Assam & Mishmi Hills Birding Tour

India's capital Delhi is where our birding adventure of Assam and Arunachal begins. Our representative receives you at the airport or railway station in Delhi and drives you to a pre-booked hotel. After a short rest break, we take you out for a birding tour of Delhi.

A metropolis like Delhi may not come across as a birding destination at first glance, but the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, located at Okhla barrage on the outskirts of the city, quickly puts paid to such notions. As many as 300 bird species have been spotted here and our targets for the day include Eurasian Collared-Dove, Laughing Dove, Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Asian Koel, Grey-headed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Black-winged Stilt, Red-wattled Lapwing, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Temminck's Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern, Oriental Darter, Great Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Indian Pond-Heron, Black-headed Ibis, Black Kite, Spotted Owlet, Indian Grey Hornbill, Common Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Brown-headed Barbet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, Long-tailed Shrike, Ashy Prinia, Plain Prinia, Sykes's Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Plain Martin, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Indian White-eye, Striated Babbler, Rosy Starling, Bank Myna, India Robin, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Bluethroat, Pied Bushchat, Citrine Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit, and Red-headed Bunting.

In the evening we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. We sleep early because we have an early start the day after.

Early in the morning, we transfer you to Delhi airport for a flight to Dibrugarh, an industrial city located in the north-eastern part of Assam, close to the state's border with Arunachal Pradesh. Our driver or representative meets you at the Dibrugarh airport and drives you to the town called Roing in Arunachal Pradesh. The 150-km cab ride takes about 3 to 4 hours and the road winds through a beautiful landscape replete with birding opportunities.

We make the most of this journey by stopping over at selected birding sites along the way and look for the first sights of the birds of Arunachal Pradesh. These are only short halts as we want to make it to Roing in time to squeeze in some evening birding in the day's schedule.

Roing is a small town situated at the foothills of Mishmi Hills. For someone travelling eastward along the length of Arunachal Pradesh, it is the last major town to India's north-eastern border with China. From the birding point of view, Roing is a good place to start our birding tour of Arunachal Pradesh. After our arrival, we freshen up at a pre-booked resort and then step out for a short birding excursion in nearby areas. Dinner and overnight at the resort.

The subtropical evergreen forest of Mishmi Hills receives heavy rainfall every year and is a notable biodiversity hotspot for nature lovers to explore. We dedicate the whole day to birding in the lower areas of Mishmi Hills. There is an excellent birding trail that stretches up to a place called Tiwari Gaon, 20 km away. We drive up this trail and make regular stops to birdwatch.

Our targets for the day include Spot-breasted Babbler, White-bellied Erpornis, Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Blue-winged Minla, Small Niltava, Ashy Bulbul, Striated Yuhina, Black Bulbul, Nepal Fulvetta, White-naped Yuhina, Whiskered Yuhina, Pygmy Cupwing, Streaked Spiderhunter, White-capped Redstart, Black-throated Sunbird, Collared Treepie, Scarlet Minivet, White-crested Laughingthrush, Long-tailed Sibia, Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Vivid Niltava, Pigmy Wren Babbler, Scaly Wren Babbler, Green Cochua, Large Blue Flycatcher, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Great Barbet, Golden-throated Barbet, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Maroon Oriole, Grey-chinned Minivet, Lesser Shortwing, White-tailed Robin, Beautiful Nuthatch, Fire-capped Tit, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Sultan Tit, Black-throated Tit, Striated Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, Mountain Tailorbird, Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Grey-hooded Warbler, Grey-cheeked Warbler, Lesser-necklaced Laughingthrush, Striated Laughingthrush, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Red-faced Liocichla , Rusty-throated Wren Babbler, Pale-Headed Woodpecker and many more.

We wrap up the day's birding at Mishmi Hills by looking for Hodgson's Frogmouth in the evening. Later, we drive back to our resort in Roing for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast, we leave Roing for a 40-km drive to Mayodia Pass, which is a mountain pass and a popular tourist destination, particularly in the winters owing to its altitude of 2655 meters which gives stunning views of surrounding snow-capped peaks. Apart from scenic beauty, Mayodia is known as a bustling habitat of birds. Birders often tread the areas around Mayodia Pass for some special and rare avian sights.

