Wild India with the Brahmaputra River

8/9/2019 Wild India with the Brahmaputra River

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WILD INDIAWITH THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER


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DEAR ADVENTURER

Were pleased to present Wild India, an adventure in search o wildlie that explores

the heartland o this incredibly dynamic subcontinent. From bustling cities and remote

villages to exquisite World Heritage Site temples and tombsrom epic mountain ranges

and mighty rivers to dense jungle habitatsour 19-day expedition, overland and by boat

along the Brahmaputra River, reveals the dramatic diversity o Indias landscapes and

wildlie and showcases more than 5,000 years o human history.

We begin with a detailed look at the splendid sights o Old and New Delhi, and a visitto Khajurahos exquisite 1,000-year-old Hindu temples. Our oray into the wild heart o

Indiathe centerpiece o our adventureincludes prolonged stays in three magnicent

national parks where we seek out the very best o Indias wildlie experiences, and a remark-

able three-day cruise along the remote Brahmaputra River.

In Bandhavgarh National Park, by 4 x 4 vehicle and occasionally elephant-back, we traverse

a wildlie-rich habitat o grasslands and orests watching hundreds o birds, with outstanding

photographic opportunities, as we look or langurs, macaques, spotted and sambar deer, allthe while searching or the elusive and increasingly rare tiger. Te lush wilderness o Kanha

National Park, inspiration or Kiplings Te Jungle Book, presents urther photographic pos-

sibilities as we view herds o chital deer; seek out the scarce, local swamp deer; the massive

Indian bison or gaur; and tigers are always a possibility. More than 300 bird species make

their home here, including a colorul array o barbets, ducks, orioles, rollers, and Indian

red jungle owl. We spend two ull days in hauntingly beautiul Kaziranga National Park,

a World Heritage Site, where herds o wild water bufaloes are oten seen in the dawn mist,

and where we have excellent opportunities to photograph the Asian one-horned rhino.While scanning pools to watch an array o egrets, storks, and waterowl we keep a watchul

eye or the herds o Asian elephants that sometimes come down to bathe and drink.

Te journey along the Brahmaputra River aboard our exclusively chartered riverboat, the

RVCharaidew, highlights riverine habitats and terrains that range rom jungle-clad slopes

to a lunar landscape o sandbars and islands, and we make daily landings or both natural

and cultural encounters.

Wildlie is the vibrant ocus o our explorations in Madhya Pradesh and Assam, but noday goes by without the sensory cornucopia that is the culture o India. Daily doses o

incidental culture serve to extend our wildlie experience to an in-depth awareness o

ancient and modern India. I hope you will join me on this multi-aceted expedition to

wonderul wild Indiaa world o beguiling surprises, that challenge the imagination.

Kind regards,

Mark Brazil

Expedition Leader


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DAY 1

USA / DELHI, INDIA

Depart the USA on your international ight

to Delhi, India.

DAY 2

DELHI

Arrive in Delhi late this evening and transer

to our hotel.

DAY 3

DELHI

Our ull day exploration o both Old and

New Delhi allows us to take in the elegant

Presidents House and India Gate in New

Delhi beore we enjoy a rickshaw ride rom

the imposing Jama Majzid to Old Delhi.

Here, in a multitude o brightly bedecked

stalls, Indians shop or everything rom

wedding jewels to spices, and silk brocadesto sweets. Tis is a true insiders look at the

real India. We lunch at one o Delhis ne

restaurants, then later explore several o the

citys other major highlights: the Red Fort,

Qutab Minor, and the tomb o Mughal

Emperor Humayan, as time permits. Dinner

and overnight at our hotel in Delhi.

DAY 4DELHI / KHAJURAHO

Ater breakast we take a morning ight

to Khajuraho, the once opulent capital o

Chandela. Tis aternoon we visit the World

Heritage Site complex o 1,000-year-old

Hindu templesonly 20 o the original 80

remainamous or their abulously detailed

scenes o daily lie including erotic carvings.Te sculpted exterior o the emple o

Kandariya is considered one o Indias great

artistic masterpieces. Dinner and overnight

at our hotel in Khajuraho.

