Himalayan Birding Tours

Day 01: Delhi-Sat Tal

Meals on own (there is a restaurant in the hotel) Drive in the morning to Sat Tal (6 hours). Afternoon birding with a guide near the lodge. The habitat offers species such as white-crested laughingthrush, rufous-gorgeted flycatcher, red-billed leothrix, Siberian rubythroat, rock bunting etc. This scattered and deliberately undeveloped area is one of the most pleasant destinations.
Overnight stay in a hotel.

Day 02: Sat Tal-Pangot (Nainital)

Meals, dinner Full day birding in and around Sat Tal. Look for rufous-chinned thrush, rufous-breasted accentor, greater yellow-naped flameback, speckled piculet etc. You will be transferred to Pangot (2-hr.), a journey that takes you on one of the world's more spectacular mountain roads as we climb up into the Kumaon Hills on our way to this 'lake city'. One can stop along the way to look for birds which may include blue whistling thrush, red-billed blue magpie, blue-capped redstart, white capped water redstart etc.
Overnight stay at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge.

Day 03 & 04: Pangot

Meals, breakfast, lunch & dinner Birding at Pangot, Baggar, Timla Pani, Cheena Peak & Nainital. One can see slaty-headed & red-breasted parakeet, grey bushchat, long-tailed & grey-backed shrike, common kestrel, besra, chestnut-bellied rock thrush etc. Streaked laughing thrush is a common garden bird here.

Day 05: Pangot

Meals breakfast, lunch & dinner A trail leads up to Cheena Peak, which at 2610 meters offers views of the snow-clad Himalayan peaks including Nanda Devi. Also a very good birding area is the quiet old road through oak & rhododendron forests. The viewpoint is alive with grey-headed canary flycatcher, white-throated laughing thrush, grey-winged blackbird, green-backed tit. We also look for hill barbet, grey-headed woodpecker, black-chinned babbler, black-headed and maroon oriole. Nearby mountains could include Himalayan griffon vulture, lammergeyer, khalij, koklas & cheer pheasant, crimson sunbird, fire-breasted flowerpecker etc.

Day 06: Pangot-Ranikhet

Meals breakfast, lunch & dinner Early start for a 4-hour drive to Ranikhet through the Himalayan roads stopping en route for birding and to look for three species of forktails & brown dipper. Birding in the surroundings of the lodge. One can see green-tailed sunbird, scaly-breasted wren-babbler, black bulbul, rufous sibia, black eagle, red-headed & Egyptian vulture, black-throated sunbird, blue-throated barbet, common kestrel etc.

Day 07: Ranikhet-Corbett National Park

Meals breakfast, lunch & dinner Drive to Corbett National Park in the morning stopping en route for birding at Kumeria. Corbett Tiger reserve has a spectacular avifauna diversity. Great hornbill, Pallas's fish eagle, grey-headed & lesser fish eagle, red-collared falconet etc. are some of the rare birds that are found in Corbett. More birds include tawny fish owl, scaly-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted parakeet, Himalayan swiftlet, stork-billed & crested kingfisher and white-tailed & Siberian rubythroat. Tiger Camp makes an ideal base for birding.

Day 08: Dhikala Forest Lodge (Corbett National Park)

Meals breakfast & dinner Drive early morning to Dhikala tourism zone. Arrive at the main tourist complex in the afternoon. Afternoon visit to the grasslands for birding. Overnight stay at Dhikala Forest Lodge. Birding in the lower jungle track along the Ramganga river is very rewarding for water birds such as river lapwings, waders, mergansers and other waterfowl. While relaxing at the lodge or visiting the grasslands one can see long-tailed nightjar, jungle owlet, spot-bellied owl, common stonechat, black francolin, purple and crimson sunbird, golden-fronted & orange-bellied leafbird, black-shouldered kite, hen harrier, changeable hawk-eagle, chestnut-tailed starling etc.

Day 09: Corbett National Park

Meals breakfast, lunch & dinner Morning elephant safari through the grasslands and dense forests. This is the best mode of transport for tiger-tracking. Return for breakfast and then spend time till lunch on a watchtower overlooking a water hole. Drive to Tiger Camp stopping en route for birding. Some of the best birding areas of Dhikala are Sambhar Road and Khinanauli. One can expect to see great slaty woodpecker, great hornbill, puff-throated babbler, white-rumped shama, pallas's fish eagle etc. Arrive at Tiger Camp for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 10: Corbett National Park

Meals breakfast, lunch & dinner Full day at Corbett with a morning or evening elephant / jeep ride into the park. You may search the boulder-strewn river for the rare and elusive Ibisbill as well as brown dipper. The best birding areas are in the buffer zone along the Kosi River near Tiger Camp. You can also bird-watch across the river from the resort that can be crossed by a bridge a short distance upriver from the hotel or by wading across the Kosi. It can be fairly rewarding as one can see mergansers, crested kingfisher, green heron, egrets and cormorants etc.

Day 11: Corbett National Park-Delhi

Meals breakfast, packed lunch You will explore the river edge at Kumeria for tawny & brown fish owl, Asian barred owlet, plumbeous redstart, brown dipper and the three species of forktails. Other species that are possible in the forest are crested tree swift, spangled drongo, blue bearded bee-eater etc. Drive back to Delhi at noon. Arrive Delhi in the evening (6-hour drive).