Burma Classic Birdwatching Itinerary 

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This package covers all 8 endemics of Myanmar along with many other birds that are not easy to see elsewhere. You will expect to see 200 to 300 species of birds with this itinerary. Not only you get to see the Burmese Endemics, you will also be visiting the most famous places of Myanmar such as Bagan , Mt.Victoria and Inle.

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Day 1

The tour starts in Yangon after arriving with a morning flight. We will check in a Hotel and get things settled and organized. After lunch, we will be sightseeing downtown Yangon. Those who have not been to Myanmar before will visit the famous Shwedagon Pagoda later in the evening.

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Day 2

This morning, we will be flying to Bagan, one of the richest archeological sites in South east Asia, lies on the east bank of the famous Irrawaddy River. You will be birding in ancient ruins more than a thousand years old and will be seeing 6 out of 8 endemics birds of Burma which are White-throated Babbler, Burmese Bushlark, Jerdon’s Minivet, Hooded Treepie, Burmese Collard Dove and Ayawaddy Bulbul  together with other interesting birds. We will spend 2 full days in Bagan.

 

Day 3
Birding in Bagan. Afternoon go for a boat ride in the Irrawaddy river to look for White tailed Stone Chat, Sandlark, Striated Babbler, Indian Spot billed Duck, Ruddy Shelducks, Small Pratnicoles, River Lapwing, Pied Kingfisher, Great Cormorant along with other water birds.

 

Day 4
Early morning, we will drive about an hour to a town called Chauk with a 4WD vehicle where we will cross the Irrawaddy River to begin our journey to the Chin Hills. In the lowland forest along the way we will look out for the endemic Hooded Treepie, Jerdon's Minivet, Burmese Bushlark, White throated Babbler and other special species such as Whilte rumped Pygmy Falcon, Alexandrine, Grey-headed, Red-breasted and Blossom-headed Parakeets, White rumped Pygmy Falcon, White-eyed Buzzard, Woodpeckers, Babblers, Laughingthrushes, Minivets, Orioles, Chinese Francolin, Red Junglefowl, Green Pigeons and many more. Our destination is to a basic and comfortable lodge in Kanpetlet. Kanpetlet is a town in Chin State, the nearest to central Myanmar. It is situated at 1400 meters south-east of Mt. Victoria which is also called Khaw-nu-thone in Chin and Nat-ma-taung in Myanmar, meaning Mother of Spirits, in both languages. We will spend all Mt.Victoria nights at the lodge where the temperature is cool and pleasant.

 

 

Day 5 to Day 7
We will be birding in the Nat-ma-taung (Mt. Victoria) National Park which comprises 179 sq. miles and is home to the endemic White-browed Nuthatch and Black browed Tit (Burmese Bush Tit). Various types of habitats on the mountain such as mixed oak and rhododendrons, Montane bamboo patches, broad leaf evergreen forest, Pine forest, thick secondary growth with tall grass and scrub, semicultivated fields and grass lands are rich in birds and a number of specialties like Brown-capped Laughing-thrush, Black-headed Shrike Babbler, Grey Sibia, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Assam Laughingthrush, Striped Laughingthrush, Buff breasted Parrotbill, Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Brown Bush-Warbler, Russet Bush Warbler, Broad-billed Warbler, and Spot-breasted Parrotbill can be found. During our days in Mt. Victoria (Nat-ma-taung) National Park we will be exploring different elevations with different habitats every day. Birds like Grey sided Thrush, Orange flanked Bush Robins, and sometimes, Kalij Pheasants and Mountain Bamboo Partridges are usually seen on the road when we drive up the mountain every morning. Great birds like Blyth’s Tragopan and Hume’s Pheasant are also a possibility. Rare and colorful birds like Yellow bellied Flower Pecker, Fire tailed Sunbird, Gould’s Sunbird, Cutia, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Blue-Winged Minla, Long tailed and Short billed Minivets, Robins, and Flycatchers will keep you excited all the time. In fact, it was said that, for those who have never been to this area before, there is a new bird in every meter you walk. You can relax the evening with locally brewed Khaungyay and those interested in tradition and culture can take a visit to nearby villages which is home to tattoo faced Chin tribes. If you think the thrill is not enough you can climb up to the summit which is 3110 meters high and is about half a day’s walk from the highest motorable place.

 

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Day 8
We will drive back to Bagan and those who have missed the lowland specialties will have a chance to find it again.

 

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Day 9
We will take a morning flight from Bagan to Heho, we will drive to Inle, which is the second largest lake in Myanmar, the lake of leg rowers, situated in 3000 ft high Shan Plateau. After checking in to the hotel, we will take a boat ride in the famous Inle Lake. We will be looking out for the Collard Myna, White vented Myna, Jerdon's Bushchat and the recently found Chinese Grassbird which are found only in this area. We also have a possibility of seeing Baer's Pochard. Those who have missed other water and shore birds earlier in this trip will have a chance to find it here again. We will also have excellent views of Brown headed Gulls and Black headed Gulls following the boat.

 

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Day 10
In the morning, we will have another boat ride in the Lake Inle looking for the species we may have missed yesterday. Then, we will drive to Kalaw, a beautiful hill station located over 4000 ft above sea level. After checking in a hotel and having lunch, we will look for the birds like Spectacled Barwing, Red faced Liochicla, Silver eared Laughingthrush, White-browed Laughingthrush, White browed and Rusty cheeked Scimiter Babblers, Brown breasted Bulbul, etc.

 

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Day 11
After a few minutes’ drive in the morning, we will walk and start birding on the way to Yay Aye Kan Lake where we will look for Burmese Yuhina, Martens' Warbler, Black tailed Crake, White browed Laughingthrushes , Grey-headed Parrotbill, Silver breasted and Long-tailed Broadbills, Little Pied Flycatcher, Silver eared Laughingthrush, Dark-backed Sibia, Spectacled Barwing, Green Magpie and Flavescent Bulbul. After lunch at Yay Aye Kan, we will walk back to the car birding along the way.

 

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Day 12
We will spend the last morning in Kalaw, looking for a few more species we may have missed in the days before. After lunch, we will drive to Heho for a return flight back to Yangon

 

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Day 13
Our last morning starts with a visit to Hlawga Park on the outskirt of Yangon, looking for Racket tailed Treepie, Davision’s Bulbul (Striped Throated Bulbul), Ashy Minivets, Swinhoe’s Minivet, Small Minivets, Blue tailed Bee Eaters, Chesnut headed Bee Eaters, Little Green Bee Eaters, Violet Cuckoo, White crested Laughingthrushes, Greater and Lesser necklace Laughingthrushes, etc.
Evening departure. TOUR ENDS.
 

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