Hornbill Birding in Royal Manas

Met at Paro International Airport with khadars and transferred to the hotel for check-in. After lunch and a chance to settle, our specialist birding guide runs an evening orientation session over tea — going through the target species list for the trip with particular attention to the four hornbill species we hope to find in the southern forests, the regional sub-species you might encounter, and a quick optics check on every pair of binoculars to make sure they're properly aligned. Pre-trip briefing on the long drive south to Tingtibi over the next few days. Early dinner.

Stay:

Hotel Olathang, Paro

Meals:

D

A pre-dawn departure to bird the blue pine forests above Paro before the temperature rises and the birds settle. The Paro hills are reliable for several glamour species: the iridescent Himalayan monal (Bhutan's national bird, with plumage of nine distinct colours), the secretive blood pheasant moving in small parties through the rhododendron understory, and several flock-following warblers and laughingthrushes. We work the trails until mid-morning, take a long brunch, then make the easy 90-minute drive to Thimphu. Afternoon free for a quiet birding stroll along the Wang Chhu river edge — brown dipper and white-capped redstart are reliable here.

Stay:

Hotel Druk, Thimphu

Meals:

B/L/D

Cross Dochula Pass at 3,100 metres — productive cloud-forest birding territory with mixed flocks of warblers, fulvettas, yuhinas, and the occasional fire-tailed myzornis. Coffee and apple pie at the pass-side cafe is a tradition. Drop through subtropical forest into the warm Punakha valley, where the bird life shifts dramatically with the elevation: tropical species replace the high-altitude residents. Afternoon walk along the Mo Chhu river edge for ibisbill on the boulders and pallas's fish-eagle on the snags above the water.

Stay:

Dhensa Boutique, Punakha

Meals:

B/L/D

Altitude:

3100 m

A long but scenic transit day south. Climb to Pele La pass at 3,420 metres before dropping through Trongsa (lunch stop with a view of Bhutan's largest dzong perched above its gorge), then turning south on the Tingtibi road — a winding descent through mid-elevation broadleaf forest that drops you over 2,000 metres into subtropical climate. Watch for sultan tit and beautiful nuthatch in the upper forest, then chestnut-headed bee-eater and racket-tailed drongo in the lower zones as the afternoon warms. Arrive Tingtibi by evening for the next two days of intensive hornbill birding.

Stay:

Eco-lodge in Tingtibi

Meals:

B/L/D

Altitude:

3420 m

The headline day. Pre-dawn departure into the Royal Manas buffer-zone forests with our local birding guide, who knows the active fruiting trees where hornbills feed at this time of year. The forest around Tingtibi holds four hornbill species; on a good morning you can see all four within a few hours. Most groups encounter the Great Hornbill first — its honking call carries for kilometres and the slow, deliberate wingbeats are unmistakable. Mid-morning we slow down to work mixed feeding flocks for sultan tit, beautiful nuthatch, and the various mesia species. Picnic lunch by the river, with a chance for ibisbill and brown dipper. Afternoon at a different forest patch.

Stay:

Eco-lodge in Tingtibi

Meals:

B/L/D

A second full day of hornbill territory, this time pushing further south toward the Berti area within the Royal Manas National Park buffer zone. The target today is the globally vulnerable Rufous-necked Hornbill — fewer than 10,000 birds remain worldwide, with Bhutan and adjacent India holding one of the strongest populations. The species favours specific fruiting trees in dense old-growth forest; our local guide checks his tree map daily. Other targets: pin-tailed green pigeon, scarlet finch, and (with luck) the elusive Khalij pheasant on the forest tracks. The lodge grounds are themselves productive at dawn and dusk for owls — collared scops owl is reliable.

Stay:

Eco-lodge in Tingtibi

Meals:

B/L/D

Reverse yesterday's route up out of the southern subtropical zone, through Trongsa for a lunch stop, and back over Pele La pass. The day is structured to allow several stops at known birding locations en route — productive mid-elevation patches for golden-throated barbet, blue-fronted redstart, and (if the weather is right) the spectacular satyr tragopan in dense undergrowth. Arrive Punakha by late afternoon for hot showers and a quiet dinner at the boutique hotel.

Stay:

Dhensa Boutique, Punakha

Meals:

B/L/D

An optional dawn birding session in the warmer Punakha valley before breakfast — black-throated tit and grey-throated babbler are easy targets here, with rufous-necked laughingthrush in the understory if you're lucky. After breakfast, recross Dochula Pass with one last view of the eastern Himalaya and continue to Paro. Late afternoon free for a final optics check, group bird-list compilation, and a celebratory farewell dinner at a traditional Bhutanese restaurant — most groups end with a trip total of 200+ species from the 9 days.

Stay:

Hotel Olathang, Paro

Meals:

B/L/D

Altitude:

3100 m

Final breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Paro International Airport. Final khadars at the security gate and a last 'tashi delek' before you board. Most onward flights connect through Delhi, Kolkata, Bangkok or Singapore.

Stay:

—

Meals:

B