We do the day's birding along the road to Mayodia Pass. We look out for the likes of Cachar Wedge-billed Wren Babbler, Mishmi Wren Babbler, Purple Cochua, Hill Partridge, Rufous-throated Partridge, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Black-faced Warbler, Red-faced Liocichla, Long-billed Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, White-browed Shrike Babbler, Black-eared Shrike Babbler, Blyth Tragopan, Rufous-capped Babbler, Golden Babbler, Silver-eared Mesia, Red-billed Leiothrix, Cutia, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, White-naped Yuhina, Rufous-vented Yuhina, White-bellied Yuhina, Beautiful Sibia, Long-tailed Sibia, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Black-throated Sunbird, Fire-tailed Sunbird, and Streaked Spiderhunter among many others.

The day's birding ends with our arrival at Mayodia Pass. We check into a place called Coffee House for snacks, dinner and overnight.

Several birding trails around Mayodia Pass are worth exploring. A stroll deeper into the lower forests reveals a fascinating variety of bird species. The bamboo brakes that grow in profusion along the road surprise you with wonderful kind of birds. We head out to explore these birding sites right after breakfast.

Perseverance in these bird habitats rewards you with sights of Scalater's Monal, Blyth's Tragopan, Fulvous Parrotbill, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Pale-Capped Pigeon, Ward's Trogon, Dark-sided Thrush, White-crested and Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Green and Purple Cochoa, Rusty-Bellied and Gould's Shortwing, Beautiful Nuthatch, Mishmi Wren-Babbler, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Manipur Fulvetta, Fire-Tailed Myzornis, Scarlet- and Grey-Headed Bullfinch, Mountain Scops Owl, Black-throated Parrotbill, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Grey-sided, Spotted and Black-faced Laughingthrushes, White-browed and Rusty-bellied Shortwing. One of the prized sightings of the day could be that of the Leopard Cat.

The region so abounds with birds that we can continue birding well into the night and seek out Mountain Scops Owl and Himalayan Wood Owl.

We call it a day with simple but tasty dinner at Mayodia Pass. Overnight at Mayodia Pass.

We leave the heights of Mayodia Pass and drive back down to the lower areas of Roing town, which sits at the moderate elevation of 390 meters. The birding trails around Roing have tremendous potential and we give them two full days of our birding adventure of Arunachal Pradesh.

Scouring the lower and middle altitude areas hereabout, we hope to see a wide variety of birds, including Red-headed Trogon, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Fork-tailed Swift, Collared Owlet, Asian Barred Owlet, Eagle/fish Owl, Barred Cuckoo Dove, Lesser Shortwing, Little Pied Flycatcher, Sultan Tit, Black-throated Tit, Striated Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul , Ashy-throated Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Grey-hooded Warbler, Grey-cheeked Warbler, Grey-headed Parakeet, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Black-faced Warbler, Red-faced Liocichla, Long-billed Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Bar-winged Wren Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Silver-eared Mesia, White-browed Shrike Babbler, Black-eared Shrike Babbler, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, Brown-throated Fulvetta, Streak-throated Fulvetta, Nepal Fulvetta, Sparrowhawk , Oriental Honey Buzzard, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Common Green Magpie, Grey Treepie and many others.

Moving on to the birding trails in Roing grasslands, we aim to sight the likes of Golden-headed Cisticola, Paddyfield Warbler, Striated Grassbird, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Jerdon's Babbler, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Grey-throated Babbler, Marsh Babbler, Striated Babbler, Great Myna, Chinese Rubythroat, Siberian Stonechat, Scaly-breasted Munia and Rare Swamp Prinia. After a busy day of birding at Roing, we return to our resort for dinner and overnight.

We start the day with a short birding excursion around Roing before packing up and driving towards the town of Tinsukia in Assam. The 100-km ride usually takes up to 4 hours, and we stop by some birding locations on the way to mark off some local avian specialties. We check into a resort in Tinsukia around lunch time and, after a short break for rest, we go out for a birding tour of Tinsukia.

Tinsukia is an industrial town with a birding potential in the nearby forest areas and tea plantations. It's these areas we search for some resident and migratory bird species. There are ample avian curiosities here to keep us busy through the evening. After dusk, we probe the woods for nocturnal birds such as Brown Hawk Owl, Oriental Scops Owl, and Long-eared Nightjar. Usually, it's possible to see all three in the same evening.

After a short spell of night birding, we return to our resort at Tinsukia for dinner and overnight.

