INDIA 2025: KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK

 November 25-26, 2025

After arriving in Delhi, we spent the next five or six hours on the road to Bharatpur, a city of about a quarter million people in the Indian state of Rajasthan and popular with tourists because of its proximity to Keoladeo National Park, which was our ultimate destination.

We stayed in Pahersar, a small village 10 to 12 miles outside of Bharatpur. Our hotel, the Chandra Mahal Haveli, was built in 1840 in a Persian style--symmetrical, lots of tile work, large courtyards, plenty of landscaping, etc.

I can't remember what is important about that photo of Chris and Bonnie on the left. I think Chris couldn't get into her room or something. Our rooms opened onto this lovely courtyard.

In California, we see warning signs for rattlesnakes. It is a little different in India.

I think our husbands went on a birding expedition while we "lounged by the pool." Too bad it was freezing cold.

Our room was pretty basic but very clean and good-sized.

We did some people- and monkey-watching . . . 

. . . and sometimes had the feeling that WE were being watched.

In Keoladeo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there was plenty of bird watching that had to be done. These man-made wetlands are the stopping place for thousands of resident and migratory birds. Over 400 species have been observed here! Basically, it is Bob's idea of Nirvana.

The algae on the lazy river was so thick that it almost looked like the putting green on a golf course.

We got chauffered around in this cute little three-wheeler.

There were some very nice paved walkways that we wandered down as well.

These women looked pretty dressed up to me, but I think they were heading out to work in the fields.  Later on we saw them all hop on a giant tractor that gave them a ride so they didn't have to walk so far.

Bob got quite a few photos with his ginormous lens, but even my iPhone 14 Pro took some decent pictures.

Rose-ringed parakeets

An anhinga drying its wings

Indian pond heron

Oh cool! See those birds out there in the tree? Me neither.

But it sure helped when the guide took this photo through his binocular lens:

Painted storks

There were plenty of monkeys, and they didn't seem to be too bothered by our presence.

Rhesus macaques

There is something out there on the grass. Zoom in and you'll see two golden jackals. It isn't a great picture, but it was nice to see something besides birds and monkeys.

And what is that in the tree? EEK! BATS! Or to be more specific, Indian flying foxes.

I believe this rather odd-looking rodent is an Indian palm squirrel:

After FORTY hours of birdwatching (Bob says it was really only three hours), we headed back to the hotel for dinner.

No, that isn't larvae on the left. I think it was some kind of noodles. And the chicken curry on the right was pretty good!

After breakfast the next morning, we spent FIVE HOURS (really) on the road to Ranthambore National Park, passing through dozens of villages like this one and "cities" like this one.

Occasionally we would run into road blocks like this one:

Finally, we arrived in Ranthambore National Park, pretty much the whole reason we had returned to India for a second visit--a chance to see a tiger in the wild.