Day 1: The tour begins this morning at Paro International Airport (PBH) and we will begin birding just nearby, scanning the riverside shingle for the peculiar Ibisbill. We should also see our first Hodgson’s and White-capped Redstarts. Overnight in Paro.

Day 2: Ascending to the spectacular alpine meadow of Chele La (3800m), we will be scanning the slopes for our first high-altitude specialties. On the way up we will have our first opportunities to spot Blood Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, and even Satyr Tragopan! Closer to the top, we should see Indian Blue Robin, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-vented Tit, Blue-fronted Redstart, Alpine Thrush, Collared Grosbeak, White-winged Grosbeak, and Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch, just to name a few. In the late afternoon we will drive to Thimphu, Bhutan's capital.

Day 3: This morning we will visit Dochu La at 3200m, arriving early so to admire a stunning vista of snow-capped peaks if the weather is clear. This area supports many Yellow-billed Blue-Magpie, the amazing Fire-tailed Myzornis, Spotted Laughingthrush, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Green Shrike-Babbler, Rufous-vented Yuhina, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, Green-tailed Sunbird, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, and Dark-breasted Rosefinch. Continuing on our winding mountain route through superb stretches of luxuriant forest, we’ll make our first attempts for Ward’s Trogon. Bird flocks contain Blue-winged Minla, Black-throated Tit, Black-faced and Lemon-rumped Warblers, Blyth’s Leaf-Warbler, Whiskered Yuhina, and Rufous-winged Fulvetta. We should reach the town of Punakha in the late afternoon for our overnight stay, and those who wish can visit the world-famous palace of Punakha Dzong.

Day 4: Birding along the Po Chhu, perhaps the Mo Chhu, and the Puna Tsang Chhu, we’ll have chances for finding the rare Pallas’s Fish-Eagle and one of the world’s most threatened waterbirds, White-bellied Heron. The shingle banks of the river are also home to Ibisbill, while we’ll hope for a late Bar-headed Goose or Pallas’s Gull en route to their nesting grounds high up on the Tibetan Plateau. Our camp for the night will be near the White-bellied Heron Conservation Centre.

Day 5: We’ll start our birding right around camp. Excellent wet forest extends downhill to the east, and we will spend the first half of the day birding a very short distance downslope, enjoying first views of many new birds of middle and lower elevations. In the afternoon, we’ll continue a couple of hours to Gelephu, a small commercial hub on the Indian border.

Day 6: Heading towards Tingtibi, we can hope for such specialties as Rusty-fronted Barwing, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, and Rufous-necked Hornbill, along with more widespread species such as Black Eagle, Blue-throated Barbet, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, and Golden Babbler. We’ll also watch for Rufous-bellied Eagle, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Speckled Piculet, Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike, Blue-winged, Grey-sided, and Rufous-chinned laughingthrushes, Red-faced Liocichla, White-naped Yuhina, White-browed Shrike-Babbler, White-tailed Robin, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Scarlet Finch, Spot-winged Grosbeak, Tibetan Serin, and Yellow-breasted Greenfinch. Trees here are festooned with lichens and clumps of ferns and epiphytic orchids, rich foraging places for Rufous Sibia, Brown-throated Treecreeper, and Himalayan Cutia. We will arrive at Berti Eco-Camp in the afternoon for some initial exploration. This is our first chance for the localized Golden Langur, a species only easily seen in Bhutan. 

Day 7: Exploring the spectacularly forested valley towards Zhemgang today, we have a good chance to see Beautiful Nuthatch, plus Chestnut-breasted Partridge, Violet Cuckoo, Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Rufous-faced Warbler, andm ore to our ever-growing list. Night in at the Berti Eco-Camp. 

Day 8: Our journey today takes us through an area of extensive bamboo in which we can look for a variety of habitat-specific specialists, including Pale-headed Woodpecker, White-hooded Babbler, White-breasted Parrotbill, Pale-billed Parrotbill, and Yellow-bellied Warbler. Birding our way down a lovely forested gorge, we'll arrive at Panbang for overnight.