Maguri Beel is a large wetland area next to Dibru Saikhowa National Park. The marshes and grasslands at Maguri Beel teem with such an incredible variety of birds that BirdLife International has declared it an Important Birding Area (IBA).

After an early breakfast, we drive for about half an hour to reach Maguri Beel, which is just 12 km from Tinsukia. The wetlands of Maguri Beel abound with the likes of Bar-headed Goose, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Falcated Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Baillon's Crake, Northern Lapwing, Little-ringed Plover, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Bronze-winged Jacana, Grey-headed Lapwing, Temminck's Stint, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Asian Openbill, Lesser Adjutant, Glossy Ibis, Eastern Marsh-Harrier, Pied Harrier, and Paddyfield Warbler.

The grasslands of Maguri Beel reveal a bunch of rare and exotic birds such as Black-breasted Parrotbill, Marsh Babbler, Jerdon's Bushchat, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Jerdon's Babbler, Baikal Bush Warbler, Swamp Prinia, Swamp Francolin, Grey-sided Bush Warbler, Speckled Piculet, Striped Tit-Babbler, Pale-capped Pigeon, Red-necked Falcon, Pale-chinned Flycatcher, White-tailed Rubythroat, Spot-winged Starling, Pale-footed Bush Warbler, Japanese Bush Warbler, Black-breasted Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler, Spotted Bush Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Thick-billed Warbler, Smoky Warbler, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Jerdon's Babbler, Black-faced Bunting, Streaked Weaver, Yellow-breasted Bunting and several other avian curiosities.

After a busy day of birding at Maguri Beel, we return to our resort in Tinsukia for dinner and overnight.

Digboi is a town in eastern Assam known for its oil fields. It's here the first oil well in Asia was drilled way back in the 19th century. But what's not equally well known about Digboi is that it is a superlative bird haven. There's plenty of birding prospects in the lowland forests and pools around the oil fields.

We explore these areas after an hour's ride from Tinsukia to Digboi in the morning. We seek out a wide variety of birds like White-winged Duck, White-cheeked Partridge, Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Falcated Duck, Ferruginous Pochard, Bay Woodpecker, Wreathed Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Red-headed Trogon, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Grey-headed Lapwing, Green-billed Malkoha, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Daurian Redstart, Mountain Tailorbird, Besra, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Common Green Magpie, Grey Treepie, Collared Treepie, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, Large Woodshrike, Dark-sided Thrush, Black-breasted Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Black-backed Forktail, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, White-throated Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, Grey-breasted Prinia, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Grey-bellied Tesia, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, Tickell's Leaf Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Striped-tit Babbler, White-hooded Babbler, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Blyth's Pipit, and Olive-backed Pipit.

For the whole day we cover the birding trails around Digboi and return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

India's largest stretch of tropical lowland rainforests is found in Assam's Dehing Patkai region which is so thick and diverse that it's divided into three parts: Jeypore forest range, Upper Dehing West Block and Upper Dehing East Block. These forests are home to an incredible variety of birds and deserve at least two busy days of birding. During these two days, we focus on the birding trails at the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and Jeypore forest range. The sanctuary also abounds with wildlife and it's not unusual to see Asian Elephants and Hoolock Gibbon.

Our avian targets during these excursions are Large Scimitar Babbler, Sultan Tit, Red-headed Trogon, Lesser and Greater Necklaced & Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes, Pale-capped Pigeon, Violet and Emerald Cuckoo, Silver-bellied and Long-tailed Broadbill, Pale Blue and Slaty Blue Flycatchers, Brown Hornbills, Streaked Spiderhunter, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Dollar Bird, White-browed Piculet, Hodgson's hawk Cuckoo, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Blue-throated Barbet, White-crowned Forktail, Red-winged Cuckoo, White-throated Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, Grey-throated Babbler, White-browed Piculet, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, White-browed Shortwing, Lesser Shortwing, Blue-eared Kingfisher, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Pale blue Flycatcher, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, White-hooded Babbler, Pied Falconet, White-spectacled Warbler, Streaked Wren-Babbler, White-browed Scimitar-Babbler, Pale-chinned Blue Flycatcher, Hooded Pitta and several others.

On both days, we drive from our hotel in Digboi and return in the evening for dinner and overnight.

In the morning, we drive you for about 2 hours from Digboi to Dibrugarh. We drop you at the airport for your onward journey. The birding trip of Assam and Mishmi Hills ends.