Nepal Holiday Feb 20th to March 10th 2005
by June Lloyd with bird highlights by John van der Dol

Please click here to view the itinerary and the full, illustrated species list

This is the story of our recent adventure in Nepal. There has been a lot of unrest in Nepal since Christmas with the unpopular King sacking his entire parliament and putting his ministers under house arrest and then forming a new government with himself at the head. This was just what the Maoists did not want and they are doing all they can to ruin the country as far as we can see. Hence Nepal is considered a dangerous country to visit and our tour was on the brink of being cancelled. We hardly saw another tourist while we were travelling and consequently we were welcomed with open arms at the camps we visited. We did not encounter any troubles but there was a definite army presence wherever we went and we felt very sorry for the exceedingly poor Nepalese in the outlying areas as the terrorists had held up all supplies (including fuel) with roadblocks and closed the schools etc.

However in spite of these threats to our safety 18 intrepid bird watchers set off from Sandwich Bay to enjoy an adventure of a lifetime. We travelled 10 hours to Kathmandu but with a break of 4 hours in Doha in the Gulf States arriving at Kathmandu in the late afternoon, the time difference being 5 and a ½ hours ahead of London. We were met by two lovely local guys who were some of the co-owners of the Nature Safari Tours Co. who organised our holiday and who stayed with us for the entire 17 days. We then had a hair-raising coach trip through the city to reach our hotel which was up a narrow street barely the width of the coach! Our first impressions were of a very dirty, overcrowded, bustling city with cyclists, motor bikes, pedestrians, dogs, busses (with the occasional herd of goats on the roof) taxis and the odd cow or two all competing for space. It was a mad house and pollution was bad with Kathmandu being the 3rd most polluted place in the world. The word “servicing” of vehicles is not one used!

After a day up Phulchowki (via the botanical gardens) which is the highest peak surrounding the city for bird watching and a picnic, we were entertained with a traditional Nepalese evening at a local restaurant. We sat at low tables on cushions and had a succession of snacks accompanied by lethal rice wine while watching dancers perform in national costumes. We were then encouraged to join in! Then there was the curry.

Birding highlights in the Kathmandu Valley:

Kalij Pheasant, Great Barbet, Asian Barred Owlet, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Black, Steppe and Bonelli’s Eagles, Maroon Oriole,Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Orange-flanked Bush Robins, Golden Bush Robin, Little, Spotted and Slaty-backed Forktails, Grey-bellied Tesia, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Striated Laughingthrush, Hoary-throated Barwing, Rufous-breasted Accentor

The next day we went back to the airport to catch a small Buddha Airline 20 seater plane to take us on a 50 minute flight to Nepalgunj in the west of Nepal in the Tarai. This is the lowland area between the Himalaya and India and is the largest area of undisturbed wilderness left. The flight was brilliant as we had fantastic views of the snow-capped mountain range. The army was in full evidence at both airports and we had stringent searches of all our luggage and were personally frisked even though it was only an internal flight. We should then have had a 2 hour coach trip to our lodge in the Bardia National Park, but as there was a strong element of Maoists in the rural areas and there was no fuel for transport, the tour company who had organised the entire holiday had commissioned a helicopter instead! It turned out to be an ancient Russian one with a Russian pilot and was extremely noisy and vibraty. The 20 of us sat in two rows facing each other with the luggage in a line between us and had an interesting 25 minute flight. We then landed in a field (which was an army camp) and the pilot jumped out to ask for directions while the villagers rushed out to their thatched houses to hold down their roofs! After much gesticulating, the pilot climbed back in and up we went again to search for the proper field to land in.

The army must have been expecting us, as they were surrounding the field and pointing their guns at us. Most off putting!  But immediately, all the local children appeared from nowhere amazed at the sight of all of us emerging from this large helicopter. The luggage was loaded onto a buffalo cart to be transported to the lodge while we had to route march along a track beside the river for 40 mins to reach the lodge. It was an interesting walk as we passed all the thatched roofed houses and farms and another lady and I saw four men struggling up the track towards us each holding the leg of a large freshly killed wild boar with one hand and brandishing a machete in the other! It was like being transported back to biblical times as farming methods hadn’t changed in centuries with hand held ploughs and with working elephants doing log bearing, gathering firewood etc. The children were expected to work as well. Young boys looked after the animals and the girls looked after the younger ones. The schools had all been closed by the Maoists but in any case they only attend till they are 11 as after that they have to pay.