DAYS 5 7

KHAJURAHO /

BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK

Tis morning we journey overland throughscenic landscapes o orest, hills, and

picturesque villages where women conduct

their daily business clad in brightly colored

saris. We arrive this aternoon at remote

Bandhavgarh National Park. Formerly a

maharajahs private hunting preserve, the

area was designated a national park in 1968

and is now amous as one o the very best

places to view Indian wildlie and to seek

out the rare and endangered Bengal tiger.

Dinner and overnight at our jungle lodge.

wo ull days are devoted to exploring this

scenically diverse park set among the Vindhya

hills o Madhya Pradesh. We travel by 4 x 4

vehicles in search o birds and mammals and

take elephant rides when possible to tracktigers. Expect excitement and the thrill o the

hunt as your mahout, or elephant handler,

guides his elephant over orested ridges,

through thick bamboo and undergrowth,

or across shallow rivers.

In the lowlands o the park, the grassland

and bamboo groves provide habitat not just

or wild boars, and a wealth o deer species

including muntjac, or barking deer; the

sambar, Indias largest deer; and the chital,

or axis deer, but also or their predators

the elusive leopard and tiger. In the trees

overhead we watch or rhesus macaques and

hanuman langurs, and bird watching in the

area is phenomenal. In the lodges gardens,

the owers and ruit trees attract such speciesas the green bee-eater, white-bellied drongo,

and plum-headed parakeet.

WILD INDIA

WITH THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

19 DAYS


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DAY 8

BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK /

KANHA NATIONAL PARK

Ater breakast an overland journey takes us

across a hilly terrain, through extensive teak

orests and open agricultural areas to KanhaNational Park in the lush Banjar Valley. Tis

wonderul national park, even more remote

than Bandhavgarh, is oten reerred to as

the Ngorongoro o India, although Kanha

is greener and its surrounding hills are more

densely wooded. Dinner and overnight at our

jungle lodge.

DAYS 9 & 10KANHA NATIONAL PARK

We spend two days devoted to wildlie viewing

in Kanhas beautiul wild country o orests

and plainsa true wilderness and the inspira-

tion or Rudyard Kiplings classic, Te Jungle

Book. Te diverse topography provides ideal

habitat or animals, and photographers

discover unrivaled opportunities to capturethe wildlie.

Again, we use 4 x 4 vehicles (and elephants

when possible) to explore the riches o Kanha.

Expect to encounter herds o chital, the

endemic swamp deer or barasingha, Sambar

wild boar, and langur monkeys. Tis area

is also the best place to look or the gaur,

a bison-like animal and the largest o all

bovids. With luck, other possible species

include Indian wild dogs, jackals, sloth bear,

or perhaps even a rare chousinghathe worlds

only our-horned deer. Te dramatic plateaus

provide breathtaking panoramas o the valleys

below and the hills beyond, all encompassing

the habitat o tigers and their prey.

Te rich birdlie o the park includes such

specialties as lesser whistling-duck, Alexandrine

parakeets, treeswits and jungle owlets, little

cormorants, and Indian pond-herons, to name

but a ew. In addition we can expect to see

many wild peacocks and hear Indian red jungle

owlancestor o all modern chickens. Dinner

and overnight at our lodge.

DAY 11

KANHA NATIONAL PARK /

RAIPUR / KOLKATA

Ater a last morning game drive we depart

or Raipur. Driving through rural India,

is to be constantly exposed to incidental

Khajuraho

Delhi

KanhaNational Park

KazirangaNational Park

Guwahati

BrahmaputraRiver

BandhavgarhNational Park

BAY OF BENGAL

Kolkata

(Calcutta)

OrangNational Park

I N D I A

Raipur

FLYDRIVESAIL


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culture as we pass through villages and

seemingly endless small scale arming.

