South India Birding Tour: 14 Nights/15 Days
No. of days
15
Trip Type
Birding
Activity Level
Moderate
Experiences
Best time
October to April
Region
Request free consultation
Our travel planning team will contact you to provide personalized guidance. Submission confirms your acceptance of our privacy policy.
Overview
South India stands as a global birding treasure, home to over 450 species across its unique Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot—a UNESCO World Heritage region spanning misty shola grasslands, evergreen forests, tea plantations, and riverine wetlands that harbor endemic gems found nowhere else. We have crafted this 15-day birding and mammal trip to showcase South India’s avian stars like the elusive White-bellied Treepie (a canopy skulker with striking white underparts), vocal Rufous Babbler flocks in undergrowth, iridescent Crimson-backed Sunbird sipping nectar, rare Wayanad Laughingthrush in bamboo thickets, Palani Laughingthrush in high sholas, Blue-winged Parakeet zipping through gaps, Malabar Grey Hornbill with massive casque, secretive Mottled Wood Owl at dusk, legendary Sri Lanka Bay Owl, Oriental Scops Owl calls echoing nights, Brown Fish Owl along streams, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl in cliffs, fiery Red Spurfowl scratching leaf litter, bold Grey Junglefowl in forest edges, vibrant Indian Pitta during passage, and majestic Grey-headed Fish Eagle scanning rivers. Mammals thrill too: endangered Nilgiri Tahr on cliffs, Nilgiri Langur troops in canopies, Grizzled Giant Squirrel leaping branches, shy Mouse Deer (chevrotain) in understory, Asian Elephants in herds, Gaurs (Indian bison), Tigers, Leopards, Slender Loris at night, and otters in wetlands.
Our itinerary hits iconic spots: Ranganathittu’s island colonies buzzing with 250+ species including migratory Painted Storks and spoonbills; Mudumalai’s vast tiger reserve with Moyar River viewpoints for open sightings of elephants amid teak forests; Ooty’s Nilgiri highlands for shola endemics amid eucalyptus; Chinnar’s dry thorn scrub and riparian zones guarding Grizzled Giant Squirrel; Munnar/Eravikulam’s rolling grasslands for Nilgiri Tahr amid flowering rhododendrons; Periyar’s lake boat safaris revealing evergreen tigers and hornbills; Thattekad’s Salim Ali sanctuary—India’s richest lowland rainforest with 280+ species including nightjar roosts. Expert guides maximize sighting, photography ops, and comfort in eco-resorts. Best October-April; permits included for unforgettable lifers and wildlife portraits.
Trip Highlights
- Ranganathittu: River terns, darters, storks, orioles, flycatchers in lush islets.
- Mudumalai: Malabar Trogon, Pied Hornbill, pitta, imperial pigeons amid elephants.
- Ooty: Hill mynas, parakeets, barbets, jungle fowl in misty Nilgiris.
- Chinnar/Munnar: Tahrs, leafbirds, minivets, hawk-cuckoos in shola-grass mosaics.
- Periyar: Otters, dhole packs, racket-tailed drongos on lake cruises.
- Thattekad: Frogmouths, bay owls, trogons, thrushes in rainforest understory.
Image Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival to Bangalore
Upon your arrival we will pick you up from the airport and transfer to a comfortable retreat hotel amid greenery.
Day 2: Journey from Bangalore to Ranganathittu to Mysore
Post-breakfast, we head to Mysore, pausing at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary—islands in Cauvery River forming a 40-hectare haven where 200+ species nest in mangroves and figs, famed for dense heronries, fish eagles snatching prey, and coracles gliding under cliffs alive with swifts. We boat-watch darters spearing fish. Arrive Mysore, royal city gateway to forests.
Day 3: We Travel Mysore to Mudumalai
Morning Mysore park stroll, then 2-hour drive to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (321 sq km Tamil Nadu core of Nilgiri Biosphere)—moist deciduous wilds with 30m teak canopies, Moyar River gorges channeling elephants, gaurs, sambars in open views rare for India; dry scrub sidelines add larks, pratincoles. We scan pull-offs for Mouse Deer, loris trails. No road stops inside, but guide spots gems.
Key birds: Small Pratincole, Red Avadavat, Red-naped Ibis, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Malabar Lark, Rufous-winged Lark, Indian Courser, Yellow-wattled Lapwing.
Day 4: We Explore Full Day Mudumalai
We dedicate day to Mudumalai’s safaris—prime Asian Elephant habitat with Gaur herds grazing, occasional Tiger/Leopard crosses, plus Muntjac barks, Wild Boar rootings, Giant Squirrel leaps; 250+ birds fill air from trogons flashing green to pittas hopping leaf litter.
