TravelEscapades
BY MOUNTAIN TRAIL HOLIDAYS PVT LTD
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Sattal, Pangot and the Jim Corbett National Park are the most popular destinations in the Himalayan foothills for bird watchers
We take you to three different altitudes of 8000 at pangot, 4000 at Sattal and around 1200 ft ASL at Jim Corbett National Park which is the most popular and largest Tiger reserve of India with over 500+ species of birds in its dense and bio-diverse forests. You can also chance upon Tigers, Leopards, Himalayan Black Bear, Elephants, The Wild Boar, Sambhar Deer, Barking Deer and more if lucky.
So you look forward to a large list of Himalayan birds, scenic Himalayan views, delectable local cuisine, easy birding and tiger tracking along with other mammals. This is a great itinerary for bird watchers and wild life enthusiasts.
ITINERARY DETAILS
Day 1- Stay at Sattal – Meal included – Dinner
Transfer from Delhi to Sattal (7-8 hours by road), a journey that takes you on spectacular mountain roads as we climb up into the Kumaon Hills on our way to the village with seven lakes – Sattal, passing rivers, hill streams, waterfalls and dense pine and oak forests. If you’re up for it, we head out for an afternoon exploratory walk around our retreat. One can stop along the route to look for our feathered friends.
Day2 – Stay at Sattal – Meal included – Breakfast and Dinner
Birding in the Sattal Forests:
Apart from myriad varieties of pheasants like the Kalij, quails, waterfowls, cuckoos, owls, flycatchers, barbets, bee-eaters etc….you will see a wide variety of woodpeckers like the Himalayan, Brown-fronted, and Rufous-bellied Woodpeckers, Greater and Lesser Yellow napes and more.
You’d love walking around the bio-diverse and dense forests of Sat Tal, especially the walks and relaxing breaks by the lakes. We can also arrange fishing on request.
Day3-4- Stay at Pangot - Meals Included Breakfast and dinner
Drive in the morning to Pangot (2 hours).
We spend two days here for absolutely great birding, walking around the Pangot forest. One can spot the Himalayan Griffon Lammergeier, Blue-winged Minla, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Spotted & Slaty-backed Forktail, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Khalij, Cheer & Koklass Pheasant, Hill Partridge and more.
Day 5- Stay at Jim Corbett National Park – Meal included – Breakfast and Dinner
Drive to Corbett National Park in the morning stopping en-route for birding at Corbett Falls. Corbett Tiger reserve has spectacular avifauna diversity. Great hornbill, Pallas's fish eagle, red-collared falconet etc. are some of the rare birds that are found in Corbett. More birds include jungle owlet, scaly-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted parakeet, Himalayan swiftlet, stork-billed & crested kingfisher and white-tailed & Siberian rubythroat. You will explore the river edge at Kumeria in the afternoon for tawny & brown fish owl, Asian barred owlet, plumbeous redstart, brown dipper and the three species of forktails. Other species that are possible in the forest are crested tree swift, spangled drongo, blue bearded bee-eater etc.
Day 5- Stay at Jim Corbett National Park – Meal included – Breakfast and Dinner
Full day for birding and wildlife viewing. Birding in the lower jungle track along the Ramganga River is very rewarding for water birds such as river lapwings, waders, mergansers and other waterfowl. While visiting the grasslands one can see long-tailed nightjar, jungle owlet, spot-bellied owl, common stonechat, black francolin, purple and crimson sunbird, golden-fronted & orange-bellied leafbird, black-shouldered kite, hen harrier, changeable hawk-eagle, chestnut-tailed starling etc.
Day 5- Stay at Jim Corbett National Park – Meal included – Breakfast and Dinner
Full day for birding and wildlife viewing. Birding in the lower jungle track along the Ramganga River is very rewarding for water birds such as river lapwings, waders, mergansers and other waterfowl. While visiting the grasslands one can see long-tailed nightjar, jungle owlet, spot-bellied owl, common stonechat, black francolin, purple and crimson sunbird, golden-fronted & orange-bellied leafbird, black-shouldered kite, hen harrier, changeable hawk-eagle, chestnut-tailed starling etc.
Day 7 – Departure Day. Meals included - Breakfast.
Morning Jeep safari (optional, on direct payment) through the grasslands and dense forests. Return to resort for breakfast before you check-out. Tour Ends.
