How Economical is Birding in Bhutan/ NE India/ Assam?
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The answer is : you can spend whatever you are willing to pay - |
FROM 40$ TO 500$ PER PERSON PER DAY!
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COST OF A PERMIT |
Bhutan itself is very expensive - foreigners have to spend 200$ every day inside Bhutan. But the famed "Bhutanese" birds can be seen in neighbouring Arunachal (India) as well. An Arunachal tourist permit is easy to get : there are no limits on the annual number of permits (unlike in Bhutan) and the fee is only $200 for a group of 4 for 10 days (only 5$ ppd). Above this 5$ fee and a 10-15$ handling fee for the (mandatory) local operator you can decide exactly how much you want to spend on comforts and organisation to make your trip as smooth and comfortable and enjoyable and time-efficient as one desires and is willing to pay for.
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TIME TO GET A PERMIT |
Through our agency, a permit to visit Bhutan can be managed for a foreigner in 2 weeks. But one should play it safe and allow for 4 weeks.
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HOW MUCH DOES A TOUR COST? depends on the birder 1. Perhaps you prefer the comforting ambience provided by a familiar tour leader from "back home" who speaks your idiom and knows all your needs. Fair enough and that adds to the cost. She/he will usually organise the tour through a reputed local agency and it will cost between 250$ and 500$ per person per day. |
2. if you book directly through an Indian operator you'll get much the same comforts as in option 1 (probably the same ground operator anyway) but with an Indian flavour and will only cost 100-150$ ppd. You will get very similar birds as well.
3. It is possible that even option 2 is too expensive for you or you simply want to do it on your own. Our group will show you how to organise it yourself (minimum group size 4) for between 40$-75$ per person per day; and we'd be happy to help you free of charge. Of course the flip side is that you have to take the responsibility for the organisation, the schedule and will have to use public transport and do a couple of long treks. You will also require loads of patience and time and a sense of humour and adventure. But you'll see lots of birds if you've done your pre-trip homework.
The point is not that one option is better than the other. A small budget does not preclude birding India's north-east. It is an enthralling wilderness - especially Arunachal Pradesh. Come and enjoy yourself at whatever comfort level you can afford. If you can afford it, come with your favourite tour leader and see the birds. If you cant, book directly through the Indian operator. If neither is appealing, contact us and we'll point you towards a deal that can't be beat provided you put in some effort.
Vidya Athreya
Narayangaon : 410 504. Maharashtra, India.
Phone : +91-2132-245770
phatrosie@vsnl.net
NORTH-EAST INDIA (ASSAM & ARUNACHAL PRADESH) IN WINTER 2004-05
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The itinerary covers a large range of altitudes and diverse habitats and with a combined checklist of 750+ species is arguably the birdiest tour that India has to offer.
Number of participants : 3-6
Duration : 19-day fully guided and organised bird tours
Areas on the itinerary
4d at Kaziranga (alt. 50m) grassland, marshes, gallery woodland
8d at Eaglenest (alt. 700-3000m) broad-leaved montane forest
2d at Tsela pass, subject to snow conditions, (alt. 3000-4000m) conifer, rhododendron, alpine meadows
5d at Pakke (alt. 100-300m) lowland evergreen forest, flood plains Eaglenest-Pakke-Tsela are just 50 km from the Bhutan border.
Cost :
* Indian Rupees 116,000 (approx 2600 US$) per person for a group of 3. discounts will be allowed for a larger group size
* This covers 19 full days of birding from the morning of the 1st day till afternoon birding of the last day; covers all living, transport (a dedicated jeep with live back-up) and entry permits during the tour including 1 elephant ride in Kaziranga
* go to the end of this mail for an ultra budget option
Expenses not covered :
* airfare from home to India (Guwahati)
* visa expenses in the home country * living expenses on the nights of day 0 and day 19 in Guwahati (50-100$)
* travel/medical insurance
* tips (recommended but not mandatory)
* Alcoholic drinks
* still/video camera fees in sanctuaries
Dates : Three fully guided trips
1. 13th - 31st December 2004
2. 14th March - 1st April 2005
3. 28th March - 16th April 2005
* Other dates between October and May are possible but our bird guide may not be available outside the above dates. Contact us for further details
* Last date for booking : 2 months before the start date
Degree of difficulty : moderate. An ability to walk unladen 6-8 km along a mountain road should the need arise is essential. Birding will be done with a jeep following behind. All walking, even in the mountains, will be along a jeep track. Accommodation will be in comfortable lodges in Kaziranga, Pakke and Tsela and in basic sheds or tents in Eaglenest.
