Day 1 – Bagdogra to Paro - Guests arriving at Bagdogra International Airport will be picked up in the morning, depending on flight arrival time, generally between approximately 8:00 a.m. and noon. From Bagdogra, we drive towards Paro. This is a long but highly scenic journey, with opportunities to stop at suitable locations for birdwatching along the way. Guests who are able to fly directly into Paro on Day 1 can be accommodated separately. This would allow additional time to be devoted to birdwatching during the expedition.
Overnight: Paro
Birding highlights around Paro:
- Blood Pheasant
- Ibisbill
- White-winged Crossbill
- Large-billed/Darjeeling Woodpecker

Day 2 – Paro – Chele La – Paro Chu – Thimphu - An early morning departure from Paro takes us towards Chele La, one of Bhutan's important high-elevation birding areas. We spend the morning birding the Chele La region, looking for high-altitude species before descending towards the Paro Chu valley. The afternoon will be spent birding along the Paro Chu while travelling towards Thimphu. We continue birding through the day and reach Thimphu in the evening.
Overnight: Thimphu
Target birds:
- Blood Pheasant
- Ibisbill
- White-winged Crossbill
- Himalayan mountain birds

Day 3 – Thimphu to Wangdue – Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park We leave Thimphu and travel towards Wangdue, entering one of the important birding landscapes of central Bhutan. The principal target for the day is the critically endangered White-bellied Heron, one of the most sought-after birds on this tour. The surrounding forests also provide opportunities for several Himalayan species.
Overnight: Wangdue
Target birds:
- White-bellied Heron
- Blue-winged Laughingthrush
- Golden-throated Barbet
- Snowy-browed Flycatcher
- Green-billed Malkoha
- Kalij Pheasant
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Day 4 – Full Day Birding around Wangdue A full day is dedicated to birding around Wangdue and the surrounding forests and riverine habitats. We continue our search for the White-bellied Heron, while exploring the rich bird diversity of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park landscape. The varied habitats provide opportunities for laughingthrushes, barbets, pheasants, flycatchers and other Himalayan forest birds.
Overnight: Wangdue

Day 5 – Wangdue to Phobjikha We check out early from Wangdue and spend the morning birding en route to Phobjikha Valley. We expect to reach Phobjikha around noon, allowing the afternoon for exploration of the valley. Phobjikha is particularly famous for its Black-necked Cranes. During the winter season, the valley can support a spectacular congregation of approximately 700–800 cranes, although numbers naturally vary from year to year. Outside the crane season, the high-elevation landscape still offers excellent birding opportunities.
Overnight: Phobjikha
Target birds for both Day 4 & Day 5:
- Black-necked Crane
- Satyr Tragopan
- Himalayan Monal
- Himalayan Short-toed Lark
- Spotted Nutcracker
- Red-billed Chough
- Northern Goshawk

Day 6 – Phobjikha – Pele La – Chumey Valley – Bumthang We depart from Phobjikha very early, at approximately 4:00 a.m., to make the most of the morning birding opportunities. Our first major stop is Pele La, where we spend approximately three hours searching for Blood Pheasant and other pheasant-family species. We then continue towards the Chumey Valley and Bumthang region. Depending on conditions and birding opportunities, we may explore the Tharpaling / Geytsa–Bumthang complex for pheasants and tragopans.
Overnight: Bumthang
Target birds:
- Blood Pheasant
- Satyr Tragopan
- Himalayan Monal

Day 7 – Bumthang – Trongsa – Thumsingla – Senga We check out from Bumthang early in the morning and begin our journey towards the eastern part of Bhutan. We travel through Trongsa and Thumsingla, entering the rich forest landscapes associated with Thumsingla National Park, before continuing towards Sengor. The area represents an important transition between Bhutan's high-elevation habitats and its richer eastern forests. Accommodation note: Accommodation at Senga is relatively basic because of the remote location. The primary attraction here is the exceptional birding experience.
Overnight: Sengor
Birding highlights:
- Satyr Tragopan
- Himalayan Monal
- Pheasants
- Laughingthrushes
- Babblers
- Other Himalayan forest species

