Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking Information241On this holiday we focus on a verybeautiful mountain region at thewestern end of the Great Himalaya.Ladakh must simply be the most starklyspectacular mountain region on earth.Situated in the rain shadow beyond theHimalayan barrier, right on the edge of theTibetan Plateau, it is a dry and aridmountain kingdom, dominated by themagnificent gorges, cliffs, plateaux andrugged peaks of the Zanskar, Ladakh andKarakoram ranges. The lush green barleyfields, and willow and poplar groves of thewell irrigated valleys offer great contrast tothis wild scenery. So too do the colourfulBuddhist Ladakhis in their maroon robesand peculiar eared hats. Here we will findbirds, plants and mammals that are typicalof Tibet and central Asia. Our holiday begins, after a day'ssightseeing or birdwatching in Delhi, with aspectacular flight over the Himalaya to Leh.Situated at 3,505 metres in the Indus Valley,this tiny but ancient capital of Ladakh,dominated by the crumbling old royalpalace that towers from an outcrop justabove the town, and filled with friendlytraders, is the hub of Ladakhi life. We willspend three days in Leh; a time toacclimatise to the altitude, and to enjoy thecultural and ornithological highlights of theIndus Valley. Along the river, beneath themajestic Tikse Monastery, we will look forIbisbills, Citrine Wagtails and Mountain Chiffchaffs. In the rocky hills and valleysclose by, we will look for Wallcreepers,Red-fronted Serins, and Sulphur-belliedWarblers. We will have time also to visitsome of the other important monasteries,all of them of interest to the naturalist sincethe Buddhist monks' aversion to killing hasmade each a haven for wildlife.We next embark on the major journey ofthe holiday, a 10-day trek into the beautifulMarkha Valley, in the Hemis National Park.Spanning 4,100 square kilometres, thishigh and spectacular region forms one ofthe largest protected areas in the entireHimalaya. Snow Leopard find refuge here(though our search for them is not likely toreveal more than scats and footprints), asdo Wolves, Lynx and Dholes (the Indianwild dog). The mammals that we will morelikely see include wild sheep and goats-Shapu, Tibetan Argali, and Bharal (BlueSheep)-Himalayan Marmot, WoollyHare, Mouse-hare and Fox. Highlightsamongst an interesting birdlife will beHimalayan Snowcock, Lammergeier,Himalayan Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle,Common and Eastern Great Rosefinches,Shorelark, Desert Wheatear, Hodgson'sand Brandt's Mountain Finches, andTibetan Snowfinch. A surprising display ofcolourful and interesting plants may alsobe found, from beautiful roses in the valleysto the gentians, edelweiss and lousewortsof the damp meadows.The Markha Valley itself is one of the mostbeautiful in Ladakh. Surprisingly wellwooded, we will often be walking throughorchards of apricot, apple and walnut trees,and thick riverside willow, poplar andtamarisk groves. To enter and leave thevalley, we must cross high passes at over4,880 metres, but the rest of the walkingwill be more straightforward. At the head of the Markha Valley we willspend three days exploring the NimalingPlains, and the tributary valleys to the footof the glaciers that tumble from the6,400-metre peak of Kang Yizay, thehighest in Markha. Here, we should find an excellent selection of Ladakh'shigh-altitude birds, mammals and plants,before we cross the Gongmoro La pass to reach Hemis Monastery and the IndusValley again.We must now reluctantly leave thespectacular mountain environment of Leh,flying back to London via Delhi. However,for those keen to sample more of thisunique mountain kingdom, a 4-dayextension to the Nubra Valley may bearranged. Situated on the Tibetan border,this high and remote region is home tosuch specialities as Wild Ass, Wild Yak andBlack-necked Crane. Alternatively, for theculturally minded, an extension to Agra andthe Taj Mahal may be preferred.TIBET NEPAL PAKISTAN NEW DELHI LEHHEMIS THE GREAT HIMALAYA AGRA(EXTENSION)INDIA NUBRA VALLEY(EXTENSION)Outline itinerary Day 1Depart London.Day 2Delhi. Day 3/5Leh. Day 6/14Markha Valley Trek. Day 15 Leh. Day 16Fly Delhi. Day 17Fly London.Nubra Valley extensionDay 16/18Nubra Valley.Day 19Leh.Day 20Fly Delhi.Day 21Fly London.Agra extensionDay 16Fly Delhi; transfer toAgra.Day 17Full day's sightseeing inAgra; evening train toDelhi.Day 18Fly London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotel in Delhi, asimple but comfortable hotel inLeh, both with private facilities; fullyserviced camping elsewhere.FoodIncluded in the price, except for mainmeals in Delhi. Allow £20.TrekkingGrade B/C. Moderate. Between3,350 and 5,180 metres.FocusMammals, birds, flowers and theculture of Ladakh.LeaderKaran Modi or Manoj Sharma.Single room supplement£350 (Nubra extension: £95; Agra extension: £60). Web quick search: IND28River Indus, LadakhHemis MonasteryLadakh's Markha ValleyA 17-day holiday, including a 10-day trek in Ladakh's beautiful Markha Valley in search of the mammals,birds, plants and cultural aspects of Buddhist Ladakh, plus wildlife walks in the Indus Valley.Friday 20th July - Sunday 5th August Cost: £2,495Nubra Valley extension: to Thursday 9th August Cost: £395Agra extension: to Monday 6th August Cost: £295

