On your arrival at international airport in Delhi and after clearing customs & immigration, a Hillstar Nature rep will receive and escort you to your hotel.  Delhi, the capital of India, offers a glimpse of both ancient and modern day India.  The third largest city in India and one of the fastest growing in Asia, it’s rich in culture, always changing with time, and still celebrating its splendid past.  The various ancient ruins seen in the city are silent witnesses to its magnificent history. The city of Delhi is a blend of two different yet perfectly balanced parts, the Old and the New Delhi. With its intricate streets, elegant mosques, forts, monuments, and bazaars that sell a variety of goods, Old Delhi speaks volumes about its Mughal past.  With its multi-ethnic, multi-cultural population, New Delhi is truly cosmopolitan. Night in Delhi.

After breakfast we drive to Bharatpur (4 hrs). The Keoladeo National Park (or Keoladeo Ghana National Park), was formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan, India. It is still often simply referred to as Bharatpur. Famous as an avifauna sanctuary, it was officially declared a protected sanctuary in 1971 and a national park in 1982. Now a World Heritage Site, the sanctuary was created 250 years ago and is named after a Keoladeo (Shiva) temple within its boundaries. Initially, it was a natural depression, that was flooded, and the park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur. Dating back to 1850, duck shoots were organized yearly in honor of the British viceroys.

After we check in to our hotel, and get lunch, we will head out into the sanctuary. Here we should encounter Nilgai, which is the largest antelope species in Asia, and also flocks of migrant Bar-headed Geese, Lesser Whistling-Ducks, Garganey, countless shorebirds and other wading birds, as we search for the elusive Black. Night at Bharatpur.

Today is both a birding day and a day of celebration! Holi, the Festival of Color, Love, Equality and Spring. It is a day that celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and it will be a wild and fun time here in a town that celebrates the experience well. If you plan to take part in the festivities (recommended!) bring a pair of clothes you don’t mind getting covered in various brightly colored powders. The streets will pulse with music as people celebrate by playfully smearing and spraying each other with various bright colors. 

But before Holi even gets going, we’ll rise early and enjoy a morning outing to the sanctuary. Again, migratory birds are big here, in part due to the quality of the habitat and part because of Keoladeo’s position on the migration routes used by these birds as they cross India. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, owing to its incredible biodiversity, this is a renowned reserve for the waterbird show (waders and waterfowl), and these birds are most active soon after dawn. Egrets, herons, Painted Storks, and Asian Openbills all become busy in the warm morning light. We can expect to enjoy some songbirds here too, like Indian Robin, Orange-headed Thrush, Ashy Prinia, Brahminy Starling, or migrant warblers, or predatory birds like Spotted Owlet and White-eyed Buzzard. It’s also possible to see the world’s tallest flying bird, the Sarus Crane. If we’re lucky we could see them courting and displaying. Apart from 370 or so species of birds that grace the park, there is also a rich assortment of flora, and there are reptiles and amphibians aplenty, though most are hard to find or see well. One exception is the Ganges Softshell Turtle, which can reach a carapace length of over 3 feet (close to 100 cm). Today we’ll enjoy a morning outing in the park, and another later afternoon birding outing at a hotspot just outside the park. Night at Bharatpur.

We’ll enjoy one last early morning venture into Bharatpur, traveling by cycle-rickshaw. Then we’ll head back to hotel for a mid-morning breakfast, before undertaking our drive to the Chambal River, about 2 hrs away. We’ll check-in to our Lodge, get oriented there, and enjoy a few birds before lunch. And then we’ll begin to work the river.

The Chambal River here forms the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and has many a myth associated with its name. At one time the river was believed cursed, formed from the blood of thousands of animals sacrificed by the ancient King Rantideva, as legend has it. Today among nature enthusiasts it is known more for being the last spot to see several highly endangered species. These include the Ganges River Dolphin, the Red-crowned Roofed Turtle, the unique Gharial, Indian Skimmer and Black-bellied Tern. We’d need some cosmic luck to see all of these species, but the odds are good we’ll encounter a few of them, plus it is a remarkable place to see. 

Set against a stunning backdrop, framed by the ravines and sandbanks, the calm waters of the Chambal River are best explored by boat. The gentle pace of the river safari should allow us spectacular sightings of the Gharials, Mugger Crocodiles & Ganges Softshell Turtle basking in the sun. Also there are many migratory and resident birds and we’ll try to give ourselves the best chance we can to glimpse a Ganges River Dolphin breaking the water’s surface. Night by the Chambal River.

The Chambal River here forms the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and has many a myth associated with its name. At one time the river was believed cursed, formed from the blood of thousands of animals sacrificed by the ancient King Rantideva, as legend has it. Today among nature enthusiasts it is known more for being the last spot to see several highly endangered species. These include the Ganges River Dolphin, the Red-crowned Roofed Turtle, the unique Gharial, Indian Skimmer and Black-bellied Tern. We’d need some cosmic luck to see all of these species, but the odds are good we’ll encounter a few of them, plus it is a remarkable place to see. Set against a stunning backdrop, framed by the ravines and sandbanks, the calm waters of the Chambal River are best explored by boat. The gentle pace of the river safari should allow us spectacular sightings of the Gharials, Mugger Crocodiles & Ganges Softshell Turtle basking in the sun. Also there are many migratory and resident birds and we’ll try to give ourselves the best chance we can to glimpse a Ganges River Dolphin breaking the water’s surface. Night at Mela Kothi-Chambal Safari Lodge.

Another early morning, we’ll head on a jeep safari for the Sarus Crane Conservation Reserve, a widespread wetland area, interspersed by cultivated fields, where large numbers of the Sarus Cranes breed. Although not a protected area, since 1999 the Supreme Court of India, recognized its importance as a habitat and designated the area a reserve with restrictions on development. A nice variety of wetland birds and raptors are also found here and we should see the cranes as well as a nice variety of other birds. Following a late breakfast after our morning safari we’ll have off for Agra in transit to the Taj Mahal!

We will make a late afternoon visit to Taj Mahal to watch the waning light against the majestic edifice. From Mehtab Bagh (Garden), the Taj Mahal is particularly stunning. It is believed that this garden was built originally by Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, but later Emperor Shah Jahan transformed it into a moonlit pleasure garden profuse with white plaster pathways, breezy pavilions, pools and fountains to celebrate the marvelous mausoleum. Night in Agra. 

We will make a late afternoon visit to Taj Mahal to watch the waning light against the majestic edifice. From Mehtab Bagh (Garden), the Taj Mahal is particularly stunning. It is believed that this garden was built originally by Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, but later Emperor Shah Jahan transformed it into a moonlit pleasure garden profuse with white plaster pathways, breezy pavilions, pools and fountains to celebrate the marvelous mausoleum.

Dinner tonight is at the exceptional Peshawri Restaurant. The romance of the rugged North West Frontier of India comes alive at this authentic, award winning restaurant, making it a landmark dining destination in Agra. Night in Agra.

Little more can be said about this architectural wonder, which is always the soul raison-de-etre for every tourist's visit to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. This monument took 22 years to be completed and was designed, and planned by Persian architect Ustad Isa. Apart from its stunning design balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also noted particularly for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work ever seen.

After our morning at the Taj Mahal, we’ll aim to be back in Delhi in mid-afternoon. Some might choose to fly out this evening, and others to spend one more night in Delhi before moving on. The tour after dinner in Delhi. Night in Delhi.