Nepal

Chitwan, Koshi & Phulchowki

5 March to 18 March 2011

Leaders: Mike Witherick and local guides

Maximum of 10 clients.

Cost: £2,899 single room supplement £280

Nepal and Kathmandu - the names conjure up images of pagodas, Buddhist and Hindu temples and a panorama of snow-capped Himalayan peaks. This will be Ornitholidays' eighth visit to this magical region and although it may not be Shangri-la, it is a holiday that will provide some unforgettable sights, sounds and experiences. Kathmandu lies in a wide valley-basin, at about 1,300m in the mid-Himalayas, and the city is an interesting mix of the ancient and modern, with thousand-year-old temples juxtaposed with Internet cafes! For a small country (the size of England and Wales), Nepal has recorded an amazing proportion (almost 10 per cent) of the world's bird species. A particular thrill will be to search for species, which are winter visitors here from their Siberian breeding grounds - such as Falcated Duck, White's Thrush and Siberian Rubythroat. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is one of Asia's finest wetland sites. Nepal also possesses one of the world's great natural parks - Chitwan, a fine example of lowland grassland and forest, and home to the world's densest concentration of the Indian One-horned Rhinoceros. Riding on elephant back we should have good views of these vast myopic creatures and perhaps also glimpse the lord of the elephant grass - the Tiger. Most of our explorations will be in the lowlands, but we have allocated two days to visit the special birding site on the mountain above Kathmandu - Phulchowki. Here, the variety of colourful babblers is impressive and stunning Himalayan views are often possible, with scarlet-flowering rhododendrons in the foreground.