Wildlife of Western India
Gir lions, leopards, and more
If there is sufficient interest we may
run this trip in 2018. If you are interested,
please contact our office
This brochure has not been updated to reflect 2018 dates. Please refer to this brochure as a rough guide as prices, dates, and slight changes to the itinierary may occur.
Please read our Trip Report 2016
for a great idea on what
this trip can offer
This trip is followed by our
Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour 2016
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
The photos in this brochure are courtesy of either our good
friend, Angus Fraser, or
our India Outfitter -
photo credits were not available at this time from Dynamic Tours,
and I apologize to all photographers for this!
Limited to Eight Participants
Price: $TBA
Based on a tour of eight participants.
There will be a surcharge for fewer than six participants
Single Supplement: $TBA
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! We've all heard those words, but in wild India they actually have meaning, as this is the only country (outside of zoos) where these three species exist. Asiatic Lions once ranged throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, extending as far west as western India. In fact, India's coat of arms had a lion, not a tiger, on its shield. Today the Asiatic Lion is reduced to one remnant population, with most inhabiting the Gir Forest.
Western India has a diversity of wildlife subjects and landscapes either not found, or that are quite rare, in other parts of this huge subcontinent. A trip to the Gir Forest, and our other locations in western India will round out a diverse India wildlife portfolio, especially if you are doing either the Bandhavgarh mini-safari for Tigers prior to this trip, or following it with our main tour, the Tigers and the Wildlife of India.
We'll be covering several diverse habitats,from the scrub forest woodlands of Gir to the moonscape-like desert of Velavadar. Grasslands, wetlands, kopje-like rock outcrops, the habitats we'll visit will be diverse, and wildlife potential is high.
We'll have a good chance at seeing and photographing Black Buck, one of the most strikingly patterned antelope, Nilgai (another antelope), Asiatic Wolves (the same species as our Timber or Gray Wolf but a different subspecies), Golden Jackal, Desert Fox, Striped Hyenas, Jungle Cat, Desert Cat, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild Boar, Mugger Crocodiles, Khur (a type of wild ass), and a large variety of birds, including the Lesser Florican, Greater Flamingo, various birds of prey - including a unique evening roost for harriers, Sarus Cranes, owls, and more.
You'll notice that the images in this brochure are credited either to Dynamic Tours or to my friend Angus Fraser. This will be our first visit to this region, an area we've been urged to see ever since we began our India Tiger safaris seven years ago. We're looking forward to seeing this incredibly beautiful land and we hope you'll join us on this exciting excursion.
This tour will be preceded by several optional Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild
Tigers of Bandhavgarh - mini safari
This tour will be followed by:
Main Trip - Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Post-Trip - Tigers of Tadoba
Photo: Angus Fraser
To get the absolute most out of these safaris, or any of our
offerings, consider taking one of our Complete Digital Nature
Photo Courses, in Pennsylvania next summer!
Our Itinerary
Photo: Angus Fraser
Day 1-March 2 - Arrive in Delhi or Mumbai
Depending upon your person itinerary, whether you are flying in from overseas or joining us from the mini-Tiger safari, you'll arrive in either city and be met for assistance and transfer to our hotel..
Overnight - Radisson Blue Hotel, Delhi, or Leela, Mumbai
Photos: Angus Fraser
Day 2 - March 3 - to Dui and to Gir
For those in Delhi: We'll leave our hotel after breakfast and transfer to the Delhi airport for your flight to Mumbai. The Delhi group will meet up with those who overnight in Mumbai and the entire group will fly to Dui.
Upon arrival in Due we'll transfer to Gir National Park by road.
The drive will take about 2.5 hours.
Overnight - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
Day 3 - March 4 - Gir
We'll be doing three game drives to maximize our chances of Lion sightings, at approximately 6:30-9:30, 9:30-11:30, and 3:30-6PM. both a morning and a late afternoon game drive. Morning drives start with a predawn departure from our lodge, and last until late morning. PM game drives begin in late afternoon -- generally around 3:30 or so. Photo, below, Dynamic Tours.
During our stay we might have the opportunity to visit villages in the forests comprised of nomadic Maldharis and Siddhis of Abyssinian origin. The latter came to India during the second millennium AD as slaves, sailors, mercenaries and merchants. Strikingly different from other tribes anywhere else in India, they have retained their music and dance heritage and perform a kind of music called Goma, which has African origins.
Dinner and overnights at our Lodge
Day 4- March 5 - Gir to Velavadar
We'll do an early morning jeep safari into the Gir forest for a last chance to see the Asiatic lions. After returning for breakfast, we'll drive to Velavadar National Park (approximately 5 hours), and do our first afternoon game drive. Velavador is famous for the beautiful and elegant Black Buck and other wildlife. We'll have a fair to good chance of see Wolves, as well as desert Foxes, Jackals, and the rare, endemic Lesser Florican (a type of Bustard). In the evening we'll see one of the world's greatest avian spectacles, when as many or more than 2,000 Montagu's and Pallid Harriers fly to roost.
Photo, left, Dynamic Tours
Overnight, Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Photos above by Angus Fraser
Day 5 - March 6 - Velavadar
A nearly full-day Game Drive into the National Park.
Overnight,
Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
Striped Hyena, photo by Angus Fraser
Day 6 - March 7 - Velavadar to Rann of Kutch
We'll do a morning game drive to Velavadar,
return to our lodge for breakfast and to pack, and continue on to Dasada (approx. 4.5 hours). En route we'll visit Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Gujarat, for waterfowl and perhaps Flamingos.
photos courtesy Dynamic Tours
If we reach Dasada in time we'll do an exploration of the Little Rann of Kutch
looking for the Indian Khur, a wild equine (horse relative), as well as White-footed Desert Fox, Golden Jackals, Wolves, Jungle Cats, and Striped Hyenas. Bird life is very good, too, with birds of prey, bustards, sandgrouse, songbirds and wetland birds, including spoonbills, pelicans, geese, and cranes.
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 7 - March 8 - Rann
We'll do a morning game drive into the Little Rann of Kutch, checking out the grassland islands, called 'Bets,' that are the refuges for the areas wildlife in this arid land. After lunch we'll have the opportunity (interest and time permitting) to visit the Rabari and Bhairwad tribal villages near Dasada. In the late afternoon we'll return to the Little Rann of Kutch for more wildlife viewing.
Photo, left: Angus Fraser
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
Photos by Angus Fraser
Day 8 - March 9 - Rann to Bera (Castle Bera)
We leave for our drive across the Aravali Mountain range to Bera, covering some interesting landscapes along the way. In the late afternoon we'll do a game drive into Bera for Asiatic Leopard, and look for Striped Hyena and Nilgai. The terrain of Bera is spectacular, a land of huge boulders, cliffs, and caves. The Jawai Dam has a large Mugger Crocodile population and great birds like the Sarus Crane and Flamingos.
Overnight, Castle Bera
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 9 - March 10 - Bera
We'll do a morning and late afternoon game drive, and mid-day we may do a visit to a local village and some temples.
Overnight, Castle Bera
Day 10 - March 11 - Bera to Jodhpur to Delhi
After breakfast we'll drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3 hours) for our flight to Delhi. We'll have dayrooms for those flying home, and overnights for those continuing on for the Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour. Transfer to the airport for those flying home.
Overnight or dayroom, Radisson Blue, Delhi
The Tour Price is $5995.00.
based upon eight participants.
There may be a surcharge for a group fewer than six.
Single supplement: $1034
Special Features of Our Western Indian Wildlife Photo Safari
1. Several of the best National Parks for western India wildlife
2.
Two photographers per vehicle where possible.
3. We rotate people per vehicle to insure group cohesiveness (see below)
4. All normal tips and gratuities
5. Internal flights from Delhi
6. CD or DVD of the group's images
7. Customized book of the best images (subject to participation)
See below for more details.
8. Customized Pre- or Post-Trips available to the Taj Mahal or any other destination
(booked directly through our Indian Outfitter and not included in
the Tour Price).
OUR SHOOTING PHILOSOPHY
We'll photograph everything. It is often very counter-productive to be obsessed with one subject and ignoring others while you seek one goal. While our tours have had tremendous success with tigers, these parks are not zoos, and no wildlife sighting is guaranteed. Our shooting philosophy has been extremely successful, and even when we haven't shot our target species (which has only happened once, on an African wild dog trip) we nonetheless had a great trip.
Our Tour Cost Includes
Group transfer to/from airport at time of arrival and departure for the trip.
Meeting and assistance at arrival and departure by our in-country tour operator.
Services of English speaking naturalist/escort from Mumbai to Delhi
Accommodations on double/twin sharing basis. All lodging beginning on the night of March 2, concluding with an overnight or a dayroom in Delhi on April 5.
