Gosaikunda Birdwatching Trek

Birds to look for

None of them is promised: wild birds keep their own plans.

• Himalayan Monal

  Lophophorus impejanus

  Chandanbari (Sing Gompa) · 3,330 m · usually seen

  “Nepal's national bird, and it glows like a jewel when the first sun hits the ridge.”

• Blood Pheasant

  Ithaginis cruentus

  Lauribina · 3,910 m · usually seen

  “Tame and tiny, a crested little pheasant that picks through the snowy rhododendron.”

• Snow Pigeon

  Columba leuconota

  Gosaikunda · 4,380 m · usually seen

  “White and slate flocks that swirl across the cliffs of the sanctuary.”

• Himalayan Griffon

  Gyps himalayensis

  Dhunche · 1,960 m · usually seen

  “Enormous, pale and unhurried, riding the mountain thermals above the valley.”

• Lammergeier

  Gypaetus barbatus

  Gosaikunda · 4,380 m · usually seen

  “A long-winged, rust-chested giant that sails along the cliffs and drops bones to crack them.”

• Golden Eagle

  Aquila chrysaetos

  Lauribina · 3,910 m · sometimes seen

  “Power and grace over the high ridges.”

• Fire-tailed Sunbird

  Aethopyga ignicauda

  Chandanbari (Sing Gompa) · 3,330 m · usually seen

  “A tiny jewel with a long scarlet tail, sipping rhododendron nectar.”

• Red-billed Chough

  Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

  Gosaikunda · 4,380 m · almost always seen

  “Aerobatic black crows with red bills, tumbling along the cliffs.”

• Spotted Nutcracker

  Nucifraga caryocatactes

  Chandanbari (Sing Gompa) · 3,330 m · almost always seen

  “Spotted like a starling and bold as brass in the high forest.”

• Himalayan Snowcock

  Tetraogallus himalayensis

  Gosaikunda · 4,380 m · sometimes seen

  “A big mountain game bird whose ringing whistles bounce around the high amphitheatre.”

• Red-headed Bullfinch

  Pyrrhula erythrocephala

  Chandanbari (Sing Gompa) · 3,330 m · sometimes seen

  “A soft-voiced bullfinch with an orange-red head, feeding quietly in the rhododendron.”

• Robin Accentor

  Prunella rubeculoides

  Gosaikunda · 4,380 m · usually seen

  “A neat grey-headed accentor with a robin-red breast, at home around the high lakes and yak huts.”

A day on this trip

Mornings start at sunrise in the forest, when the pheasants call. We walk five or six hours a day, steep in places and slow above 4,000 m, stopping wherever there's a flock; the high days are short so there's time to rest and acclimatise.

The way, day by day

1. Day 1
   Kathmandu1,400 m · Black Kite, Large-billed Crow

   1. Kathmandu1,400 m · 1 night

      Airport pickup, hotel check-in and the trip briefing.

   Birds 10: Black Kite, Large-billed Crow, Common Myna, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-vented Bulbul, Spotted Dove, Himalayan Bulbul, Eurasian Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Egyptian Vulture

   Seen from here: Phulchowki (2,782 m)

2. Day 2
   Dhunche1,960 m · Himalayan Griffon, Grey Treepie

   1. Dhunche1,960 m · 1 night

      The drive to the trailhead area in the Langtang region, up the Trishuli valley to Dhunche.

   Birds 13: Himalayan Bulbul, Grey Treepie, Great Barbet, Oriental White-eye, Black-throated Bushtit, Blue Whistling-Thrush, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Verditer Flycatcher, Long-tailed Minivet, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Rufous Sibia, Himalayan Griffon, Kalij Pheasant

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Goral, Himalayan Langur

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

3. Day 3
   Chandanbari (Sing Gompa)3,330 m · Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant

   1. Chandanbari (Sing Gompa)3,330 m · 1 night

      We begin trekking through dense rhododendron and oak forest, prime habitat for laughingthrushes and pheasants, reaching Sing Gompa. The forest around the monastery is also known for red pandas.

   Birds 17: Grey-crested Tit, Rufous-vented Tit, White-browed Fulvetta, Spotted Nutcracker, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Himalayan Monal, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Collared Grosbeak, White-collared Blackbird, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Blood Pheasant, Koklass Pheasant, Red-headed Bullfinch

   Mammals 4: Yellow-throated Marten, Red Panda, Himalayan Musk Deer, Himalayan Black Bear

   Plants 2: Tree Rhododendron, Bearded Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

4. Day 4
   Lauribina3,910 m · Lammergeier, Golden Eagle

   1. Lauribina3,910 m · 1 night

      We continue climbing through forest thinning into alpine shrubland, watching the habitat and bird community shift with altitude.