We board an evening ight to Kolkata

(ormerly Calcutta). Overnight at our hotel

near the airport.

DAY 12

KOLKATA / GUWAHATI /

EMBARK RV CHARAIDEW

Tis morning we transer to the airport

or our ight to Guwahati, where we are

met and driven up Nilachal Hill to see

the holy Kamakhya emple, one o the

countrys most revered Shakti-worship andtantric sites. Ater lunch we embark on the

comortable steel-hulled riverboat, the RV

Charaidew, and cruise or an hour and a

hal upstream to Kurua on the north bank

o the Brahmaputra River.

DAYS 13 & 14

CRUISING THE BRAHMAPUTRARIVER ABOARD THE RV CHARAIDEW

We spend the day cruising upstream,

maneuvering against strong currents,

between hills rising on either side. An idyllic

stop at Ganesh Pahar gives us a chance to

explore a delightully serene hinterland

lying under jungle-covered slopes.

Leaving the hills behind, we enjoy our

rst taste o the wilderness experience as we

cruise between stark sand banks keeping a

lookout or the occasional Gangetic dolphin.

We may make a short stop to visit a bank-

side village, creating a minor sensation as

we do. We moor or the night in a lunar

landscape o sand islandsthe Himalayas,

when in view, provide a contrasting back-

drop in the distance.

DAY 15

ORANG NATIONAL PARK /

KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

Rising early we disembark the RV

Charaidewand board a local boat to Orang

National Park. We pass through the orestand grasslands o this rarely-visited park by

jeep looking or birds as we go. We break

our journey today with a stroll at a tea

estate, then or lunch beore continuing

on to our lodge on the border o Kaziranga

National Park, situated in the state o

Assam in the ar northeastern sector o

India. Here we spend the next three nights.

DAYS 16 & 17

KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

We have two ull days to explore this amaz-

ing World Heritage Sites; a 165-square-mile

reserve that borders the Brahmaputra

River. Te country here is mostly at

a luxuriant tangle o thorny rattan cane,

elephant grass, evergreen orest, and

shallow marshland.

Te reserve ofers visitors excellent oppor-

tunities to see and photograph the many

one-horned Indian rhinoceros and wild

Asiatic water bufaloes that live in the

park. Te rhinos are o special interest and

are the main ocus o our attention, along

with the population o Asian elephant

that also occurs here. Other highlights are

wild boar, the abundant hog deer, and the

locally common swamp deer or sot-ground

barasingha. With luck, we may also see the

smooth-coated otter, and during a visit to

Panbari Forest perhaps encounter Indias

only ape, the hoolock gibbon, which reveals

its presence with a haunting call. Birds

too abound: ocks o bar-headed geese;

hordes o ducks; grey-headed and Pallas

sh eagles; red-breasted parakeets; oriental

darters; herons and egrets o all shapes and

sizes; black-necked, lesser adjutant, and

Asian open-billed storks, and perhaps even

the rare greater adjutant stork. Dinners and

overnights at our jungle lodge.

DAY 18KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK /

GUWAHATI / DELHI

Ater breakast depart Kaziranga or

Guwahati where we will connect with our

ight to Delhi. Arrive Delhi late in the

aternoon where we will have day rooms at

our hotel beore transerring to the airport

late this evening.

DAY 19

DELHI / USA

Depart Delhi on independent homeward

ights.


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TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. RESERVATIONS: 25% o the expedition are,along with a completed and signed Reservation Form,

will reserve a place or you on this Zegrahm HoldingsLLC, d/b/a Eco-Expeditions (ECO), program. Tebalance o the expedition are is due 120 days prior todeparture. Air are is also due at this time. All pricesare quoted in U.S. dollars and must be paid in U.S.dollars. Credit ca rds accepted or deposit only.

2. CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY:Notication o cancellation o this program and anyindependent travel arrangements must be received inwriting by ECO. At the time we receive your writtencancellation, the ollowing penalties will apply: 120 or more days prior to departure:

$500 per person 60 through 119 days prior to departure:

50% o expedition are 59 days prior to departure through day of departure:

100% o expedition areSome air are may be nonreundable. Once an expedi-tion has departed, there will be no reunds rom ECOor any unused portions o the trip. Te above policyalso applies to all extensions and independent travelarrangements made in conjunction with this program.

3. TRIP CANCELLATION AND INTERRUPTION

INSURANCE: We strongly advise that a ll travelerspurchase trip cancellation and interruption insuranceas protection against an emergency that may orceyou to cancel or leave rom an expedition while it is inprogress. A brochure describing coverage will be sentto you upon receipt o your reservation.

4. SHARE POLICY: Accommodations on all ECOprograms are based on double occupancy. I you aretraveling alone and wish to share accommodations, aroommate will be a ssigned to you whenever possible.When pairing roommates, we will always pair par tici-pants o the same sex. All shared accommodations arenonsmoking. Upon booking you will be required to paya Single Supplement, i we are able to pair you with aroommate the supplement will be reunded. Please notethat single accommodations are limited and cannot beguaranteed throughout.

5. MEDICAL INFORMATION:Participation onan ECO program requires that you be in generally goodhealth. It is essential that persons with any medicalproblems and related dietary restrictions make themknown to us well beore departure. We can counselyou on whether the expedition you have selected isappropriate or you.

Te tour leader has the right to disqualiy anyparticipant at any time during the tour i he/she eelsthe participant is physically incapable and/or i aparticipants continued participation will jeopardizeeither the individual involved or the group. Tere willbe no reund given under these circumstances.

6. LUGGAGE RESTRICTIONS:Luggage sizeand weight limitations or both checked and carry-on

luggage, imposed by the airlines or as an operationalrequirement due to type o aircrat, wil l apply orights to/rom/within this program. Specicationswill be provided with pre-departure materials.

7. FUEL COST INCREASES AND CURRENCY

FLUCTUATION: In order to keep rates as low aspossible, we do not build into the trip are an al lowanceto cover possible increases rom uel costs or currency

uctuations. Tereore, as uel-cost increases mayoccur and currencies do fuctuate around the world,

it may be necessary or us to initiate a rate surchargeat any time beore departure i there are exceptionalcost increases beyond our control.

8. ITINERARY CHANGES & TRIP DELAY:Itineraries are based on inormation available at thetime o printing and are subject to change. ECOreserves the right to change a programs dates, staf,itineraries, or accommodations as conditions warrant.I a trip must be delayed, or the itinerary changed dueto bad weather, road conditions, transportation delays,airline schedules, government intervention, sickness,

or any other contingency or which ECO or its agentscannot make provision, the cost o delays or changes isnot included.

9. ITINERARY CANCELLATION: ECO reservesthe right to cancel an itinerary beore departure or anyreason whatsoever, including too ew participants orlogistical problems such as strikes, wars, acts o God,or any other circumstances that may make operationo the trip inadvisable. All trip payments received willbe promptly reunded, and this reund wil l be thelimit o ECOs liability. ECO is not responsible or any

expenses incurred by t rip members in preparing orthe trip, including nonreundable or penalty-carry ingairline tickets, special clothing, visa or passport ees,or other trip-related expenses.

10. PARTICIPATION: ECO reserves the rightto decline to accept any individual as an expeditionmember or any reason whatsoever.

11. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Tis sectiondenes ECOs responsibility with respect to al l o ourtrips, including extensions and independent arrange-ments. Please read it careully.

ECO, its Owners, Agents, and Employees give noticethat they act only a s the agent or the owners, contrac-tors, and suppliers providing means o transportat ionand/or all other related travel services and assume noresponsibility howsoever caused or injury, loss, ordamage to person or property in connection with anyservice resulting directly rom: acts o God, detention,annoyance, delays, expenses arising rom quarantine,strikes, thets, pilerage, orce majeure, ailure o anymeans o conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled,civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions

or regulations, and discrepancies or changes in transitor hotel services over which it has no control. Reason-able changes in the itinerary may be made wheredeemed advisable or the comort and well-beingo the passengers.

