WESTERN TRAGOPAN & SPINY BABBLER EXPEDITION – The jewel of the Great Himalaya and Kathmandu

PRICE INFORMATION

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

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

We also include these flights:

Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi

Delhi-Kathmandu

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)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

During the camping nights all participants have their own individual tent, so the supplement relates to the hotel/lodge nights 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.

WESTERN TRAGOPAN & SPINY BABBLER EXPEDITION: DETAILED ITINERARY

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 1  Our expedition begins this morning at Delhi, from where we will take a flight to the city of Chandigarh and then drive through the Himalayan foothills to Gushaini in the state of Himachal Pradesh, close to the border of Great Himalaya National Park, where we will stay for two nights.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 2  Birding around Gushaini this morning, with the number one target being the superb Cheer Pheasant (a western Himalayan speciality, with much of the surviving population in India).

In the afternoon we will commence our Western Tragopan trek with an easy walk up a beautiful river valley to our first campsite.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Days 3-8  We will make our way through the truly magnificent forests, meadows and alpine scenery of India’s spectacular Great Himalaya National Park. We will camp in the park at different sites and we will explore all the major habitats from around 1500m (4900ft) to around 3700m (12,100ft). The scenery is awesome at times with some magnificent views of the snow- and ice-clad High Himalayas.

Our prime target will, of course, be the magnificent Western Tragopan, a species that has so far been seen by very few birders, as it takes a special expedition to get into its limited range in the Western Himalayas. This is the peak time for activity, with calling males setting up their territories as spring sets in, so we have an excellent opportunity to observe this fabulous bird several times.

The stunning Himalayan Monal should also be seen and there is a good chance for Koklass Pheasant.

Other specialities restricted to the western and central Himalayas from Nepal to India and often Pakistan include Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Himalayan Woodpecker, Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, Nepal (or Immaculate) Cupwing, Black-chinned Babbler, Variegated Laughingthrush, Streaked Laughingthrush, Rufous-naped Tit, Spot-winged Tit, Black-lored Tit, the attractive White-throated Tit, White-cheeked Nuthatch, Kashmir Nuthatch, the unusual-looking Spectacled Finch, Pink-browed Rosefinch, Blyth’s Rosefinch (split from Red-mantled) and the smart Black-and-yellow Grosbeak. There is an outside possibility of Orange Bullfinch, but the status of the latter is poorly understood and it may only be a winter visitor to the area.

There will be many other species present that have a wider distribution in the Himalayas, and we will see many of them, but naturally enough on this special expedition, we will be giving priority to the most important species that are restricted to this marvellous part of the world.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 9  After some final birding this morning we walk out of the magical Great Himalaya National Park and then drive to Soja for an overnight stay.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 10  We will break our journey back to lowland India at Chail in the Himalayan foothills where we can add some extra species, most notably the regionally-endemic Black-headed Jay. Other likely species include Kalij Pheasant.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 11  After spending much of the day around Chail we will return to Chandigarh for an overnight stay.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 12  From Chandigarh, we take a morning flight to Delhi and an onward flight to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, for a two nights stay.

Depending on our arrival time, we may have time for some initial birding or we will have a chance to enjoy to some of the city’s architectural treasures. The pagodas of Patan are a wonder of the world.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 13  Today we will be concentrating on seeing Nepal’s only endemic, the Spiny Babbler, at the edge of the Kathmandu Valley.

There will also be a variety of typical Central Himalayan species present in the area, so if you have not been birding in the Central or Eastern Himalayas before you will certainly get quite a number of lifers.

Western Tragopan & Spiny Babbler: Day 14  After a last morning in the Kathmandu Valley we will have time to change, pack and eat a last lunch together at our hotel. Our tour ends this afternoon at Kathmandu airport.