Home to over a billion people who reflect the world’s richest cultural kaleidoscope, India also boasts an almost unparalleled geographic diversity.  During the course of our tour, travelling by foot, on elephant-back, in rickshaws, in jeeps and vans, and aboard trains and a plane, we will encounter landscapes ranging from deserts to forests to mountains capped by snowy peaks.  Our destinations include the phenomenal waterbird mecca of Bharatpur, as well as the rich forests and pine woodlands of the lofty Himalayas, and the sublime grandeur of the Taj Mahal.  Renowned as Asia’s premier site for waterbirds, our late winter visit to Bharatpur gives us the chance to see not only the resident Sarus Cranes, tallest of all flying birds, but also possible Common Cranes, and perhaps the last surviving members of the central Asian population of Siberian Cranes.  Other potential species include Painted Storks, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, and Pheasant-tailed Jaçana.  India is also justifiably famous for its charismatic big mammals.  Foremost among these is the royal Bengal Tiger.  One of our primary destinations is Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India.  Bandhavgarh is widely considered to be the world’s best site to actually see this feline, the most magnificent of the world’s Big Cats.  While there we will also enjoy prime birding, with w, Black-rumped Flameback, and Stork-billed Kingfisher among the many possible prizes.  In addition to Tigers and their favorite prey species, Spotted Deer and Wild Boar, during our safari jeep drives we may also come across Indian Muntjac (or Barking Deer), Ruddy Mongoose, or a real rarity like Jungle Cat, Leopard, or Sloth Bear.  After a flight back to New Delhi, we’ll set forth for the Kosi River in the foothills of the Himalayas.  Among the hundreds of birds in this scenic watershed are two of the world’s most sought after:  the incredible Ibisbill and the elusive Wallcreeper.  Among the many other species possible are Great Slaty Woodpecker, at over 20” in length (and in the absence of creditable recent reports of Ivory-bills), perhaps the largest woodpecker on earth.  In high elevation forest at Nainital we’ll search for Red-billed (formerly Blue) Magpie while also scanning the skies for the awesome silhouettes of Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, and the truly enormous Eurasian Black Vulture, a species that soars on 10-foot-wide wings.  After leaving Nainital, we return to New Delhi in the afternoon for a final day of birding.  Blending modern with traditional, Delhi affords superb birding in a setting of ancient fortresses, expansive parks, and bustling markets.