On your arrival at International airport in Kochi and after clearing customs & immigration, a Hillstar Nature representative will receive and escort you to your hotel. Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. Kochi is located in the district of Ernakulam, about 220 km north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Old Kochi loosely refers to a group of islands including Willingdon Island, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. Overnight in Kochi.

After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to Thattekad (~3-hr drive) and then check in to our hotel. One of the best known birding sites in southern India, Thattekad is one of the last remaining lowland evergreen forests of the region. The 25 sq. km sanctuary supports over 300 species of birds. We will look for Western Ghats endemics and regional specials, like the Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Gray-headed Bulbul, White-bellied Treepie, the Legge’s Hawk-Eagle, along with others like the Malabar Trogon, 2 endemic hornbills, Flame-throated Bulbul, and other soughtafter birds like Slaty-legged Crake, Black Bazaand, and still more. Our jungle walks often produce sightings of Indian mouse deer (a.k.a. Indian Spotted Chevrotain), otters, sometimes elephants, and Sambar (a large deer). Evening birding around Camp. Overnight at Thattekad.

With two days of birding in the forests of Thattekad, we’ll take midday breaks for lunch, which will allow us also to spend the early part of our evenings to seek out nightbirds. Visiting areas that can harbor secretive birds such as the Sri Lanka Bay-Owl, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Black Baza, the impossibly gaudy Black-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, possibly Malayan Night Heron and Malabar Flameback, and we should also encounter some migrant species. Night birding is often rewarding at Thattekad, and we’ll spend time in search of the three species of nightjars, including Jerdon’s and Great Eared-Nightjar, and look for 8 species of owls that are found here, including the regal Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl and the brightly patterned rufous morph of the Oriental Scops-Owl. On rare occasions, the Gray Slender Loris can make an appearance during these night sojourns. Overnights in Thattekad.

After a last bit of birding nearby and breakfast we check out and start making our move uphill into the higher reaches of the hills, towards the moist deciduous forests of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Up here we’ll work a nature trail in search of the sneaky Wayanad Laughing Thrush, Malabar Imperial-Pigeon and Legge’s Hawk-Eagle. Overnight in Periyar.

Working another nature trail in the morning, we then checkout after breakfast, driving to Munnar via Bodhimat. The leeward slope here features dry forest birds, including the Yellow-throated Bulbul. Eventually we make our way up to the shola forests of the Western Ghats. At Munnar we will arrive at Windermere Estate (after ~5 hour drive). Munnar lies at the edge of the Eravikulam National Park which is home to the highest peak in South India – Anaimudi (2680m/8800 ft). Perched on a hilltop at 2000m, Windermere Munnar is a little gem, offering some of the most spectacular views of anywhere in Kerala. The lush tea hills are surrounded by cardamom fields, which fade away into the distance. Overlooking this is the 60 acres of Windermere Estate, an active cardamom and coffee plantation for over 90 years, but which is now better known as a boutique hotel. The sweet-smelling crisp air is seasoned with cardamom, and Munnar offers a unique plantation experience, with a blend of simplicity, exclusivity, and heart-warming hospitality. In the evening, we head into the Windermere Cardamom Estate as the surrounding forests host Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon, Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Tytler’s Leaf Warbler and the dashing endemic Black-and-Orange Flycatcher. For those who enjoy a night hike, we can continue into darkness to search for the endemic Malabar spiny dormouse, Indian porcupine, Malabar giant flying squirrel and maybe even a the small and elusive leopard cat. Endemic snakes like the large-scaled pit viper are also seen sometimes in this area. Overnight in Munnar.

Departing quite early this morning we plan to enter the highest point in these mountains, Eravikulam National Park. Though we are unlikely to see it up in as it is only in the highest parts of the park, this is the only place in the world for the Resplendent Shrubfrog, a critically endangered amphibian discovered only in 2010. For birding, we transfer into battery-operated vehicles to reach the grasslands and sholas where our trail begins. This place is one of the richest hot bed of endemism in this high-altitude landscape. The Palani Laughingthrush, Nilgiri Sholakili, Nilgiri Pipit, Nilgiri Thrush, painted Bush-Quail and the Nilgiri and Black-and-Orange flycatchers are found here too. We follow this trail, birding as we go, till we reach the rocky outcrops where the herds of Nilgiri Tahr, an endemic mountain goat, are found. Returning to Windermere for lunch after a break, we head back out into the Shola forests (stunted tropical montane forests, isolated by surrounding grasslands) around Munnar in search of the birds that may have eluded us earlier. The rare Nilgiri Marten could pop out from the forest-grassland habitat at any point here during these two days. We’ll have to keep an eye out to see this endemic mustelid. Elephants, lone tuskers and herds, are also sometimes in the meadows and plantations around Munnar. Overnight in Munnar.

After an early breakfast at Windermere, we check out and descend the eastern slopes of Munnar towards the plains on the drier leeward side of the Western Ghats. This slope features sandalwood forest (endangered Red Sandalwood) which eventually gives way to scrub and thorn forests in the lower slopes. We make a quick stop into Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. Famous as a spot for the Indian Star Tortoise, we’ll need to be lucky to see this, but as we look for the grizzled giant squirrel, and the yellow-throated bulbul, we might get lucky or see the brightly patterned graceful day gecko. Continuing downhill towards the plains and into the coconut plantations and farm lands of Sethumadai, we will stop for lunch at Coco Lagoon before heading uphill towards the slopes of Valparai and Anaimalai Tiger Reserve. Once there we are within the realm of the majestic and endemic Lion-tailed Macaque. Overnight in Valparai.

