Red Panda Trek

Birds to look for

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

• Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler

  Spelaeornis caudatus

  Dobate · 2,660 m · sometimes seen

  “A tiny, almost tailless bird with a rufous throat, creeping like a mouse through the moss and singing loud.”

• Spiny Babbler

  Turdoides nipalensis

  Ilam · 1,200 m · sometimes seen

  “Nepal's only endemic bird, a streaky skulker of the scrub that sings beautifully from the top of a bush.”

• Hoary-throated Barwing

  Actinodura nipalensis

  Sandakpur Ridge Search Area · 3,300 m · usually seen

  “A barred, hoary-throated babbler working the mossy limbs.”

• White-rumped Vulture

  Gyps bengalensis

  Ilam · 1,200 m · sometimes seen

  “A beautiful sight when vultures wheel over the river forest, and always a good day.”

• Satyr Tragopan

  Tragopan satyra

  Dobate · 2,660 m · sometimes seen

  “A crimson, pearl-spotted forest pheasant that is heard long before it is seen, so every glimpse is a celebration.”

• Yellow-rumped Honeyguide

  Indicator xanthonotus

  Dobate · 2,660 m · sometimes seen

  “Beside the rock bee combs on the cliffs”

• Grey-headed Parrotbill

  Psittiparus gularis

  Dobate · 2,660 m · sometimes seen

  “Grey-headed, black-browed and orange-billed, in noisy parties working through the broadleaf canopy.”

• Black-throated Bushtit

  Aegithalos concinnus

  Ilam · 1,200 m · usually seen

  “Tiny long-tailed flocks tinkling through the bushes.”

• Black-throated Sunbird

  Aethopyga saturata

  Ilam · 1,200 m · usually seen

  “Maroon, blue and yellow, in the flowering trees.”

• Spot-winged Grosbeak

  Mycerobas melanozanthos

  Red Panda Habitat, Sandakpur Ridge · 3,100 m · sometimes seen

  “A heavy-billed black-and-yellow grosbeak with white-spotted wings, cracking seeds in the treetops.”

• White-gorgeted Flycatcher

  Anthipes monileger

  Dobate · 2,660 m · sometimes seen

  “A small brown flycatcher with a white throat neatly outlined in black, low in the forest shade.”

• Golden-throated Barbet

  Psilopogon franklinii

  Ilam · 1,200 m · usually seen

  “A colourful hill-forest barbet with a gold, red and black head.”

A day on this trip

We search the red panda forest in the first and last hours of light, with a local tracker reading the signs, and bird the bamboo in between. The days are slow and patient: three to five hours of walking at most, and plenty of time with the camera.

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 a photography and trekking 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
   Ilam1,200 m · Spiny Babbler, White-rumped Vulture

   1. Bhadrapur90 m

      A morning flight to Bhadrapur, in the far eastern lowlands of Nepal.

   2. Ilam1,200 m · 1 night

      Then the drive into the tea-growing hills of Ilam. The tea gardens and forest patches around town are a good first look at the birds of the eastern hills.

   Birds 29: Black Kite, Cattle Egret, Asian Pied Starling, Common Myna, Indian Pond-Heron, Black Drongo, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Roller, Spotted Owlet, White-throated Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Himalayan Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Great Barbet, Grey Treepie, Oriental White-eye, Long-tailed Shrike, Golden-throated Barbet, Blue-throated Barbet, Verditer Flycatcher, Black Bulbul, Common Tailorbird, Long-tailed Minivet, Grey-hooded Warbler, Black-throated Bushtit, Black-throated Sunbird, Spiny Babbler, White-rumped Vulture, Mountain Hawk-Eagle

   Mammals 1: Assamese Macaque

3. Day 3
   Dobate2,660 m · Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, Satyr Tragopan

   1. Dobate2,660 m · 1 night

      We drive to the trailhead and begin trekking into forested hill terrain, up to the small village of Dobate on the edge of the red panda forest.