1 night - Radisson Blue Delhi or Leela Hotel, Mumbai
(depending upon if you're coming from our mini-tiger tour or from overseas)
2 nights - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
2 nights - Black Buck Lodge
2 nights - Rann Riders
2 nights - Castle Bera
1 night - Radisson Blu, Delhi
Services of Air Conditioned Coach for all transfers in Mumbai and Delhi,
and Air Conditioned Toyota Innova for drives and transfers from Dui Airport to Jodpur Airport
Monument/National Park fees - as per itinerary
Visit to tribal villages of Maldhari and Shiddhis in Sasan Gir and Rabaris tribe while at Dasada (subject to group interest and time permitting)
All Meals beginning with breakfast March 2 and ending with lunch on March 11.
All park fees, including jeep tours.
Service of English speaking resident naturalists in each park.
Jeep safaris at Bera
Jeep safaris in national parks by 4x4 jeep and entrance fee to park and naturalists services
Gratuities for transfer drivers, park guides, jeep drivers, and naturalists
Mineral water while on game drives and water at all meals
ONE still camera fee at monuments and national parks
Meeting and Assistance at arrive and departure and during hotel check in at major cities
Domestic flight to back to Delhi.
All transfers - from airport to hotel in Delhi and to airport.
3.5% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill
Our Tour Cost does not include
International airfare to India
Trip Cancellation Insurance (We recommend getting insurance and we can recommend a good company)
Emergency Medical evacuation insurance - Mandatory for all international trips India Visa
Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
Airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures separate from group transfers
An meals other than specified above.
Beverages other than water, Laundry or personal expenditures - internet, phone, etc
Video Camera fees - If you use a pro-looking video camera you will probably be charged with a video camera fee. This includes Panasonic, Canon, and Red cameras
Staff Tip at Lodges - recommended $7/day/person - We are in the field for 8 nights, so figure US $40-$56 if you chose to tip
Gratuities for bellhops, room stewards, Food service people
Overweight charges for luggage on the domestic flights
Staff tip at the park lodge ($5/day/person is recommended)
Laundry or internet fees
Items of a personal nature
Any pre-trip or post-trip extensions
Any sudden and unforeseen increase in price due to an increase in Park Fees, Fuel Costs, or Government Tax Policies beyond our control, acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situations, riots, or forced changes in itinerary due to situations or reasons beyond our control.
Additional costs due to unexpected changes in domestic air fares.
An Important Note
While we make every effort to provide you with success, we are dealing with wild animals and your luck -- be it with the animals, with a driver or guide, with a assigned route your vehicle is arbitrarily given by the Park authorities on a given day, any of these things and more-- are out of our control. We run our trips for the benefit of the group, not a lone individual, and all of our decisions and actions are based upon the group's well being and success, and not to catering to a single individual.
About Your Leaders
Read more on Joe and Mary Ann
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Wildlife of Western India
Gir lions, leopards, and more
If there is sufficient interest we may
run this trip in 2018. If you are interested,
please contact our office
This brochure has not been updated to reflect 2018 dates. Please refer to this brochure as a rough guide as prices, dates, and slight changes to the itinierary may occur.
Please read our Trip Report 2016
for a great idea on what
this trip can offer
This trip is followed by our
Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour 2016
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
The photos in this brochure are courtesy of either our good
friend, Angus Fraser, or
our India Outfitter -
photo credits were not available at this time from Dynamic Tours,
and I apologize to all photographers for this!
Limited to Eight Participants
Price: $TBA
Based on a tour of eight participants.
There will be a surcharge for fewer than six participants
Single Supplement: $TBA
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! We've all heard those words, but in wild India they actually have meaning, as this is the only country (outside of zoos) where these three species exist. Asiatic Lions once ranged throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, extending as far west as western India. In fact, India's coat of arms had a lion, not a tiger, on its shield. Today the Asiatic Lion is reduced to one remnant population, with most inhabiting the Gir Forest.
Western India has a diversity of wildlife subjects and landscapes either not found, or that are quite rare, in other parts of this huge subcontinent. A trip to the Gir Forest, and our other locations in western India will round out a diverse India wildlife portfolio, especially if you are doing either the Bandhavgarh mini-safari for Tigers prior to this trip, or following it with our main tour, the Tigers and the Wildlife of India.
We'll be covering several diverse habitats,from the scrub forest woodlands of Gir to the moonscape-like desert of Velavadar. Grasslands, wetlands, kopje-like rock outcrops, the habitats we'll visit will be diverse, and wildlife potential is high.
We'll have a good chance at seeing and photographing Black Buck, one of the most strikingly patterned antelope, Nilgai (another antelope), Asiatic Wolves (the same species as our Timber or Gray Wolf but a different subspecies), Golden Jackal, Desert Fox, Striped Hyenas, Jungle Cat, Desert Cat, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild Boar, Mugger Crocodiles, Khur (a type of wild ass), and a large variety of birds, including the Lesser Florican, Greater Flamingo, various birds of prey - including a unique evening roost for harriers, Sarus Cranes, owls, and more.
You'll notice that the images in this brochure are credited either to Dynamic Tours or to my friend Angus Fraser. This will be our first visit to this region, an area we've been urged to see ever since we began our India Tiger safaris seven years ago. We're looking forward to seeing this incredibly beautiful land and we hope you'll join us on this exciting excursion.
This tour will be preceded by several optional Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild
Tigers of Bandhavgarh - mini safari
This tour will be followed by:
Main Trip - Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Post-Trip - Tigers of Tadoba
Photo: Angus Fraser
To get the absolute most out of these safaris, or any of our
offerings, consider taking one of our Complete Digital Nature
Photo Courses, in Pennsylvania next summer!
Our Itinerary
Photo: Angus Fraser
Day 1-March 2 - Arrive in Delhi or Mumbai
Depending upon your person itinerary, whether you are flying in from overseas or joining us from the mini-Tiger safari, you'll arrive in either city and be met for assistance and transfer to our hotel..
Overnight - Radisson Blue Hotel, Delhi, or Leela, Mumbai
Photos: Angus Fraser
Day 2 - March 3 - to Dui and to Gir
For those in Delhi: We'll leave our hotel after breakfast and transfer to the Delhi airport for your flight to Mumbai. The Delhi group will meet up with those who overnight in Mumbai and the entire group will fly to Dui.
Upon arrival in Due we'll transfer to Gir National Park by road.
The drive will take about 2.5 hours.
Overnight - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
Day 3 - March 4 - Gir
We'll be doing three game drives to maximize our chances of Lion sightings, at approximately 6:30-9:30, 9:30-11:30, and 3:30-6PM. both a morning and a late afternoon game drive. Morning drives start with a predawn departure from our lodge, and last until late morning. PM game drives begin in late afternoon -- generally around 3:30 or so. Photo, below, Dynamic Tours.
During our stay we might have the opportunity to visit villages in the forests comprised of nomadic Maldharis and Siddhis of Abyssinian origin. The latter came to India during the second millennium AD as slaves, sailors, mercenaries and merchants. Strikingly different from other tribes anywhere else in India, they have retained their music and dance heritage and perform a kind of music called Goma, which has African origins.
Dinner and overnights at our Lodge
Day 4- March 5 - Gir to Velavadar
We'll do an early morning jeep safari into the Gir forest for a last chance to see the Asiatic lions. After returning for breakfast, we'll drive to Velavadar National Park (approximately 5 hours), and do our first afternoon game drive. Velavador is famous for the beautiful and elegant Black Buck and other wildlife. We'll have a fair to good chance of see Wolves, as well as desert Foxes, Jackals, and the rare, endemic Lesser Florican (a type of Bustard). In the evening we'll see one of the world's greatest avian spectacles, when as many or more than 2,000 Montagu's and Pallid Harriers fly to roost.
Photo, left, Dynamic Tours
Overnight, Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Photos above by Angus Fraser
Day 5 - March 6 - Velavadar
A nearly full-day Game Drive into the National Park.
Overnight,
Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
Striped Hyena, photo by Angus Fraser
Day 6 - March 7 - Velavadar to Rann of Kutch
We'll do a morning game drive to Velavadar,
return to our lodge for breakfast and to pack, and continue on to Dasada (approx. 4.5 hours). En route we'll visit Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Gujarat, for waterfowl and perhaps Flamingos.
photos courtesy Dynamic Tours
If we reach Dasada in time we'll do an exploration of the Little Rann of Kutch
looking for the Indian Khur, a wild equine (horse relative), as well as White-footed Desert Fox, Golden Jackals, Wolves, Jungle Cats, and Striped Hyenas. Bird life is very good, too, with birds of prey, bustards, sandgrouse, songbirds and wetland birds, including spoonbills, pelicans, geese, and cranes.
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 7 - March 8 - Rann
We'll do a morning game drive into the Little Rann of Kutch, checking out the grassland islands, called 'Bets,' that are the refuges for the areas wildlife in this arid land. After lunch we'll have the opportunity (interest and time permitting) to visit the Rabari and Bhairwad tribal villages near Dasada. In the late afternoon we'll return to the Little Rann of Kutch for more wildlife viewing.
