Rajasthan
राजस्थान
History and Geography
Rajasthan, area-wise the largest State in India area-wise prior to Independence was known as Rajputana. The Rajputs, a martial community ruled over this area for centuries.
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| Miniature painting of a mine exploding during the siege of Chittorgarh in the Akbarnama, c. 1590–95. |
The history of Rajasthan dates back to the pre-historic times. Around 3,000 and 1,000 BC, it had a culture akin to that of the Indus Valley civilisation. The Chauhans who dominated Rajput affairs from seventh century and by 12th century they had become an imperial power. After the Chauhans, the Guhilots of Mewar controlled the destiny of the warring tribes. Besides Mewar, the other historically prominent states were Marwar, Jaipur, Bundi, Kota, Bharatpur and Alwar. Other States were only offshoots of these. All these States accepted the British Treaty of Subordinate Alliance in 1818 protecting the interest of the princes. This naturally left the people discontented.
After the revolt of 1857, the people united themselves under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi to contribute to the freedom movement. With the introduction of provincial autonomy in 1935 in British India, an agitation for civil liberties and political rights became stronger in Rajasthan. The process of uniting scattered States commenced from 1948 to 1956 when the States Reorganisation Act was promulgated. First came Matsya Union (1948) consisting of a fraction of states, then, slowly and gradually other states merged with this Union. By 1949, Major States like Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer joined this Union making it the United State of Greater Rajasthan. Ultimately in 1958, the present State of Rajasthan formally came into being, with Ajmer state, the Abu Road Taluka and Sunel Tappa joining it.
The entire western flank of the State borders with Pakistan, while Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh bound Rajasthan in north-east, south-east and Gujarat in south-west.
Rajasthan Bird watch
Rajasthan state has a vast diversity of bird life. Nearly 630 species have been recorded in the state. The national parks/sanctuaries, water bodies, grasslands and river beds offer wonderful bird watching. There are 28 national parks/sanctuaries that are administered by the Department of Forests. The Keoladeo National Park, located near the city of Bharatpur, has the most potential for bird watching. One can log 100 species in a day visit to this 29 km2 park, of which about 6 km2 is aquatic. It is celebrated for resident breeding species of birds such as Open-billed Storks, Painted Storks, Herons, Egrets, Spoonbill, Ibis, Kingfishers, Jacanas, Cotton Teal, Comb Duck, and Whistling Duck etc. During winter, its shallow lakes teem with thousands of migratory ducks and geese besides waders, warblers and numerous other forest/land birds. The park is also noted for raptor species such as harriers, eagles, buzzards, falcons, kites, & Shikra etc. Keoladeo National Park is one of the two Ramsar Sites in Rajasthan.
Sambhar lake, another Ramsar Site is located west of Jaipur. About 80 species of birds can be sighted here during winter season. It is a haven for waders, flamingos and some ducks. Ranthambhor Tiger Reserve, and Sariska Tiger Reserve, are the other two national parks in Rajasthan. Each has nearly 250 species of birds besides some spectacular mammals in their wilderness, Ranthambhor being noted as a nursery for tigers.
Rare Species – Rajasthan has some of the rarest of Indian species such as Lesser Adjutant Stork, Great Indian Bustard; Lesser Florican, Stoliczka’s Bushchat, Vultures etc. The Bustard presents a rare example, having been saved from the brink of extinction through public agitation against illegal hunting during the late seventies (led by this contributor – Harsh Vardhan).
Common Birds – ‘Every day’ species in Rajasthan include Peacock, Pigeons, Doves, Mynas, Sparrows, Crows, Koels, Partridges, Parrots, Babblers, Tailor Birds, Sunbirds, Green Bee-eater, Red-vented Bulbul, Kite, Hoopoe, Drongos etc.
Trip plan 6th-20th December 2025
“Rajeshthan and Gujrat Tiger and bird tour”
DAY 1, 6TH DEC 2025- New Delhi to Ranthambhore. 4 to 5 hrs drive. Stay at Tiger Home.
