HIMALAYA WINTER BIRDING TOUR
Watching Himalayan birds in Winter
| Days | 11 Days |
|---|---|
| Tour Price (Per Person) | will be email on enquiry |
| Tour Category | Birding Tour |
| Single Supplement | will be email on enquiry |
| Space Available | 6 |
TOUR START DATES: Mid of November Onwards
This 11 days birding tour will give you wonderful experience of different area of this Himalaya Range. It has Corbett National Park Landscape with riverine belts, marshy depressions, grasslands. Sattal has dense forests of oak and pine trees, Sattal is one of the few unspoiled and unpolluted freshwater biomes in India. These lakes are a paradise for migratory birds. The drive from Nainital to Pangot passes through the forested area of Cheena Peak Range via Snow View Point and Kilbury, which are birding spots.
The main attraction of Pangot are its birds; around 580 bird species have been recorded in this area. One can see a variety of Himalayan species along the way such as lammergeier, Himalayan griffon, blue-winged minla, spotted & slaty-backed forktail, rufous-bellied woodpecker, rufous-bellied niltava, khalij pheasant, variety of thrushes etc. Almost 150 bird species have been recorded at Pangot and the surrounding areas. The numerous perennial & seasonal creeks are home to a variety of flora and fauna including leopards, yellow-throated Himalayan martens, Himalayan palm civets, ghorals, barking deer and sambhar.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is known for its wide variety of flora ranging from 25 types of trees and 24 types of bushes to seven varieties of grasses. The higher altitudes of sanctuary are covered with oak and rhododendron trees. March and April are the months when flowers, especially ruby red rhododendron, are in full bloom.
It has over 200 species of birds including tits, forktail, nuthatches, blackbirds, parakeets, laughingthrush, magpies, kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelana), monal, koklas, eagles, woodpeckers, and Eurasian jays.
Binsar is also home to many reptiles and a wide range of butterflies.
DESTINATIONS COVERED
Corbett Village
From rejuvenating bird songs to exploring miles of quite untouched forests, tracking pug-marks of tiger to chasing deers in the grasslands, you will experience the beautiful effect of nature’s love in vicinity of Jim Corbett’s Village. A large number of people all over the world enjoy bird watching here time to time. There are over 1200 species of birds found in India and out of these more than 350 species are found in Jim Corbett’s Village and surrounding forests.
Attractions
- More than 350 species of birds in a small
- stretch of 4-5 square kms
- Migratory Birds during Winter Months
- Walk inside Dense Forest Area
- Visit to Corbett’s Jungle Studio
Sattal
Sattal literally means ‘Sat Tal or seven lakes’. The lakes are freshwater and interconnected. These lakes are set among the Oak and Pine forests. The lake has an altitude of 1370 metres. Sattal is unique for its biodiversity and ecological amplitude. It has 150 species of resident and migratory birds, 20 species of mammals, over 525 species of butterflies and over 11,000 species of moths, beetles, bugs and other insects. A combine tour of Pangot-Sattal is appropriate for best birding experience.
Studio place :
Sattal have one place called studio which is no less than a miracle where one can just sit with his camera or binocular and the birds comes for bath both in summers and winters. Other destinations are Chafi, and Patonia Village
Pangot Village
Pangot is located about 15 kilometers from Nainital, which is a popular hill station. The drive to here passes through the forested area of Cheena Peak Range via Snow View Point and Kilbury, which are birding spots. The main attraction of Pangot are its birds; around 200 bird species have been recorded in this area. One can see a variety of Himalayan species Himalayan griffon, blue-winged minla, spotted & slaty-backed forktail, rufous-bellied woodpecker, rufous-bellied niltava, khalij pheasant, variety of thrushes etc. Almost 150 bird species have been recorded at Pangot and the surrounding areas. The trails are teemal paani trail, cheer limit and woodpecker point trails.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) is situated about 30 km from Almora district headquarters. It covers an area of c.45 sq. km. There are 32 villages in and around Binsar,
which are dependent on forest resources. Also, there are five privately owned estates, of which three are on the periphery of the core zone. Binsar WLS represents the characteristic floral elements of moist temperate forests, with Oak forests surrounded by Chir Pine and agricultural land. The Oak forest is more diverse than the Pine. A total of 40 species of trees, 32 species of shrubs and ferns, 50 species of herbs, and 19 species of grasses were identified. About 200 species of birds have been recorded at this site.
