 |
|
Wild India Safaris: Itineraries
WILD INDIA - EXPLORATION 2 · SAT MARCH 15 - MON MARCH 31, 2003 ·
 Sat Mar 15 · International Flight USA to New Delhi · Evening depart from USA. Sun Mar 16 · New Delhi · The Oberoi Hotel Late night arrival in New Delhi. You will be met and transferred to your hotel for the night. Mon Mar 17 · New Delhi v The Oberoi Hotel (BLD) After a leisurely morning, the group will meet at midday for a briefing by the leaders, followed by lunch in the coffee shop. In the early afternoon we will take a tour of New Delhi that includes Vijay Chowk, Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar. Before dinner, Toby will offer a slide presentation or film that relates to the tour to give you some background on the areas we are visiting. The Oberoi Hotel is a five-star deluxe hotel which is centrally located and overlooking a golf course. The hotel has 350 centrally air-conditioned rooms with direct dial telephone, mini-bar, and color TV with satellite transmission. Five restaurants serve very good Indian, Chinese, Thai and European cuisine. Other facilities include a 24-hour business center, swimming pool, same-day laundry & dry cleaning, 24-hour room service, health club, beauty salon, chemist, and a variety of shops. Tue Mar 18 · Delhi-Guwahati-Kaziranga · Wild Grass Lodge (BLD) Morning transfer to airport for departure on flight 9W601 at 10:10am, arriving in Guwahati at 12:25pm. With packed lunches we will continue our journey aboard our air-conditioned coach on a 6-7 hour drive (240km) through the state of Assam to Kaziranga National Park. Kaziranga is located in northeast India in the state of Assam. On the banks of the Brahmaputra River, the park occupies 164 square miles, combining elephant grass with thorny rattan cane, areas of semi-evergreen forest and shallow swamps. The Karbi Anglong Hills rise in the south of the park. The habitat varies from marches to grassland, woodland, rising to moist deciduous forests and finally to tropical semi-evergreen forests. Kaziranga was declared a game reserve in 1926, to save the Indian one-horned rhino that had become threatened with extinction at the turn of the century. The present rhino population is over 1,100 and although poachers still kill the animal for its horn, you can easily see them in the marshes and grasslands. The parks has an amazing variety of wildlife including wild buffalo, sambar deer, swamp deer (barasingha), hog deer, wild pig, hoolock gibbon, wild elephants, pythons and the tiger. There is a rich variety of shallow-water fowl including egrets, pond herons, river terns, black-neckes stork, fishing eagles and adjutant storks which breed in the park and a pelicanry. The grey pelicans nest in tall trees near the village and there are otters, gharial (long snouted fish eating crocodile) and dolphins in the river. Wild Grass Lodge is wonderfully situated by a stream in (rice) paddy fields and forest. The accommodation is well appointed with wooden floors and cane furniture and superb service. Trained elephants (to get close to wildlife) and open jeeps (to cover distance) are used for game viewing in the park. In addition to game viewing, you can take walks through the forest and nearby tea plantations. Wed Mar 19 - Fri Mar 21 · Kaziranga NP · Wild Grass Lodge (BLD) Three full days of mornings and afternoons in the park by jeep or on elephant back Sat Mar 22 · Kaziranga-Guwahati-Delhi · The Oberoi Hotel (BLD) Morning drive 6-7 hours to Guwahati to board flight 9W602 departing at 1:55pm, arriving in Delhi at 4:40pm. You have the evening at leisure to rest or browse the shops. Sun Mar 23 · Delhi-Agra · Amar Vilas Hotel (BLD) Morning drive 3-4 hours (265km) to Agra for a visit to Fatehpur Sikri. After lunch, visit Agra Fort and Taj Mahal. Only 600 meters from the Taj Mahal stands Amar Vilās.. This luxury hotel gives guests uninterrupted views of the Taj Mahal from all 106 guest rooms and suites. The lobby, bar and tea lounge also offer spectacular views of the world-famous monument. Elaborate gardens, terraced lawns, and fountains, reflecting pools and pavilions complement the classical architecture of the hotel. The rooms at Amar Vilās have a distinctive ambience that combines old-world charm with state-of the-art conveniences. All rooms also have the most modern conveniences