Sight of western Bhutan, Glimpse of Bhutan, Western Bhutan tour, Eastern Bhutan tour,Centran Bhutan tour, meeting with Bhutanse


	Bhutan Birding

	Day 1: Bangkok- Paro-Thimphu. Arrive Paro International airport from Bangkok. After clearing immigration we'll drive east through an enchanting Paro River Valley. Red billed Choughs are quite common in this valley and as we head east we'll stop to search for Ibis bill and Brown Dipper. We will spend the night at Thimphu. Day 2: Thimphu-Punakha. We'll head east out of Thimphu, up onto the western slopes of Dochu la, the first of a series of high altitude road passes. Entering the pristine mixed forests of hemlock, fir, oak, blossoming magnolias, and rhododendrons we should see a wealth of birds including some species rich feeding flocks. Quarrelsome Nutcrackers are common and other highlights may include Golden Bush Robin, an immaculate Cutia, Brown Parrotbill, or even a gorgeous Firetailed Myzornis. We'll venture off road on to a couple of trail that enables us to explore the forest more thoroughly. Overnight At Hotel. Day 3: Punakha- Gangtey Continuing east, past Wangdue Dzong (a monastery and fortress combined), we will make a series of brief stops to scan the braided river channel. We also check forest edges and explore some of the small patches of cultivation. We will enter productive forest near the end of our journey and will stop here to look for species such as Blood Pheasant, Spotted Laughingthrush, Yellowish bellied Bush Warbler, Rusty flanked Treecreeper, and White winged Grosbeak also occurs here. Overnight at hotel Day 4: Gangtey – Trongsa. Early morning (optional): Visit the crane roost to count the cranes and observe them fly to their daytime feeding areas. After breakfast, leaving Gangtey we will flow the twisting road over the Pelela Pass and into Central Bhutan., stand of bamboo extend for about three miles below the pass and we will search here for specialties of the area. Overnight at Hotel Day 5: Trongsa – Tingtibi – Trongsa Drive to Tingtibi, Heading south to Shemgang road, birds like to see are crested bunting, Black Eagle, Yellow rumped Honeyguide, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Red Jungle Fowl, Kalij Pheasant, Indian Blue Robin, little Forktails, Bay Woodpeckers. Overnight at Hotel Day 6: Trongsa – Punakha Retrace your steps all the way to Punakha. Overnight at Hotel Day 7: Punakha –Thimphu In After breakfast we visit the Punakha Dzong which is one of the most architecturally impressive Dzongs in the country. It is ideally located between two rivers Pho Chu (male) and Mo Chu (female). It is the winter residence for the Jey Khenpo (Chief Abbot) and the central Monk body. We’ll have ample time to explore the braided channels of Mo Chhu River and the bird-rich subtropical forests it contains. We should see an impressive array of species, including the White bellied Heron, one of Bhutan's rarest specialties. We are sure to encounter several parties of brightly colored minivets, noisy Straited Laughingthrushes and may also see more Red headed Trogon, and Wedge tailed Piegon, wait to be discovered. Fire capped Tit breeds here, as does White gorgeted Flycatcher and rare Yellow vented Warbler. We will also search for variety of skulkers including White browed Shortwing, Spotted and Pygmy Wren Babblers and all three species of tesia. Evening drive to Thimphu. Overnight at Hotel Day 8 Thimphu -Paro – Chelela – Tiger’s Nest. Set off early today to Chela La (‘La’ means ‘pass’ in Dzongkha, the official language of Bhutan). With the summit at an altitude of 3810 m, the highest on motor road, if the weather is clear you can see splendid views of Mt. Jomolhari and Jichu Drakye. The primary target here is to find Himalayan Monal and Blood Pheasant while on the drive and on a walk along the ridge near the summit of the pass. Overnight at hotel Day 9.Tiger’s Nest Excursion. Drive to the north of Paro valley to Ramthangkha from where we start our hike. Legend has it that Guru Rimpoche flew from Eastern Bhutan on a tigress, bringing Buddhist teachings and meditated here in this cliff. This is one of the most venerated and sacred of all Buddhist sights around the world. Lunch will be served at Taktsang cafeteria. After lunch walk downhill to the road and enroute visit Drukgyel Dzong (now in ruins) this is the start point for the famous Jhomolhari trek. Overnight at hotel Day 10. Depature: Early morning drive to airport for your onward flight back home.