Mammals :
guaranteed : rhinoceros, swamp deer, wild buffalo (all very endangered)
very likely : elephant, sambhar, barking and hog deer, hoolock gibbons assamese macaque, capped langur, malayan giant squirrels
possible : tiger, himalayan black bear, red panda, serow, etc
Birds :
750+ species on the combined list.
359 species seen in April 2004 trip (Ray Ziarno of Ornifolk was there)
325 species is the number we are confident of recording during a trip
400 species is what we shall aim for, having recorded birdsong for a month in May 2004 and identified extra stakeouts and added areas above 3000m (Tsela pass) to the April 2004 itinerary.
specialities :
Eaglenest-Pakke-Tsela
6 PHEASANTS (3 tragopans, monal, blood and grey peacock-pheasant), 15+ raptors (incl. collared falconet, black baza, and mountain hawk-eagle), 4 hornbills (incl. RUFOUS-NECKED and GREAT PIED), 2 trogons (incl WARD'S), IBISBILL, 6 green-pigeons, 15 cuckoos (incl. EMERALD), 15+ woodpeckers, 4 shortwings (incl GOULD'S), 14 laughingthrushes, 6 wren- babblers (incl WEDGE-BILLED and RUFOUS-THROATED), 6 parrotbills (incl. Rufous-headed and black-throated), 5 Scimitar-babblers (incl SLENDER- BILLED and CORAL-BILLED), 5 fulvettas (incl. YELLOW-THROATED, GOLDEN- BREASTED and BROWN-THROATED), cutia, 4 shrike-babblers, 6 yuhinas (incl WHITE-NAPED), 3 sibias, 3 TESIAS, 8 abroscopus/seicercus warblers (incl BROAD-BILLED), 20+ flycatchers, 9 tits (incl SULTAN), 6 sunbirds (incl FIRE-TAILED), BEAUTIFUL NUTHATCH (scoped in April 2004), FIRE-TAILED MYZORNIS, scarlet and gold-naped finches. The full list and the April 2004 triplist is available at http://www.ncra.tifr.res.in/~rathreya/KaziPakkeEaglenest.
The extremely rare black-necked cranes visit a valley below the Tsela pass between December and February and is a strong possibility during that period.
Kaziranga alone has a checklist of 500+ species, including many which are widely distributed in the north Indian plains. Some of its special birds are pied harrier, both adjutant storks, bengal florican, finn's baya, black-breasted parrotbill etc. A Kaziranga big-day around Christmas once yielded 225 species!
Contact : Vidya Athreya
Kaati Trust of India (Biodiversity : documentation, education, conservation)
Email : kaati_tours@vsnl.net or phatrosie@vsnl.net
Phone : +91-2132-245770
Our team is carrying out an inventory of birds, butterflies and reptiles of Eaglenest. We are also helping the indigeneous tribe of that area, the Bugun tribe, set up an ecotourism venture to wean away their members from making a living from selling prime forest as firewood ..... and hence these tours (we don't run any other tours). Most of the profits from these tours will go towards funding the survey there and into a community development organisation.
Low Budget tours :
If budget is a serious constraint you could still bird this area for US$ 40-100 per day. Above the fixed fee of US$20 per person per day (minimum 4 people, 10 days) for permits and community fees you can decide how much comfort you wish to pay for. Our involvement (free of charge) will be limited to introducing you to the tribal development society who will be your (mandatory) local tour operator, with whom you can work out the details. You can easily bird the area on foot, with local porters and camp staff and public transport. You'll have to allow for a few non- birding days to cover for the vagaries of public transport and self- organising but with a skilled birder who has done her/his homework the group should see lots of birds.