Photo, left: Angus Fraser
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
Photos by Angus Fraser
Day 8 - March 9 - Rann to Bera (Castle Bera)
We leave for our drive across the Aravali Mountain range to Bera, covering some interesting landscapes along the way. In the late afternoon we'll do a game drive into Bera for Asiatic Leopard, and look for Striped Hyena and Nilgai. The terrain of Bera is spectacular, a land of huge boulders, cliffs, and caves. The Jawai Dam has a large Mugger Crocodile population and great birds like the Sarus Crane and Flamingos.
Overnight, Castle Bera
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 9 - March 10 - Bera
We'll do a morning and late afternoon game drive, and mid-day we may do a visit to a local village and some temples.
Overnight, Castle Bera
Day 10 - March 11 - Bera to Jodhpur to Delhi
After breakfast we'll drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3 hours) for our flight to Delhi. We'll have dayrooms for those flying home, and overnights for those continuing on for the Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour. Transfer to the airport for those flying home.
Overnight or dayroom, Radisson Blue, Delhi
The Tour Price is $5995.00.
based upon eight participants.
There may be a surcharge for a group fewer than six.
Single supplement: $1034
Special Features of Our Western Indian Wildlife Photo Safari
1. Several of the best National Parks for western India wildlife
2.
Two photographers per vehicle where possible.
3. We rotate people per vehicle to insure group cohesiveness (see below)
4. All normal tips and gratuities
5. Internal flights from Delhi
6. CD or DVD of the group's images
7. Customized book of the best images (subject to participation)
See below for more details.
8. Customized Pre- or Post-Trips available to the Taj Mahal or any other destination
(booked directly through our Indian Outfitter and not included in
the Tour Price).
OUR SHOOTING PHILOSOPHY
We'll photograph everything. It is often very counter-productive to be obsessed with one subject and ignoring others while you seek one goal. While our tours have had tremendous success with tigers, these parks are not zoos, and no wildlife sighting is guaranteed. Our shooting philosophy has been extremely successful, and even when we haven't shot our target species (which has only happened once, on an African wild dog trip) we nonetheless had a great trip.
Our Tour Cost Includes
Group transfer to/from airport at time of arrival and departure for the trip.
Meeting and assistance at arrival and departure by our in-country tour operator.
Services of English speaking naturalist/escort from Mumbai to Delhi
Accommodations on double/twin sharing basis. All lodging beginning on the night of March 2, concluding with an overnight or a dayroom in Delhi on April 5.
1 night - Radisson Blue Delhi or Leela Hotel, Mumbai
(depending upon if you're coming from our mini-tiger tour or from overseas)
2 nights - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
2 nights - Black Buck Lodge
2 nights - Rann Riders
2 nights - Castle Bera
1 night - Radisson Blu, Delhi
Services of Air Conditioned Coach for all transfers in Mumbai and Delhi,
and Air Conditioned Toyota Innova for drives and transfers from Dui Airport to Jodpur Airport
Monument/National Park fees - as per itinerary
Visit to tribal villages of Maldhari and Shiddhis in Sasan Gir and Rabaris tribe while at Dasada (subject to group interest and time permitting)
All Meals beginning with breakfast March 2 and ending with lunch on March 11.
All park fees, including jeep tours.
Service of English speaking resident naturalists in each park.
Jeep safaris at Bera
Jeep safaris in national parks by 4x4 jeep and entrance fee to park and naturalists services
Gratuities for transfer drivers, park guides, jeep drivers, and naturalists
Mineral water while on game drives and water at all meals
ONE still camera fee at monuments and national parks
Meeting and Assistance at arrive and departure and during hotel check in at major cities
Domestic flight to back to Delhi.
All transfers - from airport to hotel in Delhi and to airport.
3.5% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill
Our Tour Cost does not include
International airfare to India
Trip Cancellation Insurance (We recommend getting insurance and we can recommend a good company)
Emergency Medical evacuation insurance - Mandatory for all international trips India Visa
Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
Airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures separate from group transfers
An meals other than specified above.
Beverages other than water, Laundry or personal expenditures - internet, phone, etc
Video Camera fees - If you use a pro-looking video camera you will probably be charged with a video camera fee. This includes Panasonic, Canon, and Red cameras
Staff Tip at Lodges - recommended $7/day/person - We are in the field for 8 nights, so figure US $40-$56 if you chose to tip
Gratuities for bellhops, room stewards, Food service people
Overweight charges for luggage on the domestic flights
Staff tip at the park lodge ($5/day/person is recommended)
Laundry or internet fees
Items of a personal nature
Any pre-trip or post-trip extensions
Any sudden and unforeseen increase in price due to an increase in Park Fees, Fuel Costs, or Government Tax Policies beyond our control, acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situations, riots, or forced changes in itinerary due to situations or reasons beyond our control.
Additional costs due to unexpected changes in domestic air fares.
An Important Note
While we make every effort to provide you with success, we are dealing with wild animals and your luck -- be it with the animals, with a driver or guide, with a assigned route your vehicle is arbitrarily given by the Park authorities on a given day, any of these things and more-- are out of our control. We run our trips for the benefit of the group, not a lone individual, and all of our decisions and actions are based upon the group's well being and success, and not to catering to a single individual.
About Your Leaders
Read more on Joe and Mary Ann
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Wildlife of Western India
Gir lions, leopards, and more
If there is sufficient interest we may
run this trip in 2018. If you are interested,
please contact our office
This brochure has not been updated to reflect 2018 dates. Please refer to this brochure as a rough guide as prices, dates, and slight changes to the itinierary may occur.
Please read our Trip Report 2016
for a great idea on what
this trip can offer
This trip is followed by our
Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour 2016
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
The photos in this brochure are courtesy of either our good
friend, Angus Fraser, or
our India Outfitter -
photo credits were not available at this time from Dynamic Tours,
and I apologize to all photographers for this!
Limited to Eight Participants
Price: $TBA
Based on a tour of eight participants.
There will be a surcharge for fewer than six participants
Single Supplement: $TBA
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! We've all heard those words, but in wild India they actually have meaning, as this is the only country (outside of zoos) where these three species exist. Asiatic Lions once ranged throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, extending as far west as western India. In fact, India's coat of arms had a lion, not a tiger, on its shield. Today the Asiatic Lion is reduced to one remnant population, with most inhabiting the Gir Forest.
Western India has a diversity of wildlife subjects and landscapes either not found, or that are quite rare, in other parts of this huge subcontinent. A trip to the Gir Forest, and our other locations in western India will round out a diverse India wildlife portfolio, especially if you are doing either the Bandhavgarh mini-safari for Tigers prior to this trip, or following it with our main tour, the Tigers and the Wildlife of India.
We'll be covering several diverse habitats,from the scrub forest woodlands of Gir to the moonscape-like desert of Velavadar. Grasslands, wetlands, kopje-like rock outcrops, the habitats we'll visit will be diverse, and wildlife potential is high.
We'll have a good chance at seeing and photographing Black Buck, one of the most strikingly patterned antelope, Nilgai (another antelope), Asiatic Wolves (the same species as our Timber or Gray Wolf but a different subspecies), Golden Jackal, Desert Fox, Striped Hyenas, Jungle Cat, Desert Cat, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild Boar, Mugger Crocodiles, Khur (a type of wild ass), and a large variety of birds, including the Lesser Florican, Greater Flamingo, various birds of prey - including a unique evening roost for harriers, Sarus Cranes, owls, and more.
You'll notice that the images in this brochure are credited either to Dynamic Tours or to my friend Angus Fraser. This will be our first visit to this region, an area we've been urged to see ever since we began our India Tiger safaris seven years ago. We're looking forward to seeing this incredibly beautiful land and we hope you'll join us on this exciting excursion.
This tour will be preceded by several optional Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild
Tigers of Bandhavgarh - mini safari
This tour will be followed by:
Main Trip - Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Post-Trip - Tigers of Tadoba
Photo: Angus Fraser
To get the absolute most out of these safaris, or any of our
offerings, consider taking one of our Complete Digital Nature
Photo Courses, in Pennsylvania next summer!
Our Itinerary
Photo: Angus Fraser
Day 1-March 2 - Arrive in Delhi or Mumbai
Depending upon your person itinerary, whether you are flying in from overseas or joining us from the mini-Tiger safari, you'll arrive in either city and be met for assistance and transfer to our hotel..
Overnight - Radisson Blue Hotel, Delhi, or Leela, Mumbai
Photos: Angus Fraser
Day 2 - March 3 - to Dui and to Gir
For those in Delhi: We'll leave our hotel after breakfast and transfer to the Delhi airport for your flight to Mumbai. The Delhi group will meet up with those who overnight in Mumbai and the entire group will fly to Dui.
Upon arrival in Due we'll transfer to Gir National Park by road.
The drive will take about 2.5 hours.