Key birds: Malabar Trogon, Malabar Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Woodpecker, Indian Pitta, Green Imperial Pigeon, Streak-throated Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker, Black-hooded Oriole.
Day 5: We Move Mudumalai to Ooty
Dawn Mudumalai trails, early lunch, 2-hour uphill to Ooty (Nilgiris’ “Queen of Hills”)—2,240m shola forests and grasslands teeming hill endemics amid colonial bungalows; special for elevation gradient yielding highland specialists. Afternoon local trails/sightseeing.
Key birds: Grey Junglefowl, Black Eagle, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Greater Flameback, Blue-winged Parakeet, White-cheeked Barbet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Southern Hill Myna, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Painted Bush Quail.
Day 6: We Drive Ooty to Chinnar
Morning Ooty sholas, checkout, 6-hour winding drive to Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary—Kerala’s 90 sq km dry deciduous tract bridging Western Ghats, famed for endangered Grizzled Giant Squirrel (silver-striped), rare Mouse Deer in thorny scrub, riverine forests along Pamba with otters; transition zone yields scrub-to-shola birds. Evening hotel grounds if time.
Day 7: We Head Chinnar to Munnar
Breakfast, 2-hour drive to Munnar—Kerala’s 2,600m tea hills cradling Eravikulam-Rajamala National Park’s grasslands where 700+ Nilgiri Tahrs roam cliffs (world’s best pop), shola patches hiding laughing thrushes; misty blooms attract leafbirds. Evening hotel birding.
Key birds/mammals: Nilgiri Tahr, Grey Junglefowl, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Southern Hill Myna, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Orange Minivet, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Broad-tailed Grassbird.
Day 8-9: We Bird Munnar/Eravikulam
We spend full days in Munnar sholas/Eravikulam—the park’s 97 sq km protects tahrs on anvil peaks, rolling meadows for quail, dense forests for trogons, barbets; rhododendron edges buzz sunbirds. We target endemics amid tea trails.
Key birds: Nilgiri Tahr sightings, Grey Junglefowl, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Southern Hill Myna, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Orange Minivet, White-bellied Treepie, Rufous Babbler, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Wayanad Laughingthrush.
Day 10: We Travel Munnar to Periyar
Breakfast, 3-hour drive to Periyar Tiger Reserve (777 sq km Thekkady)—evergreen rainforest circling 26 sq km Periyar Lake, geomorphic wonder with volcanic origins; Tiger Reserve since 1978 hosting elephants bathing, dholes hunting, otters fishing; trails/boats reveal hornbills.
Check-in, relax.
Day 11: We Immerse in Periyar
Full day Periyar birding —lake boat safaris spot herds drinking at dusk, forest walks for ground birds, watchtowers for leopards; diversity peaks with 320+ species amid spice-scented air.
Key birds/mammals: Asian Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Smooth-coated Otter, Racket-tailed Drongo, Malabar Flameback, Wayanad Laughingthrush, Banded Crake.
Day 12: We Proceed Periyar to Thattekad - richest bird habitat of south India
2-hour drive to Thattekad Bird Sanctuary (Salim Ali’s namesake)—109 sq km Periyar River rainforest, India’s top lowland bird diversity (280+ species), dense canopies hiding owls/frogmouths, bamboo for laughing thrushes; night roosts magical. Evening birding.
Key birds: Sri Lanka Bay Owl, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Indian Swiftlet, Malabar Trogon, Malabar Barbet, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl.
Day 13-14: We Dedicate to Thattekad
Two full guided days at Thattekad—early stakeouts for nightjars, trail networks for trogons/barbets, river edges for pittas; guide unlocks skulkers in world-class rainforest, migratory birds from the himalayas and northeast india like Blue-throated Flycatcher, Black Baza.
Key birds: Wayanad Laughingthrush, Blue-winged Parakeet, Flame-throated Bulbul, Malabar Woodshrike, Nilgiri Thrush, Brown Fish Owl, Oriental Scops Owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Indian Pitta, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Jungle Nightjar, Indian Nightjar, Great Eared Nightjar.
Day 15: We Depart Thattekad to Cochin
For morning trails, we will look for Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Jungle Owlet, Grey-breasted Prinia, Malabar flameback, Dollarbird, Common Iora, Jerdon’s Leafbird, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Coppersmith Barbet, Ashy Woodshallow, White-cheeked barbet and many more. 1.5-hour drive to Cochin Airport for homeward flights. The tour ends with memories.