South of the dusty town of Bharatpur, a gateway off an anonymous highway marks the entrance to one of Asia's most spectacular birding sites. Keoladeo National Park (05644-222777; entry ₹959, guide from ₹800, bike hire ₹100, autorickshaw tour ₹800) is a vital breeding and feeding ground for more than 370 bird species, including migrants crossing India from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia.
During the cooler winter months, a third of the park's 29 sq km can be inundated by floodwaters, luring everything from herons and kingfishers to bar-headed geese, sarus and demoiselle cranes, spoonbills, eagles and flamingos.
Enjoying this richness of birdlife is a highly sustainable activity. Pay the entry fee and walk into the reserve, or explore by rented bicycle or chartered electric autorickshaw, with or without a guide.
By far the best time to visit this park is October to February, when you should see many migratory birds. At other times, or even after poor monsoon conditions, it can be dry and relatively bird-free.
