The Indian subcontinent boasts nearly500 species of mammal protected inover 250 wildlife reserves, and is theonly place in the world that can still claimboth Tiger and Lion among its native fauna.Indeed, India has always been a Naturetrekfavourite and we are proud that a greatmany clients have been able to enjoy thespine-tingling thrill of seeing Tigers in thewild or observing One-horned Rhinoceroscrashing through the undergrowth. Now weare pleased to add yet another wildlifeexperience to our unmatched programmeof Indian tours, the opportunity to see a trioof rare Indian mammals - Blackbuck,Asiatic Wild Ass and Asiatic Lion. Therange of the latter once extended as far asGreece, but habitat destruction and huntinggradually diminished its population untiltoday, when a mere few hundred remain inthe relict Gir Forest on the SaurashtraPeninsula in Gujarat, India's westernmoststate. It is here that we will spend two fulldays, travelling from our base at acomfortable tourist lodge into the grasslandand forest domain of this magnificentpredator, encountering a stunning variety ofwildlife as we search for our quarry. During our stay in Gujarat we will also visittwo other wildlife reserves, each protectingimportant populations of endangeredspecies: Velavadar Reserve, 240 kilometresnorth-east of the Gir Forest, contains thehighest concentration of Blackbuck inIndia, while Dhrangadhra Sanctuary in theLittle Rann of Kutch is renowned as thehome of the Asiatic Wild Ass. We will alsovisit India's first Marine National Park and Khijadia Bird Sanctuary, near Jamnagar, toenjoy the excellent birding in this area. Our starting point in India is the city ofMumbai, but we quickly travel north tobegin our exploration of the VelavadarReserve. The graceful Blackbuck is one ofthe most attractive of all Indian mammalsand at Velavadar we should find large herdsgrazing in the scrubby grasslands set asidefor their protection. Our visit in February willcoincide with the rutting season and, if weare lucky, we may witness the black andwhite bucks contesting with each other toestablish dominance. We spend two nightshere at the Blackbuck Lodge which sits insplendid seclusion adjacent to VelavadarWildlife Reserve.Our next destination is the Gir ForestNational Park. With a rugged terrain of lowhills and tracts of deciduous forestinterspersed with areas of grassland, thenational park supports a great diversity ofmammals including Sambar, Chital, Nilgai,Chinkara, Four-horned Antelope and WildBoar. With such an abundance of prey it islittle surprise that Leopards maintain goodnumbers in the forests, and Striped Hyenasseek to scavenge any leftovers from the bigcats' meals. The Gir Forest is, however,most famed for its Lions and our focus willbe to find as many as possible duringtwice-daily excursions into their habitat.These Asiatic Lions share the languiddisposition of their African cousins,enjoying long periods of inactivity duringthe heat of the day, but such indolence isdeceptive and the spectacle of a pridesetting out on a purposeful search for preywould be an unforgettable dawn highlightof our time in this unique reserve.Elsewhere in India, the Tiger may be a rivalfor the epithet 'king of the beasts', but herein the Gir Forest, the majesty of the Lion isunchallenged. We spend three nights hereat a comfortable forest lodge. Next we travel to Jamnagar, the 'jewel ofKathiawar', which lies on the coast of theGulf of Kutch. From here we will head tothe Marine National Park at Narara Island,on the Gulf's southern shore, where we'lllook amongst the beautiful coral reefs forendangered sea turtles such as Green,Olive Ridley and Leatherback, as well asenjoy the excellent birding of this area.Finally, we travel to the DhrangadhraSanctuary. Established in 1973, this reserve embraces a huge area of flat, saline wilderness and was created topreserve a small population of theendangered Asiatic Wild Ass. Finding theseshy, sandy-coloured creatures is no easytask in this arid landscape. However, withluck, we should discover a small herdfeeding on their favourite 'bets' (islands ofcoarse grasses), which provide theirprincipal nourishment in this harsh terrain.Fleet of foot and wary of man, this is theonly wild horse in the Indian