Of Raptors and Cranes – Wildlife Photography Tour of Bikaner and Khichan

November 15-18, 2018 - A wildlife photography tour to the land of huge congregations of migrating birds


  • Imagine being surrounded by thousands of mighty eagles and endangered vultures. Laggar and Saker Falcons swooping down on their unsuspecting prey. Desert Foxes running about, looking for their next meal. Hundreds of the super-rare Yellow-eyed Pigeons taking off in a mighty flock. All this action happens around Bikaner – the city of forts and palaces!

    A couple of hours away is the world-famous village of Khichan where thousands of Demoiselle Cranes return each year to accept the love and hospitality of the villagers. And to spend winters away from their frozen home-grounds.

    This November, join Darter Photography on a journey to Bikaner to witness huge flocks of birds like never before. Spend an action-packed 4-days photographing a wide variety of birds and mammals.

    Jump to ◆ ItineraryHighlightsIs this tour for you?Tour PricePhotography MentorGetting to BikanerPrevious Trip ReportsSign Up

  • Tour Dates

    November 15-18, 2018


    Tour Price – ₹36,650/-

    Max group size: 6 only

Itinerary

Day 1: Reach Bikaner for lunch. Your photography mentor will then give a brief introduction to the area and an overview of photography. It’s now time for our first safari. Be prepared to be awed by one of Asia’s largest congregations of vultures and eagles. We might also see the rare and endangered Yellow-eyed Pigeon here.
After a wonderful sunset, we return to the rest house. Around dinner, your photography mentor will conduct a detailed session on Photography around Bikaner. 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. Today, we’ll explore different habitats around Bikaner to see and photograph the rich biodiversity here. Each area is a very different experience and harbours very interesting wildlife.
In the evening, your photography mentor will review your photographs.

Day 3: Today, we start well before sunrise and drive out towards Khichan. A couple of hours of drive later, we arrive at Khichan to the trumpeting of thousands of Demoiselle Cranes arriving for breakfast. The spectacle is truly mindblowing, and your camera won’t stop clicking! We’ll spend the morning here, before heading back towards Bikaner for more bird photography till sunset.

Day 4: We’ll head out for one last safari this morning. We’ll spend time trying to photograph species that we’ve missed over the past 3 days or exploring an area that we wouldn’t 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

    • Witness and photograph thousands of raptors, including vultures, eagles and buzzards, congregating near Bikaner
    • Possibly photograph some of the rarest birds in India, including Sociable Lapwing, Yellow-eyed Pigeon, White-tailed Eagle and Saker Falcon
    • Photograph one of the largest congregations of Demoiselle Cranes in India
    • See different kinds of conservation ethos in action
    • On-field assistance during the safaris from a photography as well as a naturalist’s perspective
    • Insights into wildlife photography, natural history and conservation
    • Photography review sessions everyday to give you feedback on your photographs

Is this tour for you?

This wildlife photography tour is designed for photographers of all levels of expertise – amateur and serious – who would like to photograph the wildlife at Bikaner and Khichan. As with 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 the wildlife at Bikaner and Khichan, are also welcome to join this group. This trip, covering various habitats, will keep you enthralled from start to finish.

Our tour is designed in such a way that we

    • work closely with every photographer
    • help beginners understand the basic nuances of photography and get beautiful images
    • facilitate expert photographers to visit and capture the various habitats of Tal Chapar, assisting them further when necessary
    • allow wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers to explore the biodiversity of Tal Chapar.

Tour Price

The price of the Wildlife Photography Tour of Bikaner and Khichan is Rs.36,650 per person (inclusive of all taxes). The tour starts and ends in Bikaner.

The price includes

  • Accommodation on twin sharing basis at a basic but comfortable Guest House in Bikaner
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner on all days
  • Safaris into habitats surrounding Bikaner and Khichan, starting with the post-lunch safari on Day 1 and ending with morning safari on Day 4
  • All entry fees
  • Photography sessions, on-field assistance and image reviews

The cost does not include

  • Transport from your location to Bikaner and back. We’ll facilitate cab-pooling from Jaipur.
  • Additional safaris apart from those mentioned above
  • Additional beverages, snacks and mineral water ordered at the guest house
  • Medical and Insurance costs
  • Tips and other expenses not mentioned in the includes list above

Cancellation Policy for the Wildlife Photography Tour of Bikaner and Khichan is:
– 20% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee for cancellation on or before October 14, 2018
– 50% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee for cancellation between October 15 and October 25, 2018
– 75% of full tour fee is is charged as cancellation fee for cancellation between October 26 and November 05, 2018
– No refunds for cancellation on or after November 06, 2018 or for no-show

Please note that the above is subject to favorable 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.

Photography Mentor – Shreeram M V

Shreeram M V is a professional photographer, photography mentor and naturalist. What started off as a fascination for birds in a lake behind his house turned into a journey to different parts of India. For this IIM Bangalore graduate, the passion for travel and wildlife enabled him to charter his own course outside the corporate world.

He has explored and photographed places as diverse as the rainforests of the Western Ghats, the salt marshes of Kutch, the grasslands of Tal Chapar, the deciduous forests of South and Central India, the high-altitude plateau of Ladakh, the coasts of peninsular India, the forests of North-east India and the islands of Andaman. His approach to wildlife photography has evolved into telling stories about the place and its habitats, biodiversity and human interactions with nature.

He is a well-published and awarded photographer. His articles and photographs have been published in diverse print and digital magazines such as National Geographic Traveller, Sanctuary Asia, Saevus, Lonely Planet India, Terrascape and JLR Explore. He was part of the team that won the Yes Bank – Saevus Trailblazers Award in 2014 for their story on Lion-tailed Macaques of Valparai. As a naturalist, he has been associated with Jungle Lodges and Resorts and Karnataka Eco-tourism Development Board in training and certifying naturalists from across the state.

See some of his work at Shreeram M V Photography

Getting To Bikaner

Bikaner is well connected to Jaipur and Delhi by air (from Delhi), train (from Delhi and Jaipur) and road (around 6 hours from Jaipur). We can assist you with the optimal travel plan for you. Let us know if you need help with this while signing up for the tour.

Sign Up

You can register by making a payment using the payment gateway below. For alternate payment options or for further information, email us at photography@darter.in or call (+91-9740083260).


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