As described in item 7 above, all prices are subjectto change.

As described in item 9 above, in the event that anexpedition must be cancelled, ECO is not responsibleor any personal expenses incurred by trip members

in preparing or the program.

On advancement o deposit to ECO, the depositoracknowledges that he/she has read and understandsthe above recited terms and conditions, and agrees tobe bound by them.

Caliornia Seller o ravel Program Regist ration# 2031043-40

Jonathan Rossouw


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THE TIGER:

PREDATOR IN DECLINE

Jonathan Rossouw

o see a tiger requires innite patience and perseverance, but the sight o your rst tiger

is one o lies great moments. Tey are the essence o power and beauty portrayed in an

unhurried, silent walk or a charge towards a herd o chital.

In recent times the tiger has become a symbol o Indias wilderness, a striped ambassador

that, sadly, is in serious decline. At the turn o the 19th century, there were thought to

be over 40,000 tigers in India alone; by 1972, they numbered just 1,800. Accordingto the latest tiger census report released on February 12, 2008 by the National iger

Conservation Authority, the current tiger population o India has allen urther (as a result

o poaching) and is now within the range o 1,165 to 1,657 individuals. Nevertheless India

continues to support more than hal o the worlds tiger numbers.

Larger and more powerul than lions, tigers are solitary hunters and rely on their exquisite

camouage to approach prey closely beore pouncing. Each tiger has a unique paw-print,

set o stripes, and acial markings, allowing them to disappear rom view in the orestor on the plains, like a phantom. Tey are hunters o immense and awesome power with

the speed and agility to catch a peacock in mid-ight and the strength to bring down a

mature gaur (bison). One 330-pound tigress was once seen dragging a one-ton gaur over

ty yards into cover. On average, they kill three times a week.

Fossil evidence suggests that the tiger originated in Siberia and then spread southward.

In present times they are equally at home in Himalayan high altitude, cold conierous

orests, and the steaming mangrove swamps o the Sunderbans Delta. Unlike most cats,

tigers enjoy water and are good swimmers. Some tigers hunt mostly in the water and eed

on sh, sea turtles, and water monitors.

Te tigress produces a large litter o up to six blind, helpless kittens, but only two will

normally survive. Te gestation period is just 110 days and the youngsters can stay with

their mother until they are 2 1/2 years o age.

India is to be applauded or its bold initiative in tiger conservation, which began in 1972

with the launch o Project iger. Only time will tell i this magnicent predator will onceagain thrive or sadly, go the way o the dodo.

Jakes Den Haan


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Coverphotos:TigerJonathanRossouw;rhinoEcoExpeditions;

IndianRollerJakesDenHaanWHAT TO EXPECT

ravelers to India should be aware that, although the accommodations on these programs

are en suite, when away rom major towns, the standards, although clean and cheerul,

are sometimes below three-star Western standards. Prospective participants should also

be aware that some days o the program entail traveling or extended periods by air and

car, which can be quite strenuous. We will mail a complete list o recommended clothing

and a suggested reading list to you approximately ve months prior to departure. Despite

the occasional delays and sometimes bumpy conditions, our expeditions to India receive

rave reviews rom those travelers who possess a sense o humor, exibility, and a true spirit

o adventure.

192 Nickerson Street #200 Seattle, WA 98109 USATel:206-285-4000 Toll-free: 1-800-628-8747Fax:206-285-5037 E-mail:[email protected] site:www.zeco.com

THE RV CHARAIDEW &

THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVERTe Brahmaputra, one o Asias major rivers, ows rom a glacier source in the western

ibetan Himalayas and runs 1,800 miles to its delta in the Bay o Bengal.

