Your guides will meet you at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) for transfer to the Ashok Country Resort, a short drive from the terminal. This comfortable hotel sits on grounds full of Indian Grey Hornbills, Rufous Treepies, and Rose-ringed Parakeets, where your introduction to Indian birdlife begins. Delhi is a city worth a day of your time if you have it: 800 years of history, spice markets, the Red Fort. We’re happy to suggest itineraries.

We highly recommend arriving a day early to ensure you’re ready to go in Delhi on June 9th. Travel fatigue is real, and the tigers won’t wait!

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: Airport transfer (~30 min)
• Overnight: Ashok Country Resort, Delhi
• Breakfast: (arrival day)
• Lunch: On your own
• Dinner: On your own (hotel and Delhi restaurant suggestions available) 

Indian Grey Hornbill

We leave Delhi early, heading south through the Northern Plains as the city gives way to farmland and ancient Aravalli Hills, enjoying breakfast en route. We arrive at Ranthambore Heritage Haveli in time for lunch and a rest before our first safari into the park. The grounds around the hotel offer Painted Snipe, Painted Sandgrouse, and a range of open-country species to get your eyes calibrated.

In the afternoon, we take a four-hour safari through Ranthambore National Park. The dry forests and lakes surrounding the 10th-century fort are home to roughly 80 Bengal Tigers, and it is the best place in India, and arguably the world, to see one at close range. Tigers here have grown up alongside safari vehicles; encounters can be extraordinarily intimate.

DAY LOGISTICS 

• Drive: ~4.5 hours
• Overnight: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli, Ranthambore Breakfast: En route (roadside; chai and local breakfast stops)
• Lunch: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli
• Dinner: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli

Painted Sandgrouse

Two safaris today cover different zones of the park. Each route is distinct, and the morning and afternoon light transform the landscape entirely. Beyond tigers, there is a great diversity of birdlife to see: Painted Francolin, Black-rumped Flameback, Crested Serpent Eagle, Indian Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Spot-breasted Fantail. Sloth Bears and Leopards are always possible, and the marshes give us kingfishers, herons, and Mugger Crocodiles. The ecosystem supports it: Steve’s groups regularly encounter more than 80 bird species in a single day here.

DAY LOGISTICS 

• Drive: Within park only (~1 hr between safari zones)
• Overnight: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli, Ranthambore
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli (between safaris)
• Dinner: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli

Bengal Tiger

After breakfast, we drive north to Bharatpur (about four hours) and arrive for lunch at the historic Birders Inn Resort. In the afternoon, we climb into rickshaws for the short ride to Keoladeo National Park, where we begin birding on foot at our own pace along the central track. The afternoon birding session here will set the tone for the next day.

DAY LOGISTICS 

• Drive: ~4 hours
• Overnight: Birders Inn Resort, Bharatpur
• Breakfast: Ranthambore Heritage Haveli
• Lunch: Birders Inn Resort on arrival
• Dinner: Birders Inn Resort

Greater Flamingos & Painted Storks

Enjoy a full day in one of Asia’s most celebrated bird sanctuaries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place that rewards slow, attentive birding. We cover the reserve by e-rickshaw and on foot, working through scrub, gallery forest, and extensive marshes. June brings Indian Pittas and newly arrived cuckoos; Common Hawk-Cuckoos sing their insistent “brain fever” calls all morning. We look for Dusky Eagle-Owls nesting in tall trees, Spotted Owlets tucked into cavities, both species of Jacana, Sarus Cranes, and the Indian Thick-knee hiding motionless in the midday shade. A full day here commonly turns up more than 100 species, a reflection of what a protected wetland looks like when it’s working.

