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 a four-night stay.
Day 2-4: Khonoma, Benreu and the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary
Over these three days we will explore the surrounding hills from our base at Khonoma. 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. We will spend much of our time exploring the sanctuary, looking for several secretive range-restricted species including the endemic Naga Wren-Babbler, Spot-breasted Scimitar-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 birds more widely associated with Southeast Asia at their westernmost extension, and we anticipate an interesting selection of species in this region, many of which will not be available throughout the rest of the tour. These will perhaps include Grey Sibia, Crested Finchbill, Rusty-capped and White-browed Fulvettas, White-browed and Spot-breasted Laughingthrushes, Brown Bush Warbler, Dark-rumped Swift, Black-tailed Crake, Mountain Bamboo-Partridge, 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, Striated Yuhina, Silver-eared Mesia, White-browed Shrike-Babbler, Grey-throated, Spot-throated and Rufous-capped Babblers, Blue-naped Pitta, a selection of thrushes, and mixed feeding flocks comprising Flavescent Bulbul, various sunbirds, tits and yuhinas.
Day 5: Khonoma to Tinsukia
Today is primarily a travel day. We will need an early start this morning as we set out on the journey down into the plains, crossing the state border as we head into neighbouring Assam. Along the way, we will pass through some superb roadside forests at Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary, giving us the opportunity to pause and enjoy a selection of northeast India's more widespread species, perhaps including Ashy-headed Green-Pigeon, Asian Emerald Dove, Blue-throated and Lineated Barbets, Rufous-bellied and Small Niltavas, Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Fulvous-breasted and Rufous Woodpeckers, Speckled Piculet, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, and Hair-crested Drongo. We will continue our drive into upper Assam and the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra floodplain, making our way to the town of Tinsukia for a two-night stay.
Day 6: Tinsukia & Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary
During our stay in Tinsukia, we will explore several productive birding areas in the alluvial plains of the Brahmaputra basin in upper Assam. Today, we will visit a vital remnant patch of lowland tropical forest at Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in search of a selection of Eastern Himalayan and more widespread forest specialities. This productive habitat is home to a good variety of birds, with highlights that include Streaked Wren-Babbler, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-crowned Forktail, Pale-capped Pigeon, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, the secretive White-winged Duck, Ruddy and Black-backed Dwarf Kingfishers, and up to five species of hornbill including Brown Hornbill. We can also expect various flycatchers, warblers and sunbirds in fast-moving feeding flocks, the chance of Western Hooded and Blue-naped Pittas, and vocal troops of India’s only ape, Western Hoolock Gibbon.
Day 7: Maguri Beel and on to Roing
This morning we will visit the marshy grasslands that flank the Brahmaputra River at Maguri Beel. Here, we will go in search of three northeast Indian grassland endemics, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Swamp Grass Babbler and Marsh Babbler, alongside a selection of resident birds and lingering migrants, notably including Chestnut-capped, Yellow-eyed and restricted range Jerdon's Babblers, Spotted and Chestnut-crowned Bush-Warblers, Paddyfield and Smoky Warblers, Pied Harrier, Yellow Bittern, Greater Painted-Snipe, and a selection of waterfowl. Later today we start our journey northeast, crossing the Brahmaputra River as we head into Arunachal Pradesh and the small town of Roing at 400m in the Lower Dibang Valley, the last major township in India’s northeast frontier and our base for the next four nights. This afternoon we will visit an area of extensive floodplain grasslands where we will be looking for Bengal Florican, the endemic Black-breasted Parrotbill, Black and Cinnamon Bitterns, Chinese and Siberian Rubythroats, and Baikal Bush Warbler.
Day 8-10: The Mishmi Hills from Roing to Mayodia
Over these three days we will explore various elevations along the little-used road to Anini that ascends through the Mishmi Hills. From our base at Roing, we will bird up and down through a succession of incredible and largely undisturbed Himalayan forest habitats, from the subtropical broadleaf forest and bamboo of the outer foothills and into coniferous forest and rhododendrons of higher elevations as far as Mayodia Pass at 2,655m. The Mishmi Hills are among Asia's most promising but least-explored birding areas, and birding here is both exciting and productive, with an extensive list of potential species that includes some of the most sought-after specialities of the Himalayas. Among our key targets will be the endemic Mishmi Wren-Babbler, near-endemic Brown-throated Fulvetta, and restricted range Streak-throated (Manipur) Fulvetta, with other possibilities including an array of Eastern Himalayan specialities such as Spotted and Grey-sided Laughingthrushes, Long-billed, Eye-browed and Bar-winged Wren-Babblers, Red-billed, Black-crowned and Slender-billed Scimitar Babblers, Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler, White-hooded and Golden Babblers, Gould’s, White-browed, Rusty-bellied and Lesser Shortwings, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Ward’s Trogon, stunning yet elusive Green and Purple Cochoas, the unmistakeable Fire-tailed Myzornis, Himalayan Cutia, Beautiful Nuthatch, Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-backed Forktail, Chestnut-breasted Partridge, both Blyth's and Temminck's Tragopans, with an outside chance of Sclater's Monal, Himalayan Owl, Mountain Scops Owl, Collared Owlet, and an impressive variety of shrike-babblers, bullfinches, bush robins including Rufous-breasted, thrushes, warblers, redstarts and accentors, plus mammals that include the endemic Mishmi Takin.
Day 11: Mayodia to Tinsukia
We will make our way back into Assam, perhaps birding across the lower elevations of the Mishmi Hills to focus on any special species we may so far have missed before we return to Tinsukia for the night. If time permits, we will have the opportunity to revisit sites around Tinsukia this afternoon. We may otherwise decide to visit the outskirts of a private patch of lowland forest within Digboi Oilfields where we'll hope to encounter Rufous-necked and Chestnut-backed Laughingthrushes, Collared Treepie, Green-billed Malkoha, Red-headed Trogon, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, White-throated Bulbul, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Yellow-vented and Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, Wedge-tailed and Thick-billed Green-Pigeons, Blyth's and Blue-eared Kingfishers, and White-cheeked Partridge.
