Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
Pricing notes : NO CAMPING
Tour price (Per person): USD7,295 * GBP5,825 * EUR7,023 * AUD11,714
Single Supplement: USD380 * GBP303 * EUR366 * AUD610
Tour Leader: Gregory de Klerk
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change* **NO CAMPING**
Tour price (Per person): USD7,900 * GBP6,308 * EUR7,605 * AUD12,686
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
UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.
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.
What an amazing trip. Exhausting, but amazing. Very well researched, planned and executed. The hotels were all outstanding accommodations and the camping, while not “glamping” was as comfortable and easy as possible for people who’ve not camped in ages. The food exceeded my expectations from the hotels, to small restaurants to the campground and road-side dining. I love trying new local foods when I travel and am so glad that the Indian and Bhutanese cuisine was featured at most meals. Keith and Glen are outstanding guides in every sense of the word—knowledgeable, skilled birders, good humored, fun loving and the patience of saints dealing with prickly guests. I’ve been to Kenya with Glen and he’s the one that “sold” me on Bhutan. Toss in Keith for their natural symbiotic relationship and it was a great time. I’d go anywhere with these two leading. Though they animatedly told me not to go on Cameroon or Philippines RJ Trips. Out of my comfort zone. They know me now. We all know there are different types of birders—the casual, the hard core, the photographer-only type, etc. I feel like I’m a bit of a hybrid—love the birds and exotic locations, the outdoors and adventure, but also mixed with culture, good local food, beer and wine and a bit of down time in order to enjoy the fine accommodations and the local attractions. Our local guides in both Assam and Bhutan were kind, exceptional guides and generally lots of fun. Good job finding them.
David Hoddinott, your birding skills & management of the tour never cease to astound us all. You are a legend and I am so grateful that you could lead us yet again!
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.
The tour was great; organization was excellent, Glen was a fabulous leader both with the birding and the nuts and bolts of the tour.
Overall a very good tour and Glen was an exceptional guide: thoroughly knew the birds and was always professional, friendly, and patient. Just the right low-key personality for a long trip.
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Bhutan - Birding the Buddhist Kingdom II 2023 - April 2023
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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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