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| Ranthambore Tiger Home ( Home Away From Home ) |
Arrive early morning at Indra Gandhi international airport, New Delhi. Receive and drive to Ranthambhore in Rajeshthan. It will take us about 4 to 5 hrs drive. We shall do afternoon safari today.
DAY 2, 7th Dec 2025- Two safari in one full day at Ranthambhore.
Tiger Home 9414030850
During our stay of 2 nights at Tiger home, we will have total of 3 safari in the different zones of Ranthambhore Tiger reserve. In this period of time we will have maximum chances of seeing Tigers.
DAY 3, 8th DEC 2025- Ranthambhore to Jaipur. 3 hrs drive. Sty in hotel.
Hotel Arya Niwas 9829040549
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| level in the rivers goes down during summer. Skimmers nest on sandbars. Photo by Rito1987/Wikimedia Commons. |
we will go birding outside the National Park to look for Indian Skimmer. There are good chances of seeing Skimmer in the Chambal river. Afternoon we will drive to Jaipur for the overnight stay.
DAY 4, 9TH DEC 2025- Jaipur to Tal Chhapar. 4 to 5 hrs drive.
Rapotr's Inn homestay 8826907085
We shall checkout from hotel early today. After checkin in homestay at Tal Chhapar we shall go birding to look for Spotter Creeper.
DAY 5, 10TH DEC 2025- Tal Chhapar to Sam village at Jaisalmere via Jorbeer and Bikenere. 7 hrs drive.
Today is going to be our one of the longest journey to Desert National Park. Our stay will be closer to the DNP in the village called Sam. This place is going to be one of the our big target place as we look for critically endangered species of bird called Great Indian Bustard. This bird is our top most bird of the trip.
Our long drive of about 7 hrs to Sam village will be via Jor Beer carcass dump. We shall stop here for few minutes to look for Raptors. The interesting bird here will be a wintering Yellow-eyed Pigeon. The carcass will be full of Steppe Eagle, Egyptian Vultures, Himalayan Griffon etc.
DAY 6, 11th DEC TO DAY 8, 13TH DEC 2025- Three full days at DNP.
Musa's Desert nest 9929663413
Sam Sand Dunes
Gadesar Lake
DAY 9, 14TH DEC 2025- DNP to Mount Abu. 8 hrs drive.
Today is our another longest journey to Mount Abu. This place is famous for an endemic Green Munia also known as Green Avadavet.
DAY 10,15TH DEC 2025- Full day at Mount Abu.
Sirohi
We will have a full day today because our main bird here is Green Munia. In this full day of birding we will have maximum chances of seeing this endemic bird. Apart from this bird there are several other birds too.
DAY 11, 16th DEC 2025- Mount Abu to Lodai village at Greater Rann of Kutch (GRK) in Gujrat. 8 hrs
After a quick morning session at Mount Abu we shall continue our long journey to GRK in Gujarat. It will take almost about 8 hrs on road today to our homestay at Lodai village which is going to be a base of our GRK birding for 4 nights. We will have 3 full days of time to explore maximum areas and the maximum target birds of the GRK.
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| Lodai’s craft |
DAY 12-14 17TH DEC -19TH DEC 2025- Three full days at GRK.
Epicenter homestay 9925313696
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| Dholavira (Gujarati: ધોળાવીરા) is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of it. This village is 165 km (103 mi) from Radhanpur. Also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of a city of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.Earthquakes have repeatedly affected Dholavira, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BCE. |
During our three full days of excursion at GRK we will go in different places for birding. Grass, desert, thorny scrubs and wetlands will be the different habitat during our birding.
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| Banni grassland reserve |
DAY 15, 20TH DEC 2025- GRK to Ahmadabad airport via birding at Nal Sarover.
TOTAL PAX: 09
TOTAL ROOM: 04 TWIN AND 01 SINGLE
TRANSPORTATION: 01 MINI BUS AND 03 SAFARI CAR.
