Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism

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Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
Pandas & Sloth Bears
                    India is full of wonderful species waiting to be seen and appreciated, one
                    amongst these and undoubtedly one of the cutest creatures of them all is
                    the Red Panda. It is also the only “panda” species in the world. The Giant
                    Panda is actually a bear. The eastern Himalayas is the only place where
                    one can find the red pandas. This program here is a great combination
                    of unique along with the more easily seen wildlife in the Indian
                    subcontinent.

                    Our program take you to two states in India – West Bengal in eastern
                    India to Singalila National Park and to Madhya Pradesh in Central India
                    to Satpura Tiger Reserve. The regions differ vastly in the terrain, birdlife
                    as well as mammalian life forms.

                    Singalila National Park is one of the most exotic Himalayan forests in
                    India. It is a wilderness located on the Singalila Ridge at an altitude of
                    7000 feet to 12000 feet above sea level with an area of 78.6 square
                    kilometers. This is a Birding Paradise as well. More than 300 species of
                    birds have been recorded here. It has a huge list of exotic birds, like-
                    Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Kalij Pheasant, Brown and Fulvous
                    Parrotbills, Rufous-vented Tit, and Old World babblers like the Fire-tailed
                    Myzornis and the Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Rosefinchs, bull finches,
                    Wren Babblers, Laughingthrushes, Nuthatchs, Treecreepers, Yuhinas,
                    Minivets, Partridges and many more.

                    There are an estimated 32 Red Pandas within the limits of Singalila. Apart
                    from the Red Panda, other mammals found here are- Himalayan Black
                    bear, Clouded Leopard, Leopard, Leopard Cat, Himalayan Serow,
                    Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin, Pika and
                    many other Eastern Himalayan exotics.

Departure           Satpura on the other hand is excellent for exploring the central Indian
                    jungles in canoes, on foot and even allows one to do dusk drives. Known
4th to 15th April   for a high density of sloth bears, leopards and bison, it also is home to
                    interesting lesser known species such as the Indian Giant Squirrel, rusty
                    spotted cat and the small Indian civet. Satpura is home to about 350
                    species including the much sought after Indian Skimmer.
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
Day 1                                  Day 4
                    Arrive in Delhi. No activities are     We continue exploring Singalila.
                    planned for this day as participants   The park offers you various
                    of this group arrive from different    opportunities     to    photograph
                    destinations. Overnight at Holiday     beautiful landscapes, birds and
                    Inn, Aerocity.                         even the flora. The park is home to
                                                           over 600 species of orchids and is
                                                           the largest concentration orchid
                    Day 2                                  blooms in a single geographical
                    We check out after an early            area. Overnight will be at Habre’s
                    breakfast and transfer to the          Nest.
                    airport to catch our flight to
                    Bagdogra (1020/1225). Our team         Day 5, 6 & 7
                    will receive you at the airport.       Your search for the red panda
                    Break for lunch before starting a      along with the diversity of birds
                    long journey to Majua, which lies      and the wildcats in the region
                    at the edge of Singalila National      continues. Sandakhphu top is
                    Park. Today we spend the night in      situated within Singalila National
                    Majua as entry into Singalila after    Park and is the highest peak in
                    1300 is not allowed. Majua again       West Bengal. Sandakhphu offers
                    is a homestay and is an excellent      the best view of Kangchenjunga
                    location for birding as well as for    also known as Sleeping Buddha or
                    finding Bhutan Flying Squirrel.        Sleeping Shiva. Overnight will be
                    Overnight in Majua.                    at Habre’s Nest.
                    Day 3
                    This morning we make our way           Day 8
                    into Singalila National Park and to    Much of today will be spent
                    Habre’s Nest – our home for the        traveling back to Delhi. After
                    next few days. After lunch we begin    breakfast take the road transfer to
                    our search for the red panda and       Bagdogra from where you catch
                    the other denizens of Singalila is     your flight to Delhi (1630/1850).
                    all on foot exploring various trails   Overnight will be at Holiday Inn
                    through the park. Overnight will be    Aerocity.

