Mardi Himal Birdwatching Trek

Birds to look for

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

★ seen with guests on this trip

• ★ Himalayan Monal (seen with guests on this trip)

  Lophophorus impejanus

  High Camp · 3,580 m · usually seen

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

• Satyr Tragopan

  Tragopan satyra

  Low Camp · 2,970 m · March to May · with a little luck

  “Calling from the steep forest below the ridge”

• ★ Lammergeier (seen with guests on this trip)

  Gypaetus barbatus

  High Camp · 3,580 m · usually seen

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

• ★ Himalayan Griffon (seen with guests on this trip)

  Gyps himalayensis

  High Camp · 3,580 m · usually seen

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

• Wallcreeper

  Tichodroma muraria

  Mardi Himal Base Camp · 4,500 m · sometimes seen

  “Crimson wings flick open like a butterfly on a rock face.”

• Spiny Babbler

  Turdoides nipalensis

  Kande · 1,770 m · sometimes seen

  “Singing from the scrub above the road”

• Long-tailed Thrush

  Zoothera dixoni

  Forest Camp · 2,520 m · sometimes seen

  “A quiet, scaly ground thrush turning over the leaves under the rhododendron.”

• ★ Kalij Pheasant (seen with guests on this trip)

  Lophura leucomelanos

  Forest Camp · 2,520 m · usually seen

  “Slate and silver with a scarlet face, scratching quietly along the trail edge.”

• Brown Dipper

  Cinclus pallasii

  Siding · 1,750 m · usually seen

  “Bobbing on a river boulder, then walking underwater like it's nothing.”

• ★ Fire-tailed Sunbird (seen with guests on this trip)

  Aethopyga ignicauda

  Low Camp · 2,970 m · April to June · usually seen

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

• Himalayan Cutia

  Cutia nipalensis

  Forest Camp · 2,520 m · sometimes seen

  “A beautifully barred and chestnut forest bird that creeps along mossy branches.”

• ★ Mrs. Gould's Sunbird (seen with guests on this trip)

  Aethopyga gouldiae

  Forest Camp · 2,520 m · usually seen

  “Red-backed and yellow-bellied, one of the prettiest of all sunbirds.”

With guests

• Trip report, April 2026Rhododendrons, rosefinches and the fishtail at first light

A day on this trip

I wake you at first light for the forest flocks, then we walk three to five hours up the ridge, slowly, stopping for every flock. The camps are small and quiet, and the evenings are for the light on Machhapuchhre.

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
   Pokhara, Phewa Lake800 m · Himalayan Griffon, Little Cormorant

   1. Pokhara, Phewa Lake800 m · 1 night

      Travel to Pokhara by road or a short flight, and an evening by Phewa Lake.

   Birds 12: Little Cormorant, Indian Pond-Heron, Cattle Egret, White-throated Kingfisher, Black Kite, Red-vented Bulbul, Pied Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Little Egret, Himalayan Griffon, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Great Cormorant

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m)

3. Day 3
   Forest Camp2,520 m · Spiny Babbler, Long-tailed Thrush

   1. Kande1,770 m

      Drive to Kande and begin the trek, climbing straight into birding-rich forest.

   2. Forest Camp2,520 m · 1 night

      The first overnight stop, deep in the forest. The last hour of light and the first hour of morning here are for mixed flocks of sibias, yuhinas and minlas, and Kalij Pheasants on the trail.

   Birds 32: Himalayan Bulbul, Great Barbet, Grey-hooded Warbler, Oriental White-eye, Black-throated Bushtit, Grey Treepie, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Verditer Flycatcher, Long-tailed Minivet, Black Bulbul, Himalayan Griffon, Spiny Babbler, Rufous Sibia, Whiskered Yuhina, Green-backed Tit, Blue-winged Minla, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Kalij Pheasant, Striated Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Nepal Fulvetta, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, Scarlet Minivet, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Koklass Pheasant, Hill Partridge, Himalayan Cutia, Great Parrotbill, Long-tailed Thrush, Himalayan Cuckoo, Large Hawk-Cuckoo

   Mammals 2: Himalayan Langur, Barking Deer

   Plants 1: Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m)

4. Day 4
   Low Camp2,970 m · Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan

   1. Low Camp2,970 m · 1 night

      A full birding-and-trekking day through dense rhododendron and oak forest, prime habitat for pheasants and laughingthrushes.

   Birds 19: Rufous-vented Tit, Grey-crested Tit, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Chestnut-tailed Minla, White-browed Fulvetta, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Spotted Nutcracker, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Yellow-browed Tit, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Collared Grosbeak, Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasant, Great Parrotbill, Long-tailed Thrush, Satyr Tragopan, Fire-tailed Sunbird

   Mammals 1: Yellow-throated Marten

   Plants 2: Bearded Rhododendron, Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m)

5. Day 5
   High Camp3,580 m · Lammergeier, Rufous-breasted Accentor

   1. High Camp3,580 m · 1 night

      Continue ascending as forest gives way to rhododendron scrub and open ridgeline, watching for high-altitude species and raptors.

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

   Mammals 1: Himalayan Tahr

   Plants 2: Bell-flowered Rhododendron, Lepidote Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m)

6. Day 6
   Mardi Himal Base Camp · Low Camp2,970 m · Wallcreeper, Snow Pigeon

   1. Mardi Himal Base Camp4,500 m

      An early start for the viewpoint at Mardi Himal Base Camp (4,500 m) and sunrise views of Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South. Snow Pigeons, choughs and accentors work the slopes around us.

   2. Low Camp2,970 m · 1 night

      Then we descend the ridge to Low Camp for the night, with a second chance at the forest birds.

   Birds 31: Snow Pigeon, Yellow-billed Chough, Red-billed Chough, Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Plain Mountain Finch, Himalayan Snowcock, Golden Eagle, White-winged Redstart, Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Grandala, Rufous-vented Tit, Grey-crested Tit, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Chestnut-tailed Minla, White-browed Fulvetta, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Spotted Nutcracker, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Yellow-browed Tit, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Collared Grosbeak, Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasant, Great Parrotbill, Long-tailed Thrush, Satyr Tragopan, Fire-tailed Sunbird

   Mammals 3: Himalayan Tahr, Large-eared Pika, Yellow-throated Marten

   Butterflies 1: Indian Tortoiseshell

   Plants 2: Bearded Rhododendron, Tree Rhododendron

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m)

7. Day 7
   Siding1,750 m · Brown Dipper, Plumbeous Water Redstart

   1. Siding1,750 m · 1 night

      Trek down through the forest again, this time in daylight for full birding coverage, ending at Siding village.

   Birds 16: Grey Treepie, Himalayan Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Great Barbet, Blue Whistling-Thrush, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Grey Wagtail, Spotted Forktail, Kalij Pheasant, Brown Dipper, Verditer Flycatcher, Spiny Babbler, Crested Kingfisher, White-capped Redstart

   Mammals 1: Himalayan Goral

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m)

8. Day 8
   Pokhara800 m · Red-wattled Lapwing, Himalayan Griffon

   1. Pokhara800 m · 1 night

      A short walk out to the roadhead and the drive back to Pokhara, with a free afternoon by the lake.

   Birds 9: Little Cormorant, White-throated Kingfisher, Black Kite, Red-vented Bulbul, Cattle Egret, Pied Kingfisher, Himalayan Griffon, Red-wattled Lapwing, Oriental Magpie-Robin

   Seen from here: Machhapuchhre (6,993 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m)

9. Day 9
   Kathmandu1,400 m · Black Kite, Large-billed Crow

   1. Kathmandu1,400 m

      Return to Kathmandu by road or air, 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)