Lunch is typically taken in the park near a small Shiva temple. If the heat is significant, we retreat to the hotel for the midday hours and return for an afternoon session.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~15 min (hotel to park)
• Overnight: Birders Inn Resort, Bharatpur
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: In the park, near the Shiva temple (packed or on-site) 
• Dinner: Birders Inn Resort

Sarus Crane

This morning belongs to culture. An hour and a half from Bharatpur, Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, one of the most remarkable structures on Earth. A local guide will bring the history and Mughal architecture to life. Time permitting, we wander the back streets along the Yamuna River, well off the tourist path, where ghats and funeral pyres carry on as they have for centuries. The grounds around the monument itself are surprisingly good for birds.

By afternoon we’re on the road back to Delhi for an overnight stay.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~1.5 hrs (Bharatpur to Agra) + ~4 hrs (Agra to Delhi) ·
• Overnight: Ashok Country Resort, Delhi
• Breakfast: Birders Inn Resort before departure
• Lunch: In Agra, near the Taj Mahal
• Dinner: Ashok Country Resort, Delhi (or nearby restaurant; suggestions available)

Red-wattled Lapwing

We take an early flight north to Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley, a complete change of world. The heat of the plains drops away; mosques and chinar trees line streets that were medieval trading routes. The city partly floats on Dal Lake. After checking into the Alhamra Resort, we’ll spend the afternoon birding the Shankaracharya Hill forest and along the lakeshore, surrounded to the north and east by the massive wall of the Himalayas.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Flight: Delhi → Srinagar (~1.5 hrs; departure typically 6–7 am)
• Drive: Airport transfers only
• Overnight: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar
• Breakfast: At hotel or airport (very early departure; arranged in advance)
• Lunch: Alhamra Resort on arrival
• Dinner: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar

Blue-capped Rock-Thrush

We leave Srinagar early, enjoying breakfast en route as the road climbs through the Himalayas. Our destination is Daksum, a beautiful mountain valley nestled in the Kishtwar Range at approximately 7,500 ft (2,300 m). After settling into the Paradise Hotel, we continue to Sinthan Top (12,000 ft / 3,660 m), where alpine meadows and pine forests provide our first taste of high-altitude Himalayan birding.

The birds here are exhilarating. At higher elevations: Himalayan Monal, Kashmir Nutcracker, Alpine Chough, Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch, Rufous-breasted Accentor, and a full cast of warblers. In the pine forests below: Koklass Pheasant, multiple woodpecker species, White-cheeked Nuthatch, Spotted Forktail. Himalayan Bluetails and Siberian Rubythroats sing from the undergrowth. After dark, the forest comes alive with a real chance at Tawny Owl and Collared Owlet.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~3 hours (Srinagar to Daksum, mountain road)
• Overnight: Paradise Hotel, Daksum
• Breakfast: En route (to be confirmed; early departure)
• Lunch: Paradise Hotel, Daksum on arrival ·
• Dinner: Paradise Hotel, Daksum

Spotted Forktail

We return to the elevational gradient that produced so much yesterday, working the forest edges and stream-side habitat for the species that eluded us. Brown Dippers and White-capped Redstarts work the fast-moving streams. Bush Robins and thrushes are present but secretive. Kashmir Flycatchers and Laughing Thrushes sing while Bearded Vultures and Himalayan Griffons surf the cirques and ridges. The afternoon light in these mountains does the rest.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: Within the area (~1 hr to Sinthan Top) ·
• Overnight: Paradise Hotel, Daksum
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: In the field or at hotel (to be confirmed with Steve)
• Dinner: Paradise Hotel, Daksum

White-capped Redstart

After morning birding in the Daksum area, we drive back to Srinagar, then continue west to Gulmarg for a full afternoon excursion into the pine forests above the Pir Panjal. Gulmarg sits at 8,700 ft (2,650 m) and holds a different suite of species from Daksum. We’re especially hoping for Orange Bullfinch, endemic to this narrow strip of the western Himalayas and genuinely difficult to find anywhere outside this corridor. Mixed flocks in these forests can hold 15–20 species at once.

