Himalayan Birding: monals, minlas & mesias (15 days) Small Group Tour B509

Introduction

Search for stunning pheasants with our experienced guides – Kalij Pheasants are easy to see in the lower foothill forests of Corbett.  Despite iridescent rainbow-coloured plumage the male Himalayan Monal can be tricky to observe in lichen-draped oak-conifer forest with rhododendron and bamboo, but once seen it’s never forgotten!  We will look for Cheer and Koklass Pheasants near Pangot, where a wealth of other birds occur, from brightly coloured Red-billed Blue Magpie to the very desirable Siberian Rubythroat and several tit species including Rufous-vented and Black-throated.  Sattal (“seven lakes”) also offers productive birding – Golden Bush Robin, various laughingthrushes, warblers and flycatchers are all possible.  At higher altitude around Chopta/Kedarnath WLS we’ll focus on Satyr Tragopan,   Pink-browed and Beautiful Rosefinches.  Birders love grosbeaks and we have a chance of both Black and Yellow and Spot-winged.  This tour includes some great birding in truly stunning scenery.

There are many ways to extend this tour, so please contact us for details

Itinerary and price

Small Group tour: Please enquire for future dates Maximum group size: 8 plus guide

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Meals: Payable directly today Arrive at New Delhi airport where you will be welcomed by your guide and driver who will stay with you for the duration of the tour. Depending on your arrival time you could visit Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary for a few hours to search for Brooks’s Leaf Warbler, Indian Courser and a wealth of waterbirds. Sind Sparrow is recorded here and occurs locally. Night at hotel in Delhi Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner After breakfast (served from 0700 hours) you will drive to Corbett National Park. Wherever you are around Corbett you will be impressed by the abundant bird life and wonderful scenery. The Park is in a huge valley, with thickly forested ridges and open grasslands intersected by the Ramganga and Kosi rivers and their tributaries, all set against a stunning backdrop of the Himalayan foothills. Diverse habitats attract all kinds of bird. Without even entering the Park you have an excellent chance of seeing River Lapwing, Crested Treeswift, Plumbeous Water Redstart, White-capped Redstart, Wallcreeper and the magnificent Crested Kingfisher. Sometimes Tawny Fish Owl and Pallas’s Fish Eagle are spotted and your guide will try hard to locate the cryptic Ibisbill along the Kosi River. With luck you could see Great Slaty Woodpecker. Check in at your lodge and enjoy the remainder of the day birding along the Kosi River. Relax for the evening at your lodge. Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner Full day birding in the buffer zone of Corbett National Park by open jeep and on foot. Watch for Red Junglefowl and Kalij Pheasant along the tracks and perhaps a Lesser Fish Eagle overhead. Also listen out for woodpeckers as there are several to see locally in these forested hills ranging from Brown-capped and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers and perhaps a Speckled Piculet, to the larger and brightly-coloured Grey-headed Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape and Black-rumped Flameback, to name just a few. Night at same lodge Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner This morning after breakfast you will drive to Dhikala zone of Corbett National Park. The drive to Dhikala is a safari in itself and you may see Asian Elephant, Great Hornbill and even Bengal Tiger if you are lucky!  Target species to look for here include Tawny Fish Owl, Hodgson’s Bushchat, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Hawk Eagle, Blue-bearded Bee Eater, Rosy Minivet, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Crimson Sunbird, White-rumped Shama, Scaly-breasted Wren-babbler, Ashy, Black and Himalayan Bulbuls. During the afternoon jeep safari in Dhikala zone you have a reasonable chance of encountering a Tiger, though this depends on luck also. Night at Dhikala Forest Lodge. Note: A night here is quite expensive due to the remote location, so if budget is an issue please speak to us and we can change this to a cheaper  night outside of the park, but this would reduce your chance of seeing one or two species of birds and potentially the chance of a Tiger sighting.  Around Dhikala is usually good for Tiger. Meals: Breakfast at Dhikala, lunch en-route and dinner at Pangot This morning you will have an Elephant safari in Dhikala Zone.  This is a great experience which increases your chance of seeing Tiger, with luck,  but birding from elephant back is a little tricky. The Elephant safari is subject to availability and very occasionally they need the Elephants for survey purposes.  If this were the case (unlikely), you would be offered a jeep safari instead.   After this you will start the journey back through Corbett and on to Pangot, higher up in the Himalayan foothills. Expect this journey to take 4 – 5 hours, birding a little on the way. Check in at your lodge and if time permits enjoy birding down the valley from your lodge were you may add Red-billed Blue Magpie and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch to your list. Relax for the evening. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner This is another bird-rich area and today you’ll search for Koklass Pheasant as well as the more difficult Cheer Pheasant, and there will be plenty more to see in these beautiful wooded Kumaon hills. Great Hill Barbet and Black-headed Jay are often seen and others include Rufous-bellied and Himalayan Woodpeckers, Altai Accentor, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Yellow-browed Tit, White-tailed Nuthatch, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Upland Pipit, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker and Whiskered Yuhina. Breakfast at Pangot, lunch and dinner at Kainchi After a couple of hours of early morning birding drive to the Sattal area to enjoy some lake and mountain birds. Check in and have lunch at your hotel, then in the afternoon head off to explore - typical species may include Siberian Rubythroat, Red-billed Leiothrix, White-throated and Streaked Laughingthrushes, Grey Treepie, White-capped Bunting, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Mountain Chiffchaff, Sulphur-bellied and Hume’s Warblers and so many others. One lucky client even spotted a Himalayan Civet sleeping on a branch.  Night at local hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner You’ll spend the whole day birding locally around the lakes and forests, returning for lunch, and then heading out again. Arrive back at your hotel and relax for the evening. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner There will be time for some early morning birding before starting your journey (approx. 6 hours) to Baijnath, with a short birding stop at Binsar on the way. Arrive Baijnath and check in at your lodge. Rest of the day birding around Baijnath Meals: Breakfast, lunch en-route and dinner After breakfast drive to Chopta and Triyuginarayan area (Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary area). Stopping for lunch & birding en-route. Arrive at Narayankoti and check in at your resort / hotel. Rest of the day birding around your hotel / lodge Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner You will enjoy full day birding around Chopta and Triyuginarayan area (Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary area) and search for many target species which include Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan, Green Shrike-babbler, Black and Yellow Grosbeak, Spot-winged Grosbeak, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Silver-eared Mesia, Red-tailed Minla, Pink-browed Rosefinch, Beautiful Rosefinch, Red-fronted Serin, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler and many more. Night at your hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch en-route and dinner Morning birding around your hotel. Drive to Rishikesh (6 hours) stopping for lunch and occasional short birding breaks en-route. Arrive Rishikesh and check in at your hotel. If time permits enjoy rest of the day birding on the banks of the Ganges. Meals: Breakfast only Morning at leisure.  After breakfast drive to Delhi (05-06 hours). Arrive Delhi International airport and connect with your flight home. Tour ends Tour extensions available. Please contact us for details Price per person: Minumum of 4 people and maximum of 8 (on a twin share basis) approx. £1300 per person Single room supplement £445 Price is based on the following hotels:

