The salt marsh of the Little Rann of Kutch is a birding paradise and the last refuge for the Indian Wild Ass. Winter is one of the best times to visit — demoiselle and common cranes arrive in flocks; flamingos, pelicans, storks, ibises, spoonbill and a variety of waterfowl head this way, as do raptors like short-toed eagle, buzzards and six species of falcon. Wolves, jackals, foxes, hyenas, jungle cats and chinkaras are other inhabitants of this astonishingly versatile ecosystem that’s part of a sanctuary that looks deceptively bleak.

What: Birding trip to the Little Rann of Kutch
When: December 12-15, 2014
Cost: Rs16,700 per head ex-Ahmedabad; Tel: 022-22871202/22821811; [email protected]