Dimapur – Chizami - Khonoma Tragopan Sanctuary
06 Days / 05 Nights
Among the many birding destinations of Northeast India, the small state of Nagaland often tends to be overlooked. Not many know that this ‘falcon capital of the world’ is home to around 500 bird species, many of them concentrated around the village of Chizami and Khonoma Tragopan Sanctuary.
Booked as per
request.
Included except arrival and departure city.
Private guide for complete tour.
Airport to Airport.
2-8PAX
Included
Among the many birding destinations of Northeast India, the small state of Nagaland often tends to be overlooked. Not many know that this ‘falcon capital of the world’ is home to around 500 bird species, many of them concentrated around the village of Chizami and Khonoma Tragopan Sanctuary.
The presence of high number and variety of bird species at these two birding hotspots makes Nagaland a great place for a short birding expedition.
Our Nagaland Short Birding Tours targets these very hotspots for avian specialties of North and Northeast India, including several migratory beauties from northern latitudes.
Blyth’s Tragopan, the state bird of Nagaland, tops the list of most sought-after fowls, and there’s no place better to see it than Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary, which has over the last decade become a safe haven for the once-endangered Blyth’s Tragopan. A blanket ban on hunting and vigorous conservation initiatives have worked wonders for several other bird species in this sanctuary, making it an excellent birding hotspot for those who want to step off the beaten track.
In our short birdwatching tour of Nagaland, we put in two full days of birding at Khonoma. Our targets here include Brown-capped Laughingthrush, Naga Wren Babbler, Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler, Striped Laughingthrush, Spot-breasted Laughingthrush, Flavescent Bulbul, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Blue-fronted Redstart, Slaty-backed Forktail, Silver-eared Mesia, Ashy-throated and Buff-barred Warbler, Blue-winged Minla, Blue-throated Barbet, Crested Finchbill, Black-throated Tit, Himalayan Buzzard, Olive-backed Pipit, Little Bunting, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Grey Sibia, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Bar-throated Minla, Rufous-capped and Golden Babblers, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Striated Bulbul, Large Niltava, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Beautiful Sibia, and, of course, Blyth's Tragopan, apart from several others.
Chizami village, too, has scripted a conservation success story and our daylong birding tour there targets the laughingthrushes, particularly Yellow-throated laughingthrush, Moustached Laughingthrush and White-browed Laughingthrush. Besides these little stunners, Chizami yields an interesting avian cast, including Blue-throated Barbet, Long-tailed Minivet, Ashy Woodswallow, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, White-throated Fantail, Green-backed Tit, Cinereous Tit, Black-throated Prinia, Black-crested Bulbul, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Black-throated Tit, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Silver-eared Mesia, Blue-throated Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, White-rumped Munia, and Little Bunting.
Our six-day birding tour of Nagaland explores the state’s best birding trails thoroughly to mark off many, if not all, of these bird species. The trip has four full birding days, and even the two days when we commute long distance to and from Dimapur, we make regular stops to do birdwatching along the way.
INDIA BIRDING TOURS puts your limited time to best use by leaving all the clutter out and focussing on Nagaland birding hotspots with maximum sightings so that six days give your twice their worth.
Lodging: For the entire course of our short birdwatching tour of Nagaland, we put up in Homestays run by local people. These Homestays have comfortable rooms and all the basic amenities. Best of all, they acquaint you with lifestyles and culture of local people, who are warm, friendly, hospitable and have a very different outlook towards life than a metropolitan.
Meals: People of Nagaland have a unique cuisine. During our stay with local families, we get to try some of their staple dishes. If you are inclined otherwise, you can always ask for the Indian or Western dish of your choice. Do bear in mind that cooking ingredients are limited in these remote areas. But the quality of cooking and hygiene are never compromised with.
Tour Difficulty: Birding in Nagaland involves exploring a mountainous terrain with thick canopy of trees and shrubbery. Though both Chizami and Khonoma are accessible by motorable roads, the birding walks here wind up and down the hills. You should be physically fit to put in the effort while carrying your birding equipment and personal backpack.
Tour Extension: If you want to extend your Nagaland birding holiday, there are some good options to choose from. For wildlife adventures, you may want safari tours of Kaziranga National Park in the neighbouring state of Assam. Here, you may see one-horned rhinos and tigers, apart from a wide variety of wildlife. Or you may want to do a cultural tour of Meghalaya. Whatever the extension you want, just let us know well in advance.
Climate: A birding tour of Nagaland is best done from October to May. These are winter, spring and early summer months and the weather is very pleasant for birdwatching. May onwards, the state receives heavy rainfall, making outdoor excursions difficult. The winter temperature can dip as low as 4 degrees Celsius. In spring and early summer season, the mercury hovers in the twenties. Do carry appropriate clothing for the time you choose to tour Nagaland. Bring along a raincoat as well for an odd shower.
Getting There: The only airport in Nagaland is located at Dimapur, which is where our Nagaland short birding adventure begins. Guests flying in from abroad may land in Kolkata or Delhi and then take another flight to Dimapur where our representative will meet them. Birders from India have the option of flying in or commuting via road.