   Birds 14: Rufous-breasted Accentor, White-browed Fulvetta, Large-billed Crow, Yellow-billed Chough, Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Dark-breasted Rosefinch, Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch, White-collared Blackbird, Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Golden Eagle, Grandala

   Mammals 1: Himalayan Tahr

   Plants 2: Bell-flowered Rhododendron, Lepidote Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

5. Day 5
   Gosaikunda4,380 m · Snow Pigeon, Red-billed Chough

   1. Gosaikunda4,380 m · 2 nights

      We reach the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda, with time to explore the high-altitude terrain for alpine specialists.

   Birds 12: Yellow-billed Chough, Red-billed Chough, Alpine Accentor, Robin Accentor, Plain Mountain Finch, Snow Pigeon, Lammergeier, Himalayan Snowcock, White-winged Redstart, Brown Dipper, Grandala, Ruddy Shelduck

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Tahr, Large-eared Pika

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

6. Day 6
   Ridge above Gosaikunda4,600 m · Wallcreeper, Snow Pigeon

   1. Ridge above Gosaikunda4,600 m

      A day around the lake area, with the option of a higher viewpoint hike and birding for high-altitude species. It also helps with acclimatization before the pass.

   Birds 9: Snow Pigeon, Alpine Accentor, Yellow-billed Chough, Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Himalayan Snowcock, Golden Eagle, Wallcreeper, Grandala

   Mammals 1: Large-eared Pika

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

7. Day 7
   Laurebina Pass · Ghopte3,430 m · Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant

   1. Laurebina Pass4,610 m

      We cross the Laurebina Pass (4,610 m), the highest point of the trek, among cairns and small lakes.

   2. Ghopte3,430 m · 1 night

      Then the descent toward Ghopte, a quieter, less-trekked stretch.

   Birds 19: Alpine Accentor, Robin Accentor, Snow Pigeon, Yellow-billed Chough, Red-billed Chough, Plain Mountain Finch, Lammergeier, Himalayan Snowcock, White-winged Redstart, Rufous-breasted Accentor, White-browed Fulvetta, Spotted Nutcracker, Grey-crested Tit, Rufous-vented Tit, Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, White-collared Blackbird, Dark-breasted Rosefinch, Red-headed Bullfinch

   Mammals 4: Large-eared Pika, Himalayan Tahr, Red Panda, Himalayan Musk Deer

   Plants 1: Bell-flowered Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

8. Day 8
   Kutumsang2,470 m · Whiskered Yuhina, Green-backed Tit

   1. Tharepati3,690 m

      A short climb to the ridge at Tharepati, where the Helambu trail turns south.

   2. Kutumsang2,470 m · 1 night

      We continue descending through forest toward lower elevations, with strong birding in the mixed forest zone, to Kutumsang.

   Birds 23: Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, Spotted Nutcracker, Yellow-billed Chough, Large-billed Crow, Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Rufous Sibia, Whiskered Yuhina, Green-backed Tit, Blue-winged Minla, Great Barbet, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Striated Laughingthrush, Kalij Pheasant, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, Scarlet Minivet, Satyr Tragopan, Hill Partridge, Great Parrotbill, Himalayan Cuckoo

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Langur, Barking Deer

   Plants 2: Bell-flowered Rhododendron, Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Langtang Lirung (7,227 m)

9. Day 9
   Kathmandu1,400 m · Grey-hooded Warbler, White-throated Laughingthrush

   1. Chisapani2,215 m

      Down the ridge and into the Shivapuri forest at Chisapani, the last hill before Kathmandu.

   2. Sundarijal1,460 m

      The final descent to the roadhead at Sundarijal, and the drive back to the city.

   3. Kathmandu1,400 m · 1 night

      Back in Kathmandu for the night.

   Birds 28: Himalayan Bulbul, Rufous Sibia, Whiskered Yuhina, Black-throated Bushtit, Grey-hooded Warbler, Great Barbet, Kalij Pheasant, White-throated Laughingthrush, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Black Eagle, Himalayan Griffon, Spiny Babbler, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Blue Whistling-Thrush, Red-vented Bulbul, Grey Wagtail, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Spotted Forktail, Little Forktail, Verditer Flycatcher, White-capped Redstart, Brown Dipper, Black Kite, Large-billed Crow, Common Myna, Spotted Dove, Eurasian Kestrel, Egyptian Vulture

   Mammals 1: Assamese Macaque

   Seen from here: Phulchowki (2,782 m)

10. Day 10
    Kathmandu1,400 m · Black Kite, Large-billed Crow

    1. Kathmandu1,400 m

       Final breakfast and the departure transfer.

    Birds 10: Black Kite, Large-billed Crow, Common Myna, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-vented Bulbul, Spotted Dove, Himalayan Bulbul, Eurasian Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Egyptian Vulture

    Seen from here: Phulchowki (2,782 m)