Depending on our local guide’s advice, we may opt for a second full day in Daksum rather than visiting Gulmarg. The two sites overlap significantly in species, and the decision will always favor the best birding.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~3 hrs (Daksum to Srinagar) + ~1 hr (Srinagar to Gulmarg and return)
• Overnight: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar
• Breakfast: Paradise Hotel before departure
• Lunch: In Gulmarg or en route
• Dinner: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar

Orange Bullfinch

This is a flex day: a second look at any missed Kashmir species, a morning on the lake, or simply time to absorb what we’ve experienced. We use fresh intelligence from our local contacts to decide where to spend the day.

This morning the Roof of the World participants fly into Srinagar to join us. Tonight, both groups share a meal at the resort. I’m sure there will be lots to talk about! This is also where Steve and Jeff will say goodbye to the Tigers to Temples group. Tonight’s stay at the Alhamra Resort is the final accommodation included in the Tigers to Temples tour. Although we will no longer be with the group, we are happy to help Tigers to Temples participants with travel and accommodation recommendations before the tour.

Participants on The Ultimate Expedition, who have been with the Tigers to Temples group since Delhi, continue forward with the Roof of the World group from here.

DAY LOGISTICS 

• Drive: Site-dependent; minimal
• Overnight: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar Roof of the World participants arrive in Srinagar today; local driver arranged for airport transfer
• Breakfast: Alhamra Resort
• Lunch: In the field or at hotel
• Dinner: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar (shared group dinner)

Today you will get to enjoy your day as you wish! The guides will be departing that morning to continue the next tour. We are happy to help you transition to the next part of your journey or identify additional activities to do in Srinagar. Please coordinate this with us before the trip, as we will not be able to make accommodations to the plan while on tour.

Recommended: If you plan to fly out of Srinagar in the morning, book your international departure from Delhi no earlier than 5:00 PM. This schedule provides a generous connection window to accommodate the occasional delay on the Srinagar–Delhi route.

Fly into Srinagar; a local driver will meet you at the airport and take you to the Alhamra Resort, where the full combined group gathers for the only time: Tigers to Temples participants who have been with us since Delhi, Ultimate Expedition participants, and you. We share dinner, compare notes, say goodbye to the Tigers to Temples group, and prepare for the road ahead. Srinagar itself is worth exploring if you arrive with energy to spare; the Dal Lake waterfront, the old city mosques, and the hotel grounds all offer immediate interest.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Flight: Delhi → Srinagar (~1.5 hrs)
• Overnight: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar
• Breakfast: At Delhi hotel or airport
• Lunch: On your own or at hotel on arrival
• Dinner: Alhamra Resort, Srinagar (shared group dinner)

Blue-capped Rock-Thrush

Today, we load the vehicles and head east on the ancient Silk Road route, climbing steadily from the Kashmir Valley onto the rim of the Himalayas, with stops along the way for birds, wildlife, and whatever the mountain decides to show us. The scenery escalates quickly: narrow gorges, ancient villages carved into cliff faces, the sub-alpine scrub zone above the Sind River.

By midday, we reach Kargil, a trading town at nearly 9,000 ft (2,740 m) where the Shingo and Suru Rivers meet. This lesser-visited destination offers excellent birding opportunities away from the usual tourist routes. This riverside habitat is one of the best places to search for the elusive Long-billed Bush Warbler, a species found in only a handful of river valleys in the western Himalayas. Accompanied by a local expert guide, we’ll also look for Hume’s Warbler, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, White-capped Redstart, and Himalayan Snowcock 

Overnight at Chutuk Heights Hotel, Kargil.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~5 hours
• Overnight: Chutuk Heights Hotel, Kargil (~9,000 ft)
• Breakfast: Alhamra Resort or en route
• Lunch: En route (to be confirmed)
• Dinner: Chutuk Heights Hotel, Kargil

