Itinerary:

Day 0-Arrival at Mumbai International Airport:

Arrival and overnight at a hotel in Mumbai

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Day 1: Search for the Forest Owlet

We will pick up all the tour participants and head towards Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary early in the morning, where we will look for the critically endangered Forest Owlet for the entire day.

Tansa WLS is home to the rarest owl species of India: the Forest Owlet. In 1997, this range-restricted owl was rediscovered after 113 years of having been declared extinct. Still, very little is known about this elusive owl. 

We quickly grab dinner at Navi Mumbai and then drive to Bhigwan(5 hour drive), and we halt for the night.

Day 2: Birding in Bhigwan Grasslands

Start early towards Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary in a private & comfortable car to reach before dawn.

Upon arrival, check into the rooms at a local homestay that adjoins the Bhigwan wetlands, giving great opportunities for birding even apart from the safaris.

Over the next 4 days, we will be exploring Bhigwan's adjoining grasslands.

The birding here will be done from the comfort of our SUV safari vehicles, with 2 safaris in a day. The key species that can be expected are ground-dwelling game birds like Rain Quail, Rock Bush Quail, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Painted Sandgrouse, Barred Buttonquail, Malabar Lark, and Painted Francolin, along with raptors like the Bonelli's Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle and a good chance of Red-necked Falcon

Day 3: Birding in Bhigwan Grasslands

We follow the same day schedule as Day-1
Additionally, post-dinner, we will head for a short 30-40 minute night trail to look for nocturnal birds like the Indian Nightjar and the Savannah Nightjar, and also explore some nocturnal wildlife

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Day 4: Birding in Saswad & Mahabaleshwar

The day begins at 4:30 AM, as today we will be heading further west towards the ecotone - the transition zone between the Western Ghats and the grasslands

Saswad, being an ecotone having a slightly higher elevation than Bhigwan, offers a new range of bird species. Tawny Eagle, White-bellied Minivet,  Sirkeer Malkoha, Crested Bunting, Striolated Bunting, the Vernal Hanging Parrot and the elusive Broad-tailed Grassbird

Followed by the birding session, there will be a heavy brunch, post which we will head towards Mahabaleshwar for the elusive Painted Bush Quail, which will be the main focus of our evening birding session.

We depart from Pune towards Jaipur, flying overnight.

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Day 5: In search of the Lesser Florican:

Ajmer is about 2 hours drive from Jaipur, where we will plan to reach before dawn

We will spend the next two days at the Shokaliya grasslands at Ajmer to try our luck at finding one of the rarest birds of India, which is seen best during the monsoons-- The Lesser Florican. 
The Lesser Florican is an extremely rare bird in India. It is a critically endangered grassland bird, losing its habitat rapidly due to the rampant transformation of grasslands to farmlands and power plants.
 

Day 6: In search of the Lesser Florican:

Repeat of Day-5, followed by an overnight drive to Desert National Park at Jaisalmer.

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Day 7: Birding at the Desert National Park

At Desert National Park, over the next few days, we will go on multiple jeep safaris in search of one of the rarest resident birds of India– The Great Indian Bustard. This critically endangered bird, similarly to the Lesser Florican, faces a threat from habitat loss and also power lines, the most important reason for their rapid decline. There are only about 250 individuals that remain in the wild, an estimated 170 of which can be found in this national park.

We will also look for the passage migrants which pass by the desert on their journey south towards the southern part of Africa. These include: Red-tailed Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, European Roller, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater and Greater Whitethroat

Our entire day here will be spent exploring different areas of the park with a mid-day break from late-morning to late-afternoon.

Overnight stay at a luxury tented accommodation amidst the desert.

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Day 8,9: Birding at the Desert National Park

Repeat of Day-7

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Day 10: Birding at the Desert National Park & Departure

One last morning safari at the park to ​look for species we may have missed.

Drop off at Jodhpur airport(6 hour drive) for departures. 

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