Itinerary Program   at Habre’s Nest.
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
Day 9                                  Day 10
We unfortunately have a very early     Continued from below….
start this morning. We fly from        For those interested in rock art
Delhi to Bhopal (0555/0720). Our       there is an option to hike up to
team will receive you at the airport   some caves not too far away to see
and transfer you by road to            the same. But please note we are
Satpura Tiger Reserve (4hr). You       in the middle of the park so do
should arrive at the lodge by          follow the naturalist’s lead as
1200/1230. Lunch will be at the        wildlife can be about. Overnight
lodge. After some rest we begin        will be at Forsyth Lodge
exploring Satpura. Since you have
already spent enough time in a         Day 11
vehicle we though it will be best to
                                       We change pace again early this
begin with a walking safari in the
                                       morning and embark on a canoe
tiger reserve. Walking is also a
                                       safari to explore the river and
great way to tune your senses to
                                       streams of Satpura. If you start
the sights, sounds and smell of the
                                       early enough you also get to enjoy
forest. There is also a lot of focus
                                       a spectacular sunrise on the river.
on birding and lesser fauna on
                                       Canoe safaris are excellent for
these walks. Overnight will be at
                                       watching      and    photographing
Forsyth Lodge.
                                       riverine birds, crocodiles as well as
                                       land mammals coming down for a
Day 10                                 drink. The afternoon is a leisure to
Today is an exciting day, you get to   rest from all the hectic travel. This
spend the whole day in the forest.     evening take a dusk drive into the
We have planned a visit to Churna      buffer forest search for nocturnal
region in the park. The morning        animals. Overnight will be at
safari is used to get to Churna and    Forsyth Lodge.
the afternoon safari gets you back.
You spend the time in between the
safaris at Churna Forest Rest
                                       Day 12
                                       Take two jeep drives in search of
House, but honestly all our guests
                                       the tiger, leopard, Asiatic wild dogs
in the past have preferred to spend
                                       and the sloth bear. Overnight will
this time by a small creek that runs
                                       be at Forsyth Lodge.
past the camp and is home to a
diversity of birds, butterflies and
dragonflies. Continued….
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
Day 13
This morning we take our last safari – a walking safari through the tiger
reserve. Return to the lodge, freshen-up and rest a bit. After a leisurely
lunch transfer by road to Bhopal. Take a evening flight to Delhi
(2040/2205) and connect on to your international flight back home. END
OF THE TOUR
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
Habre’s Nest, Singalila National Park
Habre’s Nest is a homestay that is located in the quaint hamlet of Kaiakata
on the India and Nepal border. The home is built in Nepali design typical
of this region and houses all basic amenities that guests will require. It is a
research hub along with a wildlife tourism centre promoted by like minded
wildlife enthusiasts. This project was ideated and executed by Shantanu
who has been working in the Singalila ridge since 2011.

Singalila was declared a National Park in 1992. The habitat type can be
described as temperate forest of fir, deciduous hardwood and
Rhododendron with thick bamboo understory. There are over 600 varieties
of orchids that bloom in Singalia, the largest concentration in any single
geographical area in the world. The area gets considerable seasonal
monsoon rains and is located in the Eastern Himalayan Region of India in
the state of West Bengal. It is well known for the trekking route to
Sandakphu that runs through it. Same habitat continues in Nepal called
Tinchule Forest.

Tinchule-Singalila is still mostly known as a trekking route . But what is
baffling is why a forest with such high wildlife diversity did not come into
lime light. The more Shantanu and team explored these jungles the more
they came to love it and then came the idea of starting a sustainable
tourism model that would secure the future of Red Panda in one of the best
known habitats. Habre’s Nest is a green initiative completely dedicated to
the conservation of the Red Panda. They aim to give guests a once in a
lifetime and exclusive Red Panda viewing experience and filter benefits to
the local community. 20% of the profits of Habre’s Nest directly go into
conservation of this hostile Red Panda habitat. The greatest threat faced by
the Red Panda today is habitat loss. Singalila is not free from this threat
too. An estimated 32 Red Pandas live in these forests compared to 20,000
people that are dependent on its resources.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a 4 bedroom homestay, thus the group size can
be maximum of 8 guests. If there is a traveling tour leader, he/she has the
option of using a shared naturalist room or travel with lesser number of
guests so that all can be accommodated in the 4 rooms.
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
Satpura Tiger Reserve: Forsyth Lodge
Nestled in the midst of 44 acres of jungle at the end of the Satpura Tiger
Reserve, Forsyth Lodge is your gateway into verdant surroundings
coupled with the allure of natural living. Their focus lies in being able to
deliver to you, a wholesome and sustainable wildlife experience. Through
constant partnership with the park administration and the local
community, they have crafted a bespoke wilderness experience that suits
every need.
Forsyth’s makes every effort to tread as lightly as possible on the
ecosystem while making an exciting encounter with Nature possible for
the visitor. This is reflected in the care with which their buildings are
constructed, and in the ways in which they manage and recycle water,
and in the manner in which they cast about for better alternatives to
existing technology —be it quieter engines or solar-powered motors—
when it comes to everyday access to the Satpura Park
At Forsyth, they are a team of enthusiastic, dedicated and passionate
individuals helping their guests explore the best of the wilderness at
Satpura. It is because of their team’s immense love for nature that they
relentlessly strive to deliver an immaculate experience of the woodlands.
Each of their team members is a distinctive nemophilist, who not only
knows the ways of the wild but also knows how to make your experience
memorable.

