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Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (or Keoladeo Ghana National Park as it is now called) needs no introduction. This UNESCO Heritage Site is also India’s most renowned bird sanctuary. And rightfully so. The wetland is home to over 230 species of birds, many of which migrate here every winter. The park is bustling with activity in the cold season with the birds numbering in thousands and spread all over the park.
For the bird photographer, this offers many opportunities to make interesting photographs. Due to minimal disturbance, it is a great place to watch and photograph wildlife in action as birds and mammals go about their everyday routine at relatively close quarters.
On a day-trip, explore the National Chambal Sanctuary a short drive away from Bharatpur. The boat safari takes us on the River Chambal that is teeming with rare and endangered wildlife like Gharials, Indian Skimmers, Black-bellied Terns, Red-crowned Roof Turtles and Gangetic Dolphins.
Join us on the Bird Photography Tour to Bharatpur and Chambal this winter. Soak in the magical wilderness of this world-renowned national park. And photograph a wide diversity of birds.
Jump to ◆ Overview ◆ Itinerary ◆ Highlights ◆ Is this tour for you? ◆ Tour Price ◆ Photography Mentor ◆ Getting to Bharatpur ◆ Sign Up
Overview
Tree-lined avenues. Ponds filled with ducks on either side of the road. Sarus Cranes calling in the distance. The heart immediately falls in love with the peacefulness of Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
This is a treasure trove for bird photographers and birders. With no motor vehicles allowed, everyone experiences the beauty of this park either on foot or by bicycles/e-rickshaws. The minimal disturbance, combined with the abundance of food and roosting places, makes the birds feel very secure in this paradise.
Ducks and geese swim in the numerous ponds. Cormorants and Darters dive into the water, only to emerge with a fish in their beaks. Storks walk along the peripheries of the ponds, picking up fish and the occasional Coot! Herons wait patiently, almost like statues, for their prey to swim close enough. And the star – the Sarus Cranes – call out loudly in the mist as they perform their courtship ritual.
On a warm sunny day, Pythons come out of their burrows to bask in the open. Jackals and Jungle Cats are often seen on the tracks, especially early in the morning or late in the evening. If we are lucky, a rare Fishing Cat may also make an appearance!
The nearby National Chambal Sanctuary is home to endangered wildlife like Gharials, Indian Skimmers, Black-bellied Skimmers, Red-crowned Roof Turtles and Gangetic Dolphins. The boat safari here is an amazing way to explore this sanctuary and photograph these amazing animals that are rarely seen elsewhere.
Darter Photography takes you to this amazing wetland to explore the amazing biodiversity, see and photograph wildlife and learn the secrets of wildlife photography.
Itinerary
Day 1: Reach Bharatpur for lunch. Your photography mentor will then give a brief introduction to the park and an overview of photography in the park. It’s now time for our first visit to the park. Prepare to be enamoured by the beautiful environs of this world-renowned park and the diversity of birds around you. After a wonderful sunset, we return to the hotel. Around dinner, your photography mentor will conduct a detailed session on photographing birds of Bharatpur. He’ll also review photographs that you’ve clicked in the evening session and give you inputs. We then retire for the day.
Day 2: We start the day early (around sunrise) to get the best of morning activity and good light for photography. The activity of birds is high in the mornings and we’ll work on photographing the maximum diversity of birds as well as birds in action. Foggy weather will also help us make some dreamy compositions of birds in the park.
After a short rest break in the hotel for lunch (you can charge your batteries and transfer your photographs during this time), we’ll head out for an afternoon trip into the park. With a better understanding of the photography options that are available, we can choose to spend time at the most productive places for photography or explore parts of the park that we haven’t visited in the morning.
In the evening, your photography mentor will review your photographs from the day. We’ll also discuss the action plan for the next day.
Day 3: Another early start into the Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, where we’ll look for interesting bird activity in the morning.
After an early lunch, we drive to the National Chambal Sanctuary a couple of hours away from Bharatpur. The river and its banks are home to many an endangered species, including Gharials, Indian Skimmers, Black-bellied Terns, Red-crowned Roofed Turtles and Gangetic Dolphins. We embark on a 2-hour boat safari here that takes us to various places along the river that are interesting for wildlife sightings.
Day 4: Our last morning in this wonderful park is here. We’ll photograph species that we’ve missed over the past 2 days and exploring parts of the sanctuary that we may not have visited earlier. After breakfast, we start our journey back home with memories of amazing experiences and our memory cards full of great images.
Please note that the itinerary above is subject to fair weather and other factors. Darter Photography reserves the right to make changes to the above itinerary at any point of time. Also, please note that photographing the wildlife mentioned above and pictured in the slideshow is indicative and dependent on various external factors, including weather and their presence in the park at that time.
Tour Highlights
Is this tour for you?
The Sarus Trail Photography Tour to Bharatpur is designed for photographers of all levels of expertise – amateur and serious – who would like to photograph the wildlife of Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Bharatpur. As in all our tours, the group size would be limited so that the Darter Photography Expert can interact closely with every participant.
Wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers who are not photographers, but are keen to see and experience Bharatpur, are also welcome to join this group. This trip, covering the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Keoladeo Ghana National Park, will keep you enthralled from start to finish.
Our tour is designed in such a way that we
Tour Price
The price of the Sarus Trail tour to Bharatpur is Rs.39,950 per person for double occupancy (inclusive of all taxes). The tour starts and ends in Bharatpur.
For single occupancy, the tour price will be Rs.50,200 per person (inclusive of all taxes).
The price includes
The cost does not include
Cancellation Policy for Sarus Trail tour of Bharatpur:
– 20% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee on cancellation at least 45 days before tour starts. Balance will be refunded to your account.
– 50% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee on cancellation between 44 to 15 days before tour starts. Balance will be refunded to your account
– 70% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee on cancellation between 14 to 07 days before tour starts. Balance will be refunded to your account
– No refund for cancellation less than 06 days before tour starts.
Cancellations have to be communicated via an email to photography@darter.in. The date of email receipt in our account will be used to apply the cancellation policy mentioned above.
Please note that the above is subject to favourable weather and other conditions. In case of any obstacles, we will do our best to make alternate plans. The cost of the tour or any part of it will not be refunded in the event of unfavourable conditions during the tour days.
Wildlife Photography Mentor – Sangameshwar Ghattargi
Sangameshwar spent his childhood in Solapur and like any other kid of his age was more interested in the outdoors than school work. His love for outdoors did take a backstage for quite a few years as he grew up and started building his career as an Entrepreneur. He is currently the Owner of Sibia Solutions, providing software solutions to Pharma & Automotive industry. He rekindled his love for the wildlife since last 7 years. He has visited many places across India in search of Birds and mammals. Apart from photography he love cycling and social work. Follow him on his Instagram profile to view his work.
Getting To Bharatpur
The nearest Airports to Bharatpur are:
By Train
There are multiple train options to Bharatpur Junction from Delhi and Jaipur. It is advised to arrive at Bharatpur before 2PM on Day 1 to ensure that you can join the afternoon session. On the last day, we’ll end the tour by 11AM.
By Road
Bharatpur is around 220km from Delhi (~ 4 hours), 185km (~ 3 and a half hours ) from Jaipur and 60km (~ 1 hour 20 minutes) from Agra.
We can help you with your train bookings or cab bookings from Delhi/Jaipur/Agra. Let us know which option is preferable to you.
Sign Up
To sign up for the tour or to get more information, please fill in the form below. Alternatively,
please email us at photography@darter.in or call Shreeram (+91 9740083260)