Arunachal : Eaglenest Bird Photography Tour

EagleNest in Arunachal Pradesh  is a birder’s heaven in the truest sense of the term. Mystic mountains surround these hills of west Kameng. Mostly tribals of Tibeto-burman language group are the inhabitants here in these forests. Bugun and Sertukpen are two major tribal groups; are de facto owner of these hills. The last discovered species from Indian subcontinent is Bugun Liocichla; which is named after the ‘Bugun’ tribe of the region. Peaceful coexistence between tribe groups and bird fauna plays the most significant role in bird watching tours to this wildlife Sanctuary. Both the camps - Lama and Bompu are run by tribe groups; which in turn support the economy of the villagers. This place is like a dreamland and it is our guarantee that you will enjoy each and every moment in this locale.

What can be more peaceful and sublime than waking up to the call of Long-billed Wren Babbler in Lama camp and exploring the thick jungles where the - Streak-throated Barwing, Himalayan Cutia, two species of Scimitar Babblers dwell; if you are lucky enough then be prepared to be welcomed by the Bugun Liocichla. Hold your breath for this is not all... what about the skittish Wren Babblers that live in the secondary bush thicket? If you want to get them too, we will love to put in our sole effort and show you these purely, heavenly birds.

As we descend downhill and move further towards Bompu, there are few trails where we will look for Ward’s Trogon, Purple Cochoa and more. Bar-winged Wren Babblers can be tried at higher ridges and at medium altitude areas for Long-billed Wren Babbler, Eye-browed Wren Babbler etc. Pygmy and Scaly-breasted Wren Babblers can be commonly heard everywhere. 

Bompu and below Khellong are two more camp sites which have lovely avian fauna around. Himalayan Wedge-billed Babbler, Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-backed Sibia are best seen in the shadowy patches in between Lama and Bompu. White-hooded Babbler, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Collared Treepie can be expected in these lower parts. Interestingly, there are chances of sighting the rarest of all Laughingthrushes in India, the Rufous-vented Laughingthrush. 

Vegetation and the types of birds in western side of Sela change significantly . Rufous Sibia can be commonly seen in Tawang district; as we cross Sela and come down to Kameng district, we will find only Beautiful Sibia, not Rufous Sibia. Grandala, Snow Partridge, White-throated Dipper, Lammergier, Solitary Snipe etc can be commonly sighted here in this area and that’s why we will spend two days here for these exotic species.

For us, we feel more than pleased to show you the rare and lovely birds of EagleNest and Arunachal Pradesh. If you have a checklist with you, do share it with us before the commencement of the tour; we will be glad to show you as much as we can and ensure that your birding experience with us in EagleNest will be a memorable one..

Why take this tour with us? Our Team boasts of a combined wildlife experience of over 35 years Our ground support personnels at every destination is among the best and they have extensive knowledge and understanding of their respective locations.... AND MORE

Note: For this lovely tour, participants are requested to reach Guwahati one day prior to the commencement of the tour and stay the night at a hotel in Guwahati. 

