richard jb
Well-known member
After spending 10 weeks birding, traveling and occasionally banging my head against the wall in India I decided to write a trip report in the hope of offering some up to date information for other travelers.
This may take me some time! I am not a compulsive note taker so I can't give comprehensive lists for all the sites visited. I usually just noted new and interesting birds. I haven't totted it up yet but I think we hit about 450 species for the trip.
All the photos are straight off the camera as I haven't had a chance to play with them yet.
Overview
I travelled with my partner; we are in our mid 20’s, fit, thick skinned and well travelled. This was our first trip to India, and was not focused completely on birding.
We booked our plane tickets a few weeks in advance online. A return ticket (Heathrow to Mumbai) cost us £240 each.
We went with no particular plan and I did very little research beforehand. We were on a backpacking, budget trip.
We didn’t use guides although this wasn’t just to save money; I derive very little pleasure/satisfaction from being shown birds, and wanted to learn at my own pace. I may have come home with a shorter list, but, (I hope) a lot more knowledge. I'd also just rather be left alone most of the time...
English is widely spoken, even in rural areas although there can be an accent barrier.
£1 = 75 Rupees
Equipment
We traveled very light. I took a 30L pack with a sleeping bag (essential) and tripod (12kg total) strapped to the outside and my partner took a 50L pack (13kg).
Most importantly I took...
Zeiss 8x32 Victory FL
Nikon ED50 (x27WA) and adaptors + P5100 camera.
Velbon CF635 with Giottos VH6011-658D
This setup is light, stable and more than adequate 99% of the time. A telescope was essential at some sites and I used it nearly every day.
Travel insurance won't touch this little lot so make sure it's covered somehow. We had no trouble whatsoever but an Australian birder we traveled with for a couple of weeks had all his gear stolen in a train station a week after we parted company.
I did not take tapes/mp3 and a speaker. I won't get into that subject here other than to say I saw plenty of irresponsible tape luring at a well known site. The fact they weren't getting results speaks volumes.
“Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent” (Grimmet, Inskipp, Inskipp)
Is the best of the field guides for my money, especially if you scribble in a few more calls… The plates are mostly good, with some glaring exceptions.
“A Birdwatchers Guide to India” (Kazmierczak and Singh)
An indispensable book, although in desperate need of an update. Don’t go without it.
We also took Lonely Planet as a new edition had just been released. I have always used Rough Guides in the past and was disappointed with this book. The maps were next to useless and much of the information had not actually been updated. Despite all this it was invaluable, and certainly preferable to arriving in a new location ‘blind’.
Natural history books are surprisingly easy to come by in India. We even found a copy of the 'Birdwatchers Guide' in Nainital.
Travel
We got around on buses and trains without too much trouble. We traveled sleeper class on overnight trains which was cheap and comfortable. Trains are often fully booked months in advance but there is a tourist quota, and if this is full, an emergency quota. Roads can be very rough and you soon realise why the fronts of buses are crammed to bursting point before anyone will sit at the back. We found bus drivers and conductors to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Sometimes it helped to have a place name written down. Taxis and rickshaws are cheap by western standards but we avoided them as much as possible. Sometimes they were necessary to get somewhere early, we tried to organize this the night before as you can look desperate at 5am... Haggle hard.
Accommodation
We generally stayed in the cheapest hotels/hostels we could find. Haggle hard and check rooms. We usually spent 100 - 250 Rupees a night. Most rooms have attached bathrooms. We also stayed in various Forest Rest Houses at National Parks/Wildlife Sanctuaries. I will give details in the site descriptions. It is also worth knowing most train stations have rooms and dorms, although they are often booked up by lunchtime. They are (very) cheap and clean in our experience.
Birding
You will attract a lot of attention wherever you go in India, which isn't always appreciated. Binoculars and telescopes will often draw a crowd. Many good birding sites are fairly quiet though. Watch out for curious fingers poking at lenses... We never had any problems around damns/bridges etc...
This may take me some time! I am not a compulsive note taker so I can't give comprehensive lists for all the sites visited. I usually just noted new and interesting birds. I haven't totted it up yet but I think we hit about 450 species for the trip.
All the photos are straight off the camera as I haven't had a chance to play with them yet.
Overview
I travelled with my partner; we are in our mid 20’s, fit, thick skinned and well travelled. This was our first trip to India, and was not focused completely on birding.
We booked our plane tickets a few weeks in advance online. A return ticket (Heathrow to Mumbai) cost us £240 each.
We went with no particular plan and I did very little research beforehand. We were on a backpacking, budget trip.
We didn’t use guides although this wasn’t just to save money; I derive very little pleasure/satisfaction from being shown birds, and wanted to learn at my own pace. I may have come home with a shorter list, but, (I hope) a lot more knowledge. I'd also just rather be left alone most of the time...
English is widely spoken, even in rural areas although there can be an accent barrier.
£1 = 75 Rupees
Equipment
We traveled very light. I took a 30L pack with a sleeping bag (essential) and tripod (12kg total) strapped to the outside and my partner took a 50L pack (13kg).
Most importantly I took...
Zeiss 8x32 Victory FL
Nikon ED50 (x27WA) and adaptors + P5100 camera.
Velbon CF635 with Giottos VH6011-658D
This setup is light, stable and more than adequate 99% of the time. A telescope was essential at some sites and I used it nearly every day.
Travel insurance won't touch this little lot so make sure it's covered somehow. We had no trouble whatsoever but an Australian birder we traveled with for a couple of weeks had all his gear stolen in a train station a week after we parted company.
I did not take tapes/mp3 and a speaker. I won't get into that subject here other than to say I saw plenty of irresponsible tape luring at a well known site. The fact they weren't getting results speaks volumes.
“Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent” (Grimmet, Inskipp, Inskipp)
Is the best of the field guides for my money, especially if you scribble in a few more calls… The plates are mostly good, with some glaring exceptions.
“A Birdwatchers Guide to India” (Kazmierczak and Singh)
An indispensable book, although in desperate need of an update. Don’t go without it.
We also took Lonely Planet as a new edition had just been released. I have always used Rough Guides in the past and was disappointed with this book. The maps were next to useless and much of the information had not actually been updated. Despite all this it was invaluable, and certainly preferable to arriving in a new location ‘blind’.
Natural history books are surprisingly easy to come by in India. We even found a copy of the 'Birdwatchers Guide' in Nainital.
Travel
We got around on buses and trains without too much trouble. We traveled sleeper class on overnight trains which was cheap and comfortable. Trains are often fully booked months in advance but there is a tourist quota, and if this is full, an emergency quota. Roads can be very rough and you soon realise why the fronts of buses are crammed to bursting point before anyone will sit at the back. We found bus drivers and conductors to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Sometimes it helped to have a place name written down. Taxis and rickshaws are cheap by western standards but we avoided them as much as possible. Sometimes they were necessary to get somewhere early, we tried to organize this the night before as you can look desperate at 5am... Haggle hard.
Accommodation
We generally stayed in the cheapest hotels/hostels we could find. Haggle hard and check rooms. We usually spent 100 - 250 Rupees a night. Most rooms have attached bathrooms. We also stayed in various Forest Rest Houses at National Parks/Wildlife Sanctuaries. I will give details in the site descriptions. It is also worth knowing most train stations have rooms and dorms, although they are often booked up by lunchtime. They are (very) cheap and clean in our experience.
Birding
You will attract a lot of attention wherever you go in India, which isn't always appreciated. Binoculars and telescopes will often draw a crowd. Many good birding sites are fairly quiet though. Watch out for curious fingers poking at lenses... We never had any problems around damns/bridges etc...
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