Birding Tour of Western Himalayas & Northern Wetlands

Adventure

Fitness Level

Culture

At A Glance
Trip Itinerary

At A Glance

This is a perfect plan for an exploratory bird-watching tour to North India. It takes you to two of the most significant wetlands that are also Ramsar Sites – Pong Bird Sanctuary and Harike Wetland and also to the middle Himalayas to experience altitudinal migration of the high altitude birds during winters. It involves hikes and camping but both of very beginners level. You can experience the mountains without going too far away from your comfort zone.

Duration: 9 nights / 10 days

Activities: Birding

Tour starts from: Amritsar and Ends at: Gaggal Airport

Places covered: North Indian States of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab

Grade: Medium (Outdoor Camps and Hill Walking Involved)

Best Time to Visit: Mid-October to Mid-March

Elevation: 300-2000 metres above sea level

Weather

Months	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar
Temp (Min) °C	05	05	00	00	05	05
Temp (Max) °C	36	33	30	30	33	36

Focus On: Winter Migratory & High Altitude Birds

Monuments: Golden Temple, Guler Fort, Dalai Lama Temple, Norbuligka

Other Attractions: Cultural Interaction and Food Tasting of Punjabi, Himachali and
Tibetan flavours

Max. Group Size: 08

Trip Itinerary

Day 01: Arrival at Amritsar, Guided Golden Temple visit and traditional Punjabi dinner.
Day 02: Leave for Harike wetland, morning and evening birding at Harike. Overnight stay near Harike.
Day 03: Full day birding at Harike wetland.
Day 04: Leave for Pong lake, birding at pong lake post lunch (a birding hot-spot with over around 400 species recorded at the place with over 1,00,000 migratory birds coming every year).
Day 05-06: Full day birding at Pong lake and nearby areas.
Day 07: Toy train and drive to Dharamshala. Birding in Dhauladhar mountains post lunch.
Day 08-09: Full day exploration of Dharamshala and Mcleodganj including Naddi, Dal lake, river trails, tea gardens, Tibetan food tasting, His Holiness Dalai Lama temple, NGO and lot of other things with our expert.
Day 10: Departure from Gaggal Airport after morning birding trail.

About the Author

About Bharat Goel

Bharat Goel, an avid traveler and wildlife photographer has more than a decade’s experience of travelling in wild throughout India. His love for the wild urged him to leave his engineering career to dedicate his life for the preservation of nature and wildlife. He constantly strives to make people aware and encourage them to appreciate and being responsible towards nature through his endeavor.