara Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary to Bangalore

After breakfast we wil begin our journey northeast to Bangalore. On the way, we will make a stop at the Ramanagara Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary, where three species of endangered vultures occur, Egyptian, White-backed and Indian Vultures all occur. Regional specialties like White-cheeked Barbet and Yellow-throated Bulbul are there too, along with a host of other birds including Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Coppermith Barbet, Small Minivet, Rufous Treepie, and Purple Sunbird.  By late afternoon, we will arrive in Bangalore, where you can take flights out either late at night or the following day.

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Day 16: Departure from Bangalore

You will be transferred to the airport in Bangalore for international flights out.