Photo: John Bird Treasures, Tigers, and the Taj Mahal, India Highlights:
Includes:
Trip Number: 09555A Price: Deposit: $200 Capacity: 15 Leader: John Bird
The Trip
This trip is suitable for any adult who enjoys nature, adventure, and cultural
exploration. All the sites on our itinerary are well-removed from the border
areas and provinces where unrest and political instability might occur. We
will be traveling largely by private coach. We'll also take two short air flights
on commercial airlines to and from Gauhati Our transportation inside the wild
life parks will typically be by jeep, with elephant rides for viewing when
possible. Lodging is in first-class hotels and in comfortable jungle lodges.
Day 1: All participants should arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by midnight or early morning today and transfer to our hotel in New Delhi. Overnight New Delhi. Day 2: Delhi, the national capital of India, is a veritable
museum of Indo-Islamic and British-influenced architecture. We will do a full
day tour of the city during
which we will see Old Delhi, one of the most congested cities in the world.
Overnight New Delhi. In the morning we will visit Old and New Delhi with exotic
bazaars, mazes of narrow lanes, and tall, leaning houses – all contributing
to the sights, sounds and aromas of the Indian sub-continent. In Old Delhi
we drive past the
Red Fort (built by the Emperor Shah Jehan - the builder of Taj Mahal); view
the Jama mosque with its tapering minarets and wonderful marble domes, and
pass by the Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi's business center) and the Raj Ghat (cremation
site of Mahatama Gandhi.). Day 3: After breakfast we drive to Jaipur and transfer to our hotel. In the afternoon we visit the city palace and the observatory. The City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthan and Mughal architecture and occupies one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur. Originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh , additions have been made to the palace complex by many of his successors and consist of a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and several palatial structures, one of which is the City Palace Museum. In the museum we will enjoy close-up views of intricate decorative arts in gorgeous hues of deep reds and golds, Afghan and Persian carpets, miniature paintings, and astronomical manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. The Observatory, adjacent to the entrance to the city palace,was begun by Jai Singh in 1728. His passion for astronomy was even more notable than his prowess as a warrior, and the Jaipur observatory, restored in 1901, is the largest and the best preserved of the five he built. Day 4: After breakfast we drive 7 miles outside of Jaipur to visit the Amber Fort, whose most notable feature is an old Palace situated at the entrance to a rocky mountain grove and overlooking a beautiful lake. Built in the 17th century, the palace is a spectacular specimen of Rajput
architecture. The Jai Mandir (Hall of Victory) is so delicately ornamented
with fine inlay work that it glows, and the whole fort of Jaigarh, dramatically
crowning the summit of a peak.
 Photo: John Bird Day 5: Today our focus is game viewing. Ranthambore National park, a former Maharaja's hunting preserve, offers an exceptional chance of encountering tigers. They are as active here by day as by night, and seem relatively unperturbed by human presence. (Photographers take note!) Ranthambore is also noted for birds and other wildlife such as the sloth bear, leopard, marsh crocodile, jackal, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, chital (spotted deer), leopard and chinkura (Indian gazelle). Ranthambore is a photographic marvel. The park is littered with remnants of antiquity that bear witness to kingdoms, temples, and battles long forgotten. Ancient structures, walls, and forts stand overgrown with vines and trees -- mute monuments to man's follies, beliefs, and wars. Tigers and other wild denizens of the jungle roam these ancient cities as comfortably as we might stroll the main street in our hometown. The habitat is stunning and varied. The main components are steep cliffs, great expanses of jungle (mainly dry deciduous and dry thorn forest) and five lakes. Jeep will be our primary mode of exploring this incredible setting. Overnight: Lodge in Ranthambore. Day 6: Morning game viewing. After lunch we depart for Agra
via Fatehpur Sikri. Deserted by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri literally
means 'The City of
Victory. The audience halls, palaces and mosques are still in a state of
perfection as are the tombs of Sheikh Salim Chisti, Panchmahal and the
Buland Darwaza.
We then continue on to Agra and transfer to our hotel.  Photo: John Bird After lunch we will visit Itimad-Ud-Daula's Tomb. Empress Nur Jehan built what is sometimes called the Baby Taj for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal. In the evening we will return to the Taj Mahal for a sunset visit. Overnight in Agra. Day 8: Agra/Corbett National Park Day 9: Outside Park
 Photo: John Bird Morning drive to Dhikala, inside Corbett National Park. Enroute we will stop for bird watching, and upon arrival will transfer to our forest lodge. Corbett National Park is India’s most famous tiger preserve. Today, tigers are rare throughout India but have been saved from extinction by India's successful Project Tiger. Other wildlife includes Chital and hog deer, elephant, leopard, sloth bear and muntjac. There are numerous watchtowers, but only daylight photography is allowed. The park has magnificent scenery, from sal forest to extensive river plains. The Ramganga River offers tranquil settings and good fishing. A bit touristy, but worth the visit. In the evening, we'll take a jeep ride through the park, or elephant ride (subject to availability). Overnight - Dhikala Forest Lodge. Day 11: Thursday, 05 March : Dhikala
 Photo: John Bird Day 13: After breakfast we will head for the airport in time
for a flight to Gauhati (located in the state of Assam, in the northeast corner
of India).
