March 28-April 16, 2026 with Jay VanderGaast
Arrival in Bhutan always comes with a sense of relief after the overwhelming chaos of going through Delhi. Touching down in Paro, and stepping off the plane, it's impossible to not feel the serenity of this mountain kingdom. The air is crisp and clear, the airport is quaint and calm, and there is little traffic on the nearby streets. For many, me included, it's like love at first sight arriving here for the first time. That love affair quickly deepens when you step out of the airport and find your first Ibisbill nesting on a gravel bar in the Paro River (Par Chuu) just across the street! Throw in some Brown Dippers, White-capped and Plumbeous Redstarts, and a Black-tailed Crake or two just up the road, and Bhutan has you hooked! Yes, this is exactly how our 2026 Bhutan tour started, and over the next 3 weeks, we had many wonderful moments that showed us why Bhutan is such a special destination, and one of my current favorite tours to lead!
Our first full day in the country found us heading up one of the highest passes we were to bird on the trip: Chelela. On our way up, before it even was light, we enjoyed fine views of an Eurasian Woodcock in the middle of the road! The main reason for being out so early was in hopes of seeing pheasants, and we were not disappointed. Before we'd reached the top of the pass, we'd tallied 5 Kalij Pheasants, half a dozen Himalayan Monals, including a couple of brilliant males, and a whopping 18 Blood Pheasants! Up at the pass we added things like Southern Nutcracker, Rufous-vented and Stripe-throated yuhinas, a surprising number of gorgeous White-throated Redstarts (usually already gone by this time), White-winged Grosbeak and Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch. Snow Pigeon and Hodgson's Treecreeper on the way back down were also great additions before we drove on towards Thimphu.
Early next morning we were up at another high pass--Dochula. Here we found a nice assortment of laughingthrushes--Black-faced, Chestnut-crowned, White-throated, Striated, and a handsome Spotted Laughingthrush, our only one for the tour. Hoary-throated Barwing, Red-headed Bullfinch, and both Dark-rumped and Dark-breasted rosefinches were among the other good finds here, while a few of us also got lucky with a look at Hill Partridge. Then it was on to the Royal Botanical Park, where Yellow-browed Tit, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, White-tailed Nuthatch, Pygmy Flycatcher, and a surprise Chestnut Thrush were among the prizes. We then headed down to Punakha for a tour of the beautiful dzong to finish the day.
Birding was excellent in the valleys of the Po Chuu and Puna Tsang Chuu rivers the following morning. Lingering migrant waterfowl along the rivers included a lone Bar-headed Goose and some gaudy Mandarin Ducks, while in the brushy farmland we added things like Rufous Woodpecker, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler, Crested Bunting, and migrants like Thick-billed and Lemon-rumped Warblers and a pair of Yellow-bellied Fairy-Fantails. Cynthia spotting a family of Eurasian Otters chowing down on a large fish was an unexpected bonus! In the afternoon we visited another high elevation pass, Pelela, picking up a few new things--Himalayan Griffon, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Whistler's Warbler, before dropping into the Phobjika valley to track down a late pair of Black-necked Cranes, a species that is usually gone by now. A return visit to Pelela the next morning netted us a few more ticks, including Crimson-browed Finch, a brief Fire-tailed Myzornis, a scarce Brown Bullfinch, and some flighty Fire-tailed Sunbirds before we carried on to Trongsa for a cultural tour of another of Bhutan's most famous Buddhist dzongs.
After a night in Trongsa, we headed for lower elevations, dropping first into the Zhemgang region for our first night of camping at Tingtibi. New species along the way included several Little Forktails and a Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush at a roadside waterfall, handsome Ultramarine Flycatchers, an unexpected Orange-headed Thrush, and the first of many showy Scarlet Minivets. Exploring near camp the next morning, we were extremely fortunate to get good looks at a pair of Bhutan's rarest bird, the Critically Endangered White-bellied Heron! Other good finds near camp included a White-browed Scimitar-Babbler constructing a nest, a big group of Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes, spectacular Great Hornbills, and Asian Fairy-Bluebird. Also in this region, we enjoyed several wonderful encounters with the marquee mammal here, the beautiful Golden Langur! From Tingtibi, we dropped even further in elevation to the town of Panbang, gateway to Royal Manas National Park. The mixed scrub around our lodging offered up a nice mix of lower foothill species, including our only Wreathed Hornbills for the tour, plus Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, stunning Sultan Tits, lots of Pin-striped Tit-Babblers, Common Hill Myna, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, and Golden-fronted Leafbird.
