Birding Tour Nepal: Easy Himalayan Birding

This exciting and easy birdwatching tour offers the opportunity to experience the immensity of birding the world’s highest mountain range in some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet as part of a small group of fellow birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, and nature lovers.

The former kingdom of Nepal, now officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a land-locked country in Asia and one of the most mountainous on the planet. It is located in the central Himalayas, and of the world’s ten highest mountains eight are in Nepal! This country was cut off from the outside world for many decades after the Second World War, but now it has opened up its boundaries to travelers, and it is definitely worth exploring.

The monotypic Ibisbill can be found on the fast-flowing rivers in Nepal.

Nepal boasts a spectacular diversity of habitats from the lush lowlands of the Terai (“moist land”), conserved in the famous Chitwan National Park, to the top of Mount Everest! This remarkable heterogeneity of different habitats in such a small country means that Nepal boasts a bird list of over 900 species in a country less than half the size of Germany (i.e., a similar size to the US state of Arkansas).

Our itinerary is designed to maximize your exposure to the different habitats and incredible birds Nepal has to offer without trekking on foot for days into the higher Himalayas (though we can arrange trekking after your tour as an extension should you wish to explore some areas on foot). We will target the sole Nepalese endemic, Spiny Babbler, as well as two monotypic families with the highly-sought duo of Ibisbill and Wallcreeper along with further exciting avian possibilities including Indian Courser, Swamp Francolin, Lesser Adjutant, Sarus Crane, Black-bellied Tern, White-tailed Stonechat, Himalayan Rubythroat, Indian Grassbird, Bristled Grassbird, Rufous-vented Grass Babbler, Nepal Fulvetta, Himalayan Cutia, and Tibetan Serin, along with a large list of other birds.

The areas we will be visiting on the tour have historically held both Bengal Florican and Lesser Florican, though both species have dramatically declined in their numbers in recent years and although the chance of seeing any floricans is very low and not to be expected on this tour, we will of course be keeping our eyes peeled for them and hoping to get lucky.

Non-avian highlights during our tour could include sightings from the magnificent selection of Greater One-horned (Indian) Rhinoceros, Bengal Tiger, Ganges River Dolphin, Asian Elephant, Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), Fishing Cat, and Wild Water Buffalo.

Greater One-horned (Indian) Rhinoceros is one of the many non-avian highlights of this tour.