A seven-day bird photography tour to Baihualing in Yunnan’s Gaoligongshan region, using established local hides to photograph a rich mix of Sino-Himalayan forest birds in comfortable, photography-friendly conditions
Located in Baihualing, Baoshan City (Yunan Province), Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve (GNNR) covers an altitude ranging from 700 to 3,916 meters asl and is home to more than 500 bird species. GNNR is a fascinating destination for birding nowadays, especially for bird photographers, where local people have built hundreds of feeders and blinds to attract birds for tourists as part of an ecotourism programme. Within a week or so here, you might shoot over 70 species of Sino-Himalayan birds at close range, with very “clear and sharp” pictures including many sought-after species such as Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant, Moustached Laughingthrush, Blue-winged Laughingthrush.
Getting to Baihualing is quite straightforward: from Kunming, fly to Baoshan, then our local operator will pick you up at the airport. We will then stay at a comfortable hotel in Baihualing. Every day we have breakfast at the hotel, then visit one or two hides, sit there to photograph, and have a box lunch in the hide. REALLY EASY! Like the sample plan below, we will be fairly flexible depending on the presence of birds on daily updates from local people.
Summary
Please contact us for a bird list and possible species list at each hide
Tentative programme
Pick-up from Baoshan Airport, drive to our hotel at Baihualing for afternoon birding, possibly at a hide nearby.
Night in a Baihualing hotel from now until the end of the tour
Breakfast at 7 AM and drive to hide 4 after breakfast. We'll have a box lunch at noon at the hide, and we'll get back from the hide to the hotel at 5:30 PM.
Target birds: Scarlet Finch, Golden Babbler, and other birds totaling over 20 species.
Another "late" breakfast at 7 AM, and drive to hide 8 after breakfast. Box lunch at hide 8, shift to hide 27 after lunch. Get back from the hide to the hotel at 5:30 PM. Target birds: Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler, Chestnut-headed Tesia, White-browed Shortwing, Rufous-throated Partridge, and perhaps 25 other bird species.
Have breakfast at 7 AM, then drive to Hide 32 after breakfast. We'll have a box lunch at Hide 32 and get back from the hide to the hotel at 5:30 PM.
7 AM breakfast, ride to Hide 3 after breakfast, have box lunch at Hide 3, shift to Hide Malu if we see our target bird, the Hill Partridge, before noon. We'll get back from the hide to the hotel at 5:30 PM. Other target birds: Back-faced Warbler, Maroon-backed Accentor, and other birds totaling about 40 species (mostly in Hide Malu).
Yet another breakfast at 7 AM, get a ride to Hide 10 after breakfast, have a box lunch at Hide 10. Get back from the hide to the hotel at 5:30 PM.
Target birds: Grey Treepie, Moustached Laughingthrush, and another 20 bird species.
Have breakfast and do some early-morning birding before transfer to Baoshan Airport for your departing flight.
Relevant tours:
Tell us your travel dates, target birds, group size and preferred pace. Wildtour will help design a realistic and rewarding itinerary.