Overnight - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
Day 3 - March 4 - Gir
We'll be doing three game drives to maximize our chances of Lion sightings, at approximately 6:30-9:30, 9:30-11:30, and 3:30-6PM. both a morning and a late afternoon game drive. Morning drives start with a predawn departure from our lodge, and last until late morning. PM game drives begin in late afternoon -- generally around 3:30 or so. Photo, below, Dynamic Tours.
During our stay we might have the opportunity to visit villages in the forests comprised of nomadic Maldharis and Siddhis of Abyssinian origin. The latter came to India during the second millennium AD as slaves, sailors, mercenaries and merchants. Strikingly different from other tribes anywhere else in India, they have retained their music and dance heritage and perform a kind of music called Goma, which has African origins.
Dinner and overnights at our Lodge
Day 4- March 5 - Gir to Velavadar
We'll do an early morning jeep safari into the Gir forest for a last chance to see the Asiatic lions. After returning for breakfast, we'll drive to Velavadar National Park (approximately 5 hours), and do our first afternoon game drive. Velavador is famous for the beautiful and elegant Black Buck and other wildlife. We'll have a fair to good chance of see Wolves, as well as desert Foxes, Jackals, and the rare, endemic Lesser Florican (a type of Bustard). In the evening we'll see one of the world's greatest avian spectacles, when as many or more than 2,000 Montagu's and Pallid Harriers fly to roost.
Photo, left, Dynamic Tours
Overnight, Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Photos above by Angus Fraser
Day 5 - March 6 - Velavadar
A nearly full-day Game Drive into the National Park.
Overnight,
Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
Striped Hyena, photo by Angus Fraser
Day 6 - March 7 - Velavadar to Rann of Kutch
We'll do a morning game drive to Velavadar,
return to our lodge for breakfast and to pack, and continue on to Dasada (approx. 4.5 hours). En route we'll visit Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Gujarat, for waterfowl and perhaps Flamingos.
photos courtesy Dynamic Tours
If we reach Dasada in time we'll do an exploration of the Little Rann of Kutch
looking for the Indian Khur, a wild equine (horse relative), as well as White-footed Desert Fox, Golden Jackals, Wolves, Jungle Cats, and Striped Hyenas. Bird life is very good, too, with birds of prey, bustards, sandgrouse, songbirds and wetland birds, including spoonbills, pelicans, geese, and cranes.
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 7 - March 8 - Rann
We'll do a morning game drive into the Little Rann of Kutch, checking out the grassland islands, called 'Bets,' that are the refuges for the areas wildlife in this arid land. After lunch we'll have the opportunity (interest and time permitting) to visit the Rabari and Bhairwad tribal villages near Dasada. In the late afternoon we'll return to the Little Rann of Kutch for more wildlife viewing.
Photo, left: Angus Fraser
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
Photos by Angus Fraser
Day 8 - March 9 - Rann to Bera (Castle Bera)
We leave for our drive across the Aravali Mountain range to Bera, covering some interesting landscapes along the way. In the late afternoon we'll do a game drive into Bera for Asiatic Leopard, and look for Striped Hyena and Nilgai. The terrain of Bera is spectacular, a land of huge boulders, cliffs, and caves. The Jawai Dam has a large Mugger Crocodile population and great birds like the Sarus Crane and Flamingos.
Overnight, Castle Bera
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 9 - March 10 - Bera
We'll do a morning and late afternoon game drive, and mid-day we may do a visit to a local village and some temples.
Overnight, Castle Bera
Day 10 - March 11 - Bera to Jodhpur to Delhi
After breakfast we'll drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3 hours) for our flight to Delhi. We'll have dayrooms for those flying home, and overnights for those continuing on for the Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour. Transfer to the airport for those flying home.
Overnight or dayroom, Radisson Blue, Delhi
The Tour Price is $5995.00.
based upon eight participants.
There may be a surcharge for a group fewer than six.
Single supplement: $1034
Special Features of Our Western Indian Wildlife Photo Safari
1. Several of the best National Parks for western India wildlife
2.
Two photographers per vehicle where possible.
3. We rotate people per vehicle to insure group cohesiveness (see below)
4. All normal tips and gratuities
5. Internal flights from Delhi
6. CD or DVD of the group's images
7. Customized book of the best images (subject to participation)
See below for more details.
8. Customized Pre- or Post-Trips available to the Taj Mahal or any other destination
(booked directly through our Indian Outfitter and not included in
the Tour Price).
OUR SHOOTING PHILOSOPHY
We'll photograph everything. It is often very counter-productive to be obsessed with one subject and ignoring others while you seek one goal. While our tours have had tremendous success with tigers, these parks are not zoos, and no wildlife sighting is guaranteed. Our shooting philosophy has been extremely successful, and even when we haven't shot our target species (which has only happened once, on an African wild dog trip) we nonetheless had a great trip.
Our Tour Cost Includes
Group transfer to/from airport at time of arrival and departure for the trip.
Meeting and assistance at arrival and departure by our in-country tour operator.
Services of English speaking naturalist/escort from Mumbai to Delhi
Accommodations on double/twin sharing basis. All lodging beginning on the night of March 2, concluding with an overnight or a dayroom in Delhi on April 5.
1 night - Radisson Blue Delhi or Leela Hotel, Mumbai
(depending upon if you're coming from our mini-tiger tour or from overseas)
2 nights - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
2 nights - Black Buck Lodge
2 nights - Rann Riders
2 nights - Castle Bera
1 night - Radisson Blu, Delhi
Services of Air Conditioned Coach for all transfers in Mumbai and Delhi,
and Air Conditioned Toyota Innova for drives and transfers from Dui Airport to Jodpur Airport
Monument/National Park fees - as per itinerary
Visit to tribal villages of Maldhari and Shiddhis in Sasan Gir and Rabaris tribe while at Dasada (subject to group interest and time permitting)
All Meals beginning with breakfast March 2 and ending with lunch on March 11.
All park fees, including jeep tours.
Service of English speaking resident naturalists in each park.
Jeep safaris at Bera
Jeep safaris in national parks by 4x4 jeep and entrance fee to park and naturalists services
Gratuities for transfer drivers, park guides, jeep drivers, and naturalists
Mineral water while on game drives and water at all meals
ONE still camera fee at monuments and national parks
Meeting and Assistance at arrive and departure and during hotel check in at major cities
Domestic flight to back to Delhi.
All transfers - from airport to hotel in Delhi and to airport.
3.5% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill
Our Tour Cost does not include
International airfare to India
Trip Cancellation Insurance (We recommend getting insurance and we can recommend a good company)
Emergency Medical evacuation insurance - Mandatory for all international trips India Visa
Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
Airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures separate from group transfers
An meals other than specified above.
Beverages other than water, Laundry or personal expenditures - internet, phone, etc
Video Camera fees - If you use a pro-looking video camera you will probably be charged with a video camera fee. This includes Panasonic, Canon, and Red cameras
Staff Tip at Lodges - recommended $7/day/person - We are in the field for 8 nights, so figure US $40-$56 if you chose to tip
Gratuities for bellhops, room stewards, Food service people
Overweight charges for luggage on the domestic flights
Staff tip at the park lodge ($5/day/person is recommended)
Laundry or internet fees
Items of a personal nature
Any pre-trip or post-trip extensions
Any sudden and unforeseen increase in price due to an increase in Park Fees, Fuel Costs, or Government Tax Policies beyond our control, acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situations, riots, or forced changes in itinerary due to situations or reasons beyond our control.
Additional costs due to unexpected changes in domestic air fares.
An Important Note
While we make every effort to provide you with success, we are dealing with wild animals and your luck -- be it with the animals, with a driver or guide, with a assigned route your vehicle is arbitrarily given by the Park authorities on a given day, any of these things and more-- are out of our control. We run our trips for the benefit of the group, not a lone individual, and all of our decisions and actions are based upon the group's well being and success, and not to catering to a single individual.
About Your Leaders
Read more on Joe and Mary Ann
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Wildlife of Western India
Gir lions, leopards, and more
If there is sufficient interest we may
run this trip in 2018. If you are interested,
please contact our office
This brochure has not been updated to reflect 2018 dates. Please refer to this brochure as a rough guide as prices, dates, and slight changes to the itinierary may occur.
Please read our Trip Report 2016
for a great idea on what
this trip can offer
This trip is followed by our
Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour 2016
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
The photos in this brochure are courtesy of either our good
friend, Angus Fraser, or
our India Outfitter -
photo credits were not available at this time from Dynamic Tours,
and I apologize to all photographers for this!
Limited to Eight Participants
Price: $TBA
Based on a tour of eight participants.
There will be a surcharge for fewer than six participants
Single Supplement: $TBA
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! We've all heard those words, but in wild India they actually have meaning, as this is the only country (outside of zoos) where these three species exist. Asiatic Lions once ranged throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, extending as far west as western India. In fact, India's coat of arms had a lion, not a tiger, on its shield. Today the Asiatic Lion is reduced to one remnant population, with most inhabiting the Gir Forest.
