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BHUTAN

The Ultimate Himalayan Bird Tour

Thursday 21st April - Sunday 8th May 2011
(18 days)

Leader: Dave Farrow

Group Size Limit: 9

Tour Category: Easy to Moderate

Bhutan is home to a large number of northeast Himalayan specialities, none of which are more highly-sought than the wonderful Ward's Trogon (Dave Farrow)

(Note: This is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Bhutan is a land of superlatives, the last surviving example of a Tibetan Buddhist Kingdom that proudly guards and treasures its cultural and natural heritage. Blessed with a tiny population and steep inaccessible valleys, it holds fabulous pristine forests that are almost entirely untouched and are full of birds.

By far greatest diversity of Himalayan bird species is to be found in the Eastern Himalayas and a journey through Bhutan provides the opportunity to see such delights as Satyr Tragopan, Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, Dark-rumped Swift, Ward’s Trogon, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Coral-billed and Slender-billed Scimitar-Babblers, Long-billed, Rufous-throated, Bar-winged and Spotted Wren-Babblers, the strange Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler, the near-endemic Bhutan Laughingthrush, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, White-naped Yuhina, Fulvous, Great, Brown and Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills, Blue-fronted Robin, Broad-billed Warbler, Beautiful Nuthatch and a cacophony of laughingthrushes, just to mention some of the endless highlights this fantastic journey has to offer.

Bhutan is an unspoilt, thinly-populated country that offers not only the finest birding in the Himalayas but also a wonderful cultural and travel experience. Hotel accommodation ranges from good to reasonable and roads are fairly good (and mostly have delightfully little traffic), but on this very comprehensive itinerary, that produces more Bhutanese specialities than any other, we will have to stay in outfitted camps (in quite comfortable style, complete with sleeping, dining, toilet and shower tents) in areas with no guesthouses. Being able to stay right in the midst of such superb Himalayan environments, with the best birding in the country all around us, is an experience that greatly adds to the wonders of our Bhutanese journey. All in all, Bhutan offers the discerning birder a truly unforgettable adventure!

We are most fortunate to be able to visit such an exciting place and our tour will explore the very best of Bhutan’s bird habitats, concentrating on the central and eastern parts of the country, which are the richest of all. We will drive over high passes into forested valleys at Punakha, Tongsa and Jakar and then continue eastwards to the superb and seldom-visited ‘Lingmethang Road’. From this magnificent area we will travel still further east and finally descend through some lower altitude forests around Deothang to the border town of Samdrup Jongkhar. Here we finally leave the country and enter the wide plains of Assam.

Nearly two-thirds of Bhutan is forest, the remaining fraction is either above the treeline or under agriculture in the narrow valley bottoms, most of the land being too steep for any settlement or farming. There is only one road traversing the country, and prior to the 1960s there were none. The Buddhist values of the Bhutanese people mean that they have for centuries led their lives in harmony with their environment; their beliefs show a deep reverence and respect for all sentient beings, and they are thus perfect guardians of what is now emerging as the ultimate place for birding in the mountains of South Asia. The country has only opened its doors to foreigners quite recently, and although it does so with outstanding hospitality, it is not without some reserve, wishing to avoid the negative side-effects of uncontrolled tourism apparent in other developing nations. Numbers of visitors are restricted to a strict quota and the government imposes a fixed and high daily tariff, which, bizarrely, is exactly the same whether one is staying in the best hotel in Thimphu or camping in the hills!

The government’s stated commitment to conservation and sustainable development ought to ensure that the sublime forests of Bhutan are protected, and that they still hold a bounty of birdlife just waiting to be enjoyed in the years to come, but in many areas of the country deforestation is already gathering pace. For now, however, there is still plenty of forest remaining even along the roads and so our tour will spend day after day immersed in lush mountain forests while our travels will be enlivened by a series of splendid and impressive dzongs (fortress monasteries) that usually occupy eagles-nest locations of strategic importance. The Bhutanese people still dress in traditional garb and their customs and lifestyles are preserved with enthusiasm and pride. All these factors combine to make this country one of the most rewarding and thrilling bird tour destinations available today.

Birdquest has operated tours to Bhutan since 1997.

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/guesthouses are mostly of normal Birdquest standard. The guesthouse at Tashigang and the hotel at Samdrup Jongkhar, are clean but pretty simple establishments, although all rooms have private bathrooms. On the Lingmethang Road and in the Deothang area we will camp for a total of seven nights in a total of three different localities, all arrangements being made by our competent and friendly Bhutanese camp staff. Sleeping tents are 2-person size (but are available for single occupancy) and we will also have toilet tents, a shower tent and a large dining tent, so the whole experience is quite comfortable and the settings often delightful. Road transport is by small coach and roads are reasonably good (with very little traffic).

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

Climate: Conditions at this season range from fairly hot at lower altitudes to warm at middle altitudes and cool or even cold at high altitudes. Sunny periods alternate with wet and overcast conditions.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.

Pricing

Pricing is available in £ | $

Tour Price: $6980 Delhi/Delhi. Paro/Guwahati arrangements are also possible: please contact us. Price includes all transportation (including Delhi-Paro and Guwahati-Delhi flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room/Tent Supplement: $587.

Deposit: $700. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only $220.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

Pricing is available in £ | $

The wonderful Rufous-necked Hornbill is another great bird that will be high on our wish list (Dave Farrow)

As we traverse the country we can expect some wonderful scenes as we pass mile after mile of pristine habitat with superb birding just from the road! (Dave Farrow)