TRANSPORTATION IN RANTHAMBHORE: 02 JYPSY
TOTAL COST PER PERSON: INR 126,000/-
Things to do …
from Delhi to Ahmadabad in 15 Day
A.Day1-2 Ranthambhore
Embark On A Fascinating Journey Through Rajasthan, Starting With A Thrilling Wildlife Experience In Ranthambore National Park, Home To Bengal Tigers. Explore The Historic Ranthambore Fort And The Trinetra Ganesha Temple. Next, Head To Udaipur, The "City Of Lakes," Known For Its Stunning Palaces, Lakes, And Rich Cultural Heritage. Finally, Visit Mount Abu, Rajasthan's Only Hill Station, Offering Beautiful Landscapes, Serene Lakes, And The Famous Dilwara Temples. This Tour Combines Wildlife, History, And Natural Beauty For An Unforgettable Experience.
Ranthambore National Park -Safari Zones and Wildlife Information
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| Bengal Tigers |
Leopards are present in Ranthambore National Park, coexisting with the more famous tigers, and can be spotted in areas like the Kachida Valley due to its rocky outcrops and dense vegetation. While sightings are special because leopards are solitary and shy, they are a part of the park's diverse wildlife alongside other animals like deer and sloth bears.
The painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) is a bird of the pheasant family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly in peninsular India. Males are more brightly coloured and spotted boldly in white. Males have two to four spurs while females can have one or two of the spurs on their tarsus. The species is found mainly in rocky and scrub forest habitats unlike the red spurfowl. It is found in the undergrowth in pairs or small groups, escaping by running and rarely taking to the wing when flushed.
The rock bush quail (Perdicula argoondah)is a species of quail found in parts of peninsular India. It is a common species with a wide range and the IUCN has rated it as being of "least concern".
The painted sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus) is a medium large bird in the sandgrouse family Pteroclidae found in India and Pakistan. The painted sandgrouse is found in dry regions in rough grassland, rocky areas and scrub and feeds mainly on seeds. It is gregarious and groups congregate at waterholes to drink.
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| An Indian skimmer seen skimming for food in the River Chambal near Dholpur, Rajasthan. |
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| Indian spotted Creeper |
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| white-browed bush chat The white-bellied minivet (Pericrocotus erythropygius) is a species of minivetfound in India, mostly in dry deciduous forest. |
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| White-bellied Minivet |
Desert National Park: A Guide to the Sand Dunes of Rajasthan
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| Chinkara |
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Striolated bunting |
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Desert wheatear |
The great Indian bustard is a large ground bird with a height of about one metre. It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the pale head and neck. The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff coloured and during the breeding season has a black breast band. The crown of the head is black and crested and is puffed up by displaying males. In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken or absent.
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Laggar falcon |
Popular Birds at Desert National Park
Finsch’s wheatear Birds
Finsch’s wheatear is a wheatear, a small insectivorous passerine that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher of the family Muscicapidae
The grey hypocolius or simply hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus) is a small passerine bird species. It is the sole member of the genus Hypocolius and it is placed in a family of its own, the Hypocoliidae. This slender and long tailed bird is found in the dry semi-desert region of northern Africa, Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and western India. They fly in flocks and forage mainly on fruits, migrating south in winter. During migration they are often found feeding on the fruits of Salvadora persica.
E.Day9-10 Mount Abu
Sihori
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| Indian scimitar babbler The Indian scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus horsfieldii) is an Old World babbler. It is found in peninsular India in a range of forest habitats. They are most often detected by their distinctive calls, which include an antiphonal duet by a pair of birds. They are often hard to see as they forage through dense vegetation.
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 The red spurfowl (Galloperdix spadicea) is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. It is a bird of forests, and is quite secretive despite its size. It has a distinctive call and is often hard to see except for a few seconds when it flushes from the undergrowth. It appears reddish and like a long-tailed partridge. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The legs of both males and females have one or two spurs, which give them their name.  Crested Bunting |
Greater Runn of Kutch ( GRK)
Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Ahmedabad District, Gujarat
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| Knob-billed duck |
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| Red-naped Ibis |
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| Blue-cheek Bee-eater |
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| Purple-rumped Sunbird |
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| Variable Wheatear |
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