Western India has a diversity of wildlife subjects and landscapes either not found, or that are quite rare, in other parts of this huge subcontinent. A trip to the Gir Forest, and our other locations in western India will round out a diverse India wildlife portfolio, especially if you are doing either the Bandhavgarh mini-safari for Tigers prior to this trip, or following it with our main tour, the Tigers and the Wildlife of India.
We'll be covering several diverse habitats,from the scrub forest woodlands of Gir to the moonscape-like desert of Velavadar. Grasslands, wetlands, kopje-like rock outcrops, the habitats we'll visit will be diverse, and wildlife potential is high.
We'll have a good chance at seeing and photographing Black Buck, one of the most strikingly patterned antelope, Nilgai (another antelope), Asiatic Wolves (the same species as our Timber or Gray Wolf but a different subspecies), Golden Jackal, Desert Fox, Striped Hyenas, Jungle Cat, Desert Cat, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild Boar, Mugger Crocodiles, Khur (a type of wild ass), and a large variety of birds, including the Lesser Florican, Greater Flamingo, various birds of prey - including a unique evening roost for harriers, Sarus Cranes, owls, and more.
You'll notice that the images in this brochure are credited either to Dynamic Tours or to my friend Angus Fraser. This will be our first visit to this region, an area we've been urged to see ever since we began our India Tiger safaris seven years ago. We're looking forward to seeing this incredibly beautiful land and we hope you'll join us on this exciting excursion.
This tour will be preceded by several optional Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild
Tigers of Bandhavgarh - mini safari
This tour will be followed by:
Main Trip - Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Post-Trip - Tigers of Tadoba
Photo: Angus Fraser
To get the absolute most out of these safaris, or any of our
offerings, consider taking one of our Complete Digital Nature
Photo Courses, in Pennsylvania next summer!
Our Itinerary
Photo: Angus Fraser
Day 1-March 2 - Arrive in Delhi or Mumbai
Depending upon your person itinerary, whether you are flying in from overseas or joining us from the mini-Tiger safari, you'll arrive in either city and be met for assistance and transfer to our hotel..
Overnight - Radisson Blue Hotel, Delhi, or Leela, Mumbai
Photos: Angus Fraser
Day 2 - March 3 - to Dui and to Gir
For those in Delhi: We'll leave our hotel after breakfast and transfer to the Delhi airport for your flight to Mumbai. The Delhi group will meet up with those who overnight in Mumbai and the entire group will fly to Dui.
Upon arrival in Due we'll transfer to Gir National Park by road.
The drive will take about 2.5 hours.
Overnight - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
Day 3 - March 4 - Gir
We'll be doing three game drives to maximize our chances of Lion sightings, at approximately 6:30-9:30, 9:30-11:30, and 3:30-6PM. both a morning and a late afternoon game drive. Morning drives start with a predawn departure from our lodge, and last until late morning. PM game drives begin in late afternoon -- generally around 3:30 or so. Photo, below, Dynamic Tours.
During our stay we might have the opportunity to visit villages in the forests comprised of nomadic Maldharis and Siddhis of Abyssinian origin. The latter came to India during the second millennium AD as slaves, sailors, mercenaries and merchants. Strikingly different from other tribes anywhere else in India, they have retained their music and dance heritage and perform a kind of music called Goma, which has African origins.
Dinner and overnights at our Lodge
Day 4- March 5 - Gir to Velavadar
We'll do an early morning jeep safari into the Gir forest for a last chance to see the Asiatic lions. After returning for breakfast, we'll drive to Velavadar National Park (approximately 5 hours), and do our first afternoon game drive. Velavador is famous for the beautiful and elegant Black Buck and other wildlife. We'll have a fair to good chance of see Wolves, as well as desert Foxes, Jackals, and the rare, endemic Lesser Florican (a type of Bustard). In the evening we'll see one of the world's greatest avian spectacles, when as many or more than 2,000 Montagu's and Pallid Harriers fly to roost.
Photo, left, Dynamic Tours
Overnight, Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Photos above by Angus Fraser
Day 5 - March 6 - Velavadar
A nearly full-day Game Drive into the National Park.
Overnight,
Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
Striped Hyena, photo by Angus Fraser
Day 6 - March 7 - Velavadar to Rann of Kutch
We'll do a morning game drive to Velavadar,
return to our lodge for breakfast and to pack, and continue on to Dasada (approx. 4.5 hours). En route we'll visit Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Gujarat, for waterfowl and perhaps Flamingos.
photos courtesy Dynamic Tours
If we reach Dasada in time we'll do an exploration of the Little Rann of Kutch
looking for the Indian Khur, a wild equine (horse relative), as well as White-footed Desert Fox, Golden Jackals, Wolves, Jungle Cats, and Striped Hyenas. Bird life is very good, too, with birds of prey, bustards, sandgrouse, songbirds and wetland birds, including spoonbills, pelicans, geese, and cranes.
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 7 - March 8 - Rann
We'll do a morning game drive into the Little Rann of Kutch, checking out the grassland islands, called 'Bets,' that are the refuges for the areas wildlife in this arid land. After lunch we'll have the opportunity (interest and time permitting) to visit the Rabari and Bhairwad tribal villages near Dasada. In the late afternoon we'll return to the Little Rann of Kutch for more wildlife viewing.
Photo, left: Angus Fraser
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
Photos by Angus Fraser
Day 8 - March 9 - Rann to Bera (Castle Bera)
We leave for our drive across the Aravali Mountain range to Bera, covering some interesting landscapes along the way. In the late afternoon we'll do a game drive into Bera for Asiatic Leopard, and look for Striped Hyena and Nilgai. The terrain of Bera is spectacular, a land of huge boulders, cliffs, and caves. The Jawai Dam has a large Mugger Crocodile population and great birds like the Sarus Crane and Flamingos.
Overnight, Castle Bera
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 9 - March 10 - Bera
We'll do a morning and late afternoon game drive, and mid-day we may do a visit to a local village and some temples.
Overnight, Castle Bera
Day 10 - March 11 - Bera to Jodhpur to Delhi
After breakfast we'll drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3 hours) for our flight to Delhi. We'll have dayrooms for those flying home, and overnights for those continuing on for the Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour. Transfer to the airport for those flying home.
Overnight or dayroom, Radisson Blue, Delhi
The Tour Price is $5995.00.
based upon eight participants.
There may be a surcharge for a group fewer than six.
Single supplement: $1034
Special Features of Our Western Indian Wildlife Photo Safari
1. Several of the best National Parks for western India wildlife
2.
Two photographers per vehicle where possible.
3. We rotate people per vehicle to insure group cohesiveness (see below)
4. All normal tips and gratuities
5. Internal flights from Delhi
6. CD or DVD of the group's images
7. Customized book of the best images (subject to participation)
See below for more details.
8. Customized Pre- or Post-Trips available to the Taj Mahal or any other destination
(booked directly through our Indian Outfitter and not included in
the Tour Price).
OUR SHOOTING PHILOSOPHY
We'll photograph everything. It is often very counter-productive to be obsessed with one subject and ignoring others while you seek one goal. While our tours have had tremendous success with tigers, these parks are not zoos, and no wildlife sighting is guaranteed. Our shooting philosophy has been extremely successful, and even when we haven't shot our target species (which has only happened once, on an African wild dog trip) we nonetheless had a great trip.
Our Tour Cost Includes
Group transfer to/from airport at time of arrival and departure for the trip.
Meeting and assistance at arrival and departure by our in-country tour operator.
Services of English speaking naturalist/escort from Mumbai to Delhi
Accommodations on double/twin sharing basis. All lodging beginning on the night of March 2, concluding with an overnight or a dayroom in Delhi on April 5.
1 night - Radisson Blue Delhi or Leela Hotel, Mumbai
(depending upon if you're coming from our mini-tiger tour or from overseas)
2 nights - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
2 nights - Black Buck Lodge
2 nights - Rann Riders
2 nights - Castle Bera
1 night - Radisson Blu, Delhi
Services of Air Conditioned Coach for all transfers in Mumbai and Delhi,
and Air Conditioned Toyota Innova for drives and transfers from Dui Airport to Jodpur Airport
Monument/National Park fees - as per itinerary
Visit to tribal villages of Maldhari and Shiddhis in Sasan Gir and Rabaris tribe while at Dasada (subject to group interest and time permitting)
All Meals beginning with breakfast March 2 and ending with lunch on March 11.
All park fees, including jeep tours.
Service of English speaking resident naturalists in each park.
Jeep safaris at Bera
Jeep safaris in national parks by 4x4 jeep and entrance fee to park and naturalists services
Gratuities for transfer drivers, park guides, jeep drivers, and naturalists
Mineral water while on game drives and water at all meals
ONE still camera fee at monuments and national parks
Meeting and Assistance at arrive and departure and during hotel check in at major cities
Domestic flight to back to Delhi.
All transfers - from airport to hotel in Delhi and to airport.
