DAY 0 - EARLY ARRIVAL

The tour begins in Paro, the main gateway to Bhutan and the only international airport. Paro is reached by flights from Delhi, India or from Bangkok, Thailand. Flights from Delhi may arrive in the evening, in which case it's necessary to arrive the night before the tour begins. Flights from Bangkok typically arrive in the morning. In the latter case, day tours of Paro can be arranged prior to hotel check-in if you arrive a day early. Persons arriving from Bangkok can optionall arrive the following morning, Day 1 of the itinerary, and proceed directly to Thimphu from the airport. We do not recommend this option in case of flight delays. Night at a hotel in Paro.

DAY 1 - MORNING ARRIVAL & TRANSFER TO THIMPHU

Morning transfer to the capital city of Thimphu. We'll be driving through the Paro Valley, passing the impressive Rinpung/Paro Dzong (Monastery) enroute. Certainly our most important target bird is the rare, uniquely beautiful Ibisbill that regularly occurs along the river. We'll also be seeking the secretive Black-tailed Crake and the much sought after Solitary Snipe. Other more common birds in the valley include Speckled Wood-Pigeon, River Lapwing, Eurasian Hoopoe, Gray-backed Shrike, Red-billed Chough, Large-billed Crow, Black Bulbul, Brown Dipper, Blue Whistling-Thrush, and Plumbeous Redstart. With luck we may encounter Rufous-fronted Bushtit, a regional specialty. Depending on time of year, we may encounter some lingering winter visitors such as Wallcreeper and Hodgson's Redstart. Night at a hotel in Thimphu.

DAY 2 - JIGME DORJI NATIONAL PARK

We'll depart early and drive to Jigme Dorji National Park in the Tashitang Valley. It's about a 45min. drive up the Cheri Valley to the entrance area. Much of this very large park is inaccessible. It's the only park in the world where Snow Leopards and Tigers coexist. We won't be seeing either one there. We do expect some good birding along a forest trail and from roadsides including possibly Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Long-tailed Minivet, Buff-barred Warbler, Black-browed Tit, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Brown Dipper, White-collared Blackbird, Blue-fronted Redstart, White-capped Redstart, Green-tailed Sunbird, and Rufous-breasted Accentor. After lunch back in Thimphu, we'll spend the afternoon visiting the Trashi Chloe Dzong and other cultural sites in the city. Night at a hotel in Thimphu.

DAY 3 - TRANSFER & PHOBJIKA VALLEY

Depart early for the Phobjika Valley, a nearly 4 hour drive. After arrival, we'll spend the afternoon birding in the valley. The valley is at an elevation of 9840ft. and is the wintering grounds for the endangered Black-necked Crane. The wetlands in the valley are home to Ruddy-breasted Crake and Black-tailed Crake.P Possible birds in the valley include Fire-capped Tit, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Great Parrotbill, Whiskered Yuhina, Rufous-vented Yuhina, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Spotted Laughingthrush, Scaly Thrush, Blue-capped Rock-Thrush, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Alpine Accentor, Scarlet Finch, and Red-headed Bullfinch. Enroute we'll do some birding in Yotong La pass, another opportunity to look for higher elevation birds not yet seen such as White-browed Robin, Gray-sided Bush Warbler, Brown Parrotbill, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, White-browed Robin-Chat, Alpine Accentor, White-winged Grosbeak, Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch, and others. Night at a hotel in Phobjikha Valley.

DAY 4 - PELE LA PASS & CHUMEY

Depart early for Pele La Pass for some high altitude birding around 11,220ft. Birds of interest there include Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Himalayan Monal, Blyth's Swift, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Himalayan Buzzard, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Blue-Magpie, Eurasian Nutcracker, Rufous-vented Tit, Yellow-browed Tit, Nepal House-Martin, Hume's Bush Warbler, White-browed Fulvetta, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Crimson Finch, Collared Grosbeak, and White-winged Grosbeak. Then transfer to Chuney, about a 2½ hour drive. Afternoon visit Tharpaling Monastery for some birding and sightseeing there. Night at a hotel in Chumey.

DAY 5 - YONGKO LA

Morning drive to Yongko La, centered on the most bird rich areas in Bhutan. We will arive around lunch time aftr a 4½ hour drive. After arrival birding around the camp area or other nearby sites. Night at a tented or the new guesthouse at Yongko La.

DAY 6-8 - YONGKO LA

We'll spend three full days birding around Yongko La. The exact locales depend on our birding success each day. Sites include the camp at Yongko La, roadsides descending downslope toward Lingmethang, roadsides toward Namling, and other nearby sites. This bird rich area is one of the best birding sites in Asia. We'll be concentrating on a variety of key species such as Satyr Tragopan, Ward's Trogon, Black-headed Shrike-Babbler, Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler, Long-billed Wren-Babbler, Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Himalayan Cutia, Hoary-throated Barwing, Gould's Shortwing, Golden Bush-Robin, and Gold-naped Finch. After dark we'll look for Hodgson's Frogmouth and Brown Wood-Owl. There are a couple sites where the difficult and much sought after Beautiful Nuthatch is often seen. Nights at a tented or the new guesthouse at Yongko La.

DAY 9 - NAMLING, SENGOR, & TRONGSA

We'll backtrack the way we came toward Trongsa with birding enroute at Namling and Sengor enroute. We'll focus on any species we missed the preceding 4 days. Afternoon in Trongsa visit the Trongsa Dzong and other cultural sites. Night at a hotel in Trongsa.

