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The cherubs of the mist - the red pandas - are one of the hidden jewels of the Eastern Himalayas. The Nature Wanderers red panda expedition is designed to give you the opportunity to track and photograph this elusive Himalayan wonder.
Singalila National park is one of the most exotic Himalayan forests located in the Darjeeling District in West Bengal, Sikkim, and the Nepal tri-junction. It is a mystical forest located on the Singalila range and at an altitude ranging between 7,000 ft to 12,000 ft above sea level. It is well known for the trekking route to Sandakphu that runs through it and also famously known for its ageless vintage Land Rovers.
Singalila is one of the best places in India to see the red pandas in the wild. Apart from this iconic species, Singalila is home to a diverse array of mammals including Himalayan black bear, clouded leopard, leopard cat, serow, barking deer, yellow-throated marten, wild boar, pangolin, and pika, among others.
Singalila is a birding paradise as well, with more than 300 species of birds found here. It has a huge list of exotic birds with many rare species. The park is also well known for its stunning and rugged Eastern Himalayan landscape and on clear days both Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga can be seen.
The red panda is also known as the ‘Firefox’. It is a mammal native to Eastern Himalayas and Southwest China. It has reddish-brown fur, a long shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to the shorter length of front legs. Measuring no more than 2 feet in length and weighing no more than 10 Kg, the red panda is truly adorable and an extremely photogenic animal. It is arboreal, feeding mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds & insects. It is a solitary animal mainly active during dusk and dawn and is largely sedentary during the day.
The red panda has been classified as endangered by the IUCN because its wild population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature individuals and it continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding. Singalila is one of its last strongholds and it is also the best place in India to see these elusive and rare mammals.
The accommodation would be in pristine locations amidst magical sunrise and sunsets. The location is remote, accommodation and facilities will be basic, clean, and hygienic.
To summarize, there are many options and activities that are possible during your 4 nights visit to Singalila. Since this is a species-specific plan, the focus will be to maximize the chances of seeing the red panda, and to that effect, we will keep the plan flexible and based on the discretion of the tour leader and the consensus of the group.
Upon arrival at Bagdogra airport by 9 AM latest, you will be met at the airport by your driver and Nature Wanderers representative. The group will immediately leave for Manebhanjen, which is the entry point for Singalila National Park. At Manebhanjen, guests will be transferred to a homestay in Tumling which will be your home for 6 nights. Lunch will be served en route to Kalapokhri. Guests will reach their destination in the afternoon. After a little rest we head out into the field for our first session.
Dinner and overnight at Tumling
Note: Tourists are allowed entry into Singalila no later than 2:00 PM. Guests must ensure that their flight into Bagdogra is the first flight in, reaching Bagdogra no later than 9:00 AM. If such a flight is not available, then we would recommend reaching Bagdogra a day before and spending the night at Siliguri. This can be arranged at an extra cost.
Guests will wake up and have breakfast at the lodge. Meanwhile our team of expert trackers would have already gone out searching for red panda early in the morning itself. As the trackers find the animal, guests will be taken to the spot. You can opt to walk to the sighting spot or choose to go by vehicle if the sighting is close to a motor-able road. Along with our expert naturalists, guests can also participate in tracking using established trails. Singalila is home to several species of birds and guests can also engage themselves with bird watching. Lunch will be served on the field or at the lodge, depending on the wildlife movement.
Dinner and overnight at Tumling.
Each day the trackers will go out searching for red pandas both on the Nepal and India side and the group leader will identify suitable trails for other species. For those guests who have difficulty walking, the land rovers will be there for support and drive you to various sightings spots.
Apart from wildlife, Singalila National Park is also quite popular for the scenic vistas that one can see. At the discretion of the tour leader and the sighting situation, the guest can visit Tumling to see the mighty peaks of the Himalayas and to explore the areas around. The famous Sandakphu is the highest point in West Bengal and famously a spot where you can see both Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga. Depending on the sightings, guests can opt to trek up or use the vehicle to explore. Dobate, in Nepal, is also a beautiful village and a day visit with a picnic lunch can be arranged. The forest around Dobate is also a hotspot for the red pandas. There are also some interesting villages to be seen close to your lodge.
On your last day, post breakfast we go out for our last field session after which you will be dropped off either at the airport or your hotel, as per your preference.
A red panda expedition with support of 4x4 vehicles and porters would reduce the hiking element but in order to reach the red panda site, moderate hiking would be needed. Even for birding in the region, you would have to do it on foot which means that you should have the basic physical fitness to perform well on the field.
With our expert team of trackers, the chances are always very high and you should come with a very positive frame of mind.
Typically, a 400mm focal length is good enough. A combination of a zoom telephoto lens along with long lenses would also work well. Do carry your wide angles for amazing time-lapses and opportunities for landscape photography. In terms of hiking gear, you can carry a hiking stick and come properly equipped with the desired footwear.
The Eastern Himalayas is an unpredictable landscape when it comes to weather. Though throughout you should expect the temperature to be between 0-15 degrees depending on the time of the day, bright and sunny morning in this region can suddenly transform into a dark and gloomy forest if the clouds flood the terrain.
Cancellation for an event will be considered via a written mail to info@naturewanderers.com. The date of the mail would be considered for the calculation of the cancellation fee.
Price per person : INR 58,100 (5% GST to be Applicable)