such as voice mail, a data port for computers, satellite television, digital videodisc players, and in-room electronic safes. Mon Mar 24 · Agra-Panna NP · Ken River Lodge (BLD) Sunrise visit to Taj Mahal. Fly IC7407 departing Agra at 2:35pm, arriving in Khajuraho at 3:15pm. Drive 40km to Ken River Lodge. Situated at a distance of 1 hour from the temple city of Khajuraho, and close to Panna Wildlife Sanctuary, on the River Ken, midst deciduous, teak, flame of forest and Indian Ebony trees, the Ken River Lodge is an ideal getaway for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Accommodation is in African-style tents with attached toilets and shower bags. Each tent is furnished with electricity, camp cots & coir mattresses, coir-covered ground sheet and mosquito netting. The 'Treehouse Machan (hide)' that overlooks the river is the dining and general meeting area. Tue Mar 25 · Panna NP-Bandhavgarh NP · Bandhavgarh Jungle Camp (BLD) In the early morning, take a drive through the park. Drive 8 hours (260km) to Bandhavgarh National Park. Set among the Vindhya Hills of Madhya Pradesh with an area of 168 square miles, Bandhavgarh National Park contains a wide variety of habitats and high density of game, including a large number of tigers. Over sal forests cover half the area and there are stretches of bamboo and grassland. Within the park is the ancient Bandhavgarh fort and caves, dug into the sandstone of the fort, have inscriptions dating from the 1st century BC. In the recent past, the Maharaja of Rewa last occupied the fort until it was designated as a National Park in 1968. In addition to tigers, also seen are chousingha (small four horned) antelope, chinkara (Indian) gazelle, nilgai (blue bull) antelope, wild boar, jackal, muntjak (barking) deer, sambar deer, chital (spotted) deer, jungle cat, striped hyena, porcupine, ratel, rheses macaque, black-faced langur monkey and more. Bandhavgarh Jungle Camp is located a few hundred yards from the park boundary, on the grounds of the Maharaja of Rewa's Hunting Lodge. Each large walk-in tent has been insect-proofed and has a dressing alcove with attached toilets and individual showers with hot and cold running water. The central meeting place is the Gol Ghar where breakfast and lunch are served al fresco. The dining room of the Maharaja's lodge is used for dinner and the Lounge for slide shows, films, and lectures. Breakfast and dinner are served Western style and lunch is Indian. Wed Mar 26 - Fri Mar 28 · Bandhavgarh NP · Bandhavgarh Jungle Camp (BLD) Three full days of mornings and afternoons in the park by jeep or on elephant back. Sat Mar 29 · Bandhavgarh-Khajuraho · Jass Trident Hotel (BLD) Morning drive 8 hours from Bandhavgarh to Khajuraho. Jass Trident Hotel is a four-star hotel situated 2kms away from the airport with 200 centrally air-conditioned rooms. The rooms at the hotel offer guests a relaxing ambience to unwind in after a tiring day. Tastefully furnished, each of these rooms overlook landscaped gardens and come stocked with a mini-bar. The hotel offers a swimming pool, tennis courts, bookshop, safe deposit boxes, currency exchange counter, same-day laundry, and 24-hour room service. The restaurants serve Indian, Continental and Chinese food. Sun Mar 30 · Khajuraho-Delhi · The Oberoi Hotel (BLD) Morning visit to the Western group of temples. Transfer to airport for flight 9W724 departing at 1:20pm, arriving into Delhi at 2:00pm. Transfer to hotel rest or time for shopping. Farewell dinner and transfer to airport. Mon Mar 31 · New Delhi - USA · International Flight Depart Delhi very early morning. Arrive USA in the afternoon. VARANASI OPTION / EXTENSION (MAR 30-31) If you are taking both Wild India Explorations 2 & 3, you can fly to Varanasi from Khajuraho, spend one night on March 30 at Taj Ganges Hotel, take boat rides on the River Ganga (Ganges) and return to Delhi on Mar 31 evening to begin Exploration 3. Meals are included. If you only want to extend Wild India Exploration 2, by going to Varanasi, you can take the option above and we will add a night in Delhi on Mar 31 before your international flight on Apr 1. Wild India Exploration 3 |
Rare Earth Explorations
35 East 4th Street, #1
Brooklyn, NY 11218
Tel: 718-853-5065
Email: info@rareearthexplorations.com
© 1996-2008 Rare Earth Explorations