After a belated lunch at our new home at Rhino Lodge we went for a long wander ending up at the river near the camp for sunset. This was our ritual for the next four evenings but what was to happen on our first night was not repeated. Out of the forest appeared a tiger which sauntered to the water’s edge had a drink and then proceeded to swim across, out the other side and disappeared into the bush. We were so lucky as we had been told that it was not easy to see a tiger as they see us long before we see them. We went to bed in our comfortable thatched cottage tired but happy.

The next few days were spent investigating our surroundings on foot and on the back of an elephant. To go on most jaunts we had to cross the wide river on foot which meant taking off our boots and socks and wading. Being shorter than everyone else it came up to my thighs so after the first day, one of the local guides gave me a piggy back before going back across for Peter’s telescope which he had carried round all day! The local guides were very enthusiastic and relished using the scopes and identifying the birds for us. Local folk were extremely poor but the land is very fertile and they are self sufficient with their own cows, goats, chickens and pigs and they grow their own vegetables and fruit such as oranges and bananas. We ate very well at the camp.

We had sightings of spotted deer, hog deer, wild elephant, one horned rhinos, monkeys, mugger crocodiles and of course many, many birds. One day we wanted to travel further afield to walk in the jungle and so a tractor had been commissioned with a trailer to transport us at 7am. We waited and waited and we were just about to give up and start walking when we heard the chug chug of the most ancient tractor ever. The explanation for its late arrival was that it had not been used for ages and had flat tyres which had taken all night to pump up with a bicycle pump! It was a very bumpy ride squashed in the trailer which ended at the edge of the forest at an army training camp. We had to wait while the new recruits were put through their paces in full combat attire but we were not allowed to take photos of them unfortunately. Eventually we started our walk. Along the way we spotted a tree where there were very visible tiger claw marks showing it had been used as a scratching post! A most enjoyable walk ended at the river where the usual crossing took place. The following day we went even further in to the jungle where the sal trees grow tall and straight and can live for 200 years and have very hard wood which is termite proof and is used for construction. They only grow in Bardia and 60% of them were cut down after malaria had been eradicated in the 60’s but they are now protected. Before that the forests were impenetrable due to the mosquitos. They have very large leaves which are used as disposable plates and the chairs and tables at the lodge were made of sal wood and were extremely heavy. Other trees of note were the silk cotton trees which had magnificent red flowers.

The elephant camp was near Rhino Camp and that is where we started our 2 hour ride into the forest. The highlight was crossing the river and seeing several Indian pythons sleeping. Our elephant was obviously scared of the snakes and we felt him shivering with fear. We didn’t actually enjoy this first experience as there was not much room in the howdah meaning we couldn’t turn around or get into the rhythm of the elephant’s plodding gait and ended up battered and bruised!

Birding highlights of the Bardia area:

Black Francolin, Streak-throated, White-naped and Great Slaty Woodpeckers, Indian Grey and Oriental Pied Hornbills, Blue-bearded Bee-eaters, Large-tailed Nightjar, Orange-breasted and Yellow-footed Green Pigeons, Small Pratincoles, Pallas’s Gull, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Egyptian, Long-billed, Eurasian Black, White-rumped and Red-headed Vultures, Long-legged Buzzard, Booted and Changeable Hawk Eagle, Tickell’s Thrush, Dark-throated Thrush,  Jungle Prinia.

After four most enjoyable days of very early morning calls, superb food and excellent bird watching we made the return trudge to the helicopter and the flight back to Nepalgunj. We then flew the length of Nepal to the east to Koshi Camp in a small plane which gave us spectacular views of the Himalaya. The airport was a hive of activity but the most amusing thing was the presence of men frantically peddling their cycles pulling their rickshaws with passengers and luggage behind them. Fuel is not short in the east of Nepal so we were met by 4 wheel drive landrovers which took us on an interesting 1 and a half hour drive to the next camp.