Birding at Royal Manas National Park, despite the wonderful tall forests, can be a bit underwhelming, but our morning there turned out pretty well, with species like Collared and Asian Barred owlets, Red-headed Trogon, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Maroon Oriole, Chestnut-headed Tesia, White-rumped Shama, and Large Woodshrike being among the highlights. Another was a gorgeous Rufous-bellied Eagle that flew towards the bus at eye level! We then continued on our way toward the small town of Nganglam, with some time spent birding an area we would return to the next morning. Birds were lively here in the last couple of hours of daylight, and species like Gray-headed Woodpecker, gaudy Long-tailed Broadbills, Long-tailed Sibia, and Dark-sided Flycatcher whetted our appetites for the following day. Sadly, the next morning featured unsettled weather and intermittent rain, somewhat dampening bird activity. But we persevered, and still saw some great birds including Himalayan Cuckoo, the magnificent Rufous-necked Hornbill, Greater Yellownape, the local Rufous-faced Warbler, Blue-winged Minla, a big flock of gorgeous Silver-eared Mesias, Small Niltava, and Pale Blue Flycatcher, among others. A mammalian bonus was a pair of Yellow-throated Martens that dashed across the road while we ate our picnic breakfast!
Heading on from Nganglam the next day, we had a great morning of birding along the road leading north. Dense stands of bamboo offered up bamboo specialists like Yellow-bellied Warbler, White-hooded Babbler (with fledglings), and the often difficult Pale-headed Woodpecker. A female Indian Paradise-Flycatcher was an unexpected bonus, and Lesser Yellownape and Common Green-Magpie were other nice finds in the forest, while Slaty-backed Forktail and Crested Kingfisher entertained us along the river and Crested Goshawk and Mountain Hawk-Eagle soared overhead. Unfortunately, things were about to get a bit messy, as we learned we were soon to run into a series of road closures that would hinder our activities over the next few days. That afternoon, we were only stuck at the first one for 20-30 minutes, but weren't so lucky at the second, having to spend several hours waiting for the road to reopen. But we made the best of it, tracking down a grumpy-looking Tawny Fish-Owl along a nearby river, and picking up an early Gray-bellied Cuckoo right at the roadblock! My initial plan had been to drive the last stretch of road to Sengor Camp in the last hour of daylight, looking for Satyr Tragopans, but the road closure caused us to not get to the right area until well after dark.
After a comfortable (though a bit chilly) night of camping at Sengor, we rose early to try to make up for the foiled tragopan attempt the previous day. It took some time, but eventually we were successful, getting fine views of 3 different birds, two of which were definitely female, the 3rd possibly a male, though the dense fog by this time made it impossible to tell. There were plenty of other birds to hold our attention, too, including Darjeeling Woodpecker, Black-eared Shrike-Babbler, Black-throated Tit, and a wonderfully cooperative pair of Slender-billed Scimitar-Babblers, before we had to move on to avoid being stuck at another roadblock for the remainder of the afternoon. Once clear of the closure, we worked the road closer to Yongkola, picking up new species like Rusty-fronted Barwing and Gray-cheeked Warbler, while loudly calling Rufous-throated Wren-Babblers stayed stubbornly out of sight. We spent the final hour of the day along the Tsamang Road, where bird activity was sparse but we enjoyed one of the most memorable moments of the tour when a pair of huge Bhutan Giant Flying-Squirrels scampered up a nearby tree trunk, then launched out over the road, gliding nearly over our heads a couple of times! Wow, what a thrill that was, and Nancy even managed to get a decent video of one of the flights!