On a clear day, you can see the mighty Himalayas from the plane. From Gauhati
we'll have a scenic 5-hour drive to Kaziranga National Park as we view the
mighty Brahmaputra River, with its expansive mosaic of swampy marshes, riverine
woodlands, and lowland subtropical forest. This drive will provide us with
a glimpse of what wild Asia must have been like before the onset of overpopulation
and wholesale agricultural development.  Photo: John Bird Day 14 and 15: Kaziranga National Park Day 16: After one last look around, we'll depart Kaziranga by coach en route to Gauhati. From there, we'll catch an afternoon flight back to Delhi -- where it all began a little more than two weeks ago! Overnight: Hotel in New Delhi, where we will have our final, farewell group dinner. Day 17: Relax at hotel/optional walking tour at city
centre. We will have a day room at the hotel available for our use until 10
p.m.Late
evening departure with transfer to International airport in time for flight
to abroad. Getting There You will need to obtain a visa through the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., or one of the Indian Consulates in other cities in the U.S prior to flying to India. Once you have registered for this trip, the trip leader will assist you in getting the necessary visa. Accommodations and FoodBack to topOur hotels in New Delhi will be of four to five-star quality; the ecolodges will be comfortable but not luxurious. These accommodations are special in that they allow us access to natural settings we could not otherwise explore. All of our accommodations have running hot water and showers.
Potential trip members should be aware of the nature and demands of adventure travel. You do not have to be in excellent physical condition to make this trip, but there will be bumpy jeep and elephant rides on rough terrain. There will also be some long stretches of coach travel between itinerary sites. Otherwise, we will be on foot for a fair amount of time each day. Our opportunities for walking will be restricted when we are in tiger habitat. Emotional balance, flexibility, maturity, and a spirit of adventure are essential to making this an enjoyable experience. We will be visiting India when weather conditions are optimal -- after the monsoons and before the summer heat returns with a vengeance. Nonetheless, it is probable that we will have some 90-degree temperatures on days when we are in open, non-forested areas. It will be a dry heat, however, and should be tolerable. The weather should mostly be in the 70s and 80s by day, but could drop into the low 40s at night when we are in our forest lodges. Occasional rain is possible, but heavy and prolonged rains are rare outside of the June-August monsoon season.
No inoculations are required for entry into India, but we recommend that you follow the guidelines provided by the Centers For Disease Control. We will keep you informed concerning current recommendations and other health information. Conservation The last 100 years have not been good for India's natural heritage. India's ever-increasing population (which recently topped a staggering 1 billion people) has turned vast areas of pristine forest into farmland or, worse yet, barren wasteland. India has lost almost 90 percent of its forestland and 94 percent of its tigers since 1900. The cheetah is already extinct in India, and the Asiatic lion – of which only 250 remain -- is now confined to a small pocket in the Gir forest of the state of Gujarat. It is a sad irony that so many species are disappearing or endangered in the land that fostered some of the world's most compassionate religions. However, not all the news is bleak. Since the early 1970s, strong government legislation and programs such as Project Tiger have resulted in increased protection of wildlife and preservation of critical habitat.Compared to Africa or even South America, there has been a paucity of publicity and international attention given to India's wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. Only recently has the Indian government increased its efforts to open up these areas for ecotourism, but more ecotourism is needed to reinforce government support for habitat preservation and protection of endangered species. During
the course of our outing, we will have opportunities to witness how overpopulation
and poverty affect not only the human species but the entire
natural world. There is much fertile ground for discussion when one immerses
oneself in the immense aromatic cauldron of one of the most fascinating
and complex countries in the world -- India!
This trip requires a $200 per-person deposit. An additional payment of $300 per person is due six months prior to trip departure. International trip prices are subject to change and are based on double-occupancy or group accommodations as described above. Single rooms may not be available or may cost more than the listed price. If you have any questions regarding double occupancy, please contact the trip leader. See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner. The Sierra Club accurately and fairly budgets and prices our trips. However, unforeseen costs such as devaluation of the dollar compared to other currencies and fuel surcharges assessed by our international providers, may necessitate adjustment in trip price. We will make every effort to mitigate and absorb these fees. If a price increase is necessary, however, you will have 14 days after announcement to cancel without penalty.
E-mail: john.bird@sierraclub.org General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
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John Bird has been roaming the planet for the past 40+ years beginning with a two year stint in India with the Peace Corps. A true citizen of the world, John loves sharing his enthusiasm for other cultures, and over the past 20 years has led Sierra Club trips to England, Nepal, Italy, Bhutan and China, and assisted on trips in India and Turkey as well as scouted possible future trips to Morocco, Bali, Iran, Greece, Italy, Spain and France. This will be his third trip to this area. An avid digital photographer, John also enjoys sharing his expertise (and pictures) with trip members.
When not planning or leading trips, John drives a big yellow school bus at his wife’s private high school.