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KNOW MORE
Sattal
State: Uttarakhand
A Kumaon village, neighbouring Bhimtal, with a cluster of seven lakes, dense with oak and pine forest and rich in flora and fauna. Located just 35 Kms from Kathgodam and 25 Kms from Nainital. It’s very popular for its’ rich bird life. Spotting a leopard, barking deer or even a sambhar deer is quite common at Sat Tal. It’s a nature filled hill station with great activities like kayaking, bird watching, zip line, zorbing, forest treks etc. Enjoy lake side picnics and star gazing at this serene, green hill station.
Weather: It’s a pleasant, round the year hill station. In summers light warm clothes would be needed in the evenings, with T-shirts serving well during the days. The temperature s during summers fluctuates between a minimum of 14°C and a maximum of 31°C. During the monsoons, Sattal receives average rainfalls in the months of July and August. In the winter months of December, January and February, the weather gets chilly, and the temperature could drop to around 4°C.
Closest airport: Technically Pantnagar (66 Kms / 2.15 Hrs) but realistically the only option is Delhi airport (325 Kms / 8 Hrs)
Railway Station: Kathgodam railway station, Haldwani railway station and Lal Kuan railway station. (in order of preference). (2-3.5 Hrs / 35-57 Kms)
Best time to visit: All round the year.
Generally spoken language: Hindi, Kumaoni and Birding.
Altitude: 1360 Mtrs ASL approx.
Pangot
State: Uttarakhand
A small Kumaoni village just 45 mins drive from the bustling town of Nainital but about 2000 ft higher from the lake. Pangot is away from the crowds, surrounded by dense forests all around, mainly Pine, Oak, Deodar, Rhododendrons but pretty bio-diverse and home to more than 250 species of birds and it’s in close proximity to the Jim Corbett National Park so most from the mammal list of the park can be spotted at Pangot as well. Even the villagers of Pangot are aware and sensitive towards the bird life and coexist with their feathered friends very harmoniously. There are several trails that you could use to explore the forests of Pangot, preferably with a guide. Pangot is a quaint, serene, lush green, rural Kumaoni experience and a treat for bird watchers.
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Weather: The winters (November-March) is very cold and it snows Minimum temperature can go to as low as - 4 DegC.
Summers (April to Mid-June) are very pleasant, offering majestic views. The temperatures during this period are comfortable with maximums settling around 30°C and minimum’s around 14°C, on an average. Monsoon season is from July to September. The place receives good amounts of rain during the period.
Closest airport: Technically Pantnagar (90 Kms / 3 Hrs) but realistically the only option is Delhi airport (310 Kms / 8 Hrs)
Railway Station: Kathgodam railway station, Haldwani railway station and Lal Kuan railway station. (in order of preference). (2-3 Hrs / 53-70 Kms)
Best time to visit: April – June end and October until mid-November. Beyond mid November until March it becomes very cold.
Generally spoken language: Hindi, Kumaoni and Birding.
Altitude: 1980 Mtrs ASL approx.
Jim Corbett National Park
State: Uttarakhand
One of India's largest, oldest and the most popular Tiger reserves - The Jim Corbett National Park. Sprawled over 1300+ sq Kms of dense bio-diverse forest with the Ramganga and Kosi rivers flowing through it this is actually several different forests in one, ever changing with the changing seasons. Only designated areas in the 520 sq.Kms., out of the total area, are open to tourists. Thera are five zones named Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Domunda and Sonanandi. This tiger reserve is a haven for wild life enthusiasts. 600+ species of birds, apart from the elephants, tigers, leopards, jackals, sambhar deer, spotted deer, hog deer and more. Travelers visiting the park can enjoy jeep safaris with guides / naturalists. Enjoy your stay at a jungle resort bordering the fenced boundary of the reserve.
Weather: The weather in the park is temperate compared to most other protected areas of India. The temperature may vary from 5 °C (41 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) during the winter and some mornings are foggy. Summer temperatures normally do not rise above 42 °C (104 °F). The park receives heavy rainfall during monsoons (July – September end) and remains closed around this period.
Closest airport: Technically Pantnagar (90 Kms / 3 Hrs) but realistically the only option is Delhi airport (270 Kms / 6 Hrs)
Railway Station: Ramnagar railway station (Nearest Town)
Best time to visit: October – March
Generally spoken language: Hindi and Kumaoni.
Altitude: 300 Mtrs ASL approx.