3.5% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill
Our Tour Cost does not include
International airfare to India
Trip Cancellation Insurance (We recommend getting insurance and we can recommend a good company)
Emergency Medical evacuation insurance - Mandatory for all international trips India Visa
Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
Airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures separate from group transfers
An meals other than specified above.
Beverages other than water, Laundry or personal expenditures - internet, phone, etc
Video Camera fees - If you use a pro-looking video camera you will probably be charged with a video camera fee. This includes Panasonic, Canon, and Red cameras
Staff Tip at Lodges - recommended $7/day/person - We are in the field for 8 nights, so figure US $40-$56 if you chose to tip
Gratuities for bellhops, room stewards, Food service people
Overweight charges for luggage on the domestic flights
Staff tip at the park lodge ($5/day/person is recommended)
Laundry or internet fees
Items of a personal nature
Any pre-trip or post-trip extensions
Any sudden and unforeseen increase in price due to an increase in Park Fees, Fuel Costs, or Government Tax Policies beyond our control, acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situations, riots, or forced changes in itinerary due to situations or reasons beyond our control.
Additional costs due to unexpected changes in domestic air fares.
An Important Note
While we make every effort to provide you with success, we are dealing with wild animals and your luck -- be it with the animals, with a driver or guide, with a assigned route your vehicle is arbitrarily given by the Park authorities on a given day, any of these things and more-- are out of our control. We run our trips for the benefit of the group, not a lone individual, and all of our decisions and actions are based upon the group's well being and success, and not to catering to a single individual.
About Your Leaders
Read more on Joe and Mary Ann
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Return to HomePage
Wildlife of Western India
Gir lions, leopards, and more
If there is sufficient interest we may
run this trip in 2018. If you are interested,
please contact our office
This brochure has not been updated to reflect 2018 dates. Please refer to this brochure as a rough guide as prices, dates, and slight changes to the itinierary may occur.
Please read our Trip Report 2016
for a great idea on what
this trip can offer
This trip is followed by our
Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour 2016
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
The photos in this brochure are courtesy of either our good
friend, Angus Fraser, or
our India Outfitter -
photo credits were not available at this time from Dynamic Tours,
and I apologize to all photographers for this!
Limited to Eight Participants
Price: $TBA
Based on a tour of eight participants.
There will be a surcharge for fewer than six participants
Single Supplement: $TBA
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! We've all heard those words, but in wild India they actually have meaning, as this is the only country (outside of zoos) where these three species exist. Asiatic Lions once ranged throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, extending as far west as western India. In fact, India's coat of arms had a lion, not a tiger, on its shield. Today the Asiatic Lion is reduced to one remnant population, with most inhabiting the Gir Forest.
Western India has a diversity of wildlife subjects and landscapes either not found, or that are quite rare, in other parts of this huge subcontinent. A trip to the Gir Forest, and our other locations in western India will round out a diverse India wildlife portfolio, especially if you are doing either the Bandhavgarh mini-safari for Tigers prior to this trip, or following it with our main tour, the Tigers and the Wildlife of India.
We'll be covering several diverse habitats,from the scrub forest woodlands of Gir to the moonscape-like desert of Velavadar. Grasslands, wetlands, kopje-like rock outcrops, the habitats we'll visit will be diverse, and wildlife potential is high.
We'll have a good chance at seeing and photographing Black Buck, one of the most strikingly patterned antelope, Nilgai (another antelope), Asiatic Wolves (the same species as our Timber or Gray Wolf but a different subspecies), Golden Jackal, Desert Fox, Striped Hyenas, Jungle Cat, Desert Cat, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild Boar, Mugger Crocodiles, Khur (a type of wild ass), and a large variety of birds, including the Lesser Florican, Greater Flamingo, various birds of prey - including a unique evening roost for harriers, Sarus Cranes, owls, and more.
You'll notice that the images in this brochure are credited either to Dynamic Tours or to my friend Angus Fraser. This will be our first visit to this region, an area we've been urged to see ever since we began our India Tiger safaris seven years ago. We're looking forward to seeing this incredibly beautiful land and we hope you'll join us on this exciting excursion.
This tour will be preceded by several optional Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild
Tigers of Bandhavgarh - mini safari
This tour will be followed by:
Main Trip - Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Post-Trip - Tigers of Tadoba
Photo: Angus Fraser
To get the absolute most out of these safaris, or any of our
offerings, consider taking one of our Complete Digital Nature
Photo Courses, in Pennsylvania next summer!
Our Itinerary
Photo: Angus Fraser
Day 1-March 2 - Arrive in Delhi or Mumbai
Depending upon your person itinerary, whether you are flying in from overseas or joining us from the mini-Tiger safari, you'll arrive in either city and be met for assistance and transfer to our hotel..
Overnight - Radisson Blue Hotel, Delhi, or Leela, Mumbai
Photos: Angus Fraser
Day 2 - March 3 - to Dui and to Gir
For those in Delhi: We'll leave our hotel after breakfast and transfer to the Delhi airport for your flight to Mumbai. The Delhi group will meet up with those who overnight in Mumbai and the entire group will fly to Dui.
Upon arrival in Due we'll transfer to Gir National Park by road.
The drive will take about 2.5 hours.
Overnight - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
Day 3 - March 4 - Gir
We'll be doing three game drives to maximize our chances of Lion sightings, at approximately 6:30-9:30, 9:30-11:30, and 3:30-6PM. both a morning and a late afternoon game drive. Morning drives start with a predawn departure from our lodge, and last until late morning. PM game drives begin in late afternoon -- generally around 3:30 or so. Photo, below, Dynamic Tours.
During our stay we might have the opportunity to visit villages in the forests comprised of nomadic Maldharis and Siddhis of Abyssinian origin. The latter came to India during the second millennium AD as slaves, sailors, mercenaries and merchants. Strikingly different from other tribes anywhere else in India, they have retained their music and dance heritage and perform a kind of music called Goma, which has African origins.
Dinner and overnights at our Lodge
Day 4- March 5 - Gir to Velavadar
We'll do an early morning jeep safari into the Gir forest for a last chance to see the Asiatic lions. After returning for breakfast, we'll drive to Velavadar National Park (approximately 5 hours), and do our first afternoon game drive. Velavador is famous for the beautiful and elegant Black Buck and other wildlife. We'll have a fair to good chance of see Wolves, as well as desert Foxes, Jackals, and the rare, endemic Lesser Florican (a type of Bustard). In the evening we'll see one of the world's greatest avian spectacles, when as many or more than 2,000 Montagu's and Pallid Harriers fly to roost.
Photo, left, Dynamic Tours
Overnight, Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Photos above by Angus Fraser
Day 5 - March 6 - Velavadar
A nearly full-day Game Drive into the National Park.
Overnight,
Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
Striped Hyena, photo by Angus Fraser
Day 6 - March 7 - Velavadar to Rann of Kutch
We'll do a morning game drive to Velavadar,
return to our lodge for breakfast and to pack, and continue on to Dasada (approx. 4.5 hours). En route we'll visit Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Gujarat, for waterfowl and perhaps Flamingos.
photos courtesy Dynamic Tours
If we reach Dasada in time we'll do an exploration of the Little Rann of Kutch
looking for the Indian Khur, a wild equine (horse relative), as well as White-footed Desert Fox, Golden Jackals, Wolves, Jungle Cats, and Striped Hyenas. Bird life is very good, too, with birds of prey, bustards, sandgrouse, songbirds and wetland birds, including spoonbills, pelicans, geese, and cranes.
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 7 - March 8 - Rann
We'll do a morning game drive into the Little Rann of Kutch, checking out the grassland islands, called 'Bets,' that are the refuges for the areas wildlife in this arid land. After lunch we'll have the opportunity (interest and time permitting) to visit the Rabari and Bhairwad tribal villages near Dasada. In the late afternoon we'll return to the Little Rann of Kutch for more wildlife viewing.
Photo, left: Angus Fraser
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
Photos by Angus Fraser
Day 8 - March 9 - Rann to Bera (Castle Bera)
We leave for our drive across the Aravali Mountain range to Bera, covering some interesting landscapes along the way. In the late afternoon we'll do a game drive into Bera for Asiatic Leopard, and look for Striped Hyena and Nilgai. The terrain of Bera is spectacular, a land of huge boulders, cliffs, and caves. The Jawai Dam has a large Mugger Crocodile population and great birds like the Sarus Crane and Flamingos.
Overnight, Castle Bera
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 9 - March 10 - Bera
We'll do a morning and late afternoon game drive, and mid-day we may do a visit to a local village and some temples.
Overnight, Castle Bera
Day 10 - March 11 - Bera to Jodhpur to Delhi
After breakfast we'll drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3 hours) for our flight to Delhi. We'll have dayrooms for those flying home, and overnights for those continuing on for the Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour. Transfer to the airport for those flying home.
Overnight or dayroom, Radisson Blue, Delhi
The Tour Price is $5995.00.
based upon eight participants.
