The numerous wooded gullies around town often hold good numbers of birds. Dehra Dun A journey of some 6hrs makes birding possibilities along the way somewhat limited, but you will enjoy spectacular Himalayan foothill scenery. Dehra Dun lies in a wooded valley in the Shiwalik Hills and is the meeting point of the lesser Himalayas and the vast Indo Gigantic plains. The Rajaji National Park situated in rugged and precipitous south facing slopes ranges from broad-leaf mixed forest to Chir pine forests interspersed with areas of scrub and pasture which support a wide variety of fauna including over 23 mammal and 180 bird species. A large number of elephants, together with the rarely seen tiger, are at the northwest limit of distribution in India.
Elephants move up into the hills when the water holes are dry.
Other mammals include leopards, spotted deer, sambar, muntjac, nilgai and ghoral. Along the tracks, you may spot wil boar, langur and macaque, the Himalayan yellow-throated marten and civet are rare. Birds include peacocks, jungle fowls, kalej pheasants, hornbills, woodpeckers, warblers, finches, orioles, bee-eaters, minnivets and nuthatches, while waterbirds by the Ganga and Song rivers include many kind of geese, ducks, cormorant, teal and spoonbill. Full day birding Full day s birding program inside the Rajaji National Park and in Asia s biggest Botanical garden. Today you will have a long drive to the world famous migratory bird reserve of Bharatpur, often referred to as a bird paradise.