24 Apr 2025 - 06 May 2025 (13 days)
USD7,295 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
Pricing notes : NO CAMPING
Tour price (Per person): USD7,295 * GBP5,657 * EUR6,705 * AUD11,093
Single Supplement: USD380 * GBP295 * EUR349 * AUD578
Tour Leader: Robert Williams
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change* **NO CAMPING**
Tour price (Per person): USD7,900 * GBP6,126 * EUR7,261 * AUD12,012
This tour has been specially designed to make use of hotel lodging only (no camping required)!
One of the least spoilt countries in the mighty Himalayan range, Bhutan boasts incredible mountain scenery and endless verdant forests, whilst shrouded in Buddhist myth and legend and replete with a plethora of incredible and beautiful birds!
On a typical day’s birding with us in this avian wonderland, you will find yourself in breath-taking surroundings searching for legendary birds in pristine forests, with mighty Himalayan peaks towering in the distance – all in all, Bhutan is a destination like no other! As we journey through this fabled land, we will regularly cross dramatic mountain passes, that are adorned with brightly coloured prayer flags and chortens/stupas (temples), and these give way to vast countryside, often dominated by impressive dzongs (temple-fortresses) that so characterise this unique country. We look forward to having you aboard this adventure through a paradise of culture, birds, and scenic vistas as we explore the heavenly riches of Bhutan!
*The SDF tourism levy was fortunately reduced from the mandatory $200 per person per day to a lower variable figure dependent on the length of tour (01/06/2023)*
Himalayan Monal; Satyr Tragopan; Blood Pheasant; White-bellied Heron; Ibisbill; Ward’s Trogon; Slender-billed Scimitar Babblers; Black-headed Shrike-Babbler; Fire-tailed Myzornis; Fire-tailed, Green-tailed & Mrs. Gould’s Sunbirds; Himalayan Cutia; Black-faced & Spotted Laughingthrushes; Spotted Elachura; Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch; White-browed & Rufous-winged Fulvettas; Golden Bush Robin; Darjeeling & Rufous-bellied Woodpeckers; Himalayan Bluetail; Rusty-flanked & Sikkim Treecreepers; and a host of parrotbills.
Himalayan Goral; Yellow-throated Marten; Royle's & Large-eared Pika.
medium to high elevation forests (including bamboo, coniferous & mixed broad-leafed), pastures, wetlands, rocky slopes, rivers
warm and tropical to temperate and cold, some rain expected
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
Mostly undemanding. Suitable for all birding / wildlife interest levels & most mobility capabilities.
All nights in comfortable hotel lodging (No camping). Some nights at high elevation (2 500 – 3 000m / 8 400 – 10 000ft)
Most species provide good visuals in open conditions.
Buddhist culture, dzongs (temple-fortresses), incredible mountain scenery and magnificent forests, a land little touched by time
Average to good. No dedicated hides. Very good cultural photo opportunities.
Yeah this one was as close to perfect as it comes. Talking with Keith, I understand this is a newish itinerary based on road constructions and all so I can't compare to previous years where RJ used to visit the Eastern part of the country but the current itinerary is impeccable, ensuring various habitats and a very good bird list overall. Local guides and logistics were flawless. Camping was simply amazing. Food was great. And traveling with both Glen and Keith is simply amazing. Both have exhaustive knowledge of the birds in Bhutan but also are a gold mine of information on rare sightings, splits, subspecies and other wildlife sightings. Time management was among the best I had in birding trips; balance between rest time, pacing of walks and everything else was perfect. Two small suggestions, which I have already shared with Keith during the trip : the pre-trip documentation, specifically the itinerary descriptions with potential species need to be reviewed. This is minor as basically no one opens up that document while we are traveling but it is still inaccurate in many ways. Also, on long(ish) days where there is a significant gap between breakfast and lunch (eg 5AM to 2PM), more snacks would be needed, something simple like bananas and/or apples depending on availability, just to keep the hungrier people like me a little bit more fed! But overall this trip was a success from A to Z. I already had high expectations for Bhutan but everything was above and beyond.
We finally made it to Bhutan after a wait of 3 years due to Covid! Great trip. the culture, the Bhutanese people and of course, the birds. Those pheasants are incredible! We also got some great butterflies! Andre was a fantastic guide. We enjoyed his relaxed, fun personality and his handling of the group. He has AMAZING birding skills, able to spot stuff moving and able to predict where it might pop out of the shrubbery for a view. His bird call recognition and mimicking was excellent. We did find the group was a bit to large for our liking, so we might explore using RJs private custom tour service.
It was an excellent tour, both in Assam and Bhutan. David Erterius and Greg de Klerk worked well together, and the local support was very satisfactory. It met all my expectations.
I would like to add that our group was small, only 6 guests, which enhanced the birding experiences. The Rockjumper guides, Greg de Klerk and David Erterius, did a great job getting everyone onto most of the species every time. The small group also made for more comfortable travelling.
The trip was wonderful. Keith and Glen were wonderful guides. The local "crew" was also excellent, both on a daily basis as well as when we used them for camping. The bus was comfortable. Laundry was available on most 2-night stays. Hotels were good. Food was good, but I think the hotel in Paro was the weakest on the food front. It would have been nice to have 1 meal, just one meal, that was not Bhutanese/Indian. I enjoyed the mixing of the Bhutanese cultural aspects with the birding. I may have small complaints (pillows weren't comfortable), but otherwise I really have nothing negative to say. Good job guys.
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom II 2024 - April 2024
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom I 2024 - March 2024
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom II 2023 - April 2023
Bhutan - Blisard 2023 - April 2023
Bhutan - RBC - Kaziranga Ext 2023 - April 2023
Bhutan - Miller - Highlights 2023 - April 2023
Bhutan - RBC Main 2023 - March 2023
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom I 2023 - March 2023
Bhutan - Highlights of Winter 2023 - January 2023
Bhutan - Highlights of Winter 2020 - January 2020
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom Exclusive 2019 - April 2019
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom 2019 - March 2019
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom II 2018 - April 2018
Bhutan - Browne 2018 - April 2018
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom I 2018 - March 2018
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom I 2017 - March 2017
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom - Szabo 2017 - February 2017
Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom II 2016 - April 2016
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