Arunachal Pradesh Mishmi HIll Bird Watching 098

Feathers of Western Sikkim

From undefined/day

Bird watching Tour in Maenam La and Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary in West Sikkim

Highlights || Bird Watching * Short Hiking * Rhododendron Valley * Village Life * Nature Photography

Possible Bird Sightings || Satyr Tragopan * Fire Tailed Myzornis * Himalayan Monal * Mrs Gould's Sunbird * White-browed Fulvetta * Great Tit

Possible Animal Sightings || Red Panda * Leopard * Yellow Throated Martin * Himalayan Black Bear *

Destinations Covered || Okhrey * Barsey * Pelling * Yuksom * Kewzing

Introduction || This week-long birding Sikkim expedition is crafted for serious observers seeking immersive West Sikkim birding across some of the most rewarding high-altitude habitats in the Eastern Himalayas. Designed as a focused Sikkim birdwatching tour, the journey moves through remote forest belts where ecological gradients create exceptional diversity for Eastern Himalaya birding. The expedition begins with dedicated Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary birding at nearly 3,000 meters — a prime zone for high altitude birding India experiences. The sanctuary’s temperate forests, rhododendron corridors, and moss-covered trails provide ideal habitat for pheasants, laughingthrushes, sibias, and mixed hunting flocks. Early mornings in Barsey are particularly productive, making it one of the most significant birding landscapes in West Sikkim. From Barsey, the route transitions toward Pelling and Yuksom, gradually descending and ascending through varied forest layers that enrich species diversity. These shifts in elevation allow this Himalaya birding tour to explore multiple habitat types within a compact geographic span. Forest-edge clearings, river valleys, and undisturbed mountain slopes create layered opportunities for both observation and documentation, making this itinerary especially suitable as a Himalayan bird photography tour. A defining highlight of this Sikkim pheasant tour is the search for Satyr Tragopan Sikkim, one of the most sought-after and visually striking pheasants of the Eastern Himalayas. Locating this species demands patience, silent forest walks, and well-timed early starts — hallmarks of authentic Himalayan field birding. Beyond the tragopan, West Sikkim supports a remarkable range of altitudinal specialists that reward careful tracking and sustained time in habitat. The journey concludes near Kewzing village, where forest margins and traditional agrarian landscapes support continued bird activity. Accommodation throughout this West Sikkim birding program is intentionally simple: village homestays and trekkers’ huts positioned close to forest trails. These stays are part of the experience itself, offering proximity to dawn bird calls and uninterrupted mountain soundscapes rather than commercial comfort. This is not a surface-level sightseeing program but a terrain-driven Himalaya birding tour rooted in habitat immersion, slow exploration, and genuine engagement with remote mountain ecosystems. For birders seeking structured yet flexible birding Sikkim in its most authentic form, this week in West Sikkim offers altitude diversity, rare pheasant encounters, and deep forest time shaped by silence and landscape.

Best Season || October to December & March to May

DAY 1|| Bagdogra to Okhrey 150 km in 5 hrs

Nightstay at Okhrey

Dinner included