After another night of camping, we spent some time along the lower part of the main road again for a very birdy couple of hours before breakfast, tallying things like Gray-chinned Minivet, White-browed Shrike-Babbler, charming Black-faced Warblers, Bhutan Laughingthrush, Red-tailed Minla, and a huge flock (80+ birds!) of Gray-headed Parrotbills! After breakfast we returned to the Tsamang Road where we tracked down just a few new species--Slaty-bellied Tesia, Sikkim Treecreeper, and a striking pair of Spotted Forktails, with our main quarry, Beautiful Nuthatch, calling, but never showing itself. Then it was back on the road to beat yet another scheduled road closure. A stunning Black Eagle soaring in the valley below the road was a nice reward for our early departure! Once beyond the roadblock, we were able to take our time birding the roadside, picking up Slender-billed Oriole, Himalayan Prinia, Himalayan Bulbul, and a decent-sized flock of Yellow-breasted Greenfinches on our way up to Mongar. Finishing the day on the hotel grounds, we tallied a surprising number of species for the limited area, including a flock of sneaky Red-billed Leiothrix that eventually showed well for all.
Next morning found us heading up yet another mountain pass, Korila. On the way out of town we stopped for some nice studies of a large colony of Nepal House-Martins. Then a series of stops as we climbed up the pass rewarded us with fine views of the gorgeous Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, as well as Crimson-naped Woodpecker, Speckled Wood-Pigeons, Gray-winged Blackbird, and more. The next several hours were spent up around the top, where there was plenty of bird activity, but only a few new species, some of which stayed out of sight (talking about you, Lesser Shortwing!) Among the new ones that did show were a pair of Gray-sided Laughingthrushes, another Fire-tailed Myzornis (a catch-up for some), and a stonking male Golden Bush-Robin, though our time with him was cut short when we heard the calls of our main quarry, a Ward's Trogon! We quickly headed down towards the calls, only to find a group of photographers playing a recording of the trogon, trying to lure it in. We did hear the trogon as well, though it remained well out of reach, and from what I gather, never did show up for the photographers, despite a prolonged effort. As for us, we had another roadblock (the last, thankfully) to bypass, so on we went. By the end of the afternoon, we'd reached our destination above Trashigang with enough time to spend some time birding the region, adding Green-billed Malkoha, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, and our first looks at White-crested Laughingthrush after much vocal teasing over the preceding week.
The next morning started strong when we came across a Collared Scops-Owl sitting in the middle of the hotel's entrance road in the predawn gloom. Further along, we stopped at the entrance to the Bhutan Glory Trail and enjoyed an hour and a half of good birding highlighted by my first-ever perched Besra (all previous ones being soaring birds), our first cooperative Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, and a surprise Maroon-backed Accentor. Another fun moment came from a rather drab bird. I'd spotted a silent bush-warbler skulking nearby, and wanting to try to identify it, I played a recording of the most likely candidate, Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler. The bird confirmed its identity by flying right at me and landing on my tripod leg! Our next goal was to try to track down Brown-throated Fulvetta, without any solid information on where exactly to look for this rather recent addition to the Bhutan list (it isn't even included in the field guide!). It took a few tries, but we eventually did get nice looks at a pair with a mixed flock, with Green Shrike-Babbler another nice find during our fulvetta quest! Further along, we stopped for some good looks at Yellow-rumped Honeyguide near a Giant Rock Bee hive, then got wonderful views of our only pair of gorgeous Himalayan Cutias for the tour! Rain kept us on the bus for much of the afternoon, and we arrived at our final camp at Morong near dusk, then went to sleep to the loud cries of Large Hawk-Cuckoo and a distant tooting Mountain Scops-Owl.
Things were hopping near camp the next morning, though some of the early birds were frustrating, with both Scaly-breasted Cupwing and Red-faced Liocichla coming in very close without giving us even a hint of a look. But we pushed on, and eventually were rewarded with super looks at Golden Babbler, Black-crowned Scimitar-Babbler, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, and a small group of beautiful Gold-naped Finches. Below camp, we had more good activity, highlighted by a half a dozen White-breasted Parrotbills feeding in some roadside bamboo. Lower down, a visit to Powerhouse Road netted us great studies of a tiny Speckled Piculet working hard on a nest hole and several Rufescent Prinias is the scrubby clearings, before we dropped to the foot of the Himalayas and our final hotel in the border town of Samdrup Jongkhar.
