6 nights 7 days of Bird Photography Masterclass Expedition to the majestic mountains, beautiful meadows and gorgeous valleys of the Himalayas with DCP Expeditions.
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Uttarakhand a state that has over 80% covered by mountainous regions and over 60% forest is the best place for any bird photographer to spend time in the serenity and enjoy the rich avian life and capture the memories for a life time.
Chopta located within the Kedarnath WLS (part of Garhwal range) and at an elevation of 2680 MSL / 8790 ft. is famous for the beautiful Monal Pheasant and is also home to Musk Deer apart from the Himalayan Red Fox & Thar and colorful birds like Scarlet Finch, Bush Robins, Thrushes and Vultures & Raptors. This is paradise for any bird photographers and winter being the best season due to the reduced tourist population.
Some Target Species
Birds: Kalij, Koklas & Himalayan Monal Pheasants, Black Francolin, Crested Kingfisher, Himalayan & Rufous-bellied Woodpeckers, Cinerous & Bearded Vulture, Maroon Oriole, Flycatchers (Verditer, Ultra Marine & Rufous Gorgetted), Finches (Scarlet, Red Headed, Common, Dark Breasted), Niltava, Laughing Thrushes (White Crested, Streaked, Striated and Variegated), Yuhinas (Whiskered & Stripe Throated), Flower peckers, Minivets (Scarlet & Long Tailed and Sunbirds (Fire Tailed, Vigor’s).
Mammals: Himalayan Thar, Red Fox, Jackals, Yellow Throated Martin and Mountain Goral
Ramnagar – Manila - Mandal - Chopta - Dehradun
Ramnagar
6 nights 7 days
Dehradun
Kane Lew, one of the finest artists in the DCP panel of experts. He is an arts graduate from Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Arts, Mumbai, and is a commercial photographer. Kane is an experienced photographer and has travelled extensively across Indian geography for several years. He has brilliant photography skills and technical knowledge in all genres of photography with a special interest in wildlife photography. He is known for his innovations and his capability of giving shape to imaginations. He has a great teaching acumen. Apart from his love for art, sculpture and music, he is a skilled trainer, trekker and a biodiversity expert. He is a Masterclass Mentor in the panel and Head of Creative Photography Division, Team DCP.
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We suggest you take a flight to Delhi and from there take a train / cab to reach Ramnagar railway station. Please coordinate with our admin team for a group travel (not included in package). We will pick you from Ramnagar railway station.
Reach Ramnagar railway station. We will pick you from there. Please coordinate with our admin team for a group travel (not included in package).
You can take a cab from Delhi to reach Ramnagar railway station. We will pick you from there.
Things to carry:
Temperatures at Chopta may hit subzero with a chance of snow at isolated places. Hence we request you to carry ample woolen clothing, Thermals along with protection from cold for your Head, Hands and feet. Use gloves which can allow you to operate camera without having to remove them. Your skipper will be able to help you with a list of essentials (to be carried) and precautions to be taken prior to and during the trip.
Equipment available on rental - please mail us at rentals@dcpexpeditions.com.
Although Delhi is a common gathering point for all the participants, our trip officially begins at Ramnagar on the morning of Day 1. The distance between Ramnagar to Manila is around 84 kms and we will cover the distance on road in about 2 hours. Manila (named after Maa Neela Devi temple of the famous deity) is a hidden gem for bird photographers. Very few bird photographers from the country and abroad have explored this destination extensively. The place offers absolutely breath-taking panoramic views of the Himalayas from Trishul to Panchchulli, including Nanda Devi peaks.
Overnight at Manila
We will be exploring the amazing avian fauna of Manila today. Manila is famous for Cheer Pheasant and Koklass Pheasant apart from numerous other bird species, which would include Verditer Flycatcher, Blue whistling thrush, Kalij Pheasant, Blue Winged Siva, Black-Chinned Babbler, Black-headed Jay, Rufous Sibia, Grey-winged Blackbird, Pin-Tailed Green Pigeon etc.
Overnight at Manila
As we drive towards Mandal, that takes around 5 hours, stopping occasionally for photography that includes both birds as well as landscapes. We will reach Mandal by late afternoon. Other than stops for photography we will be stopping for Breakfast & Lunch on the way including nature breaks. We will attempt to cover Finch trail at Mandal famous for the Scarlet Finch on this day.
Overnight at Mandal
Start the day with a wakeup call at 6 AM followed by Tea / Coffee, we start looking for the Scarlet Finch at the trail followed by photographing more birds at the nearby stream until lunch. Post Lunch we leave for Chopta which is an hour and half drive (depending on the road conditions). On the way up, we stop to admire the beauty of Nandadevi peak before hitting the famous Monal point. Look for Monal, Koklas and Thar’s until dusk and head to the resort. Have tea and refreshments. Spend the evening by joining the group for discussing your experience and you can consult our skipper for any guidance in photography and most of all enjoy the Himalayan winter at 2680 MSL
Overnight at Chopta
Wake up call at 5:30 AM. Have your tea/coffee by 5.30 am and then we will be spending our day at the Tunganath – Chandrashila area. This is a 4 Km trek with lots of birds including mammals. We would be carrying packed breakfast / lunch to minimize time loss. We will be back to the warmth of the resort by 5 PM, have quick snacks and hot tea / coffee before we gather to discuss on the day’s sightings, images and plans for the next day. Dinner will be served by 8 PM so that we can retire early to the bed.
Overnight at Chopta
We follow the same schedule as Day 3 except the area, today we will be spending time for Monal & Koklas points and photographing opportunities in the early morning beautiful light followed by breakfast. Post breakfast head to the Chopta area looking for Red Foxes, Vultures and other common species found at this altitude until afternoon. We spend the second half at Makku bend looking Maroon Oriole, Tits and Yuhina’s. Return to resort by 6 PM followed by group discussions, consultation with the skipper followed by dinner.
Overnight at Chopta
We will have breakfast and then move on to catch our flight from Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun and our tour comes to an end here.
On field learning from the experts is said to be one of the best methods of improving your skillsets. Our Wildlife Photography Expert will hand hold you at every possible step for a better understanding of perspectives, camera controls and how to make use of the best opportunities to get better images. The training will focus on the following
To maximize and complete your photographic learning, join our evening session of informal discussions on digital image processing. Our Expert will work on few of his own images or a few of yours (which you have clicked during the day) and demonstrate various techniques of image processing to give a final shape to your artwork. The following will be discussed
Rs 49,999 per head inclusive of all taxes
*To know charges for foreign nationals please write to info@dcpexpeditions.com
Cost includes
Cost does not include
Chopta, Mandal, Manila
30.347089099215278 79.0484468961517Cancellation policy
Yes. Please send us a mail to info@dcpexpeditions.com as it is subject to availability.
Yes certainly. However, the cost will remain the same
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