Our India Short Birding Tours of Nagaland begins in Dimapur, a densely populated city, which is also the gateway to Nagaland. Our driver or representative meets you at Dimapur airport and drives you to Chizami village right in the centre of Nagaland. It is a 150-km drive through mountainous terrain and takes up to 6 to 7 hours. Since we stop regularly to do birdwatching along the way, we may take 8 to 9 hours, if not more.
The route from Dimapur to Chizami runs in south-easterly direction and passes through several places with immense birdwatching potential. Kohima, the capital of Nagaland lies roughly halfway along the route, and we make a brief stop here as well before heading to Chizami.
What makes Chizami an attractive birdwatching hotspot of Nagaland is the laudable environment protection reforms and measures undertaken here for almost a decade. We reach Chizami in the evening and check into a homestay for dinner and overnight. If you wish, you may roam around the homestay to watch a few avian beauties.
From a birding perspective, Chizami is a curious place. Though large tracts of land here have been cleared for Jhum cultivation, there still exist pockets of woods and grasslands that host an excellent range of bird species.
It’s these areas we focus on during our birding tour of Chizami. Our main targets are Yellow-throated laughingthrush, Moustached Laughingthrush and White-browed Laughingthrush. Though they aren’t easy to sight, a bit of perseverance rewards us with good views of these stunners. Anyway, there are a lot of other birds to watch, such as Blue-throated Barbet, Long-tailed Minivet, Ashy Woodswallow, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, White-throated Fantail, Green-backed Tit, Cinereous Tit, Black-throated Prinia, Black-crested Bulbul, Striated Bulbul, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, Black-throated Tit, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Silver-eared Mesia, Blue-throated Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, White-rumped Munia, and Little Bunting, apart from many more.
After a busy day of birdwatching, we return to our Homestay for dinner and overnight.
An early morning drive lasting 4 hours takes us from Chizami to Khonoma, which is the best birding hotspot of Nagaland owing to the presence of the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary.
This sanctuary has scripted a success story of bird conservation in the last decade. A ban on hunting – once rampant in this area – has led to the rise in numbers of Blyth’s Tragopan, the state bird. Today, Khonoma is scoured by seasoned birders for a wide range of avian species like Brown-capped laughingthrush, Naga Wren Babbler, Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler, Striped Laughingthrushes, Spot-breasted Laughingthrush, Flavescent Bulbul, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch and, of course, Blyth's Tragopan.
We hope to arrive at Khonoma well before noon so that we can spend the rest of the day watching some of the aforementioned winged stunners. We check into a Homestay and go out birding. We return in the evening for dinner and overnight.
For two days back-to-back, we explore the birding trails of Khonoma Sanctuary and look out for the likes of Blue-fronted Redstart, Slaty-backed Forktail, Silver-eared Mesia, Ashy-throated and Buff-barred Warbler, Blue-winged Minla, Blue-throated Barbet, Crested Finchbill, Black-throated Tit, Himalayan Buzzard, Olive-backed Pipit, Little Bunting, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Grey Sibia, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Bar-throated Minla, Rufous-capped and Golden Babblers, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Striated Bulbul, Large Niltava, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Beautiful Sibia, Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush, Yellow-browed Tit, Green-tailed Sunbird, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Barred Cuckoo Dove, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Golden-throated Barbet, Eye-browed and Grey-sided Thrushes, Rufous-throated Hill Partridge, Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush, Striated Bulbul, Assam Laughingthrush, Mountain Bamboo-partridges, Little Buntings, Red-faced Liocichla, Black-breasted Thrush, Himalayan Red-flanked Bush-robin, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Greentailed Sunbird, Blue-winged Leafbirds, Green Cochoa, Maroon Oriole, Black-eared Shrike-babbler, White-browed Shrike-babbler, and Red-tailed Minlas.
As our birding expedition continues we also seek out other avian species such as Plain-backed Thrush, Vivid Niltava, Golden Bush Robins, Black-throated Prinia, Crested Finchbill, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Striated Prinia, Black-throated Prinia, Lesser Shortwing, Common Rosefinch, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Bay Woodpecker, Blyth's Shrike-Babbler, Spot-throated Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Hill Partridge, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, White-tailed Nuthatch, Ashy-throated Warbler, Grey-bellied Tesia, Eyebrowed Thrush, Scarlet Finch, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Long-billed Thrush, Purple Cochoa, White-tailed Robin, Black-headed Shrike-Babbler, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Black-throated Parrotbill, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Grey-sided Laughingthrush, Spotted Elachura ,Brown Bullfinch, Broad-billed Warbler, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Nepal Fulvetta, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Rufescent Prinia, Striated Swallow, White-browed Laughingthrush and White-collared Blackbird.
On both days, we dine and overnight at the Homestay in Khonoma.
The final day of our Nagaland Short Birdwatching Tour begins with a few hours of birdwatching in and around Khonoma. We then pack up and drive you to the city of Dimapur about 80 km (4 hours) away. On the way, we stop at a few birding sites to tick off a few more birds in our checklist. Then we drop you at Dimapur airport for your onward journey. The tour ends.