Day 9: Royal Manas National Park is on our agenda today, as we explore the 15 kilometers of road that leads from Panbang to the Indian border. Passing through lovely undisturbed forest with spectacular views over the confluence of Drangme Chhu and Mangde Chhu. This is an excellent area for Rufous-necked Hornbill and Great Hornbill, along with a mix of lower hill forest species like Collared Falconet, Crested Kingfisher, Black-backed Forktail, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Orange-bellied Leafbird, and more. We will return to Panbang for lunch and then continue to Nganglam for overnight. 

Day 10: Early morning around town could produce White-browed Piculet, White-naped Yuhina, Golden Babbler, and White browed Scimitar-Babbler. Our route then takes us north up the scenic valley of the Drangme Chhu, and then crosses it to follow the valley of the Kuri Chhu until it intersects Bhutan’s main east-west highway. We will follow this to Yongkola where we will settle into a tented safari-style camp which is to be our base for the next three nights. 

Day 11-12: The forest above Yongkola is encompassed by Thrumsingla National Park, where the famuos Limithang Road ascends dramatically into superb subtropical wet forest, where we can experience some of the finest forest birding of the entire Himalayan region – in other words, many more charismatic vertebrates! The hollow bubbling of Golden-throated Barbets begins soon after dawn, as we begin our birding in search of Rufous-necked Hornbill, Ward’s Trogon, Beautiful Nuthatch, and Black-headed Shrike-Babbler. The forests along this stretch of road are home to Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, Long-biled Wren-Babbler, Pygmy Cupwing, the monotypic Spotted Elachura, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler, and the remarkable Hodgson's Frogmouth. We should see many laughingthrush here too, including the near endemic Bhutan Laughingthrush, along with Striated Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush, Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Himalayan Cutia, and Red-billed Leiothrix. Mixed flocks are a joy to experience here, each one containing exciting species like White-breasted Parrotbill, Black-throated Parrotbill, Black-crowned Scimitar Babbler, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, and Broad-billed Warbler. The forest is rich in Wren-Babbler and Laughingthrush species, which will all be high on our wishlists. Nights at Yongkola. 

Day 13: Focusing on the higher elevations of the road through the national park today, we will continue all the way through to Sengor for overnight. The much-wanted Satyr Tragopan occurs throughout this area, and we will also keep an eye out for Hill Partridge, Green Shrike-Babbler, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Scaly-breasted Cupwing, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, and any other species we may not have already seen. 

Day 14: More birding in the upper elevations of Thrumsingla National Park, continuing our search for Satyr Tragopan. The towering conifers above Sengor hold Blood Pheasant, along with Eurasian Nutcracker, Grey-crested Tit, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Dark-rumped Rosefinch, and Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch. At the high pass of Phrumseng La (3800m), rhododendron thickets contain Himalayan Bluetail, Pale-rumped Warbler, Buff-barred Warbler, Fire-tailed Sunbird, and the stupendous Fire-tailed Myzornis. This is also a good area for Great Parrotbill, Fulvous Parrotbill, Golden Bush Robin, White-browed Bush Robin, Spotted Laughingthrush, and Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler. As we continue onwards during the afternoon, Snow Pigeon and Black-rumped Magpie can be seen in agricultural fields on the valley bottoms. Overnight in Bumthang Valley.

Day 15: An early start will allow us to reach the Tharpaling Monastery to see Himalayan Monal where they come to be fed by monks every morning. We'll bird in the area looking again for Fire-tailed Myzornis, along with Darjeeling Woodpecker, Red-headed Bullfinch, Gold-naped Finch, Crimson-browed Finch, Hoary-throated Barwing, and White-collared Blackbird. We have more chances for Satyr Tragopan and the scarce Yellow-rumped Honeyguide as we retrace our steps back to Paro for overnight. 

Day 16: Transfers back to Paro International Airport (PBH) where the tour ends this morning.