Our professionally guided tours to Backwoods Camp include all arrangements for your stay with us, including all transport, and focus on locating those species that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere in Goa, with an emphasis on the 13 of 24 Western Ghats endemics that occur here, and specialities of forest areas or the south Indian region.

Backwoods Camp - 2/3 night tours: 

We strongly recommend a stay at Backwoods Camp of at least 3 or 4 days (2 or 3 nights), for good chances to find those unique species that make our camp such an extraordinary place for birding. If you have time restraints we will try to accommodate you for 1 night but cannot guarantee that you will see any particular target speciality in this short timeframe. 

Backwoods Camp Tariff (2008-09):

Backwoods Camp Pricing Information:

INR = Indian Rupee

Current [July '08] exchange rates: $1 = INR 43  / £1 = INR 85 / €1 = INR 68 

Tours are fully accompanied by a professional birdwatching guide, with our prices inclusive of accommodation, and all meals. Local transport for birding excursions in the vicinity of Backwoods Camp is included in the tour price (Our 3 night / 4 day tour also includes an excursion to Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary). Since many of our guests visit us from a base in north Goa (Panjim, Calangute, Baga, Arpora) pick-up from and drop-back to these places is also included free of charge. If you will require a transfer from elsewhere in Goa (a corresponding additional transport fee will apply), or are bringing your own vehicle please contact us to discuss your arrangements. We regret we cannot accommodate accompanying guides or drivers unless agreed by prior intimation.

Children below 8 years shall be accommodated free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult.  Children above 8 and below 12 years shall be charged half of the above tariff.

Group size:
Although we accommodate more, we limit our group sizes for birdwatching excursions to a maximum of 12 people (often less than this), which means that as far as is possible every group member has every opportunity to see every bird in the field. It also minimises environmental disturbance, and allows us the flexibility to meet all our guests’ needs and accommodate specific interests, such as photography.

Our daily routine:
Our typical day at the camp begins at 6.30am with tea and coffee, followed by our morning birding excursion, returning to Backwoods Camp for a late breakfast. After breakfast we again head back out into the field, returning at midday for lunch followed by an afternoon siesta until our 3.30pm tea and coffee. Our final birding excursion extends until dusk, sometimes (on at least one day during a 2 or 3 night tour) with a late evening search for nightjars. Soup, followed by dinner, is served at 7.30pm, with a campfire during the cool winter months. With a host of night birds calling from the trees above birding often carries on well into the night.

Our birding excursions:
Our birding excursions are often on foot from Backwoods Camp itself into the surrounding forest, with some outings further afield to the variety of habitats represented in the local area, from streamside jungle to dry fields and scrub, and to known haunts of certain star birds!  Our longest walk can take up to 3 or 4 hours, but at a slow pace befitting of forest birding. Most walks are over reasonably level ground; one or two are over rough terrain, such as dry streambeds and rocky hillsides.

During a 2 night tour we do not travel more than 12km from Backwoods Camp, while our 3 night stay also includes a half-day of birding within the Bondla wildlife sanctuary, approx. 25 km from Backwoods Camp.

The typical list for a 2 night tour of Backwoods Camp amounts to 130-40 species, with 140-50 species during a 3 night tour, including those seen at Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary.

Cruise up the tidal estuary of one of Goa’s major rivers, the Zuari, and into the serene, mangrove-lined Cumbarjua Canal in search of Collared Kingfisher, a scarce and sporadically distributed species. A 3-hour leisurely cruise provides the chance to see, in addition, Greater Crested, Lesser Crested, Sandwich, Little, and River Terns a close range, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Mugger Crocodile, and Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dolphin.

Zuari River Safari Tariff (2008-09):

Zuari river safari - pricing information:

Tours are fully accompanied by a professional birdwatching guide, with our prices inclusive of pick-up from and drop-back to a base in north Goa (Panjim, Calangute, Baga, Arpora). If you will require a transfer from elsewhere in Goa (a corresponding additional transport fee will apply) please contact us to discuss your arrangements.

To make a booking and payment:

For further enquiries, availability, or to make a reservation for your stay please contact us, preferably by email.  We confirm all bookings by return, providing all necessary details for your tour, in particular your place and time of pick-up.

We do not require an advance deposit.  Tour payment can be made during your stay at Backwoods Camp or on the day of your excursion for the Zuari river safari. We regret we do not accept payment by traveller’s cheque or credit card. Payment may be made in cash in either Indian Rupees or the current equivalent in Pounds Sterling (£), Euros (€), or US Dollars ($).