DAY 10 - MANGDE CHHU RIVER & amp; TINGTIBI

We'll drive south toward Tingtibi, birding along the Mangde Chhu River looking especially for the critically endangered White-bellied Heron along the river. It's about a 2½ drive to Tingtibi each direction. We also hope to see the endangered Golden Langur, which has become something of a pest in agricultural areas south of the city. Once there, we'll bird temperate forest areas around Tingtibi. Of particular interest are stands of bamboo, home to bamboo specialists such as Pale-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Pale-billed Parrotbill, Black-crowned Scimitar-Babbler, White-hooded Babbler, and Collared Babbler. A key target species is the rare and much sought-after Beautiful Nuthatch. Many other birds occur in this amazing place. Notable species include Green-billed Malkoha, Asian Green Bee-eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Himalayan Flameback, Lesser Yellownape, Long-tailed Broadbill, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Black-eared Shrike-Babbler, Maroon Oriole, Sultan Tit, Black-crested Bulbul, Whistler's Warbler, Mountain Tailorbird, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, Collared Babbler, Abbott's Babbler, Long-tailed Sibia, Silver-eared Mesia, Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush, Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch. Night at a hotel in Trongsa.

DAY 11 - TRONGSA & PUNAKHA

Morning will be devoted to birding around Trongsa, possibly in Mangde Chhu River Forest Reserve or other sites. Possibilities we may see include Kalij Pheasant, Great Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Blue-Magpie, Pygmy Cupwing, Gray-bellied Tesia, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Bhutan Laughingthrush, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, White-tailed Nuthatch, Sikkim Treecreeper, Little Forktail, Blue-fronted Redstart, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, and Mrs. Gould's Sunbird. Afternoon transfer to Punakha with possible birding enroute as time permits. Night at a hotel in Punakha.

DAY 12 - MO CHHU RIVER & PUNAKHA

Morning birding a forest area north of Punakha toward the entrance of Jigme Dorji National Park along the Mo Chhu River. We should see Crested Kingfisher along the river with a possibility of seeing the critically endangered White-bellied Heron. Another key species we hope to see is Pallas's Fish Eagle. Other possibilities include Kalij Pheasant, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Golden-throated Barbet, Rufous Woodpecker, Scarlet Minivet, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Gray Treepie, Green-backed Tit, Nepal Fulvetta, Striated Laughingthrush, Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush, Small Niltava, and Black-throated Sunbird. Afternoon visit the Punakha Dzong. Night at a hotel in Punakha.

DAY 13 - DOCHU LA PASS & PARO VALLEY

Depart early for the scenic Dochu La Pass, reaching 10,100ft in elevation. The pass is colorful as well as possibly scenic with numerous prayer flags flapping in the wind and lovely Rhododendrons in abundance. Our primary target bird in the pass is Great Parrotbill. We may encounter other birds that occasionally show themselves such as the skulking Hill Partridge, as well as Satyr Tragopan, the quite common Eurasian Nutcracker, and the occasional Fire-tailed Myzornis, Himalayan Cutia, and Golden Bush-Robin. From there bird the Paro Valley passing the impressive Rinpung/Paro Dzong (Monastery) on our way to Paro. Certainly our most important target bird in the valley is the rare, uniquely beautiful Ibisbill that regularly occurs along the river. We'll also be seeking the secretive Black-tailed Crake and the much sought after Solitary Snipe. Other more common birds in the valley include Speckled Wood-Pigeon, River Lapwing, Eurasian Hoopoe, Gray-backed Shrike, Red-billed Chough, Large-billed Crow, Black Bulbul, Brown Dipper, Blue Whistling-Thrush, and Plumbeous Redstart. With luck we may encounter Rufous-fronted Bushtit, a regional specialty. Depending on time of year, we may encounter some lingering winter visitors such as Wallcreeper and Hodgson's Redstart. Night at a hotel in Paro.

DAY 14 - TIGER'S NEST MONASTERY

All day hike up to Tiger's Nest Monastery. The hike itself takes 5-6 hours. We'll do some birding enroute to the trailhead and during the hike. This will be a day to obtain some souvenirs and visit this famed site.

DAY 15 - CHELI LA PASS

All day birding the highlands of Cheli La Pass, the highest point on the road between Paro and the Ha Valley. This is an excellent site to see the iridescent Himalayan Monal if it was missed earlier. Also present there are Blood Pheasant and Kalij Pheasant. The alpine meadows at the pass and forest a bit lower down offer Snow Pigeon, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Eurasian Nutcracker, Himalayan Bluetail, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, Alpine Accentor, Altai Accentor, White-winged Grosbeak, Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch, and Plain Mountain Finch. On the lower slopes the denser forest is home to Black-faced Laughingthrush and Spotted Laughingthrush. Night at a hotel in Paro.

DAY 16 - END OF TOUR

After breakfast transfer to the airport for international flight home. Tour ends at the airport.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFO
(Not on Menu Above)

• Country Map
• Accommodations
• Photos from Past Tours
• Travel Information

BIRDING LOCALES

• Chele La Pass
• Dochu La
• Jigme Dorji National Park
• Lower Lingmethang Road & Namling
• Mangde Chhu River Forest
• Mo Chhu River
• Phobjikha Valley
• Punakha
• Tharpaling Monastery
• Tiger's Nest Monastery Trail
• Tingtibi Area
• Upper Lingmethang Road & Sengor
• Yongko La
• Yotong La