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Thank you for sharing this. The itinerary looks exciting, and you have given us some great photos to tempt us @KaliCA

Great photos but I'm envious of your Shoebill sighting! Back in 2007 I spent hours searching the waters of Lake Bangweulu for the Shoebill all to no avail !

Me too. Thanks for the invitation. The itinerary looks good.

~ @KaliCA:   Thank you for the summary and images above.   Your itinerary is exciting, full of promise of wondrous sightings.   I'm delighted that you're sharing this here.            Tom K.

Dear Safaritalk Members,   Like many of you who read and participate in this forum, we have traveled far and wide and have experienced many beautiful spots on Mother Earth.  There was one big blank spot we had yet to visit: Incredible India, as the marketing slogan goes.       After falling in love with the African big cats, I really wanted to see Bengal Tigers in the wild as well as Indian Elephants.         After reading some trip reports and blogs of possible Indian itineraries, I got in touch with CB Singh, owner of Comfort Bird Tours and together over the span of a few months, we started hammering out the following itinerary. CB Singh came recommended from two members in this forum and there were others who were satisfied with his services and guiding.  I liked the idea that we would have only one guide during the whole trip and not many different guides as some of the other agencies offered.  I also liked the idea of combining nature and culture into a well-rounded first India trip.    I decided not to write a day-by-day narrative, but rather focus on the four National Parks and its inhabitants with a glance here and there as to what we saw in-between safaris, with some highlights and lowlights tossed in.      Here is the itinerary we put together.    Part 1 Arrival Delhi Feb. 24, 2024  Feb 25, 26: Delhi sightseeing  Hotel Eros   Feb 27, 28: Road Transfer to Jaipur and Jairpur sights Hotel Nirvana Palace    Feb. 29-March 2: Road transfer to Ranthambore NP and 5 game drives Hotel Mount Valley   March 3: Road transfer to Agra and Agra sights,  Hotel Crystal Samovar   March 4: Red Fort Agra, road transfer to Delhi Hotel Radisson Blu, Greater Noida   Part 2   March 5: Visit Lodi Gardens, Fly Delhi to Khajuraho, Jain temple visit, Cultural dance program Hotel Ramada   March 6: Temple visit, after lunch road transfer to Banhavgarh NP Hotel Tiger's Den March 7- 8: 4 game drives in Bandhavgarh NP Hotel Tiger’s Den   March 9-11: road transfer to Kanha NP and 5 game drives Hotel Kanha Jungle Resort   March 12: road transfer to Jabalpur, fly back to Delhi Hotel Radisson Blu   Part 3   March 13: road transfer to Haridwar and visit Arti Puri religious ceremony on the Ganges river  Hotel Renest   March 14: road transfer to Ramnagar, PM game drive Corbett NP in Dhela zone Hotel Tiger Camp   March 15: AM game drive Bijrani Zone After breakfast: transfer by safari Jeep to Dhikala Forest Camp PM Game drives Dhikala Zone, Corbett NP Overnight: Dhikala Forest Camp (government owned)   March 16: AM and PM game drive Dhikala Zone Overnight: Dhikala Forest Camp   March 17 noon: AM game drive  Transfer Dhikala Forest to Delhi,  Enjoy Hotel Radisson Blu for 5 hours before flight.  transfer to airport, fly to Florida, USA.        I hope some of you will join me for the ride...   All the best! Katrin      

Apologies, not sure how I could miss these comments in my own report until yesterday!     Thanks Martin, I am pretty confident it will become more and more popular quite quickly. It certainly deserves to. Fully agree about the Dogs, I hope I'll see them this year. If not I will be very cross with Botswana!     Thanks Nate, yeah, few things as satisfying as finally getting a long-sought lifer especially when it's an iconic bird like this one.     Sorry about that, and you are right, it's a miracle you are STILL travelling with us! We're very happy you do of course.     Indeed, hats off to Richard again - such a great general and especially birding guide. Rainy Gorongosa Mountain was admittedly not the way I had hoped to experience it but it was certainly memorable!     I just loved that little animal. Such a wonderful creature. Now, to find one in the wild ....     Always happy to go back together with you Lynn!

Great Shoebill photos!

It was a much easier day departing Bwindi. An hour and a half drive to a town I can’t recollect the name to an airstrip for the short flight to Entebbe. Some in our group opted to fill at the Boma Hotel, a sweet little oasis/guest house about five minutes from the airport. It has a pool, a restaurant/bar and a garden. A really lovely place.  But one in our group had a bucket list item to get a picture on the equator so several of us joined him in the hour and a half drive to the closest equator sign west of Entebbe. Fun ride through the towns and villages, never boring in Africa. We ate lunch and returned.      Some departed that night, others the next morning but a few remained and we set out at 6:00 or 6:30A to see if we could find the shoebill stork in the mabamba swamps.    it was another bumpy ride and the ferry that would cut down on the bone jarring roads was full. We reached the swamps about two hours later and headed out to find the dinosaur bird.    Success! We found our bird!  And a ton of other water birds as well! Launching into the Mabamba Swamps     Our guide on lookout 👀    Voila!               The water walkin Jesus bird…the Jacana     Malachite kingfisher     we caught the ferry back — score! And then there were two—me and a particularly avid fisherman set out on Lake Victoria to see if we could catch some Nile Perch. We were not successful but still a nice afternoon on the water and a visit to another equator crossing out in the lake.      Lots of marabous were aplenty on Lake Victoria       

Really nice group shot under the tree with darkening skies behind.   Good job on the leaping impala to complement your other many safari shots on this most successful family outing!

I'm through Kenya with you. "We were told (seemingly hard to believe) but the pilots say these dunes are only a few decades old as sand and dust have blown from the Horn of Africa to the Suguta Valley---due to deforestation...."    Just shows the immense changes that can take place in a relatively short period of time. Yikes.   The doors-off helicopter ride is astounding.  Your weather was perfect.  I'm sure you were relieved that it was so a beautiful sunny day.  The flamingos are works of art.   Interesting comparison of the singing to the cows with the elephants.

Enjoying this a lot Joe - such a varied trip! Must have been fun bunding with all the orphans. Oh, and I really love that landscape up North - just gorgeous.

What a wonderful safari @Hads! Botswana is so beautiful in the Green Season. Your kids are so lucky to experience such a great adventure. And how pleasing it must have been for you to see their excitement. Many wonderful sightings, Leopard, Hyena pup, that scarly male Lion. But most of all I love those rainbows - beautiful!

Thank you @xelasBirds and Tigers is a good combination! I use Canon R7 with Canon 100-400ii (with adapter) Wide angle shots are with my phone. Software DxO Photolab 6

Another day with the tigers ... and birds. What else a traveler could ask for?!   Lovely photos, @TonyQ. Please remind me about the gear and the software you are using.

I love seeing your great gorilla photos and video! I'll be seeing the gorillas in Mgahinga NP in July, can't wait.