Northeast Indian Birdwatching Tour
This 16-day India Birding Tour in Northeast Region (small-group) is a moderately paced trip available as a set departure (or available on request) focusing on the birds of the Brahmaputra floodplain and a range of altitudes in the Eastern Himalayas. Expect to see around 420 species of bird including numerous sought-after Eastern Himalayan specialties, plus approximately 20 mammals, during this Northeast India birdwatching tour.
This India Birding Tour takes us to the country’s richest birding area in the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. We explore a cross-section of elevations and habitats, from swamp forests and wetlands in the Brahmaputra Valley through dense montane rainforests at the border with Bhutan, to one of the highest motorable passes in the Himalayas. As well as providing superb birding, it offers superb encounters with several iconic Indian mammals in some of India’s best wildlife reserves.
Our birdwatching tour in India begins in the outskirts of Guwahati, where we will look for the range-restricted Greater Adjutant before moving on to Nameri National Park. Here, we will explore superb tracts of the sub-Himalayan forest looking for Abbott’s Babbler, Wreathed Hornbill and Pied Falconet, the elusive White-winged Duck in secluded forest pools, and Ibisbill along the Jia Bhorelli River.
Leaving Assam, we will drive up into the Eastern Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh to the hill town of Dirang. From our base at Dirang, we’ll visit Sangthi Valley, where we will look for Black-tailed Crake and Long-billed plovers. We will also spend a day exploring a range of elevations and habitats along the Mandala Road, where an extensive list of potential Himalayan specialities comprises enticing species such as Fire-tailed Myzornis and Slender-billed Scimitar-babbler. A highlight of the tour will be the morning we spend birding at Se La Pass, one of the highest accessible parts of the Himalayas, looking for high altitude birds including the stunning Grandala and Himalayan Monal.
We will spend the next five days birding at Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, perhaps one of India’s best birdwatching sites. From the sanctuary jeep track, we will explore conifers, rhododendrons, subtropical broadleaf forest and bamboo, enjoying the incredible birdlife of primary forests that extend from mid-elevations down into the plains. Birding here will be immensely enjoyable and productive as we focus on some of the most sought-after birds of the Eastern Himalayas, including Ward’s Trogon, Himalayan Cutia, and the recently discovered (2006) Bugun Liocichla.
Finally, we return to the plains of Assam to spend our last few days birding at Kaziranga National Park. In the fertile grasslands and extensive wetlands that flank the Brahmaputra River, we will look for Bengal Florican, Striated Grassbird and Pied Harrier. As we explore the reserve from open jeeps, we will also encounter an abundance of iconic Indian mammals such as Indian Rhinoceros and Asian Elephant, with the chance of Tiger.
India Birding Tour in Northeast Region Highlights includes:
- Experience spectacular birding in Northeast India, in the country’s richest birding area at the border with Bhutan.
- Visit a wide variety of habitats, from the picturesque grasslands and swamp forest of the Brahmaputra floodplain to atmospheric, moss-draped montane rainforest in the Eastern Himalayas.
- Drive up to one of the highest accessible passes in the entire Himalayan chain, in search of sought-after high-altitude Himalayan specialties.
- Encounter an incredible diversity of species, with highlights that include numerous Eastern Himalayan birds and the mixed-species feeding flocks that sweep through mid-altitude forests.
- Big cats and more - the chance of Bengal Tiger at Kaziranga National Park, plus Indian Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, and a fine selection of smaller mammals.
Please note: this set-departure tour is also available as a private or custom tour on request. Please submit an enquiry for your preferred dates, route, and tour refinements.
If you have a little more time to spend on your holiday, maybe you’d consider a longer North India Birding and Wildlife Tour like this one.
Alternative Tour Name: Northeast India: Assam Plains and the Eastern Himalayas
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