Bhutan – A Birder’s Paradise – (08th to 17th March 2019)

Nature India announces its first out-of India bird-watching trip to Bhutan (from 08th Mar’19 to 17th Mar’19)…..

Date: 08th Mar’19 to 17th Mar’19 (travel days excluded). The bookings for Bhutan bird-watching trip are on…..book your seats now (see the details at the end)…..Birdwatch in one of the best birding country of South-east Asia with Nature India… Please See complete details (Itinerary, Charges etc) at the end of this Blog.

Bhutan – A Birder’s Paradise

Bhutan is located on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, landlocked between the Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh to the west and south. The name Bhutan actually is derived from the Sanskrit word BHU-UTTAN meaning highland which is from Indian point of view. There is another name from Tibetan point of view which is BHOTS-ANT meaning end of Tibet or Tail of Tibet.

The country’s landscape ranges from lush subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan mountains in the north, where there are peaks in excess of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The highest mountain in Bhutan is the Gangkhar Puensum, which is also a strong candidate for the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. There is also diverse wildlife in Bhutan.

More than 770 species of birds have been recorded in Bhutan. The globally endangered white-winged duck has been added recently to Bhutan’s bird list. The bird habitats of Bhutan can be roughly divided into forest, scrub, wetlands, alpine habitats, agricultural land & land around human habitation.

Some of the places we will be visiting are…

Pochhu River – Within Paro city, this river & its banks gives opportunity to see birds like Ibis bill, Brown Diper, Common Merganser, White-capped & Plumbeous Water Redstart, River Lapwing etc…

Chele La (Pass) – Altitude 3988 mtrs – A 2 hours drive from Paro will take you to Chele La pass, which is the highest motorable pass of Bhutan. At an elevation of 13000 ft, you get some mesmerizing views of the mountain and the green valley down.

Birds species to look for are Blood Pheasant and Himalayan Monal, Kalij Pheasent, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Beautiful Rosefinch, White-winged Grosbeak, Collared Grosbeak, Red-headed Bullfinch, Red Crossbill, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Fire-tailed Sunbird etc…

Jigme Dorji National Park – Altitude 1400 to 7000 mtrs – Named after the late Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, is the second-largest National Park of Bhutan. It was established in 1974 and stretches over an area of 4316 km², thereby spanning all three climate zones of Bhutan.

Birds to look for are Red-headed Bullfinch, Brown Bullfinch, Ward’s & Red-headed Trogon, Brown Parrotbill, Rufous Sibia, Crested Kingfisher, Whiskered Yuhina, Black-faced, Chestnut-crowned, White-throated Laughingthrush, Grey-crested, Spot-winged Tit, Ashy-throated, Black-faced, Buff-barred, Russet Bush Warblers, Spotted Nutcracker etc…

Phobjikha Valley – Its a vast U-shaped glacial valley, also known as Gangteng Valley named after the impressive Gangteng Monastery in central Bhutan, where the graceful black-necked cranes in Bhutan (Grus nigricollis) from the Tibetan Plateau visit the valley during the winter season.

Apart from being reach in faunal biodiversity, Phobjikha valley is also famous as the wintering ground of globally threatened Black-necked Cranes.

Birds that can be encountered here are, Spotted Laughingthrush; Mountain Hawk Eagle; Himalayan Griffon; White-browed & Beautiful Rosefinch; Speckled Wood & Snow Pigeons; Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon; Streak-breasted & Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler; Black-headed & Black-faced Shrike Babbler; Collared & Grey-winged Blackbird etc..

Tingtibi & Gelephu – Altitude 1700mtrs – Considered as one of the best & most diverse birding areas in Bhutan. This low altitude forest is home to birds like White-bellied Heron; Great, Rufous-necked & Wreathed Hornbill; Sultan Tit; Bar-throated, Blue-winged & Red-tailed Minla (Siva); Golden, Grey-throated and Pin-stripe Tit Babbler; Maroon Oriole; Common Green Magpie; Collared Falconet; Cuckoos; Blyth’s Kingfisher; Green-billed Malkoha; Long-tailed & Silver-breasted Broadbill etc…

Note: Many thanks to Mr. Shashank Phadke, Mr. Suresh Sadhwani & Mr. Amit Gupta for allowing us to use there photographs from Bhutan for this blog.