The rich and varied wildlife of this vastand fascinating country presents achallenge to any wildlife enthusiast.Up until now most travellers haveconcentrated on northern India. ThisNaturetrek holiday, however, will introduceyou to the tropical splendour of the Nilgiriand Cardamon Hills where the wildlife ofthe subcontinent flourishes in nationalparks of outstanding beauty and solitude.These hills, together with the WesternGhats which extend northwards toBombay, bear the brunt of the south-westmonsoon. The result is a fertile, tropicalland, markedly different from the north.The culture, too, is unique. A differentlanguage, Malayalam, is spoken and thereis a notably more relaxed attitude to life.Since the beginning of civilisation Keralahas supplied spices to the world, and thistrading history has fostered an un-lndiandiversity of religions within the state: asearly as 52 A.D. Christianity is said to havearrived here.The flora and fauna of southern India bearmany striking similarities to those of thetropical Indo-Malayan realm, despite theirseparation by thousands of kilometres.Bio-geographers talk of mountaincauseways, long since eroded, over whichthe Indo-Malayan forms spread. The isolatedfauna has evolved a number of uniquespecies and subspecies which we will makeparticular efforts to find during our tour.Bangalore is our point of entry into India.From here we drive to the historic city ofMysore for an overnight stay and somesightseeing before we drive south toNagarhole National Park. In this vastlandscape we are able to experience thesounds, sights and exhilaration of a southIndian jungle -unchanged since timeimmemorial. We will stay at the KabiniRiver Lodge. With its gracious old-world airand splendid lakeside views, it is a trulydelightful setting from which to commenceour wildlife exploration. We will travel injeeps out into the surrounding grasslandsand forests to watch Elephants and Gaur(the Asian bison) and with luck we maysee a Sloth Bear or a Leopard, both ofwhich are quite common. In the largeforest compound which surrounds thelodge, we can walk in safety and look forsome of the bird specialities.Our journey now takes us upwards to theold British hill station of Ootacamund at2,600 metres. It is here that we will searchfor the endemic birds of the Nilgiri Hills:Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, White-belliedShortwing, the beautiful Black and OrangeFlycatcher and Nilgiri Laughing-thrush.From Ootacamund we continuesouthwards. We pass through the city ofCoimbatore to Annamalai Sanctuary. Set atthe foot of the Cardamon Hills, Annamalaiinspired many to write enthusiastically ofits beauty and splendour. Forests of teakand rosewood give way to rockyprecipices and grassy ridges. This is oneof the best places to see two endangeredprimates: Lion-tailed Macaque and NilgiriLangur. We will search for them, and forthe bird specialities: Malabar Pied Hornbilland White-bellied Treepie. The high topsare inhabited by the endemic Nilgiri Tahr(a species of wild goat), but as they arehard to see here we will stop at Munnaron the way to Periyar. Above the teaplantations of Munnar is a small reservewhere the Tahr are easier to see andwhere we will hopefully find two moreendemic birds, Nilgiri Pipit andWhite-breasted Laughing-thrush.Periyar Tiger Reserve is justly one of Asia'smost renowned sanctuaries. Although theconstruction of a dam in 1895 floodedsome of the best forest, it has benefitedthe sanctuary in helping to protect thesurrounding forest and by providing aconstant water supply for the largemammals. It has also made Periyar one ofthe most picturesque sanctuaries in theworld. We will explore the sanctuary byboat, but our aim is also to spend time onfoot in the heart of the jungle -anexciting conclusion to our wildlife tour ofsouthern India. We will then spend a nightaboard a houseboat cruising Kerala'sbackwaters, before a final two nights inKochi (Cochin) to relax and sample thecultural and historical delights of thiscolourful port.For those with time to spare we stronglyrecommend our Andaman Islandsextension. These unspoilt tropical islands,over 1,600 kilometres from the Indiancoast, hold an outstanding collection ofendemic birds and mammals in theirdense rainforests, and offer excellentsnorkelling from their many coral islands.We will make the most of this tourist-freeenvironment, to relax, swim and enjoy aunique natural history. The National Parks ofSouthern IndiaA 19-day wildlife holiday to the Nilgiri and Cardamon Hills, and the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Nagarhole, Annamalai and Periyar.Saturday 12th November - Wednesday 30th November 2011 Cost: £3,295Andaman Islands extension: to Monday 5th December 2011 Cost: £1,695Saturday 10th November - Wednesday 28th November 2012 Cost: £3,295Andaman Islands extension: to Monday 3rd December 2012 Cost: £1,695Outline itinerary Day 1Depart London. Day 2Bangalore.Day 3Mysore. Day 4/6Nagarhole NationalPark. Day 7/8Ootacamund. Day 9/10Annamalai Sanctuary. Day 11/12Munnar. Day 13/15Periyar Tiger Reserve. Day 16Houseboat, Kerala'sbackwaters. Day 17/18Kochi. Day 19Fly London.ExtensionDay 18 Chennai. Day 19/22Andaman Islands. Day 23Fly to Chennai. Day 24Arrive London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotels andsimple forest lodges, all withprivate facilities. FoodAll included in the price.GradingDay walks only. Grade A.FocusBirds and mammals. LeaderMS Sudheesh, Dilan Mandana orSaravana Kumar.Single room supplement£795 (extension: £395). Web quick search: IND34242Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryNICOBARISLANDSANDAMANISLANDS(EXTENSION)(EXTENSION)BAY OF BENGAL PORT BLAIR ANNAMALAISANCTUARYMUNNAR PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE KOCHIOOTACAMUND NAGARHOLE SANCTUARY MYSORE BANGALORECHENNAIMUMBAI Nilgiri TahrCardamon HillsMalabar Pied Hornbill