Day 8 – Full Day Birding around Sengor A full day of intensive birding is devoted to the Senga area and surrounding forests. The region offers excellent opportunities for close encounters with pheasants and other Himalayan forest birds. In particular, Satyr Tragopan and Himalayan Monal can sometimes be observed remarkably close to the vehicle, allowing excellent views without necessarily having to leave the vehicle.
Overnight: Sengor

Day 9 – Second Full Day Birding around Sengor We spend another full day exploring the Senga and surrounding forest habitats. This additional day provides greater flexibility to search for species that may have been missed earlier and to spend more time on the rich assemblage of pheasants, laughingthrushes, babblers and other forest birds.
Overnight: Sengor
We repeatedly try for all the Pheasants like Blyth's Tragopan, Satyur Tragopan and Temminck's Tragopan in Sengor Kori La complex for all these three days. Thus we are devoting three full days here.

Day 10 – Sengor to Yongkola We leave Senga and continue towards Yongkola, entering a rich moist temperate mountain-forest environment. Yongkola is one of the most rewarding birding destinations in eastern Bhutan and is particularly productive for laughingthrushes, babblers and parrotbills.
Overnight Yongkola
Target birds:
- White-throated Laughingthrush
- Red-faced Laughingthrush
- Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler
- Other babblers
- Parrotbills
- Yuhinas
- Fulvettas

Day 11 – Full Day Birding around Yongkola A complete day is dedicated to birding around Yongkola and its surrounding moist forests. This is one of the key birding days of the expedition, with opportunities to explore the exceptionally diverse eastern Himalayan forest bird community. Special attention will be given to laughingthrushes, babblers, parrotbills, yuhinas and fulvettas, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, along with any other species encountered.
Overnight: Yongkola

Day 12 – Yongkola to Trashigang We continue eastwards towards Trashigang, descending into a lower-elevation landscape. The change in altitude and habitat brings a different selection of birds, providing another important transition in the cross-country birding experience.
Overnight: Trashigang
Target birds:
- Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler
- Bhutan Laughingthrush
- Long-billed Wren-Babbler
- Beautiful Nuthatch
- Sultan Tit
- Red-headed Trogon
- Speckled Wood Pigeon

Day 13 – Trashigang - Full day We do a full day birding going further down toward Samdrup Jongkhar and later again return back to Trashigang. After entering the lower-elevation forests of eastern Bhutan. The bird community changes significantly as we descend towards the subtropical zone. This is an important day for searching for hornbills, laughingthrushes, kingfishers and other species associated with the warmer forests of eastern Bhutan.
Overnight: Trashigang
Target birds:
- Rufous-necked Hornbill
- Great Hornbill
- Yellow-cheeked Tit
- White-crested Laughingthrush
- Blue-eared Kingfisher
- Other subtropical forest birds

Day 14 – Trashigang - Yonphula - Paro Flight A final day's morning session is dedicated to birding around the Trashigang and Yonphula for the last leg of birding for this tour. A domestic flight between Yonphula and Paro would be arranged for the birders for their return back to Paro from eastern Bhutan. However in the morning you would get ample opportunity to explore the lower-elevation forests to add several subtropical species to the tour list. We continue searching for the major eastern Bhutan targets, particularly hornbills, laughingthrushes and kingfishers.
Overnight: Paro

Day 15 – Paro – Departure International Departure Day After breakfast, we check out from Paro Resort and avail the morning flight back to your hometown. End of the Bhutan Cross-Country Birdwatching Expedition.
 

March to June is the breeding time for the eastern Himalayan bird species and as Bhutan lies in the rain shadow areas of Meghalaya; thus it starts heavy raining only after the months of July. Thus for peaceful birding, with slight spells of rains and fogs and snow, you would experience the best of Himalayan birding - the bold and less shy Pheasants & Babblers! You just name these birds and you would get it here!