                            Lodge Naturalist
                            Vineeth: An alumnus of the National
                            Outdoor Leadership School, Vineeth’s been
                            trekking the Western Ghats since 1999. His
                            love for nature has led him to track king
                            cobras in a telemetry project and set up
                            trekking models for the Eco trails Project. A
                            skilled tracker and angler, his scientific
                            approach towards storytelling lends an
                            intriguing angle to wildlife and history.
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
INCLUDED ACCOMMODATION
City / Park           Name of Hotel                               Room Category

New Delhi             Holiday Inn, Aerocity                       Superior Room

Singalila             Habre’s Nest                                Homestay room

Satpura               Forsyth Lodge                               Cottage

JOURNEY COST
Pricing Options                                                                 $
                                                                               USD
Price per person (6pax)                                                        3820
on twin sharing

Single room supplement                                                         2350
Over and above the twin sharing journey cost. Only offered if room is
available with the lodge.

Airfare                                                                        435
Airfare in economy class for the sector – Delhi – Bagdogra – Delhi & Delhi –
Bhopal – Delhi (airfare subject to change at the time of booking)
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
INCLUSIONS

o   Accommodation for twelve (12) nights in India with breakfast included
    in Delhi. Your stay in Singalila & Satpura Tiger Reserve will be on full
    board (inclusive of breakfast, lunch & dinner).
o   Four (4) exclusive jeep safaris in Satpura Tiger Reserve.
o   One (1) Full day safari to Churna in Satpura Tiger Reserve.
o   One (1) canoe safari in Satpura.
o   One (1) walking or canoe safari in Satpura.
o   One (1) dusk drive in Satpura.
o   Walking / Trekking in Singalila with a naturalist on all days that you
    are there.
o   Complimentary tour leader or photographer sent by your company.
    Alternately we can send a National Award winning professional
    wildlife photographer (Indian) should you want this to be a
    photography tour (availability of photographer needs to be checked
    at the time of planning /booking). This too is included in the price.
o   All road transfers will be by air-conditioned Toyota Innova. (3 guests
    per jeep)
o   All currently applicable taxes.
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

o   Does not include any beverages including mineral water, soft drinks,
    alcoholic drinks etc. unless otherwise specified. It is more cost
    effective for us to bill you for all beverages based on actual
    consumption.
o   Any airfare or airport taxes (quoted separately above with the
    package cost)
o   Any items of a personal nature such as beverages, tips (except for
    group meals and baggage handling), laundry, telephone calls etc.
o   Anything featured as optional.
o   The prices do not include: undue escalation in fuel prices, new taxes
    levies on hotels and transportation services or any hikes in entrance
    fees.

BOOKING & CANCELLATION PROCESS

BOOKING
o 35 % of Journey cost to be paid at the time of booking
o Remaining payment to be paid 90 days prior to Journey
o If booking is made within 90 days of the journey, full payment is
  required to confirm the Journey
o Payment can be made by bank transfer or through online payment
  gateway (a small credit card processing fee shall be applicable)

CANCELLATION
o Between 120 - 90 days prior to Journey - 35% cancellation fee shall
  be applicable
o Between 89 - 31 days prior to Journey - 50% cancellation fee shall be
  applicable
o Less than 30 days prior to Journey - 100% cancellation fee shall be
  applicable
Pandas & Sloth Bears - Linkd Tourism
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