   Birds 21: Rufous Sibia, Whiskered Yuhina, Blue-winged Minla, Green-backed Tit, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Kalij Pheasant, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Large Niltava, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Black-throated Parrotbill, Black-throated Bushtit, Black-throated Sunbird, Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, Grey-headed Parrotbill, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Hill Partridge, Satyr Tragopan, Scarlet Finch, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide

   Mammals 3: Barking Deer, Red Panda, Yellow-throated Marten

   Plants 2: Maling Bamboo, Tree Rhododendron

4. Day 4
   Bamboo Forest Camp2,950 m · Hoary-throated Barwing, Spot-winged Grosbeak

   1. Bamboo Forest Camp2,950 m · 1 night

      The first of two days of trekking through dense bamboo-rhododendron forest, the preferred habitat of red pandas.

   Birds 17: White-browed Fulvetta, Rufous-vented Tit, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Black-throated Parrotbill, Hoary-throated Barwing, Spotted Laughingthrush, Rufous-vented Yuhina, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Red-headed Bullfinch, Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, Satyr Tragopan, Great Parrotbill, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Spot-winged Grosbeak, Gold-naped Finch

   Mammals 3: Himalayan Langur, Red Panda, Himalayan Black Bear

   Plants 2: Maling Bamboo, Bearded Rhododendron

5. Day 5
   Red Panda Habitat, Sandakpur Ridge3,100 m · Grey-crested Tit, Dark-breasted Rosefinch

   1. Red Panda Habitat, Sandakpur Ridge3,100 m · 4 nights

      We reach the core habitat, with naturalist guides tracking signs (droppings, feeding marks) to locate active areas. This is our base for the search days.

   Birds 19: White-browed Fulvetta, Grey-crested Tit, Rufous-vented Tit, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Large-billed Crow, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Black-throated Parrotbill, Red-headed Bullfinch, Dark-breasted Rosefinch, Collared Grosbeak, Spotted Laughingthrush, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Satyr Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Scarlet Finch, Spot-winged Grosbeak

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

   Plants 2: Maling Bamboo, Bell-flowered Rhododendron

6. Day 6
   Sandakpur Ridge Search Area3,300 m · Himalayan Griffon, Black Eagle

   1. Sandakpur Ridge Search Area3,300 m

      Three dedicated days based in the core habitat zone, conducting early morning and late afternoon searches, the peak activity windows for red pandas, alongside forest birding for pheasants, laughingthrushes and raptors.

   Birds 14: Black-faced Laughingthrush, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Himalayan Griffon, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Large-billed Crow, Satyr Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Hill Partridge, Black Eagle, Lammergeier, Grandala, Fire-tailed Myzornis

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Serow, Red Panda

   Plants 1: Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Kanchenjunga Himal (0 m)

7. Day 7
   Rest day at Sandakpur Ridge Search Area3,300 m · Hoary-throated Barwing, Satyr Tragopan

   Birds 14: Black-faced Laughingthrush, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Himalayan Griffon, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Large-billed Crow, Satyr Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Hill Partridge, Black Eagle, Lammergeier, Grandala, Fire-tailed Myzornis

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Serow, Red Panda

   Plants 1: Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Kanchenjunga Himal (0 m)

8. Day 8
   Rest day at Sandakpur Ridge Search Area3,300 m · Hoary-throated Barwing, Satyr Tragopan

   Birds 14: Black-faced Laughingthrush, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Himalayan Griffon, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Large-billed Crow, Satyr Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Hill Partridge, Black Eagle, Lammergeier, Grandala, Fire-tailed Myzornis

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Serow, Red Panda

   Plants 1: Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Kanchenjunga Himal (0 m)

9. Day 9
   Kathmandu1,400 m · Black Kite, Cattle Egret

   1. Bhadrapur90 m

      Down from the forest and back by road through Ilam to Bhadrapur, for the flight to Kathmandu.

   2. Kathmandu1,400 m · 1 night

      The return journey ends with a night back in Kathmandu.

   Birds 19: Black Kite, Cattle Egret, Asian Pied Starling, Common Myna, Indian Pond-Heron, Black Drongo, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Roller, Spotted Owlet, White-throated Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Large-billed Crow, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-vented Bulbul, Spotted Dove, Himalayan Bulbul, Eurasian Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Egyptian Vulture

   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)