India: Royal Rajasthan Train Journey: Jan 22—31, 2010

In 2001, VENT inaugurated its fabulous Palace on Wheels tour, which succeeded beyond everyone's dreams. Our 2004 and 2006 train tours were even better! We are therefore delighted to announce a completely new train—The Royal Rajasthan—upon which we will explore the great state of Rajasthan's most exotic locations. This time we shall travel in even greater comfort than before while visiting the great princely cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur, in addition to the fabled city of Jaiselmer. We will also visit Thar Desert National Park and fascinating Bishnoi country, both with their exciting suite of desert and semiarid birds and other wildlife.

Traveling in such style across India, in a way rarely if ever seen by modern day travelers, will take us back in time and into the heart of Rajput country. Here we should encounter some very special birds and mammals, including a huge flock of wintering Demoiselle Cranes; an increasingly rare opportunity to see six species of vultures including the nearly extinct White-backed; possibly Great Indian and McQueen's bustards; the dapper Cream-colored Courser; hordes of different species of larks; with luck, the very localized White-naped Tit; the endemic Stoliczka's Bushchat; Indian gazelle; and desert fox. In addition, any water bodies we find at this time of the year are likely to be teeming with both migrant and resident waterbirds, and almost anything can turn up!

There is something indefinable about India which makes westerners who have been there yearn to return. Perhaps it is the vastness of the country and its timeless quality. Perhaps it is the strange mixture of a multiplicity of peoples and cultures which strikes a hidden chord in us, for whom this land seems so alien and yet so fascinating. Or perhaps it is the way that humans and nature are so closely linked, co-existing in a way that seems intrinsically impossible. There are some places in a lifetime that simply must be visited, and India is one of them.

This journey on the Royal Rajasthan Train is like no other. We will travel in great luxury, as in the days of the British Raj, and search for some of the world's most endangered species of birds—Great Indian Bustard in particular! We will also enjoy a fine cross section of the Rajasthan-Indian landscape, as well as visits to some of its architectural marvels, including the fortified city of Jaiselmer. This will truly be the trip of a lifetime. But India is much more than a series of highlights. It is total experience. Perhaps no other country on earth provides so rich a panoply of culture, living history intertwined with nature, literally at one's feet. For the photographer, the traveler, the historian, the anthropologist, and most emphatically for the naturalist, India is a veritable dream. Join us on a very special journey to the Indian subcontinent, one of the most romantic and magical places on our planet.

At the conclusion of this wonderful trip we will spend three nights at world-famous Bharatpur Sanctuary with its teeming waterbirds, raptors, and host of other exciting birds and mammals, while staying in the charming comfort of The Bargh. From there we will drive east to Agra and the incomparable Taj Mahal.

This tour may be taken in conjunction with our pre-trip to search for tigers in Ranthambore National Park. You may also extend your Indian experience by joining our post-trip to spectacular Corbett National Park.