This was a small tented camp owned by Nature Safari Tours from Kathmandu and was the only place we stayed without our own shower and toilet! The tents were small and the toilets and showers in blocks behind the tents. We thought we were bit old for this sort of thing but we quickly adapted and without electricity even got accustomed to using candle power. Each tent had their own oil lamp outside and all the paths were lined with them and a guard was on duty all night so we felt safe! Water was heated by way of an open fire and an oildrum full of water although at Bardia some solar power was also employed and as the weather was lovely all the holiday we were never without hot water. At this camp there were jungle cats which are nocturnal and were attracted to the lit bathroom block walls where they jumped up to catch small lizards to eat  In the evenings fire flies lit the air and the stars were really bright. We were not bothered by mosquitos for which we were thankful but Peter was got by a tick! He was minding his own business looking through his telescope when he felt a stab in the back of his neck and there was the tick attached. Luckily the camp manager was standing next to him who was used to ticks and he just twisted it a bit and pulled it out Several others had them as well but no one as yet has had any after effects.

Again, we had early starts (mostly 5.30 am calls!) and equally early to bed as darkness fell at about 6.45 pm. One evening we had Nepalese entertainment. This was something to remember as all the staff joined in.They all seemed to play an instrument and could sing and dance beautifully. It was a revelation as even the barman who had appeared most staid took to the dance floor for a solo. The coach had arrived from Kathmandu by this time in readiness for the long journey by road to the next venue, so the driver joined in the fun as well. We were encouraged to partake and had to do our bit by singing and performing the Hokey -Cokey which amused them greatly.

We saw many birds around Koshi including brown hawk owls, brown fish owls, owlets and Indian coursers  and large colourful butterflies. We also saw mongooses, hog deer, monkeys and wild buffalo. We had a visit to a local village for a tour of their houses and farm and met some delightful children who were greatly interested in seeing themselves on the digital cameras. The farms were neat and tidy but terribly old fashioned. There were far too many children but they all seemed happy and content. We will never moan about our beds again as they slept on bare boards!

Another day we had the vehicles to take us to the barrage which divides Nepal from India. It was built by the Indians 40 years ago to prevent India being flooded by the huge Koshi river. There we saw thousands of wildfowl and Gangetic river dolphins among other things. A another memorable event at Koshi was a day on inflatable rafts (zodiacs).We were paddled along and across the river for four hours stopping on vast sandbanks for a picnic and bird watching seeing many raptors and a herd of 34 wild water buffalo with magnificent horns.

Birding  highlights in the Koshi area:

Swamp Francolin, Bar-headed Goose, Spot-billed Duck, Lesser Coucal, Brown Fish and Brown Hawk Owl,

Greater Painted Snipe, Great Thick-knee, Indian Courser, Yellow-wattled and Grey-headed Lapwings, River and Black-bellied Terns, White-tailed, Short-toed, Imperial, Greater and Indian Spotted Eagles, White-eyed Buzzard, Collared Falconet, Besra, Lesser Kestrel, Red-necked Falcon, Black-headed and Black Ibis,  Black-necked Stork, Scaly and Dusky Thrush, Siberian Rubythroat, Aberrant Bush Warbler, Thick-billed and Smoky Warbler, Yellow-breasted Bunting

Four days passed quickly and then we were off on a very long and arduous coach trip (5am call this time!) to Royal Chitwan National Park. We stopped several times to look for special birds and for a picnic but the roads were terrible. There were also many, many stops for road checks by the army with figures of eight having to be negotiated regularly. Road taxes are paid at booths in all the towns--- quite a different system to ours. Our driver had a young mate who leapt out with the necessary money to hand out for the tax and the paper work for the army. The locals had to get out of their busses and have all their bags checked at every check point. Luckily we didn’t have to.

Eventually we reached our destination, which was not the original venue. We later discovered that it had been changed due to threat of terrorism and we were placed in the nearest camp to the airport in case we needed to be evacuated! Chitwan is the largest and most popular of Nepal’s National Parks due to it being the closest to Kathmandu but while we were there it was devoid of tourists. Our camp was a large one beautifully designed with thatched roofed chalets set in well attended gardens each with large bedrooms, bathrooms and terrace to sit out on. It was near the wide river which had to be negotiated every time we ventured out! Dug out canoes were the means of transport and as the river was at its lowest (monsoon awaited) we regularly got jammed on sandbanks.

