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The Chopta Hill station is at a height of 2700 mts, in the Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand State, surrounded by dense forests and offers a heavenly view of Snow Clad Himalayan Ranges and lush green meadows. Chopta is also referred to as “Mini Switzerland”.
Chopta is a beautiful trekking destination that not only attracts people from India but also many foreign trekkers. The Chopta region has many treks and trails cutting through jungles and grasslands. Due to the abundance of the birds there, Chopta has become a popular destination for the tourists for bird watching. Deoria Tal is a very famous lake that is surrounded entirely by forests on all sides. The trek to the Deoria Tal is truly worth it.
Birds one can sight in this area are- Snow Partridge, Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Golden Eagle, Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier), Upland Buzzard, Himalayan Owl, Spot-winged Rosefinch, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, European Goldfinch, Ashy Wood-Pigeon, Fire-capped Tit, Spotted Laughingthrush, Variegated Laughingthrush, Nepal Wren-Babbler, Pied Thrush, Long-billed Thrush, Scarlet Finch, Spot-winged Grosbeak, Golden Bush-Robin, White-browed Bush-Robin, Fire-fronted Serin, Spot-winged Starling, Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch and Yellow-rumped Honeyguide.
The best time to visit Chopta is during the summers mainly May, June and July due to its absolutely pleasant weather. Chopta witnesses snow from November to March.
Chopta village is surrounded by forests of pine, deodar and rhododendron and is rich in flora and fauna including rare species of birds and musk deer. Chopta is a home for many rare and endangered species of mammals and birds like monal ( state bird ), snow leopard, musk deer, snow cock and some pieces of snow partridge and vultures. Many species of birds and mammals migrate to survive up to the temperate forest region. Chopta is blessed with a peaceful aura.
Chopta and its surrounding forest is part of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. Kanchula Korak Musk Deer Sanctuary is on Chopta – Gopeshwar road and is a very popular destination amongst birders to watch various species of finches such as Scarlet finch, Pink-browed Rose Finch, Red-headed Bull Finch etc., in their beautiful natural dense forest habitat. Tungnath valley which is nearby Chopta is getting increasingly popular for sighting of various hard to find birds such as Snow partridge, Koklass pheasant, Himalayan Monal etc. which are high altitude birds.
To stay in Chopta at reasonable cost, forest department has built Forest Rest House. Entrance fee at Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary is INR 150 for Indian nationals and INR 600 for foreign nationals.
The means to reach Chopta is by road.
By Air: Nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 178 Km away. The airport and Chopta are well connected by road and one can take a taxi or a bus.
By Train: Nearest railway stations are Haridwar and Kotdwara which are well connected with rest of India by rail network. From here road trip to Chopta starts
Ramnagar is the gateway to the Corbett National Park, a famous tourist destination of India and bird watching destination in Uttarakhand. Garjiya Devi Temple and Sitabani temple, Sitabani Wildlife Reserve located nearby also attracts many visitors for birding. Ramnagar is home to more than hundreds of different species of migratory birds. This article covers how to reach, timing, bird gallery, birding guides, the best time to visit.
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