Laos, with the recent discovery of the bare-faced bulbul, has become the must-visit site for many birders. This wonderful, largely unexplored, landlocked country is turning up more and more treasures with each visit by birders. Some of the birding highlights beside the bulbul include the near endemic sooty babbler, red-collared and pale-headed woodpeckers, blue-naped and eared pittas, spot-bellied eagle-owl, red-vented barbet, yellow-vented and white-bellied green pigeons, rufous-tailed robin, Nepal house martin, silver pheasant, white-tailed flycatcher, spot-necked babbler, rufous-throated fulvetta, and streaked and limestone wren babblers
Day 1
2 April 2011
Fly Bangkok to Vientiane arriving around midday or if you have already arrived in Vientiane we will meet you in town. We collect our driver and vehicle and drive to Sainamhai Resort in Na Hin village (c five hours). Light allowing, we’ll do some late afternoon birding.
Day 2—5
3—6 April 2011
We bird the Na Hin forest for this area’s special birds, kicking off along Route 8 passing through limestone karsts. Our target birds will be the bare-faced bulbul and the sooty babbler. After putting these two to bed, we’ll venture deeper into the primary rainforest to try for some the other great birds of this area, such as the red-collared woodpecker. Who knows what discoveries await us in this largely unexplored area. We’ll also spend some time spotlighting for spot-bellied eagle-owl and mountain scops-owl over the next four nights.
This area still has some mammals — the most notable being the Laos langur and we’ll be sure to look for that impressive animal.
Day 6
April 7
We depart Na Hin village at around 6.30 am for our return to Vientiane. There are two Thai Airline flights back to Bangkok today and we will be there in time for the first flight at 1.50 pm, arriving at Bangkok International Airport at 2.55 pm.
This itinerary presumes that participants are flying Thai Airways via Bangkok, however, there are other airlines that fly to Vientiane, one being Vietnam Airlines.
http://www.thaiair.com/
www.vietnamairlines.com/
Leaders: Philip Maher & Uthai Treesucon, asccompanied by Patricia Maher
Accommodation: Sainamhai Resort
Participants: maximum seven
Cost: Vientiane back to Vientiane: $1,790 AUD per person
Single supplement:
$25 AUD
Cost includes land transport, accommodation, food, drinks and guiding.
There will be opportunities for non-birding partners and those wanting a break from birding to do some tourist activities — such as a visit to Kong Lor cave. Extracurricular activities not included in the cost.
Entry to the Republic of Laos requires a visa
Australians http://www.laosembassy.net/visas.html
North Americans http://www.laoembassy.com/visa&applications.html
Europeans http://www.laoparis.com/
Trisha and Philip’s reconnaissance trip to Na Hin in March 2010