It was quite hair-raising getting into these canoes and balancing while clutching haversacks, binoculars and telescopes. Four-wheel drive battered open topped vehicles awaited us on the other side to take us deep into the forested area of the park.. Here we saw more mammals than previously with regular sightings of one horned rhinos which looked quite prehistoric, samba deer, peacocks displaying, spotted deer, wild boar and the lovely langur monkeys as well as the rhesus macaque monkeys.

The highlight of Chitwan for me was the two hour elephant ride. Some of the working elephants had been commandeered by the army to use on patrol so one old beast had to be brought out of retirement for us and could only take two lightweights and Peter and I quickly volunteered! Consequently, we had a brilliant ride with plenty of space to turn around and were able to get into the rhythm of the plodding for easy balance. We travelled through wild jungle crashing through the undergrowth and finally arrived at the rhino’s mud pool where we were lucky enough to see Mum, Dad and baby rhino. A sight we will never forget.

Another day we had a canoe trip up the river as the sun was rising. This was quite magical as there was a slight mist in the air and an eerie silence and we were able to get very close to the famous mugger crocodile which prefers marshy conditions. They lie motionless for hours at a time until their prey comes close enough for them to snap it up! We also saw the endangered gharial crocodile with its long slender snout. The largest of the world’s crocs it can reach 7 m from nose to tail and is a fish eater. A fearsome beast. We were dropped off on the edge of the forest and had a walk (we had to make a diversion to avoid a sleeping rhino!) to the elephant breeding centre. Few of the working elephants are privately owned as they cost a fortune to keep but most are owned by the government and all expenses funded by them. They are very well looked after but earn their keep by going out daily to fetch their food returning with giant bundles of grasses. To enrich their diet they are also fed a mixture of molasses and supplements wrapped in grasses which they love. The young elephants stay by their mother’s side for two years before starting their training.

On our last afternoon on safari we crossed the river again and took the jeeps deep into the forest to search for mammals. We were rewarded for our patience (keeping silent for a time) by seeing various rhinos close to and monkeys playing but best of all was the appearance further up the track of an enormous sloth bear. It had very large claws which are used for unearthing termites nests and a long snout for extracting the insects and is considered a very dangerous beast! Others in our party saw a jackal and a leopard  but we were not so lucky. We stayed in the forest till dusk and were punted back across the river in the dark!

I have not mentioned much about all the superb birds we saw, which after all instigated the holiday. The cry of “raptor” rang in the air constantly and eagles, buzzards, hawks, harriers, vultures, kites and owls were in abundance. On the rivers kingfishers, egrets and pratincoles were common place. I  just enjoyed seeing the great variety of very different birds with exotic sounding names such as fire-breasted flowerpecker and ashy-crowned sparrow lark! The woodpeckers were fascinating as were the parakeets. The list rose to over 360 different species which we ticked off each evening before dinner.

Birding highlights of the Chitwan area:

Red Junglefowl, Lesser and Greater Yellownapes, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Himalayan Flameback, Green-billed Malkoha,White-rumped Spinetail, Crested Treeswift, Pompadour Green Pigeon, White-tailed Rubythroat, Spot-winged Starling, Spotted Bush Warbler, Striped Tit, Chestnut-capped and Yellow-eyed Babblers

The following day it was back to Kathmandu by coach. This was an arduous journey as there were many army check points and as it is the main route to the city from India where all the supplies come from (and everything comes by road) the highway was congested with lorries. The roads were in a terrible condition having been washed away in parts by the last monsoon and there were visible signs of previous horrific accidents! The dust from the roads and lorries settled on all the poor people living in hovels at the side of the road, along with their goats, chickens, dogs and numerous babies and children. The scenery was spectacular as we drove along side a river for miles, stopping several times on route to look for rare birds. We were lucky to see Wall creeper, Ibisbill, Brown Dipper and Black-backed Forktail before travelling up     and up the mountain and finally over the top and down into Kathmandu and back through the crowded streets to our same hotel for our last two days.