• Day 1: For your comfort and convenience we will pick you up from the hotel where you will be staying in Guwahati, at around 7 AM. We shall then, embark on our journey to Eaglenest in Arunachal Pradesh. So, now we have a lot of time for birding and capturing the essence of the forest because we want you to soak in the pleasure of this tour hence more field time for you. We shall take the Shergaon-Kalaktang road (this also falls under IBA - Important Bird Area) upto Lama camp, we will take around 5 hours to reach Lama camp if we travel non-stop but nope we are not going to travel non-stop for there are many potential birding areas on the route where we shall spend time. You see, this place is beautiful with rich diversity of flora and fauna that is why each and every location is important to us. By lunch time, we shall check in to Lama camp. After a satiating luncheon we shall start our afternoon birding session around the campsite, please note that we will stay well within the Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary. Our target species for the day will be  Long-billed Wren Babbler, Bar-winged Wren Babbler (higher altitude), Blyth’s Tragopan. In the darkness after sundown we can expect the wise men of the forest i.e. Mountain Scops Owl, Collared Scops Owl. The camp is strategically located that will give you the opportunity to make the most out of this tour. Now, as we move a little downwards starting from Ramalingam we might be lucky enough to witness and photograph the activities of the Hodgson’s Frogmouth. After a day full of activities and lovely bird photography session we shall return to our camp, have tasty steaming dinner, a little chit chat sessions and then we shall retire to our beds.
• Day 2 to Day 5: These four days will be crucial for us as we will do a lot of birding and get to see the elusive species of Eaglenest. We shall stay either in Lama camp or Bompu camp and will make sure that we cover all the nooks and corners of the wildlife sanctuary. We shall visit Khellong as well. Between Lama camp and Bompu camp there are multiple birding trails in and around Eaglenest Pass like:- Sunderview, Chako etc. In these four days our target species will be:- Bugun Liocichla (top priority), Ward’s Trogon, Blyth’s Tragopan, Beautiful Nuthatch, Himalayan Wedge-billed Babbler etc. Wren Babblers are also expected in this locale, having varied altitude and landscape - Long-billed Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Bar-winged Wren Babbler and commoners like Pygmy Wren Babbler, Spotted Elachura, Rufous-throated Wren Babbler etc. In a nutshell, Eaglenest is the store house of Wren Babbler species. Further we shall be in search of three species of Sibias - Beautiful, Long-tailed and Rufous-backed are a must see birds, whereas Rufous Sibia is seen only on left ridge of the Tawang river. 
  Between Bompu and Khellong our target shall be mostly Bamboo species like:- Parrotbills, Scimitar Babblers etc. Please note that beyond Khellong we will not be allowed to travel by car and depending on the level of fitness and agility of our fellow birders will we take the decision of hiking further or not. This part of the forest is a mystery as not many people travel to this part as hiking is a bit difficult in this part but to find the exotic birds here in this part of the forest you can Join our tour and together we can explore the beyond....  
• Day 6: Today we shall move towards the north-west Arunachal i.e. towards Dirang-Madala-Sela. Based on the seasonal bird activity and migrations we shall decide whether to stay in Madala or Tawang. Sela will definitely surprise you and will give you ample opportunity to explore its treasure trove, behold the magnificent Grandala, the awe and the unmistakable charm of this charismatic blue bird will have you absolutely hooked. Miscellaneous Tits and finches would be commonly seen in the conifers - Pine-Birch-Spruce-Cedar, which makes some of the lovely jungle landscape in this part of Arunachal. 
• Day 7 and Day 8: On these two days we shall both sides of Sela and Mandala. Our target species will be Lammergeier, White-throated Dipper, Solitary Snipe, Dusky Thrush, Black-throated Thrush, Red-throated Thrush and most importantly, the Naumann’s Thrush etc. Getting to spot a Nauman’s Thrush is really something that happens very rarely and we have had a record of sighting this extremely rarely seen species in our tour at Jaswanthgarh near Sela. We shall also target the conifer bird species like:- Parus and periparus Tit and allies and Rosefinches are expected to be seen commonly. On both these days, we shall have whole day birding with breakfast and lunch outside. 
• Day 9: Today being the last day of our tour, we will schedule the morning session at Mandala and shall explore more of the bamboo thicket areas for bamboo bird species near Sessa Orchid Sanctuary. The bird species which we may have missed below Bompu-Sessni area, we shall retry for the same and complete our last birding session before reaching Bhalukpong. After enjoying the sapid Arunachal cuisine, we shall start for Guwahati. By 5 to 6 PM we will drop off all our guests at Guwahati airport. 

Tour cost per participant for this 8 night and 9 days tour would be Rs 74,990/-

Tour cost includes:

• Hotel stay on twin sharing basis at Tezpur and Dirang
• Tent accommodation in Lama and Bompu on twin sharing basis; 
• All meals as per the itinerary; B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner
• All surface transfer in SUVs as per the itinerary
• All forest entry fees, Inner Line Permit fee, guide charges, etc.
• Service of a dedicated wildlife photographer and naturalist for the entire tour
• All applicable taxes

Tour cost excludes:

• Participant's home town to Guwahati-Tezpur and back charges
• Any extra food item not included in the meal as per the itinerary
• Any alcoholic beverage
• Any non-alcoholic beverage not included in the meal as per the itinerary
• Laundry, phone call, etc. personal charges
• Tips
• Anything which is not mentioned in "Tour cost includes"

TOUR TERMS & CONDITIONS

PAYMENT TERMS & REFUND POLICY