Day 12: Tinsukia to Dibrugarh, depart
Depending on flight departures, we may be able to spend a final few hours at Digboi Oilfields or Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary before departing Tinsukia on the short drive to Dibrugarh. Departures from Dibrugarh airport this afternoon or continue with post-tour extension to Namdapha National Park.
Linked tour (Assam and the Eastern Himalayas):
This tour can be combined with our tour of India - northeast: Assam and the Eastern Himalayas (which runs prior to this tour) to create a comprehensive 24 night/25 day (plus extensions) Northeast India birding tour that covers the lower and upper Brahmaputra valley, the Eastern Himalayas at Dirang/Eaglenest and at their easternmost extension in the Mishmi Hills, as well as the associated hill ranges of Nagaland, touching the Myanmar border (and also the hills of Shillong by including the Meghalaya pre-tour extension to that tour). If combining tours, we will drive from Kaziranga National Park to Khonoma in Nagaland in the morning of day 1.
Post-tour extension to Namdapha National Park:
Add this short extension for the chance to add some highly prized regional specialities, and to experience some exciting birding within the wonderfully pristine wilderness of Namdapha National Park.
Post-tour Extension Day 1 / Main Tour Day 12: Tinsukia to Namdapha National Park
Depending on departure plans for those not joining the extension, we may spend the morning birding at Digboi Oilfields or Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. Later, those joining our post-tour extension will re-enter Arunachal Pradesh on the opposite edge of the Brahmaputra floodplain of upper Assam, heading to Namdapha National Park (150km/4.5h) for a four-night stay. Straddling the border with neighbouring Myanmar, Namdapha National Park is a vast tract of undisturbed forest ranging in elevation from little over sea level to 4,500m. This magnificent, secluded landscape is one of the most diverse and untouched natural ecosystems anywhere in the Indian subcontinent, with an extensive list of potential species that includes Eastern Himalayan specialities, scarce forest dwellers, and elusive residents of the Noa-Dehing, Namdapha and Deban Rivers that dissect the forest. We will arrive by late afternoon, with time for some initial birding. The forest trails closest to our guesthouse will prove rich in birds, and we will soon be enjoying good views of a whole host of species, such as Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon, Maroon Oriole, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-crested, Striated, Ashy and Himalayan Black Bulbuls, Long-tailed Sibia, Long-tailed Broadbill, Common Green Magpie, Grey Treepie, White-crested and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Black-eared and White-browed Shrike-Babblers, Red-tailed Minla, Grey-throated Babbler, Great and Blue-eared Barbets, Large Niltava, Sultan Tit, Black-throated Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Mountain Tailorbird, Daurian Redstart and Kalij Pheasant. Staying within the forest will give us the opportunity to look for nocturnal species including Collared and Asian Barred Owlets, and Brown Wood Owl, and we'll also look out for some elusive mammals at dusk, such as Red Giant Flying Squirrel.
Post-tour Extension Day 2-4: Namdapha National Park
Our remote guesthouse will be our base for exploring a network of trails that will allow us access to the pristine forests of the reserve’s lower elevations over these three daysa. Although we will still only be sampling the fringes of this vast area, we have a good chance to see our target species here, among which are some of the most sought-after birds in this part of Asia. Most importantly, we will scan rivers in search of the imperious White-bellied Heron, a critically endangered species now largely restricted to the fast-flowing rivers of Bhutan and this extreme northeastern corner of Arunachal Pradesh. Here, we may also encounter the habitually secretive Blyth’s Kingfisher, curious Ibisbill, Long-billed Plover, Crested Kingfisher, Plumbeous and White-capped Redstarts, up to five forktails including Little and Slaty-backed, and Brown Dipper. As we explore further afield, we will also be actively searching for some of the more difficult birds of this region. Among these will be Snowy-throated Babbler, an elusive skulker with a range so highly restricted that it is only realistically possible here at Namdapha. Other such species include Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Large Scimitar-Babbler, a selection of enigmatic wren-babblers including Scaly-breasted, Streaked and Pygmy, the subtle yet stunning Grey Peacock-Pheasant, and the notoriously shy White-cheeked Partridge. Among other birds we hope to encounter at Namdapha are Brown, Rufous-necked and Wreathed Hornbills, the small, short-billed bamboo specialist Pale-headed Woodpecker and larger Bay Woodpecker with its raucous song, an impressive selection of cuckoos in late spring, the monotypic wren-like Spotted Elachura, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Rusty-fronted Barwing, a selection of stunning flycatchers including Snowy-browed, Pygmy and Sapphire Flycatchers and Pale-blue Flycatcher, colourful warblers such as Grey-hooded, Rufous-faced and Yellow-bellied, Yellow-bellied, Rufous-winged and Nepal Fulvettas, White-bellied Erpornis, Black-chinned Yuhina, and Yellow-bellied Fairy-Fantail.
Post-tour Extension Day 5: Namdapha to Tinsukia
After a final morning at Namdapha, we will leave on the journey back to Tinsukia. This will allow us to spend the afternoon at Dehing-Patkai National Park. This productive site is well worthy of a repeat visit, and we’ll perhaps look for some of its more elusive residents if they eluded us on the main tour.
Post-tour Extension Day 6: Depart Dibrugarh
Depending on flight departures, we may have time for some final birding this morning, either at Maguri Beel or elsewhere. Departures from Dibrugarh airport this afternoon.