TOUR FACTS
| Top Birds | Dollar Bird, Indian Pea fowl, Black-lored Tit, Red-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Himalayan Bulbul, Grey-hooded Warbler, Red-billed Leiothrix, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Jungle Myna, Crimson Sunbird, Brown Fish-Owl, Long-tailed Broadbill, Scarlet Minivet , Common Iora, Puff-throated Babbler, Paddyfield Pipit, Asian Barred Owlet, Savanna Nightjar, Ashy Woodswallow, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Crested Kingfisher, Tawny Fish-Owl, Common Green-Magpie, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Oriental Skylark, Booted Eagle, Asian Emerald Dove, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Grey-capped Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker, Greater Flameback etc. |
| Top Mammals | Leopard (Panthera pardus), Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral), chital (Axis axis), musk deer (Moschus spp.), Sumatran serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), jungle cat (Felis chaus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), black bear (Ursus thibetanus), pine marten (Martes martes), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), gray langur (Presbytis entellus), rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista), and Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak). |
| Habitats Covered | Sal Forest, Mixed Forest, Rivierine Forest, Dry Deciduous Forests, River beds, Chaurs (Open landscape) etc |
| Climate | Pleasant at Corbett Village, Cool at Sattal, Pangot and Binsar WLS |
| Max. Group size | 6 persons with 1 Birding Guide |
| Tour Pace and Walking | Moderate, Some location vehicle will be used, specially on Road head Safari |
| Accommodation | Comfortable Home Stay, Jungle Camp with Basic facilities of food, water, electricity, attached washroom etc |
| Ease of Birding | moderate with some tricky and some easy species |
| Other Attraction | fabulous mountain scenery, extensive broad Sal and mixed forests, fascinating people and culture, leopard, Jim Corbett Museum, Sattal Lake, Nainadevi Himalayan Bird Reserve, tiger if you are lucky |
ITINERARY
Day 1:
Pickup by car in the morning from Haldwani Railway Station by 10 am, drive to Corbett Village (22 km / 30 min.), Check in Home stay, Lunch, post lunch evening birding around Corbett village
Day 2 :
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast and go for full day birding, covering area.
with packed Lunch
5:30 pm – Back to Home Stay
6:00 pm Evening Tea / coffee with Snacks
8:00 pm Dinner and overnight stay
Day 3 :
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast and go for Half day birding till 1 pm, lunch, Checkout by 2 pm. Drive towards Sattal (60 km/ 2 hours 30 minutes).
Check in, Acclimatization as it is more cool than Corbett village. Dinner and overnight stay
Day 4 :
6:00 am Get Early morning Breakfast Full Day Birding, evening back to hotel/lodge, dinner and overnight Stay.
Day 5 :
6:00 am Get Early morning Breakfast Full Day Birding, evening back to hotel/lodge, dinner and overnight Stay.
Day 6 :
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast and go for morning birding till 10:30 am. Back to Hotel/Lodge. Check out, Drive to Pangot, Check in by 1:00 pm, Lunch,
Evening birding 3-4 hours. Back to lodge/camp, Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7:
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast. Full day birding with packed Lunch at Pangot.
Day 8:
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast. Full day birding with packed Lunch at Pangot.
Day 9:
After breakfast, Checkout by 9am, Drive toward Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (120 Km/ 4-5 hours drive), Checkin at Home Stay, Evening Birding at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Day 10:
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast. Full day birding with packed Lunch at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Day 11:
6:00 am get early morning Breakfast. Morning Birding, Checkout by 11:00 am. Drive back to Kathgodam Railway Station (121 km , 4-5 Hours Drive), Reach by 6 pm. at Railway Station.
Tour Terminated.