Independent birding in Nepal (1 Viewer)

temmie said:

As someone who is keen to see all tragopans in the world, Langtang is on my radar as well.

How was the birding on the trekking in the Khumbu area?

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James Eaton said:

I spent a wonderful week in Nepal about six years ago doing something similar to what you mention - my main intention was to bird the Terai and get as high as possible, as easily as possible. I visited Chitwan for two days (the best Terai habitat I've visited), absolutely wonderful, staying at Gaida Lodge, which is run by Tika Ram Giri, one of Nepal's most well-known birders.
Following that I did the Poon Hill trek - this is just 4-5 nights and gets you above 3000m. I recommend staying two nights at the summit, because the ridge is absolutely wonderful and full of birds. Bird early, so you get ahead of the crowd - I usually had half morning all to myself, and also late afternoon, and explored off trail the rest of the time.

Poon Hill is under $10 a day, but add in a porter, that's an extra $10 a day. You could go further with the trekking but that would be more for trekking than birding, as the habitat around Poon Hill is wonderful.

On top of that, 1-2 days at Pulchowki near Kathmandu and you'd have a wonderful time. Can't recommend it enough.

James

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andyadcock said:

You cannot now, for several years, trek without a registerd guide. I think this is since earthquake and a couple of bad weather events which killed trekkers.

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YuShan said:

Khumbu was fantastic. With regards to birding, especially the "middle hills" (~1500-3500m) have plenty of birds. Also saw Satyr Tragopan there. At higher elevations (my highest elevation was 5559m) you see less species of course, but things like Blood Pheasant, Nepal Monal and Tibetian Snowcock are common. And of course the scenery is mindblowing!

I have a report on my website, though it is mainly a hiking report and not many bird pictures (only carried a pocket camera). It does have a bird list though.

https://www.hikingbirdman.com/

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YuShan said:

Do you have a source for that? As far as I know, while there are restricted areas, the standard Annapurna, Khumbu (Everest region) and Langtang routes can still be trekked independently without a guide.

I know that there was a plan a few years ago to make guides mandatory, but this was not implemented after protests from local people who feared the associated loss of income. Apart from the loss of visitors, this is also because of the practice that guides funnel hikers into larger establishments that are able to pay a commission to them for this "service" while the smaller establishments go out of business when independent hikers stay away.

The great attraction of Nepal is not just the natural beauty but also the fact that independent trekking is possible and easy, unlike neighbouring Tibet and Bhutan.

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Larry Sweetland said:

Just to add that if James reckons that itinerary provides excellent birding, then it very much will do. I can personally vouch for Chitwan and Pulchowki too :t:

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TheGhastlyApparition said:

I’m thinking about a trip to Nepal next year but would rather go independently than on an organised tour (mainly because the nature tour companies’ prices are beyond my means and the single supplement costs are horrendous). Obviously I’d like to see as many birds as possible (while acknowledging it’s impossible to see everything!).
For a solo traveller, where would be the best places to go, to see the most in around ten days? I’m not aiming to cover as much ground as possible, because I’ll end up seeing less, and I’d be on a fairly tight budget (around £50 a day should be enough).

Based on the above, what two or three locations (in lowlands and mountains), would any of you recommend?

Cheers, The GA.

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andyadcock said:

Apologies then if my impression is incorrect.

Even without a guide, I would recommend a porter, it will make birding and the general experience, far more enjoyable. Also, respect your porter, it's good manners and practice, not to overburden your porter, it's a tough enough job!

Try to limit their load to 10-12 kgs per porter, don't forget that they have their own stuff too.

My mate has been to Nepal c25x, I can recommend a highy reliable, honest and hard working porter who will pre arrange and collect, any and all trekking permits and bus tickets.

In regard tio trekking in Nepal being 'easy', I assume you mean the logistics, if so, this is true but dependant on which route you choose, it can be extremely tough going.

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YuShan said:

Trekking itself on the popular trekking routes in Nepal is, although by no means a walk in the park, generally speaking not all that tough compared to mountain trekking routes elsewhere (provided that you acclimatise to the elevation properly)

The reason is of course that these are "teahouse treks", so you don't have to carry much. In other places in the world I often trek with full camping gear and there is often more than a week between resupplies, so you carry lots of food and in dry areas sometimes lots of water too, which makes for a very heavy backpack. You don't need to carry all that when teahouse trekking in Nepal, because you sleep in lodges, tasty meals are available and on route you can often even stop for lunch at one of the teahouses! That makes world class mountain scenery accessible even to casual hikers who are reasonably fit. That's what I meant by "easy".

Also, the trails are generally good, because these are highly trafficked areas, even populated (you pass through many settlements in the middle hills).

When you reach higher elevation, in order to acclimatise you are supposed to not gain more than a few hundred metres in elevation per day. That means that usually you do only a few hours of actual walking and the rest of the time can be spend resting and birding.

Whether to use a porter or not is a personal choice. I always carry my own stuff, but for many people it can be a good idea. It is not very expensive either (in the $20-$25 per day range). However, I always hike solo because then I see and experience more and I don't annoy anybody when I stop for birds or a beautiful flower.

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