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

Over the Zoji La (11,500 ft / 3,528 m) and onto the Tibetan Plateau. The cultural shift is immediate and total: Buddhist monasteries, prayer flags draped over bridges, fields of barley and willows giving way to stark, moonlike terrain. The drive gains altitude gradually over 5–6 hours, with birding and wildlife stops throughout; two days of overland travel have already done most of the acclimatization. We hope to see species like Brown Dipper and Bluethroat as we travel today. We arrive in Leh (11,500 ft / 3,500 m) and check into Tsokar Resort for an afternoon of rest. The mountains above the city rise another 8,000 feet.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~5–6 hours (via Zoji La; gradual altitude gain)
• Overnight: Tsokar Resort, Leh
• Breakfast: Chutuk Heights Hotel
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Tsokar Resort, Leh

Bluethroat

The morning begins gently with a slow walk through Leh’s old town, the market below Leh Palace, and tea somewhere with a view. In the afternoon, we bird the Indus River flats at Shey and Chushot: Ibisbills on the gravel bars, Fire-fronted Serins in the weedy margins, Hill Pigeon and Mountain Chiffchaff everywhere. Between sessions we visit Thiksey and Spituk Monasteries, ancient whitewashed complexes clinging to ridges above the valley, stopping when anyone wants to and letting the altitude set the pace.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~1 hr (Leh to birding sites and monasteries) · Overnight: Tsokar Resort, Leh
• Breakfast: Tsokar Resort
• Lunch: In Leh’s market district during morning walk
• Dinner: Tsokar Resort, Leh

Fire-fronted Serin

Today we experience one of Asia’s most spectacular mountain drives, crossing Khardung La (17,582 ft / 5,359 m), one of the world’s highest drivable passes, before descending into the lush Nubra Valley. Along the way, we’ll search for high-altitude specialties including Himalayan Snowcock, Tibetan Snowcock, Blanford’s Snowfinch, and White-winged Redstart as the landscape changes dramatically with the elevation.

In Nubra, we visit Diskit Monastery and the Hunder Sand Dunes, an improbable desert amongst the peaks, with double-humped Bactrian camels. We then continue to Agyam village for evening birding and overnight at the Sand Dune Resort.

The Nubra Valley is famous for Eurasian Lynx. We travel with two local spotters who have standing relationships with villages where sightings are reported.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~3.5 hours (Leh to Nubra via Khardung La)
• Overnight: Sand Dune Resort, Nubra Valley
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at Tsokar Resort
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Sand Dune Resort

We drive east from Nubra to Sakti over the Wari La Pass (17,487 ft / 5,330 m), a route less travelled than Khardung La and rich with high-altitude species. White-throated Dipper, our second Dipper of the trip, is reliable near streams on the descent. Upland Buzzard (Hawk) and Bearded Vulture quarter the ridgelines. Eurasian Crag Martin swoops around the rock faces. We overnight at Fani Resort in Sakti.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~5–6 hours (rough mountain road over Wari La)
• Overnight: Fani Resort, Sakti
• Breakfast: Sand Dune Resort
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Fani Resort, Sakti

We’ll travel over Chang La (17,590 ft / 5,360 m) and east toward one of Asia’s iconic landscapes to Pangong Tso, a long, impossibly blue lake at 14,270 ft (4,350 m) that stretches from India into China. The drive passes through Durbok, Tangtse, Lukung, and Maan, ancient villages on the plateau edge. The lake itself is brackish and brilliant, and the species at this altitude are specialists: Bar-headed Goose, Brown-headed Gull, Tibetan Sand Plover, Desert Wheatear, Rosy Pipit in summer plumage. We keep watch for Black-necked Crane and Tibetan Partridge. Overnight at Rangjun Retreat on the lakeshore.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~4–5 hours (via Chang La; includes birding stops)
• Overnight: Rangjun Retreat, Pangong Lake
• Breakfast: Fani Resort
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Rangjun Retreat, Pangong Lake

We will spend a full day on the lake: working the wetland edges and shoreline for anything we missed yesterday in the morning and exploring the plateau above the eastern arm in the afternoon. The light here is extraordinary, with the lake changing color by the hour.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: Along lake shoreline; minimal
• Overnight: Rangjun Retreat, Pangong Lake
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at Rangjun Retreat
• Lunch: Rangjun Retreat or lakeside
• Dinner: Rangjun Retreat, Pangong Lake

