Nepal: Red Panda & Singalila Forest
A unique opportunity to visit a blossoming ecotourism destination in pristine forest! All our needs will be fully catered-to by the team of locals who run the cosy and comfortable homestay while also expertly tracking their fluffy targets: the enigmatic Red Panda. We expect to enjoy multiple quality sightings of these iconic mammals, which are easiest to see in early April! Easy roadside birding in this rich forest will probably see us finding around 150 species of excellent Himalayan birds in less than a week, including Fire-tailed Myzornis, Red-headed Bullfinch, Golden Bush Robin, Hoary-throated Barwing, Satyr Tragopan, Spotted, Black-faced, and Striated Laughingthrushes, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, and many more.
Next Dates
31 March - 6 April 2025 (7 days)
Leaders:
Donna Belder
Group Size Limit:
6
Single Room Supplement: $
800 USD
Deposit: $
750 USD
Price: $
3600 USD
Add a Title
Leaders:
Donna Belder
Group Size Limit:
Add a Title
Single Room Supplement: $
TBD
Deposit: $
TBD
Price: $
TBD
Add a Title
31 March - 6 April 2026 (7 days)
Leaders:
Julien Mazenauer
Group Size Limit:
6
Single Room Supplement: $
900 USD
Deposit: $
750 USD
Price: $
4100 USD
Add a Title
Leaders:
Julien Mazenauer
Group Size Limit:
Add a Title
Single Room Supplement: $
TBD
Deposit: $
TBD
Price: $
TBD
Add a Title
31 March - 6 April 2027 (7 days)
Leaders:
Donna Belder
Group Size Limit:
6
Single Room Supplement: $
900 USD
Deposit: $
750 USD
Price: $
4200 USD
Add a Title
Leaders:
Donna Belder
Group Size Limit:
Add a Title
Single Room Supplement: $
TBD
Deposit: $
TBD
Price: $
TBD
Add a Title
Accommodation:
Our main base will be a simple but comfortable Himalayan guesthouse (with en-suite bathrooms and hot water), situated overlooking the forest, with a bird hide and excellent food! One night in Kathmandu at a comfortable hotel.
Walking difficulty:
Mostly easy roadside birding, with some slow uphill/downhill walking as we cover ground.
Tour cost includes:
All accommodation, main meals, drinking water, internal flights (as stated in itinerary), overland transport, tips to local drivers and guides, travel permits, entrance fees, and guide fees.
Tour cost excludes:
Flights before and after the tour start/end, visa, travel insurance, tips to tour leaders, laundry, drinks, and other items of a personal nature.
Day 1: Arrivals into Kathmandu Airport (TIA) this morning. We will spend the afternoon searching for Nepal’s only endemic bird, the range-restricted Spiny Babbler! Other West Himalayan specialties might include Black-chinned Babbler and Himalayan Black-lored Tit. Night in Kathmandu.
Day 2: We will catch a short flight to eastern Nepal and be transferred by our accommodating hosts to our home for the next five nights. This is a unique opportunity to visit a blossoming ecotourism destination before it becomes too popular and crowded over the coming years, so we will make the most of our visit and get started right away this afternoon!
Day 3-4-5-6: Singalila Ridge features extensive broadleaf montane rainforest, ideal habitat for the enigmatic Red Panda. All our needs will be fully catered-to by the team of locals who run the cosy and comfortable guesthouse while also expertly tracking their fluffy targets! Since opening a few years ago, the team has maintained a 100% success rate at finding at least one Red Panda for every guest who has stayed with them for the minimum of five nights. We expect to enjoy multiple quality sightings of these iconic mammals, which are most easily observed in the first weeks of April! The guesthouse also has a photography blind with a mouthwatering list of birds that have been recorded in attendance over the past years. Fire-tailed Myzornis, Golden Bush Robin, Spotted Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, four species of parrotbill, and even Red Panda have been photographed coming in to drink and eat, right by our rooms! Always surrounded by spectacular scenery, on a clear day at one of the higher elevations near the guesthouse, we should even be able to see Sagarmāthā/Mount Everest in the distance.
Of course, in such pristine forest, there is also excellent birding to be had. This area is possibly the best place in the world to see Fire-tailed Myzornis, with some birders counting dozens of individuals in a single morning! We can expect to come across lovely Himalayan species such as Satyr Tragopan, Chestnut-crowned, Scaly, Black-faced, and Striated Laughingthrushes, Streak-breasted and Slender-billed Scimitar Babblers, Rufous Sibia, Rufous-vented and Stripe-throated Yuhina, Blue-fronted Redstart, Red-tailed and Bar-throated Minla, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Scaly-breasted Cupwing, White-collared Blackbird, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Darjeeling Woodpecker, White-tailed Nuthatch, Red-vented and Grey-crested Tits, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Fire-tailed Sunbird, White-winged Grosbeak, Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch, Red-headed Bullfinch, and many, many more. With some luck, we will come across some rarer birds known from the area, such as Blood Pheasant, Fulvous Parrotbill, Rusty-fronted Barwing, or Rufous-throated Wren-babbler. We can certainly expect to see about 150 species in our short time here!
Day 7: This morning, we will fly back to Kathmandu, where the tour ends this afternoon.
NOTE: With cheap flights always available between Kathmandu and New Delhi, it is easy to combine this short Nepal tour with mammal watching or birding in India. Please let us know if you would like some easy week-long ideas, which could include Bengal Tiger, Ganges River Dolphin, Painted Spurfowl, Indian Skimmer, and the Taj Mahal!
Read our past trip reports!