Setting off early to explore Valparai, a high-altitude tea town located inside Anamalai Tiger Reserve (1.5 hrs one-way drive) we visit the best place to encounter the endemic Nilgiri Tahr on the steep slopes there. With a little luck, this could be where we see our first bonnet macaques too. Further up the climb we cross forests which transition from dry scrub to high altitude shola forests. This transitional zone is a good area for endemic birds like the Yellow-throated Bulbul and raptors like the Legge’s Hawk-Eagle and even the scarce Rufous-bellied Eagle. The shola forests here support troops of Nilgiri langur, often seen along the sides of the road. The drive to Valparai crosses through many smaller forest patches, grassland belts and tea gardens. Two of these forest patches support the last few fully stable populations of Lion-tailed Macaques. The drive through the tea and grasslands can yield more endemics, including Rufous Babbler, Waynad Laughingthrush, and animals like stripe-necked mongoose, brown mongoose and others. Great Hornbills are frequently seen around the old growth forests of Valparai. With the whole day to explore, we’ll roam by vehicle and on foot for short stretches including making a stop at an old coffee plantation to wait and hope for the flying squirrels, brown palm civets and the flying lizards to appear. Then we return downhill for dinner. Overnight in Valparai.

After breakfast we depart Valparai and head north towards the Nilgiri massif. An isolated cluster of hills that remains slightly separated from the Western Ghats, it features its own array of endemics. Staying in a beautiful forested neighborhood of this town (after a drive ~4 hrs), we’ll spend early evening in search of some special wildlife like sloth bears and if chance smiles on us, maybe even a black leopard. The population of these melanistic leopards is very high in these areas. As we seek these mammals we’ll also keep our eyes peeled for the endemic Nilgiri Sholakili, Nilgiri Laughingthrush, Malabar Parakeet, Orange Minivet, and Heart-spotted Woodpecker among others. Overnight in Coonoor.

Today we begin birding around Sims Park and Dhoddabetta Hill to try for good views of Kashmir Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin, Black-and-Orange Flycatcher, Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon, Crested Goshawk and Indian Scimitar-Babblers, among other birds. We head down post lunch towards Masinagudi into the Sigur plateau, an important area that allows for of tigers, elephants and other large animals to navigate between chunks of habitat and maintain genetic diversity. Also it’s a spot where we might see, Malabar Lark, Malabar Barbet and Nilgiri Thrush, among others. Overnight in Masinagudi.

This dry scrub and bamboo jungle is home to the petite White-bellied Minivet, the highly active Malabar lark, the skittish Red Spurfowl and many other birds that occupy this transient habitat. “Shaheen” Peregrine Falcons, Indian Vultures (critically endangered), White-backed Vultures (critically endangered) and Black Eagles are at times seen soaring against the blue skies. Scarce regionally in southern India, the Common Flameback is often seen here in good numbers. Overnight in Masinagudi.

After another morning of birding and hiking looking for Nilgiri Thrush, White-rumped Shama, Crested Treeswifts and Malabar Barbets, we then head out into the scrub forests and the highways beyond. A 3-hour drive to Kabini will land us at the edge of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. At Kabini River Lodge we will have lunch before going on our first safari. Kabini is a beautiful deciduous wilderness at the foothills of the Western Ghats. The high numbers of deer and gaur here have led to a very high carnivore density, especially tigers, leopards and notably the dhole, or Asiatic wild dog. We will spend the next 3 nights here exploring this wilderness via boat and jeep, looking for crocodiles, otters, tigers, leopards, and White-bellied Woodpecker (one of Asia’s largest), Malabar Pied-Hornbill, and of course, the big tusker elephants that this region is famous for. Overnight in Nagarhole.

With a combo of boat and jeep safaris, we explore arguably India’s most spectacular national park. One 2.5 hour boat safari starts right from the riverbank in front of The Serai Kabini. It is the perfect setting to see the animals that come to quench their thirst in the river. We hope to see elephants, gaurs, dholes, and even big cats on occasion frequent the area. Our other safaris are by jeep or canter (large jeep-like truck). And we’ll spend one afternoon doing a guided nature walk, getting to experience the park on foot. Seeking large mammals and trying to see large cats will be a primary goals, yet, over 200 species of birds have made Kabini forest their home too. There is an abundance of wildlife here, and the park is under consideration for designation as a UNESCO site. Having ~3 days to explore this spot in the foothills of the Ghats will serve us well, both for mammals and birding. Overnights in Nagarhole.

After a final morning outing in the forests of Kabini, we’ll check out and head towards the historic capital of the Wodeyar Dynasty, the city of Mysore. Known for its incredible architecture and culture, the city is the gateway to the Deccan from the Western Ghats. Here we stay in the city where we have lunch. In late afternoon we visit the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, where we explore the birdlife of the Cauvery River by boat. This is a fantastic opportunity to see crocodiles and otters, as well as wetland birds like Asian Openbill, Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Storks, night-herons and even cliff-nesters like Dusky Crag-Martins. Overnight in Mysore.

After breakfast, we head towards Bangalore stopping at the rocky hillocks of Ramnagara, a vulture conservation site, where we look for vultures and the endemic Yellow-throated Bulbul. We reach Bangalore by late afternoon or evening. Farewell dinner and overnight in Bangalore.

Today we transfer to Bangalore airport to head on home or to your next adventure.