We drive via Chushul and the Tsaga La Pass to the small village of Hanle on the southern plateau. The Padma Homestay puts you in the center of one of Ladakh’s most important wetland complexes. Mammals are immediately present: Tibetan Wolf is spotted regularly, and Tibetan Gazelle graze in the open plateau beyond the village. Sand Fox and Pallas’s Cat are both possible. The Indian Astronomical Observatory sits on a ridge above the valley. On clear nights, you’ll understand why.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~5 hours (via Chushul and Tsaga La)
• Overnight: Padma Homestay, Hanle
• Breakfast: Rangjun Retreat
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Padma Homestay, Hanle

We’ll enjoy a long morning birding session in the Hanle Basin before we drive northwest to Tso Kar. The Hanle Basin supports some of the plateau’s most ecologically specialized birds: Tibetan Sandgrouse erupting from the plateau, Tibetan Partridge skittering away from the vehicle track, Ground Tit bounding along the stony ground, Mongolian Finch and Hume’s Groundpecker at the wetland margins, breeding Solitary Snipe and Black-necked Crane in the marshes. After lunch, we drive northwest through the Nyoma Valley and Puga geothermal fields to Tso Kar, a saline lake at 15,072 ft (4,594 m) that is a critical breeding ground for Bar-headed Goose and Black-necked Crane. Great Rosefinch and Blanford’s Rosefinch work the surrounding scrub. Overnight at Tso Kar Eco Resort on the lakeshore.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~3–4 hours (Hanle to Tso Kar)
• Overnight: Tso Kar Eco Resort, Tso Kar
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at Padma Homestay
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Tso Kar Eco Resort

Following morning birding on the lake, we turn north for the long drive back to Leh over Tanglang La (17,480 ft / 5,328 m) via Rumtse Valley. We arrive in Leh by late afternoon. Spend the evening at your leisure; the market deserves a final visit.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Drive: ~5–6 hours (via Tanglang La; long return drive)
• Overnight: Tsokar Resort, Leh
• Breakfast: Early arranged breakfast at Tso Kar Eco Resort
• Lunch: En route (packed)
• Dinner: Tsokar Resort, Leh (final group dinner)

Morning flight from Leh to Delhi (departures typically 6–7 a.m., flight ~75 min.). Transfer to Ashok Country Resort near the airport for the afternoon and a final dinner before we say goodbye.

Recommended: book your international departure no earlier than July 1. Leh–Delhi flights can run late. If you have an international departure the evening of June 30, any delay puts you in a difficult position. The one-night buffer in Delhi is insurance that costs little and matters enormously.

DAY LOGISTICS

• Flight: Leh → Delhi (~1.25 hrs; departure typically 6–7 am)
• Drive: Airport transfer
• Overnight: Ashok Country Resort, Delhi
• Breakfast: Very early; packed or at airport
• Lunch: Ashok Country Resort, Delhi
• Dinner: Group dinner at Ashok Country Resort (farewell)

Days 1–11 follow the Tigers to Temples itinerary: Delhi arrival, Ranthambore National Park, Bharatpur and Keoladeo, Agra, Srinagar, the Kashmir Himalayas at Daksum and Gulmarg, and a final morning in Srinagar on Day 11 when the Roof of the World group joins us. See the Tigers to Temples section above for the full day-by-day, including all logistics and accommodations.

On the morning of Day 12, the Tigers to Temples group flies home to Delhi. You stay. You and the Roof of the World group load the vehicles and drive east toward Kargil, beginning the approach to Ladakh that bypasses Leh’s weather-dependent airport entirely. From here, the route follows the Roof of the World itinerary from Day 2 onward: Srinagar → Kargil → Leh → Nubra → Sakti → Pangong → Hanle → Tso Kar → Leh → Delhi. See the Roof of the World section above for the full day-by-day, including all logistics and accommodations.