subcontinentand a herd galloping beside our vehiclewould give a wonderful experience to ourGujarat wildlife adventure. After two idyllicdays in the peaceful haven of the Little Rannof Kutch, we will head to Rajkot for our flightto London, via Mumbai.Having focused on three of the country'srarest mammals, you may wish to extendyour holiday to see more of India'sremarkable fauna. An excellent transportinfrastructure makes it feasible to reach anypart of India from Mumbai, and we will behappy to arrange visits to any of thecountry's other reserves for you, eitherbefore or after the main tour.India - Lions, Blackbuck & Wild Asses A 13-day wildlife tour to Gujarat in search of three of India's rarest mammals - Asiatic Lion, Blackbuck and Asiatic Wild Ass - plus the other wildlife of this little-explored region. Sunday 20th November - Friday 2nd December 2011 Cost: £2,795Sunday 19th February - Friday 2nd March 2012 Cost: £2,795Sunday 18th November - Friday 30th November 2012 Cost: £2,795Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationINDIAARABIAN SEAGULF OF KUTCHGULFOF CAMBAYPAKISTANRAJASTHANMAHARASHTRAMADHYARAJKOTPRADESHGIR FORESTLITTLE RANNOF KUTCHDASADAJAMNAGARBHAVNAGARVELAVADARNATIONAL PARKMUMBAIOutline itineraryDay 1Depart London.Day 2Arrive Bhavnagar, viaMumbai.Day 3Velavadar WildlifeReserve.Day 4/6 Gir Forest.Day 7/8 Jamnagar.Day 9/11 Dhrangadhra Sanctuary,Little Rann of Kutch.Day 12 Fly Rajkot to Mumbai,then London.Day 13 Arrive London.AccommodationSimple, but comfortable, touristcabins at Dasada, comfortablelodges at Gir Forest and Velavadar,and a tourist heritage hotel atJamnagar; all have private facilities.FoodAll included in the price, exceptmeals taken in transit in Mumbai.Allow £10.GradingA. This wildlife tour involves littlewalking.FocusMammals and birds.LeaderManisha Rajput, Chiku Solanki orArpit Deomurari.Single room supplement£495.ExtensionsA wide range of extensions isavailable on request.Web quick search: IND04235Asiatic Wild AssesAsiatic LionsBlackbuck

The mighty Himalaya exerts itsinfluence over every aspect of the floraand fauna of northern India andnowhere is this better exemplified than inthe three areas that we will visit during thistour: the floodplain of the BrahmaputraRiver in Assam, the former hill station ofDarjeeling and the pristine montane forestsof Bhutan. Each destination is fascinatinglydifferent from the others but the triocombined together produce a birdwatchingand wildlife tour par excellence.Our holiday begins in Kolkata, located ineastern India on the banks of the HooghlyRiver. From here we fly to Paro and enterthe tranquil 'Land of the Thunder Dragon', a mountainous country of boundless andbeautiful rhododendron and oak forests,where remarkable dzongs and the culture,architecture and dress of a proud Buddhistpeople characterise a rich and unspoiledHimalayan kingdom where wildlife abounds.A 2-night stay in the high valley of Paroallows us to explore this historic valley thatsits beneath snow-capped Chomolhari, oneof the highest of Bhutan's Himalayanpeaks. Here we will visit the huge RimpungDzong, the National Museum and theimpressive ruin of Drugyel Dzong, and wewill climb through beautiful forest to thespectacular Taktsang Monastery (or Tiger'sNest). An early morning drive will then takeus to the Dochu La, a high pass clothed inwonderful oak and hemlock forest wheremany rare birds may be found. From herewe descend to Punakha, the old capital, fora 2-night stay that will allow us to enjoy itsmagnificent riverside dzong and make visitsto Tashithang and Jigme Dorji National Parkin search of such rarities as White-belliedHeron and Blyth's Kingfisher.At Gangtey Gompa the peaceful ProbjikhaValley holds an upland mire famed for itswintering Black-necked Cranes. We aremost likely to see these endangered birdson the November tour, though on bothtours we will encounter the wealth ofinteresting birdlife to be found in thesurrounding high temperate rhododendronforests. We will spend our final night in thispeaceful and magical kingdom in thecapital Thimpu, before a scenic drive takesus to the town of Phuntsholing that spansthe Indian border with Bhutan. Our next destination is the former colonialhill station of Darjeeling. Situated at 1,980metres, the