Delhi or Kolkata – Bagdogra – Siliguri – Kalimpong – Gangtok – Rabangla – Pemayangtse – Yuksom– Darjeeling – Bagdogra – Kolkata or Delhi
Area covered: Mahananda Birding circuit, Lava & West Sikkim
BEST SEASON – October to April
Day 1 – Arrive Kolkata. Stay at Oberoi Grand. Sightseeing including Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge, Indian Museum. OPTION – extend your stay in Kolkata.
Day 2 and 3 –fly to Bagdogra. Drive to Siliguri – stay at Hotel Sinclairs. Visit Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary for birding.
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Located just outside Siliguri along the Mahananda river, this sanctuary is well known for its large population of elephants. As a result it has not yet been explored by birders. The deciduous forests and riverside belt provides habitat for a rich variety of birds in the sanctuary.
Some of the birds you might spot are Red Naped Ibis, Black Baza, Besra, Greater Coucal, Large Cuckoo Shrike, Black- hooded Oriole, Indian roller, Green- billed Malkhoa, Red Jungle Fowl, Indian Grey Hornbill, Himalayan Griffon, Jungle and Asian Barred owlet, various Bee eaters, Egret, Common Hill Myna. |
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Day 4 to 8 – Drive to Kalimpong (about 2 hours) . Stay at The Orchid Retreat. En route birding at a different section of the Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary.
Make daily trips to Lava Forests, Rushet Forests, and Neora Forests, visiting identified hot spots.
Lava is the prime birding destination in this region. It is a small bazaar. 0nce a halting place for caravans on the trade routes to Bhutan and Sikkim. Surrounded by very large tracts of protected forests ranging in elevation between 1600 and 2400 m, it includes the remote and uninhabited Neora National Park, and it is a bird watcher's delight. |
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There are several sites for bird watching and photography around Lava and the adjoining Neora National Park. The forests have rough roads and walking trails. Birding is feasible from the main roads, however for deeper entry, forest department permission and a guide is required. We can arrange this for you.
Birds recorded are White- cheeked Bulbul, Red -vented Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Maroon -backed Accentor, Chestnut -bellied Rock Thrush, Blue -whistling Thrush, Plain -backed Thrush, Grey -winged Blackbird, Grey -sided Thrush, Dark -throated Thrush, Grey -bellied Tesia, Brownish -flanked Bush Warbler, Aberrant Bush Warbler, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler, Buff -barred Warbler, Ashy -throated Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, Golden -spectacled Warbler, Grey -hooded Warbler, Grey -cheeked Warbler, Chestnut -crowned Warbler, Black -faced Warbler, Broad -billed Warbler, Siberian Flycatcher, Rufous -gorgeted Flycatcher, Snowy -browed Flycatcher, White -gorgeted Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Slaty -blue Flycatcher, Sapphire Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher, Large Niltava, Rufous -bellied Niltava, Grey‑headed Canary Flycatcher, Red -flanked Bluetail, Rufous -breasted Bush Robin, Blue -fronted Redstart, White -capped Redstart, Plumbeous Redstart, Little Forktail, Spotted Forktail, Common Stonechat, Grey Bushchat, Yellow -bellied Fantail, White -throated Fantail, White -throated Laughingthrush, Striated Laughingthrush, |
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Day 9 – Drive to Gangtok (about 4 hours) enroute visit the famous Rumtek monastery. Stay at Hotel Nor Khill. Sightseeing. OPTION – extend your stay in Gangtok.
Day 10 – Gangtok to Rabangla. The day starts with a visit to the Enchey monastery,
located about 1 km. This monastery was built by Lama Druptob Karpo, a tantric master known for his power of flying. Built in the early part of this century, it follows the Nyingmapa tradition and his pagoda style architecture unique to the Sikkimese monasteries. Institute of Tibetology - renowned world-wide centre for study of Buddhist philosophy and religion, a treasure house of rare thankas, statues, over 200 Buddhist icons and prized objects of art. Do-Drul Chorten: One of the most important stupas of Sikkim built by Trulsi Rimpoche, head of the Nyingma order. The stupa contains rare mandalas of Dorji Phurpa (Vajra Kalayan), holy books, mantras and is encircled by 108 prayer wheels. Proceed to Rabangla. Overnight at Mt. Narshing Resort, Rabangla. |
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Day 11 and 12 - Drive to Pemayangtse, stay at Mt Pandim Hotel. But first a 4 hrs birding walk to Menam forests of oak, chestnuts, magnolia and rhododendrons. at altitude of 2900m. Proceed to Pemayangtse, with birding halts enroute at selected spots.
Visit Pemayangtse monastery, hear the chanting of the morning prayers by the young and the old monks and inhale the fragrance of the burning Janifers Squamatra and Rhododendron Nivele. Pemayangtse, also known as the ‘Perfect Sublime Lotus’, is one of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim. Birding for the full day visiting Pemayangtse and Sanga Choling Monasteries - which are prime birding sites. |
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Birds to look out for are: Mountain Hawk Eagle, Black Eagle, Himalayan Griffon, Common, Oriental and Indian Cuckoo, White-throated Needle Tail, Great Barbet, Grey-headed and Bay Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape, Grey Treepie, Striated Bulbul, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-capped and Black-chinned Babbler, Hoary-throated and Rusty-fronted Barwing, Striated, Grey-sided and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Rufous-winged and White-browed Fulvetta, Whiskered Yuhina, Cutia and many more.
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Day 13 and 14 – Drive to Yuksom. (about 4 hours) Stay at Hotel Norbuganag. Enroute stop at Khichepheri Lake for birding.
Some of the birds to look out for are: migrant ducks, Black Necked Grebe, Baer's Pochard, Speckled Wood Pigeon, Emerald Cuckoo, Blue -winged and Scaly Laughing thrush, White-naped Yuhina and many of the birds at Pemayangtse.
A day ‘s birding around Yuksom. Some of the birds you are likely to see are: Mountain Hawk Eagle, Crimson- breasted Woodpecker, Maroon Oriole, Short-billed and Grey -chinned Minevets, Himalayan Bulbul, Red -tailed Minla, White-naped Yuhina, various Thrushes, Grey winged Blackbird, various Tits, White -tailed Nuthatch, and various sunbirds, and various bush cats. |
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Day 15 and 16 – Drive to Darjeeling (about 5 hours) along the Rangit River Valley. Stay at the Mayfair Hotel.
Early morning visit Tiger Hill for fabulous sun rise views of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world at 7409m. Mt. Everest and a host of other Himalayan giants are also seen on the horizon. This place is also a good spot for birding. Visit a Tibetan- Buddhist monastery at Ghoom, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the Tibetan Refugee Camp and the tea garden. Ride in the toy train.
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Day 17- Drive to Bagdogra for flight to onward destination – Delhi or Kolkata. Stay at The Imperial (Delhi) or Oberoi Grand(Kolkata). OPTION – extend your stay in Delhi or Kolkata.
NOTE: Bird sightings depend greatly on season, timing, and patience. Sightings mentioned in the itinerary are only a guide and can not be guaranteed.
A permit is required to visit Sikkim. Best to get the Indian visa endorsed with this permit at the time of visa application. We can arrange visas and permits.
OPTION – spend a few days at the Glenburn Tea Estate, near Darjeeling. Visit Kaziranga National Park.
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