Our final day of birding started out with a stop at the bridge over the small river running through town, where we padded our list with some widespread lowland species: White-breasted Waterhen, Little Cormorant, and Indian Pond-Heron, with a lone Indian Pied Starling in nearby flowering tree. We then worked our way up into the foothills, scanning the river when possible for Blyth's Kingfisher and Black-backed Forktail. While the kingfisher was a no-show, Jeanne spotted us a distant forktail which gave decent scope views. New species were tough to come by through the rest of the morning, until we made a return visit to Powerhouse Road. Here we added our first good looks at Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, our first look at Blue-eared Barbet, which we'd heard a few times before, and capped things off with a pair of Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers before making the return to the hotel to repack for tomorrow's departure. A few of us did do a walk around town in the late afternoon, adding a surprising number of new trip birds, all widespread Asian lowland species, including Spotted Owlet, Coppersmith and Lineated barbets, Black-hooded Oriole, Asian Tit, Dusky Warbler, and Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. Not a bad finish!
With 330+ species on the final trip list, there was not much consensus as to what the top birds of the tour were; 15 species occupied the 21 slots in your rankings! That said, there was one clear winner as bird of the trip, the spectacular Himalayan Monal. Tawny Fish-Owl was a distant second, then there was a cluster of species tied for third place: Himalayan Cutia, Silver-eared Mesia, Whiskered Yuhina, Mrs Gould's Sunbird, and Fire-tailed Myzornis.
Despite the challenges presented by the road blocks, overall the tour was a success, and a lot of credit for this goes to our wonderful Bhutanese crew. Driver Nado not only negotiated the sometimes daunting roads with skill and finesse, getting us around safely, but also spotted a bunch of birds while doing so. Local guide Wangda offered plenty of insight into Bhutan's Buddhist culture during the tours of the incredible dzongs, but also provided loads of information about the daily lives of Bhutanese people. And he spotted some great birds as well! And our awesome camp crew, who were responsible for setting up/taking down camps and breakfast and lunch stops and providing us with 2 (sometimes 3) fantastic meals each day, while taking into account (and remembering!) the various dietary restrictions of everyone on board, all with big smiles and good humor, deserves a ton of credit. It would not have been the super experience it was without all their efforts! And I also want to thank each of you for joining me on this adventure. It was a true pleasure getting to know you all, and I hope our paths will cross on another tour sometime soon!
In addition to the birds, we also saw the following mammals:
Assamese Macaque (Macaca assamensis): Common in many upland areas from Tingtibi onwards.
Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta): A few were in the lower foothills near Samdrup Jongkhar.
Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei): Only seen on two days in the Tingtibi region, but we had several nice encounters.
Capped Langur (Trachypithecus pileatus): Regularly seen from Royal Manas NP through to tour's end.
Nepal Sacred Langur (Semnopithecus schistaceus): One group feeding on the side of the highway as we drove up to Pelela.
Royle's Pika (Ochotona roylii): Several at Chelela and Pelela were probably all this species, the most numerous species (of 5 pikas) in Bhutan.
Bhutan Giant Flying-Squirrel (Petaurista nobilis): An incredible encounter with a pair of these humongous squirrels at dusk along the Tsamang Road, gliding almost right overhead several times.
Black Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor): Singles of this monster were near Tingtibi and Nganglam.
Irawaddy Squirrel (Callosciurus pygerythrus): The most commonly encountered normal-sized squirrel.
Himalayan Striped Squirrel (Tamiops mcclellandii): Several sightings of these tiny chipmunk-like squirrels throughout the tour.
Orange-bellied Himalayan Squirrel (Dremomys lokriah): Small numbers daily from Nganglam through to Morong Camp.
Yellow-throated Marten (Martes flavigula): Five sightings over three days from Tingtibi to Nganglam. These large, handsome weasels are often in pairs, which allowed Nancy to snap a photo of the 2nd one during breakfast at Nganglam.
Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra): A family of 4 were devouring a large fish along the Po Chhu, well-spotted by Cynthia!
Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata): Jeanne and I saw one along the river at Samdrup Jongkhar.
Northern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis): Aka Barking Deer. Heard on several days, and we saw one near our breakfast spot near the Yonphula Airport.
We also had a couple of reptiles:
Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus): around the Panang camp and the Nganglam hotel.
Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor): Several in the Tingtibi/Panbang region, and quite a few more around SJ, where several folks finally caught up with it.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/504055
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/bhu26TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Jay