This exotic birding adventure takes us to many seldom visited and remote destinations in northeast India. We will have the rare opportunity to search for a host of Asia’s most tantalising and desirable species, including the stunning Temminck’s and Blyth’s Tragopans, Ward’s Trogon, exquisite Beautiful Nuthatch, endemic Bugun Liocichla, incredible Grandala, rare and endangered White-winged Duck, and dazzling Fire-tailed Myzornis – to name just some of the many exciting possibilities! This thrilling tour takes us to some of Asia’s best birding sites, where few birders have ever ventured, and we will no doubt encounter many rarely seen species!
Top Birds
Temminck’s Tragopan; Himalayan Monal; Snow Partridge; Blood Pheasant; Ward’s Trogon; Beautiful, White-tailed & Velvet-fronted Nuthatches; Bugun Liocichla; Purple & Green Cochoas; Black-headed Shrike-Babbler; Himalayan Cutia; Fire-tailed Myzornis; Collared Treepie; Blue-naped Pitta; Long-billed & Bar-winged Wren-Babbler; Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler; Long-billed Plover; Black-tailed Crake; Grandala; Rufous-necked Hornbill; Pale-headed Woodpecker; Slender-billed & Coral-billed Scimitar Babblers; White-winged Duck; Pied Falconet; Golden-breasted Fulvetta; Broad-billed Warbler; Stripe-throated & Rufous-vented Yuhinas; Mountain & Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagles; Wallcreeper; Yellow-billed Blue Magpie; Spotted Nutcracker; Red-billed Chough; Brandt’s & Plain Mountain Finches; Collared Grosbeak; Hodgson’s Treecreeper; Dark-rumped, Dark-breasted and Himalayan White-browed Rosefinches; Blyth’s Kingfisher; Mrs Gould’s, Fire-tailed, Green-tailed & Black-throated Sunbirds; Green Shrike-Babbler; Black-winged Cuckooshrike; Slaty-backed & Sapphire Flycatchers; Sultan & Fire-capped Tits, Blue-fronted Robin.
Top Mammals
Gaur; Indian Elephant; Himalayan Serow; Assamese Macaque; Capped Langur; Yellow-throated Marten; Large-eared Pika; Black Giant, Orange-bellied Himalayan, Hoary-bellied & Himalayan Striped Squirrels; small chance for Red Panda; Asiatic Black Bear; Leopard Cat.
Habitats Covered
montane & lowland forest, bamboo, rivers, woodland, rocky, alpine/heathland habitat
Expected Climate
warm to hot in the lowlands and cool to cold in the mountainous. Sela Pass (day trip) at 4200m (13,800ft) will be cold with a chance of snow
Max Group Size
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & 1 local leader
Tour Pace & Walking
our Mega tours are very fast-paced birding adventures designed for the dedicated lister and serious birder. The focus of the tour is to see as many of the endemics and area specials as possible in our given time. In order to cover the necessary route to maximise the species list we tend to spend a single night at most sites and travel large distances. There is very little down time aside from that spent driving from one site to the next. These tours are not suitable for dedicated or avid photographers; inexperienced or new birders; as well as anyone with serious mobility or health challenges.
Accommodation
basic to comfortable
Ease of Birding
moderate
Number of Species Expected
300 - 350
Other Attractions
amazing scenery and wildlife sanctuaries, incredible forest
Photographic Opportunities
average to good
Client Testimonials
David Hoddinott is wonderful and a great leader.
This was my first Rockjumper trip. I definitely will be a repeat customer. The booking process was easy and painless. The transport and hotel logistics during the trip were flawless. David Hoddinott and Ansar Khan were excellent guides and worked diligently to make sure we saw as many birds as possible.
This trip was great! We were told the trip should generate about 250 bird species and our total was very close. Peter was excellent at finding birds, leading us and keeping a positive group atmosphere. The local guides also were competent and helpful. Accommodations are not an important aspect of a trip to me but the ones we stayed at were excellent, as were the meals. The trip was an excellent introduction to India for me tho I was happy to have it very much concentrate on birding.
Clayton was friendly, informative and fun.... Very athletic and cheerful. Find him to be a wonderful guide.
We loved Glen Valentine! Very skilled, and not defensive if we questioned an ID. Liked that he continued to call out even the common birds throughout the tour, which meant we got a chance to really study each species. Good sense of humor, and fun to bird with!