town is full of character andcommands magnificent views of theHimalaya, in particular the world's largest(and third tallest) mountain, Kanchenjunga.Whilst here, we will have ample opportunityto enjoy the birds of nearby temperateforests, and we will also see at first handthe processes involved in producing thefamous Darjeeling tea. The historic town ofDarjeeling, with its bustling streets,contains many a reminder of its 'glorydays' as a summer resort for the Britishduring the time of the 'Raj', amongst themthe world-famous narrow gauge railwaywhich laboriously loops its way up to thetown from the steamy plains.A short flight from Bagdogra will take us toGuwahati in Assam, from where we willdrive to the southern edge of KazirangaNational Park. We stay here for amemorable four nights at the comfortableand evocatively named Wild Grass Lodge,from which we will undertake dailyexcursions into the reserve by jeep and onelephant back.Kaziranga is a 430 square kilometre park,consisting of broad tracts of tall elephantgrass interspersed with evergreen forests,shallow lakes and reedbeds. It is probablythe best place on Earth to observe the veryrare Great Indian One-horned Rhinocerosand it is possible to encounter as many as40 of these prehistoric-looking beastsduring a day in the field. Indian Elephantsare also plentiful and herds of wild WaterBuffalo watch our progress with an air ofbellicose suspicion. Grazing Sambar, HogDeer and Swamp Deer add to the diversityand provide prey for the Leopards andTigers which roam the park, although amidso much cover they are always hard tosee. Continuing our exploration we maydisturb sounders of Wild Boar, sendingthem crashing through the undergrowth,and maybe chance upon some of the moreelusive residents such as Gaur, LeopardCat and Sloth Bear, whilst the rare CappedLangur, Assam Macaque and HoolockGibbon form a trio of primates that inhabitthe woodlands. Despite the profusion ofmammals, the birdlife is not eclipsed and atremendously diverse bird list featuresmany rare or local species such as BengalFlorican and Adjutant Stork. A short flight from Guwahati or Jorhat will take us back to the bustling city ofKolkata, testing our abilities at mountainidentification as we fly parallel to the greatHimalayan massif, passing several of theworld's highest peaks.For tour members wishing to postpone theirhomeward flight, we recommend a post-tourvisit to the Sunderbans, the world's largestdelta and mangrove swamp, renowned forits waterbirds and man-eating Tigers!India - Assam, Darjeeling & BhutanAn 18-day holiday exploring Kaziranga (the finest of India's national parks), the magical kingdom of Bhutan and the charming hill station of Darjeeling, plus an exciting optional extension to the Sunderbans.Sunday 6th November - Wednesday 23rd November 2011 Cost: £3,895Sunday 26th February - Wednesday 14th March 2012 Cost: £3,995Sunday 4th November - Wednesday 21st November 2012 Cost: £3,995Sunderbans extension available on all tours Cost: £695Outline itineraryDay 1Depart London.Day 2Arrive Kolkata. Day 3/4Paro. Day 5/6Punakha. Day 7Gangtey.Day 8Thimpu.Day 9Phuntsholing.Day 10/12Darjeeling.Day 13Fly Guwahati; drive toKaziranga.Day 14/16 Kaziranga National Park.Day 17Fly Kolkata. Day 18 Fly London. Sunderbans extensionDay 18Transfer SunderbansNational Park. Day 19/21Sunderbans NationalPark.Day 22Depart Kolkata.Day 23 Arrive London. AccommodationComfortable 5-star hotel in Kolkataand simple but comfortable hotelsand lodges in Kaziranga, Darjeelingand Bhutan, all with privatefacilities.FoodAll included in the price, except formain meals required in Kolkata.Allow £20.Grading A. This is a wildlife tour thatincludes no strenuous walking(other than optional walks inBhutan). Most excursions will be byjeep and three trips will be onelephant back in Kaziranga.Focus Mammals, birds and local culture.LeaderTshewang Norbu, Dilip Saini, ManojSharma, Sither or Sujan Chatterjee. Single room supplement£595 (extension: £175).Web quick search: IND05236Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryBURMAKAZIRANGANATIONAL PARKBRAHMAPUTRARIVERDARJEELINGBAGDOGRABAY OFBENGALBHUTANINDIAASSAMKOLKATASUNDERBANSNATIONAL PARK(EXTENSION)JORHATGUWAHATITIBETPAROPHUNTSHOLINGAsiatic LionsSwamp Deer