Day 1: Dimapur to Khonoma
Arrivals into Nagaland's Dimapur airport this morning. From here we will set out on the slow drive southeast into the rugged Naga Hills to the state capital Kohima, and on to the village of Khonoma for the night. Although much of Nagaland still follows a traditional way of life that relies heavily on slash-and-burn and hunting, the Angami community of Khonoma is renowned for its efforts to conserve the biodiversity of the surrounding forests. The Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary was established here in 1998, protecting 25 sq km of mid-elevation subtropical forests that flank the Dzukou River between Khonoma and nearby Dzuleke. This afternoon, we will begin our exploration of the sanctuary looking for several secretive range-restricted species including the endemic Naga Wren-babbler and near-endemic Striped and Brown-capped Laughingthrushes. Nagaland's avifauna is a fascinating combination of typically Himalayan species in the easternmost part of their range and those more widely associated with Southeast Asia at their westernmost extension, and we anticipate an interesting selection of birds this afternoon, perhaps including Grey Sibia, Crested Finchbill, Rusty-capped and White-browed Fulvettas, Spot-breasted Laughingthrush, Brown Bush Warbler, Dark-rumped Swift, Black-tailed Crake and the elusive Blyth’s Tragopan. Around nearby Benreu, broadleaf forests with an abundance of wild fruiting trees and shifting cultivation in various stages of regeneration host Spot-breasted and Grey-headed Parrotbills, Grey-headed Parakeet, Silver-eared Mesia, a selection of thrushes, and mixed feeding flocks comprising various sunbirds, tits and yuhinas.
Day 2-3: Chizami
On day 2, after spending the morning at Khonoma, we will travel further east towards Chizami for a two-night stay. Like Khonoma, Chizami is an environmentally forward-thinking community and this remote area offers the potential of some interesting species at India's border with neighbouring Myanmar. We have all of day 3 to explore our surroundings, hoping to encounter species such White-browed, Moustached and Yellow-throated Laughingthrushes, the near-endemic Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Striated Yuhina, White-browed Shrike-Babbler, Grey-throated and Spot-throated Babblers, and Mountain Bamboo-Partridge, most of which will not be available throughout the rest of the tour.
Day 4: Chizami to Khonoma
Today we return to Khonoma for the night, planning our day according to our birding experience so far, to allow us to either spend the morning around Chizami or the afternoon at Khonoma.
Day 5: Khonoma to Pangti
After a final morning around Khonoma we leave on the journey north into the Naga Hills to the village of Pangti, where we will spend three nights in a simple village homestay. We will arrive in time for our first glimpse of the spectacle, as the falcons return to their roosts around the Doyang Reservoir at dusk.
Day 6-7: Pangti and the Doyang Reservoir
A remote village in the Wokha district, Pangti received global attention in 2012 over the reported killing of thousands of Amur Falcons during their annual migration. This highlighted not only the tragedy, but also the previously unknown presence of such incredible numbers of these birds. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of local and national conservation organisations working together with local government and village councils, the importance of conservation was instilled in Pangti, which declared itself a hunting-free zone, a major victory in a state where hunting is a traditional and fiercely-protected way of life among tribal communities . Today, Pangti is renowned for its ethos of community conservation, and the Doyang Reservoir estimated to host up to a million falcons each year. We have two full days to enjoy the hordes of Amur Falcons as they come in to roost each evening and disperse at dawn. Walking the quiet roads of the area will take us through patches of shifting or ‘jhum’ cultivation in various stages of regeneration, and we can expect to see a selection of species such as Crested Finchbill, Flavescent Bulbul, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Ultramarine and Verditer Flycatchers, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Buff-throated and Rufous-capped Babblers, Himalayan Buzzard and Oriental Scops-owl, with a further chance of finding a flock of the highly secretive restricted range Yellow-throated Laughingthrush.
Day 8: Pangti to Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
We will set out early this morning on the journey west, back down into the plains and crossing the state border as we head into neighbouring Assam, making our way to Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. In a region of extensive tea plantations and growing villages, Hollongapar Gibbon safeguards a vital fragment of the semi-evergreen forests once widespread where the plains of Assam merge into the Patkai Hills of Nagaland, and is an important repository of foothill species. We have the remainder of the afternoon and following morning to explore these rich forests, easily accessible on foot, and can expect to encounter a good selection of species associated with the lower elevation, key among which are Great Pied and Oriental Pied Hornbills, Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Large Niltava, Pale-chinned Blue Flycatcher, Striped Tit-babbler, Abbott’s Babbler, Red-headed Trogon, Common Green Magpie and Green-billed Malkoha, with the chance of the elusive Blue-naped Pitta. The sanctuary is also home to a small and isolated population of its namesake Western Hoolock Gibbon, India’s only ape, among several other primates including Stump-tailed, Northern Pig-tailed and Assamese Macaques and Capped Langur.
Day 9: Hoollongapar Gibbon to Kaziranga
Spend the early morning within the sanctuary before driving west into the Brahmaputra floodplain to Kaziranga National Park for a three-night stay. We will arrive in time to begin our exploration of the superb mosaic of swampy wetlands known as 'beels', extensive floodplain grasslands, and patches of mature woodland, taking an afternoon safari in open-topped jeeps into the park's central range.
Day 10-11: Kaziranga National Park
Over a further two days we will explore Kaziranga's eastern, central and western ranges by taking morning and afternoon safaris into the reserve. We will be looking for grassland specialists including Bengal Florican (though increasingly difficult here), Swamp Francolin, Striated Grassbird and Finn’s Weaver among numerous waders and waterfowl in wetland areas, such as Greater Painted-snipe, Marsh Sandpiper, Grey-headed Lapwing, Bar-headed Goose, Indian Spot-billed and Ferruginous Ducks, scanning in search of possible rarities like Falcated Duck. These species will be complemented by a selection of passerines in the surrounding trees, perhaps Spot-winged Starling, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Alexandrine Parakeet, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Brown Fish-Owl, Dusky Eagle Owl, if we are lucky Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, and a great diversity of birds of prey, with Eastern Imperial Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle, Pallas's Fish-Eagle, Pallid and Pied Harriers, and both Black and Jerdon’s Bazas all possible here. We will also find time between safaris to bird on foot in the tea estates adjacent to our lodge, looking for Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Chinese and Siberian Rubythroats, Golden-throated and Blue-eared Barbets, Maroon Oriole, Common Green Magpie and perhaps even the elusive Blue-naped Pitta. Large mammals are positively abundant at Kaziranga, most notably including Indian Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, Asiatic Wild Buffalo, and Barasingha (Swamp Deer), with a realistic chance of Tiger.
Day 12: Kaziranga to Guwahati, depart
Depart Kaziranga this morning on the drive back to Guwahati. Departures from Guwahati airport this afternoon.
