5 NIGHTS

• Day 1: Arrive at Jungle Hut, Masinagudi from Bangalore Airport. Rest of the day is at leisure.
• Day 2: Morning spent bird watching in Masinagudi with an option of a game drive at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in the evening.
• Day 3: Day spent bird watching in the hills around Masinagudi.
• Day 4: Drive to Kotagiri in the morning, stopping at The Botanical Garden in Ooty, Sims Park in Coonoor and Doddabetta. Stay the night in Farview Kotagiri.
• Day 5: Day spent bird watching in Kotagiri. Stay the night in Fair View, Kotagiri.
• Day 6: Drive to Coimbatore and fly out of Coimbatore Airport.

Tour Costs

• INR 62,240 [For double for 5 nights]
• INR 48,570 [For single for 5 nights]
• ** Senior Naturalist (Optional) : INR 3,500
• Birding Packages in Extensions : Valparai & Thattekad INR 4,500 for transport
• Guide Charges: INR 3,000 per person for day sessions and INR 1,500 optional/ additional for night sessions. The rates vary according to area. Please check with the guide or agency before booking.
• Our recommendations for hotels which you can book on your own are: Windermere Riverhouse in Thattekad and Sinna Dorai’s Bungalow in Valparai. These properties can be used for groups of upto 8 people.
  (All the rates mentioned above are for a Toyota Innova)

• DAY 1: Land in Bangalore Airport and drive to Masinagudi via Mysore. Check-in to Jungle Hut in Bokkapuram, a 14 cottage property located at the fringe of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and at the base of the Nilgiri Hills. Spend the rest of the day doing short walks around the property looking for birds. Stay the night in Jungle Hut.
  Bangalore Airport - Jungle Hut | Distance: 290 Kms | Time: 6 Hrs.
• DAY 2: Spend the day bird watching around the Bokkapuram area. Hike to the hills following a perennial stream, amidst mixed evergreen forests and bamboo patches. The habitat is ideal for Woodpeckers, Minivets, Barbets and a number of species of Raptors. There is also a chance of seeing the mammals of the area. The second half of the day can be spent watching birds or there is also an option of a game drive in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
  Jungle Hut- Bandipur Tiger Reserve | Distance: 25 Kms | Time: 45 Min.
• DAY 3: Spend the day watching birds in and around Masinagudi. Explore the forested tracts, looking for species like the Sun birds, Flowerpeckers, Nuthatches, Kingfishers, Swallows and Warblers. There is also a little farmland in the surrounding area that is home to Pipits, Larks, Lapwings and Robins. These areas can be explored on foot and can be surprisingly productive. Spend the night in Jungle Hut.

• DAY 4: After a leisurely breakfast, drive to Kotagiri in the Nilgiri Hills. The journey passes through Ooty, a hill station. In Ooty, the Botanical Garden is a great place for watching some of the smaller woodland birds like the Flycatchers. We will also do a quick stop at Doddabetta, which is the second highest point in South India to explore the forest tracts and look for some migrant birds that use these forests during winter. Drive to Kotagiri and spend the night in Farview Mountain Villa Resort.
  Jungle Hut – Kotagiri | Distance: 60 | Kms Time: 2 Hrs.
• DAY 5: The Highland Montane Shola forests are a great habitat for birds. Spend the day exploring the ancient Shola of Longwood, looking for the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Black and Orange Flycatcher, White-bellied Blue Robin and the Nilgiri Flycatcher. Post lunch, drive to the mid elevation moist deciduous forests around Kotagiri to look for the Grey headed Bulbul, Malabar Trogon, Orange Minivet and the Asian Fiary Bluebird. Spend the night in Farview Mountain Villa Resort, Kotagiri.
• DAY 6: Post breakfast drive to Coimbatore and fly out of Coimbatore Airport. If the flight is in the evening, the morning can be spend exploring the lower slopes around Mettupalayam for birds.
  Farview Mountain Villa Resort, Kotagiri – Coimbatore Airport | Distance: 85 Kms | Time: 2 Hrs 15 Min.

EXTENSION 1 : VALPARAI

Valparai is a quaint hill station in the Annamalai Hills surrounded by forest tracts that adjoin the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. These forested patches are home to some unique mammals like the Nilgiri Thar, Lion-tailed Macaques, Stripped-neck Mongoose and Elephants. The region is also a great place for bird watching. The Wayanad Laughing Thrush and Broad-tailed Grass bird are a possibility. The area is also home to a the Great Hornbill.

Farview Retreat – Valparai | Distance : 200 Kms | Time: 5 Hrs

Inclusions

• Accommodation for 5 nights with all meals
• Airport transfers
• All surface transportation, driver’s allowances, parking fees & toll
• Highly experienced birding guide
• Bottled water & refreshments in the field
• All birding walks, safaris and entrance fees to parks & sanctuaries
• All taxes

EXTENSION 2 : THATTEKAAD

The lowland evergreen forest of Thattekaad Bird Sanctuary is an hour’s drive from the port city of Cochin. The sanctuary has an amazing diversity of avian species in a 25 sq km area. These forests are home to the Sri Lankan Frogmouth, Yellow-Browed Bulbuls, Heart-Spotted Woodpeckers, Collared Scops Owl and a varied list of wetland birds. The species density is surprisingly high for an area so small. Thattekaad is also home to reptiles like the King Cobra and mammals like the Leopard, Sloth Bear and Porcupines. Elephants visit these forests during the drier months.

Cochin Airport- Thattekaad | Distance : 45 Kms | Time : 1 ½ Hrs.
Coimbatore Airport – Cochin Airport | Time: 45 Min

Exclusions

• Any International airfare to/from India including International airport tax.
• Camera fee wherever levied.
• Any additional taxes levied by the Government of India on the tourism sector.
• Any expenses of personal nature such as hard/soft drinks, laundry, phone/fax calls, tips etc.
• Any increase in the entrance fees to the National parks. The quote is based on the presently applicable entrance fee.