Eagle’s Nest – Birdwatching Tour

Reach Guwahati: Reach Guwahati in the afternoon and check in to your hotel.

Guwahati- Kaziranga (4-5 hrs.)
Home to the famed one-horned rhinos, Kaziranga also boasts of the highest density of tigers in protected areas in the world – in addition to being the dwelling place of elephants and wild water buffalos. As would Birdlife International say, for the birders world over, Kaziranga comes across as an important location. While the winter season is mild and dry, the summer season is hot. During this season one will find the animals near water bodies. Here you will have a chance to see diverse species of birds, both migratory and resident. There are rare species of geese and ducks including the rare ferruginous pochard Baer’s pochard.

On the day after you reach Guwahati you will be taken on a spectacular drive through to Kaziranga. The day after awaits you to be ready for an exciting early morning elephant safari and afternoon jeep safari of the insides of the Kaziranga National Park.

During the early morning elephant safari and afternoon jeep safari you will have the opportunity to witness some of the 478 species of birds that are both migratory and resident. Some of these include rare species of geese and ducks including the ferruginous pochard Baer’s pochard, riverine birds that include the beautiful Blyth’s kingfisher and herons, pelicans, black-bellied tern as well as rare migratory cranes and storks. Kaziranga also boasts of a healthy selection of raptors. These include the white-tailed fishing eagle, the eastern Imperial eagle and Pallas’s fish eagle among others. The area is of course the home of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros and you will probably see many of them.

Kaziranga- Borsola wetland (near Nimatighat, Jorhat). Stay in Jorhat

The Borsola wetland is home to several types of waterbirds. These include ducks and geese, swans and pelicans besides herons and different types of waders.

The fourth day will find you in the Borsola wetland – home to these diverse types of birds – besides plants, fish and frogs as well as reptiles and mammals. The wetlands are the ideal habitat for waterbirds that include waterfowls such as ducks, geese and swans as well as pelicans, cormorants, grebes, ibis and egrets and herons and different types of waders. The common water rat, swamp rat and platypus fishing bat are some of the mammals that are native to this area.

Jorhat- Gibbon- Jorhat
Gibbon houses around 220 different species of birds – all inclusive of Ruddy Shelduck, the Common Pochard and the Rufous Woodpecker, besides being home to apes and different types of primates such as the stump-tailed macaque and the eastern Assamese macaque.

The fifth day of your tour will take you from Jorhat to the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. An ideal area for some of the very rare fauna – this sanctuary serves you to be the only place in all of India where you have the opportunity to witness Western Hoolock gibbon. Besides the Hoolock gibbons you will also get a chance to see the Bengal slow loris and other primates such as the stump-tailed macaque, the northern pig-tailed macaque and the eastern Assamese macaque. There are jungle cats, as well as wild boar and different types of the civet cat – besides four forms of squirrel among many others.

This wildlife sanctuary houses 315 different species of birds, Nameri has a mixed vegetation of expansive grasslands along the river, moist deciduous forests and semi-evergreen forests. Some of the birds found in Nameri are Himalayan yellow-throated martins, Rufous-necked hornbills, great pied hornbills, wreathed hornbills, white winged wood ducks, ibis bills, babblers, etc.

Drive from Jorhat to Nameri National Park, home to 315 different variety of birds, over 30 species of mammals and over 20 tigers and the one thing this wildlife park is famous for is the Golden Mahseer found in the river of Jia Bhoroli.

Early in the morning after breakfast, set out to Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh located in the far reaches of Eastern Himalayas and bordering Bhutan and Indo- Tibet has emereged as one of the most sought after destination for birding given the enormous species of rare and endangered species of birds found here. The topography changes dramatically as we drive towards Dirang from the lowlands barely above sea level and reaching about 7000m after travelling just over a 100 km., the vegetation ranges from deciduous forests midway to tall conifers and cultivations. Birdwatching is from the roadside and there will be plenty of stops on the way with ample opportunity of birdwatching on the way. The valley hosts India’s only known wintering flock of Black-necked Cranes, Olive-backed and Rosy Pipits, Black-throated and Green-backed Tits, Yellow-breasted Greenfinch, Russet Sparrow and Crested Bunting are found in the valley, with Brown Dipper, Plumbeous and White-capped Redstarts, Little Forktail, Long-billed Plover, Wallcreeper, and Ibisbill along the river and its banks, while the secretive Black-tailed Crake frequents marshy patches and amongst the rice paddies.

Eagle’s Nest in Arunachal Pradesh is a top birding destination worldwide and has the distinction of being the only place in the entire country to house certain species of birds. New species of birds keep adding to the already long list of birds found here. Owing to the entire elevational range covered here a wide variety of birds is found here. Some of the birds found here are Rufous-bellied hawk-eagle, northern goshawk, pied falconet, common hill-partridge, temminck’s Tragopan, ashy wood-pigeon, tawny wood-owl, Rufous-necked hornbill, ward’s trogon, golden-throated barbet, crimson-breasted pied-woodpecker, bay woodpecker, pale-headed woodpecker, grey-chinned Minivet, Rufous-bellied bulbul, maroon-backed accentor, eye-browed thrush, fea’s thrush, Gould’s Shortwing, white-browed Shortwing, blue-fronted robin, little Forktail, golden bush-robin, Rufous-breasted bush-robin, purple Cochoa, grey-sided laughing-thrush, scaly laughing-thrush, black-faced laughing-thrush, Bugun and red-faced Liocichla, coral-billed scimitar-babbler, slender-billed scimitar-babbler, Various wren-babblers (wedge-billed, bar-winged, pygmy, spotted, Rufous-throated and scaly-breasted), cutia, Rufous-bellied shrike-babbler, green shrike-babbler, white-hooded babbler, red-tailed minla, Various tit-babblers/Fulvetta (golden-breasted, brown-throated, and yellow-throated), Three sibias ( beautiful, and Rufous-backed), Various Yuhina (black-chinned, Rufous-vented and white-naped), fire-tailed Myzornis, Six Parrotbill (greater and lesser Rufous-headed, brown, grey-headed and fulvous-fronted), mountain tailorbird, three Tesia (chestnut-headed, grey-bellied and salty-bellied), Various flycatcher-warblers (broad-billed, white-spectacled, chestnut-crowned and black-faced), four Niltava (including vivid and large), Thirteen flycatchers (including. white-gorgeted), Rufous-bellied and grey-crested tits, sultan tit, beautiful nuthatch, Wallcreeper, brown-throated Treecreeper, yellow-bellied Flowerpecker, mrs Gould’s and fire-tailed sunbird, gold-naped black-finch, Bevan’s bullfinch, brown bullfinch.

Early morning drive back to Nameri and stay at eco-camp (hrs.).

Drive to Guwahati (hrs.)

Fly out of Guwahati for your onward journey home. Tour ends