Eco-Expeditions exclusively charters the RVCharaidewor a classic, three-day riverboat

experience on the Brahmaputra as it winds through woodlands and past trading settle-

ments, and weaves together a vast archipelago o sand islands with countless channels.

Te birdlie along the way is prolic and Gangetic dolphins are requently spotted.

Te 124-oot, twin-engine, steel-hulled riverboat eatures 12 spacious twin-bedded ensuite

cabins. All cabins, along with a bar, are on the upper deck. Te dining room has ull-length

glass doors that open onto the lower deck, while a large topside sundeck ofers pleasant

open-air seating. Cabins and public spaces are all air-conditioned. A blend o Assamese and

continental dishes highlight the onboard cuisine, and wine, beer, and spirits are available.

Giving You the World

Jonathan Rossouw

KHAJURAHO


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NOVEMBER 19 DECEMBER 7, 2010

NAME #1(as it appears on passport)

(preerred name)

NAME #2(as it appears on passport)

(preerred name)

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP COUNTRY

PHONE(home) (ofce)

FAX E-MAIL

ACCOMMODATIONS:o Twin o Share(roommate to be assigned) o Single

I AM/WE ARE:o Nonsmokers o Smokers

DEPOSIT INFORMATION:

o Enclosed is a deposit check or $ (25% per person o the program are)

o Charge the 25% per person deposit to: o VISA oMasterCard o American Express

Card Number Expires

Authorized Cardholder Signature Date(Note: Credit cards accepted or deposit s only)

I/We have read and understand the enclosed Terms & Conditions for this program, and

agree to abide by them.

SIGNATURE DATE

SIGNATURE DATE

Please complete and return this Reservation Form with your deposit to:

Reservation requests may also be made online at www.zeco.com.

WILD INDIAECO-EXPEDITIONS

EIND1001

SPOTTED DEER

Giving You the World


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NOVEMBER 19 DECEMBER 7, 2010 LEADER: MARK BRAZIL

$10,980per person, double occupancy $2,980 single supplement*

Limited to 20 expedition members.

INCLUDED: All accommodations and group meals; group transers; guided excursions

as stated in the itinerary; entrance ees or parks, reserves, etc.; camera ees or one still

and one video camera per person; all gratuities; domestic air transportation within India.

NOT INCLUDED: All air transportation except as listed above; excess baggage charges;

airport arrival and departure taxes; transers or independent arrivals and departures;

passport and/or visa ees; travel insurance; camera ees in excess o one still and one video

camera per person; items o a personal nature such as laundry, bar charges, alcoholic

beverages, e-mail/ax/telephone charges.

AIR FARE: A tentative ight schedule is available upon request. Eco-Expeditions will

contact you approximately 180 days prior to the departure o this program to fnalize

your ight plans. As o May 2009, the approximate economy air are as listed in the

itinerary is $1,100 or New York/Delhi/New York. Additional ares rom other cities will

be quoted as needed.

All rates are per person, quoted in U.S. dollars, and must be paid in U.S. dollars.Rates and itineraries are subject to change.

*A limited number o single accommodations are available.

DATES

RATES

MEET OUR LEADER

MARK BRAZIL Mark developed his ascination with

the natural world, especially birds, during his boyhood inthe landlocked English county o Worcestershire. He then

pursued his academic interests in biology during studies

in England and Scotland, while exploring the coasts and

mountains o Britain. He earned his Ph.D. rom Stirling

University, Scotland, or his work on avian ecology and

behavior in Iceland. Marks work as a feld naturalist, author,

researcher, and guide has taken him to every continent.

He is the author o several ornithological books, includingthe recently published Field Guide to the Birds o East Asia,

and is the leading authority on the natural history o Japan.

Mark has also scouted and led land programs to Mali,

Mongolia, and Brazil.

WILD INDIA WITH THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

DATES & RATES

Jonathan Rossouw

PEACOCK

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Wild India with the Brahmaputra River