Trip Facts

  • Duration:12 Days
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Max Altitude:2791m
  • Min group sizeAny
  • Holiday typeSightseeing

About Bird Watching

Being a small country, Nepal is wildly diverse for bird population. A total of about 850 bird species are found in this Himalayan nation. This figure is equal to around 8% of the total bird species found on the planet. Such a huge number in such a tiny country is mainly because of the diverse climate and geography of Nepal. The lowland Tarai is full of jungles and the hilly regions are home to dense oak forests and rhododendron bushes. The mountain, with their high-altitude climate, is home to a few species of birds not found elsewhere.

While the capital Kathmandu Valley alone has over 500 species of birds, the surrounding hills with their varied ecology his home too much more. The hills of Fulchoki & Godavari, Kakani, Nagarjun and Shivapuri, all at an hour’s driving distance from Kathmandu present you with an incredible opportunity to witness the avian friends. Babblers, drongo, eagles, siskin tits, woodpeckers and spotted forktail are some popular bird species found in Kathmandu Valley.

There have been regular sightings of magpies, Bonelli’s eagles, Himalayan barbets and some migratory birds. Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in eastern Tarai is a haven for migratory birds. In fact, it is one of the places with the highest density of birds in Nepal and bird-watchers mandatorily go to Koshi Tappu for the excitement. The place is also popular in the whole of South Asia among bird lovers. In space of around 175 square kilometers of the sub-tropical climate, one can find a record 280 species of birds. Common ones in Koshi Tappu are herons, egrets, Bengal floricans, partridges, storks, ducks, ibises and other migratory birds.

By some accounts, the whole of Nepal is an observatory but the more popular spots for birdwatching are Annapurna Conservation Area, Bardia National Park, Chitwan National Park, Kathmandu Valley and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve.

Trip Highlights

Within a week, explore varied climate ecologies looking for and photographing birds

Itinerary

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Meet our representative at the Airport and transfer to hotel. You will be given a briefing on your tour ahead; overnight at the hotel

    After breakfast, your tour guide will take for a sightseeing of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu Valley. Visit Bauddhanath Stupa, one of the biggest shrines in the world, where we observe Buddhist monks in prayer in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. From there we will visit Pashupatinath, one of the most revered Hindu temples. Next, in Kathmandu Durbar Square, you will see a glimpse of historical Kathmandu valley blended in myth and reality. Return to the hotel, and have dinner.

      After breakfast, drive to Patan where you will visit Patan Durbar Square, Krishna Temple, and Golden Temple. From here you will continue to the Godavari, a green countryside at the feet of Fulchoki Hills.

        After breakfast, leave with lunch pack and hike up Fulchoki Hill. Spend the full day bird-watching. In the evening return to Kathmandu. Have dinner and rest for the night recollecting your photographs.

          Bird-watching in Nagarjun Forest and picturesque Shivapuri Wildlife Reserve. Later in the evening, return to your hotel in Kathmandu.

            Drive to Chitwan National Park and check into a resort. In the afternoon, take a short visit to a Tharu village nearby.

               The full day in the forests looking for various species of birds in different parts of the park which is a combination of wetlands, grasslands, and forests. Stay overnight in the resort.

                Drive from Chitwan National Park to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve.

                  Spend a full day in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve; stay overnight in a bunglow.

                    Take a flight back to Kathmandu. Spend the rest of the day in Kathmandu.

                      After breakfast, your tour guide will take you Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) from where you will have a 360-degree view of Kathmandu Valley along with the mountains. From there you will travel to Khokana, an old Newar village preserving much of its legacy. Visit a few other places and later, drive back drive back to Hotel just before dinner.

                        Our Representative will Drop you at Tribhuvan International Airport at your Comfortable time.