Place	Hotel name	No. of nights
Delhi	Hotel Lohmod, Executive Room	1
Corbett	Camp Riverwild, Deluxe Cottage	2
Dhikala	Dhikala Forest Lodge, Standard Room	1
Pangot	Nest Cottages, Cottage	2
Sattal/Kainchi	Sudha Amar Retreat, Deluxe Room	2
Baijnath	KMVN Guest House, Executive Room	1
Narayankoti	Kailash Residency, Deluxe Room	3
Rishikesh	Hotel Ganga Kinare, Deluxe Room	1

Price includes

• Accommodation in the above mentioned hotels with meals as listed
• All mentioned transfers by air-conditioned vehicle (saloon car for 2 and Innova for 3 & 4)
• One full day use of jeep for birding outside Corbett National Park
• 2  jeep safaris inside Dhikala Zone of Corbett National Park on an exclusive basis with mandatory park guide inclusive of entrance fee
• 1 elephant safari at Dhikala Zone of Corbett National Park
• Accompanying bird guide from Day 2 to Day 15
• All National Park and Sanctuary entrance fees
• All currently applicable taxes

Price excludes

• Any international airfare to/from India including International airport tax
• Meals not specified
• Tourist visa and travel insurance
• Camera fee
• Any additional taxes levied by the Government of India on the tourism sector in future
• Any expenses of personal nature such as hard/soft drinks, laundry, phone/fax calls, tips etc.
• Any item not mentioned in the price includes section
• Any increase in the entrance fee to National Parks or Sanctuaries in the future. The price is based on the current entrance fee
• Cost incidental to any change in the itinerary/stay on account of flight cancellation due to bad weather, ill health, roadblocks and/or any factors beyond control

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