RED PANDA EXPEDITION – A Quest for a Wonderful Creature of the Himalayas

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

Please note that there are no twin-bedded rooms at the lodge. Rooms are available for single or double occupancy by couples only.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

RED PANDA EXPEDITION: DETAILED ITINERARY

Red Panda: Day 1  Our expedition begins this morning at Bagdogra airport, situated at the base of the Himalayas in The Indian state of West Bengal. From there we climb into the Himalayas, enjoying some spectacular views, to Singalila Ridge for a six nights stay.  After a time we enter the reserved forest and after that there are wonderful Himalayan forests rich in birdlife as we wind our way upwards to our accommodation.

[There are regular flight connections to Bagdogra from both Delhi and Kolkata. We can easily arrange just the internal flights for you if you are not having us handle your intercontinental air travel.]

Red Panda: Days 2-6  Singalila National Park protects a huge area of Himalayan forest and open meadows on the Singalia Ridge in the state of West Bengal, with adjacent reserved forest on the Nepal side of the border. The park covers an area of 78.6 square kilometres (30.3 square miles) and its elevation ranges from around 2100m (6900ft) to around 3600m (11800ft), although we will likely not get much above 3000m (9800ft) during our visit. We will be crossing the India-Nepal border a number of times during our visit, but up here in this remote area that presents no issues!

At this time of year, the Himalayan vistas are often quite extraordinary and from different places on the Singalila Ridge, you can see panoramas of Himalayan ridges stretching away into the distance to the great ice-clad peaks of the Main Range. The scene is often dominated by the huge massif of Kangchenjunga (or Kanchenjunga), at 8,586m or 28,169ft this is one of the highest peaks on earth.

Each day our expert trackers will sortie out and try to locate approachable Red Pandas. Not only should we see and photograph this wonderful animal, but at this time of year, we can reasonably hope for multiple encounters!

There is also a hide/blind we can visit where many birds and sometimes even Red Pandas come to feed!

Lots of bird species inhabit Singalila, and while flycatchers, warblers and some others head for the foothills and plains in the colder months, many species remain, including the most spectacular birds of the Eastern Himalayas.

Among the best birds at Singalila are the magnificent Satyr Tragopan (those males glow like fireballs, especially at this time of year!) and the beautiful Blood Pheasant. The beautiful Fire-tailed Myzornis, often a tricky bird to find, can be positively common here.

Among the many other likely species are Kalij Pheasant, Collared Owlet, Darjeeling and Crimson-breasted Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Minivet, Yellow-bellied and White-throated Fantails, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Grey Treepie, Spotted Nutcracker, Large-billed Crow, Goldcrest, White-collared Blackbird, Black-throated Thrush (and perhaps Red-throated also), Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Golden and White-browed Bush Robins, Himalayan Bluetail, Blue-fronted Redstart, Grey Bush Chat, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, the bizarre Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Streaked, Striated, Chestnut-crowned, Scaly, Spotted and Black-faced Laughingthrushes, Rufous-capped Babbler, Hoary-throated and Rusty-fronted Barwings, Rufous Sibia, Stripe-throated and Rufous-vented Yuhinas, Red-tailed and Bar-throated Minlas, the gorgeous Golden-breasted Fulvetta, White-browed and Rufous-winged Fulvettas, Great, Brown, Fulvous and Black-throated Parrotbills, Hodgson’s and Rusty-flanked Treecreepers, White-tailed Nuthatch, Rufous-fronted and Black-throated Bushtits, Yellow-browed, Red-vented, Grey Crested, Coal and Green-backed Tits, Mrs Gould’s, Green-tailed and Fire-tailed Sunbirds, Himalayan Beautiful, Pink-browed, Dark-breasted and Himalayan White-browed Rosefinches, Plain Mountain Finch, Red Crossbill, Red-headed and Brown Bullfinches, White-winged Grosbeak, Grey Wagtail and Olive-backed Pipit.

Apart from the Red Pandas, there are also chances for such mammals as Yellow-throated Martin, Himalayan Serow, Ghoral and Musk Deer.

Note: It is important to appreciate that this is a Red Panda Expedition and that priority will be given to gaining sightings of this endearing critter. There will be lots of birds to see and enjoy but seeing as many bird species as possible is not the goal of this special expedition.

Red Panda: Day 7  Today we will descend to Bagdogra airport where our expedition ends this afternoon.