The next day, the keen birdwatchers went back up to Phulchowki to add to their ever growing list of birds but Sarah, Carole and I took a taxi and visited three different areas of the city to sight see the temples and ancient buildings. We had a most fascinating day being escorted by the taxi driver and a local guide and learnt a tremendous amount about  Nepal’s history.  First we went to Patan Durbar Square which is famed for its arts and crafts and is full of ancient monuments, temples and shrines. Patan is the cultural centre of the old city and is reached by crossing the Bagmati River. We then visited the Shree Bouddhanath one of the most important Tibetan Stupa (temple). Lastly we crossed the city, passing the palace and the parade ground to the Syayambhunath Stupa ( monkey temple) built high on a hilltop with sweeping views of the Kathmandu valley. It is overrun with pilgrims and monkeys (one stole my chocolate bar from my hand!) and even rats were running over Bhudda nibbling the garland of flowers round its neck! Animals are sacred.   Peter on the other hand was driven 8,700 ft to walk on the mountain and the altitude got to him and he became very tired! He should have come with us!

Our last evening was one to remember at the oldest restaurant in Kathmandu where we were entertained in true Nepalese style to food, drink and traditional dancing which we were encouraged to join in.

On our final day we all had time in the morning to visit the famous Kathmandu Durbar Square and have a conducted tour of the world heritage site much of which had to be rebuilt after the earthquake in 1934. There we saw the old palace and the ancient Kumari Chowk the home of the living goddess. There a beautiful girl is selected at the age of three to live in isolation until 13 or so when she is pensioned off and a new goddess selected. What a life? When called she appears at the balcony window fleetingly, smiling and waving accompanied by her minders. She is worshipped as a living incarnation of goddess Taleju. There are dozens of temples, shrines and statues in the square making it a must for all tourists. However we were just about the only tourists there, everyone having been advised not to travel to Nepal. The Maoists certainly have a lot to answer for.

We finally set off for the airport stopping off at Pashupatnath Temple. This is Nepal’s holiest pilgrimage site. We could not visit it the day before as it been the Hindu festival of Mahashivaratri one of the most important, and pilgrims had travelled far and wide to visit and was attended by the King. It is thought to be the day on which Lord Shiva was born and one of the greatest festivals in the holy scriptures. It is believed to instil faith in those destined to live in trouble and bonfires are lit in public squares, houses, temples and shrines to warm Lord Shiva in the belief that the Lord feels cold on this day. The temples straddle the Bagmati River and all Hindus aim to be cremated here and we were to witness the very public cremation ceremony. Various rituals were performed by the close relatives (male only) before the eldest son lit the funeral pyre. This ceremony was going on all along the river.

Birding highlights from Phulchowki:

Collared Owlet, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Golden Bush Robin, Ashy-throated Warbler, Whistler’s and Black-faced Warblers, Black-throated Sunbird, Yellow-breasted Greenfinch

A rather sombre group then proceeded to the airport to say our final farewells to our fantastic guides Suchit and  Badri  who had smoothed our paths and taught us so much about Nepal and its fantastic wildlife. The tour was so nearly cancelled but we were all grateful that we took the risk and 18 very tired intrepid travellers returned to the U.K. 24 hous later with quite a tale to tell.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

After many months of planning I am pleased to say that this was yet another successful trip to Nepal. Particularly this year with the internal political problems, which manifested themselves primarily in transport it was with great relief that we were able to virtually carry out the tour as planned. Although the chartering of a huge Russian transport helicopter was not in the plans, it did create quite a bit of excitement.

A huge thank you is due to Nature Safari Tours who, as usual, put an excellent package together and despite the problems on the ground, managed to bring the tour off. It was a close shave as to whether we would run the trip at all but we had also had a little luck on our side.

Particular thanks to Badri, who sat in the office in Kathmandu with his broken leg, organising our transport, which was no mean feat. Also to Hathan and Hem for their efforts but it is impossible to thank Suchit and Badri, who travelled with us throughout, enough for their splendid efforts. Their professionalism and enthusiasm was constantly evident.

Finally, I would like to thank all the participants, for without them there would be no trip.

My thanks also to Brian Short for compiling the photographs.

Also thanks to June for the daily journal which is a refreshing new angle on events and to Steve Blaskett for the list of butterflies.

Finally, 352 species were seen and 6 were heard only.

John