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When we visit a country, the first name that comes to our mind is the capital of the country which dwells into the heritage and local beliefs. Although this largest city of Bhutan is famous for Buddhists site, fortified monasteries and godly shrines but the most serene thing in the Bhutanese capital is the bird watching. The place is located in the central west part of Bhutan and goes along with the valley formed by Raidak river. Thimpu is surrounded by forests and rivers so naturally, it is the harbour for the various bird species and due to its geography with the Himalayas, the city is fully fletched with hundreds of species of flora and fauna. The valleys and the river form grip to hold down all the seasonal birds and make a perfect habitat for all the animals and plants to flourish.
The spring season is the mecca for all the birds- whether it is a migratory bird or rare species- you have to be a good photographer to capture them all as nearly 400 species are surfing in the Thimpu Himalayas at the spring season. Moving on with the statistics, well over 770 bird species are identified in this Himalayan region. The best time for birding is, of course, spring time, which is also the mating time for all these birds. Also during this period, birds are highly active, and so is the best time for bird watching. Birding tours are most prominent around the months from March to May. Birding here can be done all over the year, and birding like the cross country is only available in the month of September.
Thimpu is surrounded by regions like rivers, valleys and mountains which provide the enigmatic ambiance to host the rare birds like Satyr Tragopan, Yellow-billed Magpie, Himalayan Monal, and also the weather around this region is temperate for birds like Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Black Drongo. White-bellied Heron, one of the endangered species, is also found flying in this region. Migratory birds like Black-necked Crane also passes the region during mating season.
The existence of Himalayas is the prime reason for the vast varieties of flora and fauna, and bird watching adds up to the mesmerising experience in Bhutanese capital. It is a habitat of exotic flora like orchids, ferns, mosses and oak trees and pines as well. The roadside plants and eye-catching flowers with deep valleys make it a travellers paradise. The Himalayan soil is home to various medicinal plants, and the scented shrubs bless the well versed Thimpu’s flora and fauna.
Apart from bird watching and bird tour, the best thing you can do is explore the Bhutanese culture by visiting local shrines and ancient monasteries, which are very profound in Thimpu. You can also visit the weekend market to imbibe the culture of Bhutan and also rivers and mountains can add up to the trip for hiking to the top of Thimpu.
There are no tickets and opening and closing time, but you have to make sure to do immigrant paperwork done and also be sensible as there are no traffic lights in Bhutan.
You can arrive Thimpu most conveniently by Air and the nearest airport is situated at Paro which is nearly 50 Km away from Thimpu.
There are also direct roads from India to Thimpu from different routes like from Assam and also from Kolkata and distance from Kolkta to Thimpu is around 900 kms.
As for the train, you can only reach Siliguri by train from Kolkata and then its a 3 hour drive to Thimpu and Jaigaon is the border between India and Bhutan.
If you find yourself fascinated by different birds and you wish to explore more of them, Punakha is your abode of discovery. A town in the summits of the Himalayas in Bhutan, Punakha is home to nature at its most magnanimous and pristine.
Morong is one of the famous eastern regions of Bhutan, which embraces the beauty in the birding experience it caters to its visitors. All those visiting Bhutan make sure they pay a visit to Morong to capture the scenic beauty proffered by the place along with the picturesqueness that the barely seen birds render.
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