Sull's birding diary: Nepal, 24th april

My wife and I booked a weeks trip to Nepal with Nature Trek. The itinerary of the tour included :

(i) an overnight stay in Marshyangdi Hotel in Kathmandu
(ii) a 5 day stay at Koshi Tappu reserve Camp in the eastern lowland river plain. From this base, we explored the woodland and waterways near the camp, searched riverside forest for owls, boated down the river in inflatable rafts, visited the Koshi Barrage to see Ganges River Dolphin, explored extensive grassland areas and trekked in a dense Nepalese jungle.
(ii) return to Kathmandu from where we were dropped of at the summit of Mount Phulchowki (2740 m) before descending on foot, birding as we went.

This was a fantastic experience not only in terms of wildlife but also the Nepalese people and culture, far removed from anything I have ever encountered. The food at Koshi Camp was very tasty, the staff friendly and our guide for the tour, Tikka, highly skilled in identification.

By the end of the trip, we had observed well over 200 species including 181 lifers (See below for list), with a variety of mammals (Indian Flying Fox, assam Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, Common Langur, asiatic Golden Jackel, Bengal Fox, Indian Grey Mongoose, Jungle Cat, Ganges River Dolphin, Hog Deer, Wild Water Buffalo, Orange Bellied Squirrel and Giant Squirrel).