2025
Bird-Photo-Tours Asia' Bhutan expedition offers some of the finest bird photography opportunities in the entire Himalayas with spectacular scenery alongside the sheer pleasure of traveling through Bhutan, one of the friendliest and least disturbed countries in the world. Our Bhutan Bird-Photo-Tour is a highly enjoyable adventure that produces an extraordinary number of Himalayan specialities with key photographic targets including the Satyr Tragopan, Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, Ibisbill, Ward’s Trogon, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Long-billed, Rufous-throated, Bar-winged Wren Babblers, the near-endemic Bhutan Laughingthrush, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, White-naped Yuhina, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Great Parrotbill, Fulvous Parrotbill, Brown Parrotbill plus the chance to photograph the fabulous Beautiful Nuthatch. The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is a land of superlatives, the last surviving example of a Tibetan Buddhist Kingdom that proudly guards its natural heritage. Blessed with a tiny population and steep inaccessible valleys, Bhutan holds fabulous forests that are still largely untouched and full of birds. By far the greatest diversity of Himalayan bird species can be found in the Eastern Himalayas and this fantastic Bird-Photo-Tour journeying through The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, where over 600 bird species have been recorded, provides an outstanding opportunity to photograph some fabulous birds.
Pheasants: Satyr Tragopan / Himalayan Monal / Blood Pheasant / Kalij Pheasant
Babblers: Long-billed Wren-Babbler / Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler / Scaly-breasted Cupwing / Spotted Elachura
Others: Black-headed Shrike-Babbler / Himalayan Cutia / Ward’s Trogon / Fire-tailed Myzornis / Beautiful Nuthatch / Fire-tailed Sunbird / Yellow-rumped Honeyguide / Golden-naped Finch
Guiding Fees / Ground Transportation / Accommodation / Meals / Entrance Fees / Tipping for Drivers, Boatsmen, Hotel and Restaurant Staff.
International Flights / VISA Fees / Travel Insurance / Tips for Local Guide / Alcohol / Laundry / Items of a Personal Nature
Days 1-3 Paro District (2N, 1D, 3S). Arrive in Bhutan and transfer to hotel. Target: Ibisbill.
Days 3-7 Wangdue Phodrang District Camping (4N, 3D, 6S). Drive 3-hours 150-km to Wangdue Phodrang District. Photographic Targets: (i) Satyr Tragopan (ii) Others: Himalayan Monal / Blood Pheasant / Darjeeling Woodpecker / Rufous-bellied Woodpecker / Grey-sided Bush Warbler / Scaly-breasted Cupwing / Hoary-throated Barwing / Brown Parrotbill / Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush / Black-faced Laughingthrush / Spotted Laughingthrush / White-winged Grosbeak / Collared Grosbeak.
Days 7-9 Bumthang District (2N, 1D, 2S). Drive 3-hours 160-km to Bumthang District. Photographic Targets: (i) Himalayan Monal (ii) Others: Grey-sided Bush Warbler / Snow Pigeon / White-browed Rosefinch.
Days 9-13 Mongar District Camping (4N, 3D, 7S). Drive 1.5-hours 80-km to Mongar District. Photographic Targets: (i) Satyr Tragopan (ii) Others: Blood Pheasant / Fire-tailed Myzornis / Great Parrotbill / Brown Parrotbill / Bar-winged Wren-Babbler Scaly-breasted Cupwing / Fire-tailed Sunbird / Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler / Golden-naped Finch / Golden Bush Robin / White-browed Bush Robin.
Days 13-18 Mongar District (5N, 4D, 8S). Drive 2-hours 150-km. Photographic Targets: (i) Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler / Long-billed Wren-Babbler / Scaly-breasted Cupwing / Spotted Elachura / Ward’s Trogon / Beautiful Nuthatch (ii) Others: Himalayan Cutia / Black-headed Shrike Babbler / Blyth’s Shrike Babbler / Rufous-necked Hornbill / Golden-naped Finch / Yellow-rumped Honeyguide / Yellow-throated Fulvetta / Golden-breasted Fulvetta / White-breasted Parrotbill / Black-throated Parrotbill.
Days 18-19 Bumthang District (1N, 0D, 2S). Drive 5-hours 290-km to Bumthang District. Photographic Targets: (i) Himalayan Monal (ii) Others: Grey-sided Bush Warbler / Snow Pigeon / White-browed Rosefinch.
Days 19-20 Paro District (1N, 0D, 1S). Drive 4-hours 160-km to Paro District.
[Key: N: Night, D: Full Day, S: Session / Half-Day]
Nick, a UK National, has been living in Asia for over 15-years and in this time has conducted over 125 bird photography trips across the whole of the Asian continent ranging from Kazakhstan in the west, through India and China to Japan in the east, and from the Kamchatka coastline in the north to as far south as Indonesia. In China alone Nick has photographed to portrait-quality standard over 1,200 of China's bird species taking him to all of China's provinces as well as most of those nations bordering China. These bird photography trips have ranged in length from a few days to many months, including a three-month bird photography expedition to China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, becoming quite possibly the most travelled foreigner in this region over the past decade. Nick has also conducted a four-month bird photography trek across the Himalayas, ranging from the Indian States of Ladakh and Kashmir in the west, into the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, then onto the Indian States of West Bengal and Sikkim, ending in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the eastern Himalayas. Nick has had his images published across numerous media channels including the BBC and Chinese state-owned media outlets, various bird magazines and journals including the Oriental Bird Club's BirdingASIA. He has his own website on the Birds of China at www.BirdingInChina.com and his book 'Portraits of the Birds of China' is due for publication in 2026. Furthermore, Nick has presented films on photographing birds both in Asia and Europe, has his bird images published across many social media platforms within and outside Asia, and has led a number of bird photography lectures and walks, particularly targeted at children. Consequently, Nick has accumulated significant experience of photographing birds within the Asian continent and this expertise has formed the backdrop to setting up Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, trips designed by bird photographers for bird photographers.
(i) The guesthouses are all in close proximity to the bird photography locations (ii) Walking is at a light pace (iii) There is some requirement to hike (iv) Some of the locations are at altitude at 3000-4000m (v) Two of the locations requires camping. Summary: as some of the locations are at altitude and as two of the locations requires camping, it is for these reasons that this trip has been graded as 'Medium'.