There may be a surcharge for a group fewer than six.
Single supplement: $1034
Special Features of Our Western Indian Wildlife Photo Safari
1. Several of the best National Parks for western India wildlife
2.
Two photographers per vehicle where possible.
3. We rotate people per vehicle to insure group cohesiveness (see below)
4. All normal tips and gratuities
5. Internal flights from Delhi
6. CD or DVD of the group's images
7. Customized book of the best images (subject to participation)
See below for more details.
8. Customized Pre- or Post-Trips available to the Taj Mahal or any other destination
(booked directly through our Indian Outfitter and not included in
the Tour Price).
OUR SHOOTING PHILOSOPHY
We'll photograph everything. It is often very counter-productive to be obsessed with one subject and ignoring others while you seek one goal. While our tours have had tremendous success with tigers, these parks are not zoos, and no wildlife sighting is guaranteed. Our shooting philosophy has been extremely successful, and even when we haven't shot our target species (which has only happened once, on an African wild dog trip) we nonetheless had a great trip.
Our Tour Cost Includes
Group transfer to/from airport at time of arrival and departure for the trip.
Meeting and assistance at arrival and departure by our in-country tour operator.
Services of English speaking naturalist/escort from Mumbai to Delhi
Accommodations on double/twin sharing basis. All lodging beginning on the night of March 2, concluding with an overnight or a dayroom in Delhi on April 5.
1 night - Radisson Blue Delhi or Leela Hotel, Mumbai
(depending upon if you're coming from our mini-tiger tour or from overseas)
2 nights - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
2 nights - Black Buck Lodge
2 nights - Rann Riders
2 nights - Castle Bera
1 night - Radisson Blu, Delhi
Services of Air Conditioned Coach for all transfers in Mumbai and Delhi,
and Air Conditioned Toyota Innova for drives and transfers from Dui Airport to Jodpur Airport
Monument/National Park fees - as per itinerary
Visit to tribal villages of Maldhari and Shiddhis in Sasan Gir and Rabaris tribe while at Dasada (subject to group interest and time permitting)
All Meals beginning with breakfast March 2 and ending with lunch on March 11.
All park fees, including jeep tours.
Service of English speaking resident naturalists in each park.
Jeep safaris at Bera
Jeep safaris in national parks by 4x4 jeep and entrance fee to park and naturalists services
Gratuities for transfer drivers, park guides, jeep drivers, and naturalists
Mineral water while on game drives and water at all meals
ONE still camera fee at monuments and national parks
Meeting and Assistance at arrive and departure and during hotel check in at major cities
Domestic flight to back to Delhi.
All transfers - from airport to hotel in Delhi and to airport.
3.5% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill
Our Tour Cost does not include
International airfare to India
Trip Cancellation Insurance (We recommend getting insurance and we can recommend a good company)
Emergency Medical evacuation insurance - Mandatory for all international trips India Visa
Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
Airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures separate from group transfers
An meals other than specified above.
Beverages other than water, Laundry or personal expenditures - internet, phone, etc
Video Camera fees - If you use a pro-looking video camera you will probably be charged with a video camera fee. This includes Panasonic, Canon, and Red cameras
Staff Tip at Lodges - recommended $7/day/person - We are in the field for 8 nights, so figure US $40-$56 if you chose to tip
Gratuities for bellhops, room stewards, Food service people
Overweight charges for luggage on the domestic flights
Staff tip at the park lodge ($5/day/person is recommended)
Laundry or internet fees
Items of a personal nature
Any pre-trip or post-trip extensions
Any sudden and unforeseen increase in price due to an increase in Park Fees, Fuel Costs, or Government Tax Policies beyond our control, acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situations, riots, or forced changes in itinerary due to situations or reasons beyond our control.
Additional costs due to unexpected changes in domestic air fares.
An Important Note
While we make every effort to provide you with success, we are dealing with wild animals and your luck -- be it with the animals, with a driver or guide, with a assigned route your vehicle is arbitrarily given by the Park authorities on a given day, any of these things and more-- are out of our control. We run our trips for the benefit of the group, not a lone individual, and all of our decisions and actions are based upon the group's well being and success, and not to catering to a single individual.
About Your Leaders
Read more on Joe and Mary Ann
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Wildlife of Western India
Gir lions, leopards, and more
If there is sufficient interest we may
run this trip in 2018. If you are interested,
please contact our office
This brochure has not been updated to reflect 2018 dates. Please refer to this brochure as a rough guide as prices, dates, and slight changes to the itinierary may occur.
Please read our Trip Report 2016
for a great idea on what
this trip can offer
This trip is followed by our
Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour 2016
For more great information on all our past Tiger trips, read
our past Trip Reports.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
The photos in this brochure are courtesy of either our good
friend, Angus Fraser, or
our India Outfitter -
photo credits were not available at this time from Dynamic Tours,
and I apologize to all photographers for this!
Limited to Eight Participants
Price: $TBA
Based on a tour of eight participants.
There will be a surcharge for fewer than six participants
Single Supplement: $TBA
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! We've all heard those words, but in wild India they actually have meaning, as this is the only country (outside of zoos) where these three species exist. Asiatic Lions once ranged throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, extending as far west as western India. In fact, India's coat of arms had a lion, not a tiger, on its shield. Today the Asiatic Lion is reduced to one remnant population, with most inhabiting the Gir Forest.
Western India has a diversity of wildlife subjects and landscapes either not found, or that are quite rare, in other parts of this huge subcontinent. A trip to the Gir Forest, and our other locations in western India will round out a diverse India wildlife portfolio, especially if you are doing either the Bandhavgarh mini-safari for Tigers prior to this trip, or following it with our main tour, the Tigers and the Wildlife of India.
We'll be covering several diverse habitats,from the scrub forest woodlands of Gir to the moonscape-like desert of Velavadar. Grasslands, wetlands, kopje-like rock outcrops, the habitats we'll visit will be diverse, and wildlife potential is high.
We'll have a good chance at seeing and photographing Black Buck, one of the most strikingly patterned antelope, Nilgai (another antelope), Asiatic Wolves (the same species as our Timber or Gray Wolf but a different subspecies), Golden Jackal, Desert Fox, Striped Hyenas, Jungle Cat, Desert Cat, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild Boar, Mugger Crocodiles, Khur (a type of wild ass), and a large variety of birds, including the Lesser Florican, Greater Flamingo, various birds of prey - including a unique evening roost for harriers, Sarus Cranes, owls, and more.
You'll notice that the images in this brochure are credited either to Dynamic Tours or to my friend Angus Fraser. This will be our first visit to this region, an area we've been urged to see ever since we began our India Tiger safaris seven years ago. We're looking forward to seeing this incredibly beautiful land and we hope you'll join us on this exciting excursion.
This tour will be preceded by several optional Trips.
Snow Leopards in the Wild
Tigers of Bandhavgarh - mini safari
This tour will be followed by:
Main Trip - Tigers and the Wildlife of India
Post-Trip - Tigers of Tadoba
Photo: Angus Fraser
To get the absolute most out of these safaris, or any of our
offerings, consider taking one of our Complete Digital Nature
Photo Courses, in Pennsylvania next summer!
Our Itinerary
Photo: Angus Fraser
Day 1-March 2 - Arrive in Delhi or Mumbai
Depending upon your person itinerary, whether you are flying in from overseas or joining us from the mini-Tiger safari, you'll arrive in either city and be met for assistance and transfer to our hotel..
Overnight - Radisson Blue Hotel, Delhi, or Leela, Mumbai
Photos: Angus Fraser
Day 2 - March 3 - to Dui and to Gir
For those in Delhi: We'll leave our hotel after breakfast and transfer to the Delhi airport for your flight to Mumbai. The Delhi group will meet up with those who overnight in Mumbai and the entire group will fly to Dui.
Upon arrival in Due we'll transfer to Gir National Park by road.
The drive will take about 2.5 hours.
Overnight - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
Day 3 - March 4 - Gir
We'll be doing three game drives to maximize our chances of Lion sightings, at approximately 6:30-9:30, 9:30-11:30, and 3:30-6PM. both a morning and a late afternoon game drive. Morning drives start with a predawn departure from our lodge, and last until late morning. PM game drives begin in late afternoon -- generally around 3:30 or so. Photo, below, Dynamic Tours.
During our stay we might have the opportunity to visit villages in the forests comprised of nomadic Maldharis and Siddhis of Abyssinian origin. The latter came to India during the second millennium AD as slaves, sailors, mercenaries and merchants. Strikingly different from other tribes anywhere else in India, they have retained their music and dance heritage and perform a kind of music called Goma, which has African origins.
