Wild Walk Tours
Red Panda Expedition
The red panda also called lesser panda, red bear-cat and red cat-bear is a small arboreal mammal, native to the eastern Himalayas and south-western China that has been classified as vulnerable by IUCN. The red panda is territorial; it is solitary except during mating season. The species is generally quiet except for some twittering, tweeting, and whistling communication sounds. It has been reported to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, sleeping on tree branches or in tree hollows during the day and increasing its activity in the late afternoon and early evening hours. It sleeps stretched out on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot and curled up with its tail over the face when it is cold
Singalila National Park is one of the most exotic Himalayan forests in India, located on the Singalila Ridge at an altitude of 7000 feet to 12000 feet above sea level, in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It is well known for the trekking route to Sandakphu that runs through it.
Singalila is a Birding Paradise. More than 300 species of birds are found here. It has a huge list of exotic birds like- Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Kalij Pheasant, Brown and Fulvous Parrotbills, Rufous-vented Tit, and Old World babblers like the Fire-tailed Myzornis and the Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Rosefinchs, bullfinches, Wran Babblers, Laughingthrushes, Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Yahunas, Minivets, Partridges and many more.
Singalila is also one of the best places for the Exotic Red Panda, Apart from this other mammals found here are- the Himalayan Black bear, Clouded Leopard, Black Panther, Leopard, Leopard Cat, Serow, Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin, Pika, etc.
Singalila is an experience of a lifetime, 4 of the highest peaks of the world can be seen from Sandakhphu- Mt.Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu. Trekking is the best way to explore the park. The guest would be accompanied by a Safari vehicle and porters to carry heavy equipment. At any point of time when it gets a little too tiring to trek one can hop on to the vehicle. The vehicles are heritage Land Rovers, with an old-world charm.
Itinerary
Bagdogra Airport – Maneybhanjang - Hotel ,Kaiyakata, Nepal
Day 1: Arrive at Bagdogra and transfer to Maneybhanjang (72 km | 3hrs 30min). Change of vehicle to an old Landrover and get into the Singalila National Park. Drive further down the rugged road and reach Kaiyakata at approximately 3hrs (from Maneybhanjang). Check into Homestay and stay overnight.
Day 2-6 | , Kaiyakata, Nepal
Early in the morning have breakfast. Post breakfast do birding and photography at and around Kaiyakata - Gairibas area. Red Pandas get more active as the sun goes up. Trackers and spotters will be scanning the promising areas and will report accordingly.
Tinchuley Forest of Nepal & Singalila National Park is a continuous forest divided by the Maneybhanjang - Sandakphu trail which roughly denotes the Indo-Nepal border. One of the most biodiversity-rich and scenic places in the Himalayas this forest area is spread between 7000-12000 feet above MSL. Among the adventurers, Maneybhanjang - Sandakphu trail is more popular as a well-known trek route, though few people know the fact that it is probably the best place on earth to see the endangered Red Panda. Himalayan Black Bear, Clouded Leopard, Melanistic Leopard, Leopard, Leopard Cat, Serow, Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin, and Pikas are some of the other elusive mammals which are frequently sighted here.
Tinchuley - Singalila is a very diverse birding area as well. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded, Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Kalij Pheasant, Brown and Fulvous Parrotbills, Rufous-vented Tit, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Dark-breasted Rosefinch, Red-headed bullfinches, Rufous-throated and scaly-breasted Wren Babblers, Scaly, Spotted, Black-faced Laughingthrush, White-tailed Nuthatch, White-tailed, Rufous-vented Yuhina etc. are some of the birds generally found in this region.
Lunch is served in the field if required. Do birding and photography till the evening. Return to homestay in the evening and stay overnight.
Day- 7 l Kaiyakanta - Maneybhanjang - Bagdogra Airport
Post breakfast drive down to Maneybhanjang and trans shift to your car for airport transfer. Drive down to Bagdogra Airport. This tour ends on arrival at Bagdogra Airport
** This itinerary is indicative and the number of days can be modified.
Singalila:
Biodiversity: Singalila National Park has some of the rarest and most exotic animal life. Many of them are high-altitude animals that are found mostly in the Himalayas.
Mammals: There are also larger animals in the park like the Himalayan black bear, clouded leopards, and occasionally even tigers can be seen in the park. Other fascinating animals within the small species include the barking deer that look like small deer with short horns but bark like dogs, the fearless yellow-throated martens that look like large cats, the long-tailed Pangolins that roll up the trees, wild boars, and so on. You can also see the rare Salamanders here like the amphibians Himalayan Newt. They reproduce in the nearby lake areas of Jorpokhri and Sukhiapokhri.
Birds: Singalila is the place for difficult and hard-to-find birds. The checklist for the area contains 300+ records.
Himalayan and Indo-Burma species. Some highlight ones are Blood Pheasants and Satyr Tragopans, Brown and Fulvous Parrotbills, Rufous-fronted Tits Fire-tailed Myzornis, and Golden-breasted Fulvettas - Singalila is ultimate in exotics and must be on every birder's trip list.
The Habitats and altitudes
Latpuncture: 4000 ft : comes under Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Manebhanjan: 6500 ft : comes under Singalila National Park
Tumling: 9000 ft : comes under Singalila National Park
Gairibus: 8500 ft : comes under Singalila National Park
Kaiakata: 10000 ft : comes under Forest of Nepal, ILLAM
Kalapokhri: 10500 ft : comes under Singalila National Park
Sandakhphu: 12000 ft : comes under Singalila National Park & Forest of Nepal, ILLAM
Travel :
By air: Singalila National Park is located 130 km from Bagdogra Airport which is connected to major Airports like Delhi and Kolkata.
Accommodation
There are no luxury properties in the area, the accommodations are Guest houses and homestays, with basic amenities, clean rooms, and home-cooked food.
THINGS TO CARRY:
Heavy woolens in winter, Shoes comfortable for walking
Raincoat
Wind‐guard
Field guide
Binocular, torch
Photography equipment
Hat/cap
Camera rain Cover
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Bird watching and photography.
Macro photography.
Landscape photography.
Photographing people & life.
Sunrise on Mt. Khangchendzonga.
Astro Photography –on request