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COMPLETE TRIP DETAILS

Date: 08th March 2019 09:00 hrs to 17th March 2019 18.00 hrs (travel days excluded)

Mode of Local Travel: Toyota Coaster from Paro to Guwahati Airport

Suggested Flight Booking:

Kolkata / delhi to Paro

08th March 2019 – Drukair flight no. KB211 starting from Kolkata at 9.25 hours, reaching Paro, Bhutan at 11.05 hours

08th March 2019 – Drukair flight no. KB201 starting from Delhi at 04.45 hours, reaching Paro, Bhutan at 07.15 hours

Guwahati to Mumbai

17th March 2019 – Indigo flight no. 6E-433, starting from Guwahati at 17.20 hours, reaching Mumbai at 20.45 hours.

17th March 2019 – Jet Airways flight no. 9W-936, starting from Guwahati at 17.05 hours, reaching Mumbai at 20.35 hours.

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: 08th March 2019: Arrival at Paro Airport, Transfer to hotel … check-in…lunch… Evening birding along Pachhu river… Overnight stay at Hotel in Paro
Day 2: 09th March 2019: Start early morning for Chele La (Pass) (high altitude birding) with packed breakfast… Full day birding around Chelela La… Overnight stay at Hotel in Paro
Day 3: 10th March 2019: Start early morning for Thimphu… birding in Jigme Drorji National Park… Packed Lunch… Overnight stay at hotel in Thimphu
Day 4: 11th March 2019: Drive to Punakha… on the way birding in Dochu La, Lhamperi Botanical garden… Lunch… Birding in Punakha Valley… Overnight stay at hotel in Punakha
Day 5: 12th March 2019: Full day birding in Punakha & Phobjikha Valley… Overnight stay at hotel in Gangtey
Day 6: 13th March 2019: Drive towards Trongsa… On the way birding at Pele La… Over night stay in hotel at Trongsa
Day 7: 14th March 2019: Drive towards Tinbtibi… Birding on the way … Overnight stay in hotel at Tingbiti
Day 8: 15th March 2019: Full day birding around Tingbiti… Overnight stay at Hotel in Tingtibi
Day 9: 16th March 2019: Early morning drive towards Gelephu… Birding on the way… Overnight stay at Hotel in Gelephu
Day 10: 17th March 2019: Start from Gelephu to reach Guwahati by 15.00 hours

More details on the itinerary will be given to those who register…..

Total seats: 10 Pax only

Trip charges: Rs.69500/- (Paro,Bhutan to Guwahati, India only)….

Includes Stay in hotels on a twin sharing basis, Travel in Toyoto Coaster from Paro to Guwahati, entry charges, Local guide charges, Delicious Vegetarian / Non-vegetarian food, Articles on Bhutan, Bird checklist, on board mineral water and snacks……

This does not include Airfare from Mumbai/Kolkata to Paro & Guwahati to Mumbai or any other charges and also any individual camera charges ….Individuals will have to pay additional charges if any to the forest dept. as per the rules.

Stay Arrangments: In comfortable and clean hotels on twin sharing basis.

Registration: You can register by sending a confirmatory mail to natureindiatours@gmail.com and by paying a non refundable Advance of Rs.25000/- …..

(The seats will only be confirmed after receiving the advance amount & our registration confirmation by email) …..the remaining amount can be forwarded 1 month before the trip…….Please Register soon to get the confirmed train bookings and the desired class of travel. We can assist you for train bookings.

Resource Persons: A Local expert along with Mr.Adesh Shivkar & Mr.Mandar Khadilkar

Mode of Payment: You can either

1) Transfer non-refundable advance amount of Rs. 25000/- (Account details Will be provided along with Registration mail) …. please mention your name, date and other details…. OR

2) Courier a cheque of Rs.25000/- as advance amount to the following address

Address: (Will be provided along with Registration mail)

Please Note:

Once registered, the advance amount of Rs. 25000/- is strictly non-refundable
Alcohol & Smoking is strictly prohibited on Nature India Tours
Nest photography or any collection of specimens is prohibited
Kindly register on this trip only if you agree with Nature India‘s rules and policies

http://natureindiapolicies.blogspot.in/2012/08/nature-india-policies.html

Please contact us, in case you need any clarification …..

For any other queries we are available on 9820455713 / 8779599356 (Adesh) or 9930318665 / 8369427283 (Mandar) or natureindiatours@gmail.com

Hope to see you for this wonderful trip !!

Thanks for your patience.

Warm Regards,

Adesh Shivkar & Mandar Khadilkar

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