Birding Trip to West Sikkim
Trip Report by Geetha Jaikumar: April 28 – May 8, 2013
Four of us – Dr. Arun, Gayathree Krishna, Jaikumar and I – headed for West Sikkim to experience the
grandeur of Sikkim’s unspoilt wilderness and of course to savour the abundant avifauna of the Eastern
Himalayas! Making a stopover at Bagdogra – both to and from West Sikkim – was a wise decision. One,
the roads are not that well-maintained in Sikkim and two, Bagdogra Army Transit Camp (courtesy
Gayathree’s army connection) where we stayed was lush and green and excellent for birding. We start our
bird list with the breathtakingly beautiful Blue Throated Barbets and went on to see Fulvous-breasted
Woodpecker, White Throated Fantail, Great Tit, lots of Pied Starling and many others – in all, a healthy
tally of 24 birds in just half a day’s halt each way at Bagdogra. Incidentally, did you know that while
Common Mynas nest in tree holes, the Pied variety build theirs with huge bundles of untidy grass and
twigs on the trees?
Early next morning we hire a jeep for Hilley, West Sikkim. We pass the Dooars tea gardens, Mahananda
Wildlife Sanctuary (24 kms from Bagdogra), the confluence of the River Teesta and river Rangeeth at
Melli Bazar, the entry point into Sikkim and then turn west towards Jorethang, Soreng, Sombarey, and
then Hilley – a distance of 130 kms covered in 5.5 hours. At Hilley (alt. 9,000 ft.), the jeep drops us off at
the Barsey Sanctuary entrance and porters help lug our belongings and trek
uphill to Barsey Hut right in the middle of the Sanctuary. This 4.5 kms (1.5 hrs)
trek is quite arduous – involves several stretches of moderate-steep climbs on a
well laid out path – but the scenery is fantastic and there are four points enroute
to rest our weary legs. The path takes us through tall pines, mixed deciduous and
conifer forests with old trees and some
bamboo – typical red panda country – then tall rhododendrons till we
reach a large water tank. From here, the Barsey Hut (alt. 10,000 ft.) is a
short distance away. By the way, the sanctuary falls in the Singalila
range and is the starting point of the Singalila trek route. Barsey is
famous for the 14 different varieties of rhododendrons (out of the 36
varieties found in the whole of Sikkim) and from March to late April
when the trees bloom, the Valley is a riot of colour – crimson, pink,
orange, lilac, cream and white. Apparently, the crimson rhododendrons are the first to bloom, pink
(rhododendron arboreum) by late March, while the cream and white (Falconeri) bloom later by AprilMay. This was the year of mega bloom which occurs once in three to four years. Barsey also has the rare
and elusive Red Panda, Black Bear, Barking Deer, the Common Leopard as well as the Clouded Leopard
When we reach the Barsey Hut, the entire valley is covered with mist – it is quite cold with wind and light
rain alternating. The Hut is actually the Barsey Forest Guards’ Barracks which has now been turned into a
make-shift lodge. It has three rooms – two of them reserved (courtesy Mr. Adhir Pal # 9832005703,
9733065937 ) for us for four days – one large covered verandah which gets converted into a dormitory –
and a kitchen with a wood fired chulah. Only one room is with bath-attached. Electricity has not reached
these parts, yet. The only other structure in Barsey Valley is Guras Kunj (Trekkers Hut), a beautiful place
run by Bondhu Sherpa as an ecotourism venture. On some days, for just 3 hours in the evening, the
Trekkers Hut runs a generator and batteries of mobile phones, smart phones and cameras vie with one
another to get charged. At the barracks, Pusai our caretaker and his cook bring us Lal Chai (black tea)
Trip Report by Geetha Jaikumar: April 28 – May 8, 2013
Four of us – Dr. Arun, Gayathree Krishna, Jaikumar and I – headed for West Sikkim to experience the
grandeur of Sikkim’s unspoilt wilderness and of course to savour the abundant avifauna of the Eastern
Himalayas! Making a stopover at Bagdogra – both to and from West Sikkim – was a wise decision. One,
the roads are not that well-maintained in Sikkim and two, Bagdogra Army Transit Camp (courtesy
Gayathree’s army connection) where we stayed was lush and green and excellent for birding. We start our
bird list with the breathtakingly beautiful Blue Throated Barbets and went on to see Fulvous-breasted
Woodpecker, White Throated Fantail, Great Tit, lots of Pied Starling and many others – in all, a healthy
tally of 24 birds in just half a day’s halt each way at Bagdogra. Incidentally, did you know that while
Common Mynas nest in tree holes, the Pied variety build theirs with huge bundles of untidy grass and
twigs on the trees?
Early next morning we hire a jeep for Hilley, West Sikkim. We pass the Dooars tea gardens, Mahananda
Wildlife Sanctuary (24 kms from Bagdogra), the confluence of the River Teesta and river Rangeeth at
Melli Bazar, the entry point into Sikkim and then turn west towards Jorethang, Soreng, Sombarey, and
then Hilley – a distance of 130 kms covered in 5.5 hours. At Hilley (alt. 9,000 ft.), the jeep drops us off at
the Barsey Sanctuary entrance and porters help lug our belongings and trek
uphill to Barsey Hut right in the middle of the Sanctuary. This 4.5 kms (1.5 hrs)
trek is quite arduous – involves several stretches of moderate-steep climbs on a
well laid out path – but the scenery is fantastic and there are four points enroute
to rest our weary legs. The path takes us through tall pines, mixed deciduous and
conifer forests with old trees and some
bamboo – typical red panda country – then tall rhododendrons till we
reach a large water tank. From here, the Barsey Hut (alt. 10,000 ft.) is a
short distance away. By the way, the sanctuary falls in the Singalila
range and is the starting point of the Singalila trek route. Barsey is
famous for the 14 different varieties of rhododendrons (out of the 36
varieties found in the whole of Sikkim) and from March to late April
when the trees bloom, the Valley is a riot of colour – crimson, pink,
orange, lilac, cream and white. Apparently, the crimson rhododendrons are the first to bloom, pink
(rhododendron arboreum) by late March, while the cream and white (Falconeri) bloom later by AprilMay. This was the year of mega bloom which occurs once in three to four years. Barsey also has the rare
and elusive Red Panda, Black Bear, Barking Deer, the Common Leopard as well as the Clouded Leopard
When we reach the Barsey Hut, the entire valley is covered with mist – it is quite cold with wind and light
rain alternating. The Hut is actually the Barsey Forest Guards’ Barracks which has now been turned into a
make-shift lodge. It has three rooms – two of them reserved (courtesy Mr. Adhir Pal # 9832005703,
9733065937 ) for us for four days – one large covered verandah which gets converted into a dormitory –
and a kitchen with a wood fired chulah. Only one room is with bath-attached. Electricity has not reached
these parts, yet. The only other structure in Barsey Valley is Guras Kunj (Trekkers Hut), a beautiful place
run by Bondhu Sherpa as an ecotourism venture. On some days, for just 3 hours in the evening, the
Trekkers Hut runs a generator and batteries of mobile phones, smart phones and cameras vie with one
another to get charged. At the barracks, Pusai our caretaker and his cook bring us Lal Chai (black tea)
Comments