Dinner and overnights at our Lodge
Day 4- March 5 - Gir to Velavadar
We'll do an early morning jeep safari into the Gir forest for a last chance to see the Asiatic lions. After returning for breakfast, we'll drive to Velavadar National Park (approximately 5 hours), and do our first afternoon game drive. Velavador is famous for the beautiful and elegant Black Buck and other wildlife. We'll have a fair to good chance of see Wolves, as well as desert Foxes, Jackals, and the rare, endemic Lesser Florican (a type of Bustard). In the evening we'll see one of the world's greatest avian spectacles, when as many or more than 2,000 Montagu's and Pallid Harriers fly to roost.
Photo, left, Dynamic Tours
Overnight, Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Photos above by Angus Fraser
Day 5 - March 6 - Velavadar
A nearly full-day Game Drive into the National Park.
Overnight,
Black Buck Lodge, Velavadar.
Striped Hyena, photo by Angus Fraser
Day 6 - March 7 - Velavadar to Rann of Kutch
We'll do a morning game drive to Velavadar,
return to our lodge for breakfast and to pack, and continue on to Dasada (approx. 4.5 hours). En route we'll visit Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Gujarat, for waterfowl and perhaps Flamingos.
photos courtesy Dynamic Tours
If we reach Dasada in time we'll do an exploration of the Little Rann of Kutch
looking for the Indian Khur, a wild equine (horse relative), as well as White-footed Desert Fox, Golden Jackals, Wolves, Jungle Cats, and Striped Hyenas. Bird life is very good, too, with birds of prey, bustards, sandgrouse, songbirds and wetland birds, including spoonbills, pelicans, geese, and cranes.
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 7 - March 8 - Rann
We'll do a morning game drive into the Little Rann of Kutch, checking out the grassland islands, called 'Bets,' that are the refuges for the areas wildlife in this arid land. After lunch we'll have the opportunity (interest and time permitting) to visit the Rabari and Bhairwad tribal villages near Dasada. In the late afternoon we'll return to the Little Rann of Kutch for more wildlife viewing.
Photo, left: Angus Fraser
Overnight, Rann Riders Lodge, Dasada
Photos by Angus Fraser
Day 8 - March 9 - Rann to Bera (Castle Bera)
We leave for our drive across the Aravali Mountain range to Bera, covering some interesting landscapes along the way. In the late afternoon we'll do a game drive into Bera for Asiatic Leopard, and look for Striped Hyena and Nilgai. The terrain of Bera is spectacular, a land of huge boulders, cliffs, and caves. The Jawai Dam has a large Mugger Crocodile population and great birds like the Sarus Crane and Flamingos.
Overnight, Castle Bera
photo courtesy Dynamic Tours
Day 9 - March 10 - Bera
We'll do a morning and late afternoon game drive, and mid-day we may do a visit to a local village and some temples.
Overnight, Castle Bera
Day 10 - March 11 - Bera to Jodhpur to Delhi
After breakfast we'll drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3 hours) for our flight to Delhi. We'll have dayrooms for those flying home, and overnights for those continuing on for the Tigers and the Wildlife of India Photo Tour. Transfer to the airport for those flying home.
Overnight or dayroom, Radisson Blue, Delhi
The Tour Price is $5995.00.
based upon eight participants.
There may be a surcharge for a group fewer than six.
Single supplement: $1034
Special Features of Our Western Indian Wildlife Photo Safari
1. Several of the best National Parks for western India wildlife
2.
Two photographers per vehicle where possible.
3. We rotate people per vehicle to insure group cohesiveness (see below)
4. All normal tips and gratuities
5. Internal flights from Delhi
6. CD or DVD of the group's images
7. Customized book of the best images (subject to participation)
See below for more details.
8. Customized Pre- or Post-Trips available to the Taj Mahal or any other destination
(booked directly through our Indian Outfitter and not included in
the Tour Price).
OUR SHOOTING PHILOSOPHY
We'll photograph everything. It is often very counter-productive to be obsessed with one subject and ignoring others while you seek one goal. While our tours have had tremendous success with tigers, these parks are not zoos, and no wildlife sighting is guaranteed. Our shooting philosophy has been extremely successful, and even when we haven't shot our target species (which has only happened once, on an African wild dog trip) we nonetheless had a great trip.
Our Tour Cost Includes
Group transfer to/from airport at time of arrival and departure for the trip.
Meeting and assistance at arrival and departure by our in-country tour operator.
Services of English speaking naturalist/escort from Mumbai to Delhi
Accommodations on double/twin sharing basis. All lodging beginning on the night of March 2, concluding with an overnight or a dayroom in Delhi on April 5.
1 night - Radisson Blue Delhi or Leela Hotel, Mumbai
(depending upon if you're coming from our mini-tiger tour or from overseas)
2 nights - Gateway Hotel, Gir Forest
2 nights - Black Buck Lodge
2 nights - Rann Riders
2 nights - Castle Bera
1 night - Radisson Blu, Delhi
Services of Air Conditioned Coach for all transfers in Mumbai and Delhi,
and Air Conditioned Toyota Innova for drives and transfers from Dui Airport to Jodpur Airport
Monument/National Park fees - as per itinerary
Visit to tribal villages of Maldhari and Shiddhis in Sasan Gir and Rabaris tribe while at Dasada (subject to group interest and time permitting)
All Meals beginning with breakfast March 2 and ending with lunch on March 11.
All park fees, including jeep tours.
Service of English speaking resident naturalists in each park.
Jeep safaris at Bera
Jeep safaris in national parks by 4x4 jeep and entrance fee to park and naturalists services
Gratuities for transfer drivers, park guides, jeep drivers, and naturalists
Mineral water while on game drives and water at all meals
ONE still camera fee at monuments and national parks
Meeting and Assistance at arrive and departure and during hotel check in at major cities
Domestic flight to back to Delhi.
All transfers - from airport to hotel in Delhi and to airport.
3.5% Govt. Service Tax on Total Bill
Our Tour Cost does not include
International airfare to India
Trip Cancellation Insurance (We recommend getting insurance and we can recommend a good company)
Emergency Medical evacuation insurance - Mandatory for all international trips India Visa
Overnight accommodations before the start of the tour or after the conclusion of the tour
Airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures separate from group transfers
An meals other than specified above.
Beverages other than water, Laundry or personal expenditures - internet, phone, etc
Video Camera fees - If you use a pro-looking video camera you will probably be charged with a video camera fee. This includes Panasonic, Canon, and Red cameras
Staff Tip at Lodges - recommended $7/day/person - We are in the field for 8 nights, so figure US $40-$56 if you chose to tip
Gratuities for bellhops, room stewards, Food service people
Overweight charges for luggage on the domestic flights
Staff tip at the park lodge ($5/day/person is recommended)
Laundry or internet fees
Items of a personal nature
Any pre-trip or post-trip extensions
Any sudden and unforeseen increase in price due to an increase in Park Fees, Fuel Costs, or Government Tax Policies beyond our control, acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situations, riots, or forced changes in itinerary due to situations or reasons beyond our control.
Additional costs due to unexpected changes in domestic air fares.
An Important Note
While we make every effort to provide you with success, we are dealing with wild animals and your luck -- be it with the animals, with a driver or guide, with a assigned route your vehicle is arbitrarily given by the Park authorities on a given day, any of these things and more-- are out of our control. We run our trips for the benefit of the group, not a lone individual, and all of our decisions and actions are based upon the group's well being and success, and not to catering to a single individual.
About Your Leaders
Read more on Joe and Mary Ann
My wife Mary Ann and I strive to provide the most comfortable and thorough safari you will experience. Both Mary and I are professional photographers, and I'd hope you've seen our credits. These included National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Natural History, Living Bird, Birder's World, and most nature/wildlife calendars.
As a husband/wife team, Mary Ann and I have won more times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition than any one. To date we have had 15 firsts, seconds, or thirds -- and we have not entered every year. Our trips are not about us, however, they are all for you, but credentials seem to matter, and we have them.
Mary has written twenty-nine (29) children's books, including Leopards, Grizzly Bears, Woodpeckers, Flying Squirrels, Sunflowers, Cobras, Jupiter, Boas, Garter Snakes, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Ducks, Chickens, Horses, and Cows, and a coffee table book, Out of the Past, Amish Tradition and Faith.
I've written several how-to wildlife photography books -- A Practical Guide to Photographing American Wildlife, The Wildlife Photographer's Field Manual, The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, Designing Wildlife Photographs, Photographing on Safari, A Field Guide to Photographing in East Africa, and the New Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography, African Wildlife, Creatures of the Night, The World's Deadliest, and several ebooks. We have produced an instructional video, A Video Guide to Photographing on Safari with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald.
We are both editors for Nature Photographer magazine.
In addition to leading our trips to Tanzania, Mary and I personally lead photo safaris to Kenya, Brazil's Pantanal, Chile, Galapagos, Svalbard, India, Alaska, Rwanda, Yellowstone, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Falklands, Antarctica, South Texas, Arizona, and some other spots, too!
As with any International trip, we strongly recommend you purchase travel trip insurance.
Contact us by e-mail:info@hoothollow.com
Phone us at 717-543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
