Manas National Park (December 2022) - Magic in the Foothills

In the foothills of the Bhutan himalaya nestles Manas National Park,  one more of Assam's amazing wildernesses. While it is home to a number of tigers, it was the birding that drew me to this beautiful forest. A family & friends trip to Assam threw up an opportunity and I gratefully took off a few days before the rest of my gang. With me was  my friend Mahesh Vaze, keen birder and a well traveled adventurer. Hosting us would be Manas' resident legend - Rustam Basumatary at his camp in Maozigendri, around 3 hours from Guwahati.

We arrived one pleasant winter afternoon and over a lovely local lunch (more on that later) we discussed options for that afternoon's birding. One that we finally picked was not a birding option at all - it was a chance to see the rare Golden Langur, a rare endemic primate found only in a small patch between Assam and Bhutan. We headed to the Kokaijana forest, nearly two hours away from our camp and arrived there maybe an hour before sunset. This 17 sq km forest is home to more than 450 Golden Langur and we were hoping to have a good sighting. But the timing was a bit of a bummer and the primates were all headed towards the canopy to rest for the night. Another hour earlier and would have got them pretty much 20 feet away and at eye level. However, we did get a decent sighter of one troop, including one who gave us a half decent photo. It was an amazing sight to see these beautiful monkeys and to learn that they had safe refuge in this patch of forest at least. And with a clear desire to come back soon, we headed back to camp.

The next morning took us to the eastern range of Manas National Park with Rustam's assistant Sumla, an excitable young chap. The forest gate is literally at the camp's gate and we started off checking for the resident Black-tailed Crake, which is seen less than 100 metres into the gate. It was seen the previous morning but for me, just like the last time around, it decided to take a trip somewhere else. We spent a futile few minutes looking for it and decided to head further to look for more of our targets. We kept driving till at one point, Sumla asked the driver to stop, in great excitement. In his excitement, he wasn't even able to tell us what he was seeing. It's only when he pointed right above us, did we see the cause for his state - a flock of Silver-breasted Broadbills; a much-coveted species and one of the park's signature birds. This flock gave us some decent sightings and more than made up for the absence of the Crake! Game on, I say!

We drive further in and spent a lovely morning with Plain and Yellow-vented Flowepeckers, Streaked Spiderhunters, Large Woodhsrikes being the highlight species. A simple breakfast of boiled eggs, bread and black-tea brewed by some friendly forest guards kept us in great humour as well till we got back to camp around noon. That afternoon was reserved for the seed farm, a field/grassland area which is home to the critically endangered Bengal Florican amongst other birds. We drove there with Sumla, on an incredibly bumpy track that made me feel every muscle and joint in my body. Once there, he immediately spotted a male Pied Harrier perch on the ground. We made our way slowly across the bone-jarring field, only to find that said gent had no intentions of being photographed, as he made a graceful exit from his star-struck paparazzi. We then got word from Rustam (in a other jeep) about a few Chestnut-eared Buntings in the grassland. We looked for them and finally managed to spot a couple. Another mega-lifer ticked off! The photos weren't great but seeing the bird itself was special. We then even managed to spot a distant Bengal Florican as it made its way through the grass. These birds are so incredibly camouflaged that we couldn't see it even when it was less than 20 feet away!

The next morning saw us joined by Rustam, the local birding legend. Our plan was to head to another zone of the park, with the targets being the grassland species - Indian Grassbird, and Golden-headed Cisticola for me. We entered the gate through a forested patch so when we did hit the grassland, it was an incredible surprise, a huge expanse of open grassland, much larger than we'd imagine it to be, with mountains in the background where Bhutan began. The bird species were less forthcoming though, with both the Grassbird and the Cisticola providing audio presence but refusing to emerge from the undergrowth. A Striated Babbler and flock of Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes proved more willing to pose for us though.

Our luck changed with the next two birds we got, with both of them really happy to pose for us. A Black-breasted Parrotbill did little jig up and down an exposed blade of grass, obviously keen on having his portrait taken. Which the attendant paparazzi duly obliged. And then on our way out of the park, a Chestnut-capped Babbler was even more enthusiastic, practically at arms length to our jeep, loudly calling to his mate (or rival) as if inviting them to (or warning them to stay away from) the phto-op. Mahesh had to head back that afternoon for another engagement so I was on my own for the next day and a half. That afternoon, Rustam and I decided to look for Bengal Bushlarks. But first, the now mandatory check for Black-tailed Crake and the almost guaranteed negative response! We drove to the nearby river bank and got a lovely Rosy Pipit and a Long-billed Plover in flight. But of the Bushlarks, there was no sign. We even came back tothe seed farm to check for the Buntings, but they too had decided to take the evening off. And all that set up for a fascinating final day.

Chestnut-capped Babbler

The last day of my trip and Rustam decided to do a full day, including a part where we cross over into the Royal Manas Park in Bhutan with a temporary permit. We drove into one of the other ranges, towards Muthangri through another massive patch of grassland. And in there, we saw a couple of elephant herds, almost obscured by the tall grass. The grassland birds had no interest in us so we headed into the forest. And here, things got interesting - with Pin-striped Tit-babblers and Snowy-browed Flycatchers giving us  decent sightings. A little later and Rustam said two magic words - Abbott's Babbler. Now this was another common(!!) bird that was eluding me every time I visited the Manas/Kaziranga area. And this time too, it looked like it would give me the slip, as I could only make out shadowy figures moving in the undergrowth. 

And then, one kindly Abbott's Babbler popped up on an open branch and said 'Click me". I dutifully obliged, super-delighted at finally having overcome yet another stubborn avian adversary. Right after that, we drove into Bhutan, alongside the Manas river flowing in the valley far below. As soon as we crossed the border, a female Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush was on hand to welcome us, having a nice back on a little stump. But the most memorable moment of the afternoon was when a Great Hornbill took to flight in the hillside above us, transfixing us with the whooshing sound from its gigantic wings  as it took to the skies. An amazing experience to see this beautiful bird so close! We had a lovely lunch in the little Bhutanese village of Panbang before heading back to India!

The drive back provided some interesting sightings. First up, a Black-crowned Forktail played hide and seek in a rocky stream. Two flocks of White-throated Bulbuls and Black-crested Bulbuls were less skittish and one of them gave us a decent pose or two.  A curious Capped Langur insisted on peering into my lens! And a herd of elephant along the Manas River was the last of the sightings from Bhutan as we crossed back into Mother India. And to some excitement immediately - a jeep coming from the other side claimed to see a Tiger a couple of kms down the road. An absolute jackpot, given how dense the forest is! We hurried to the spot, checked the pugmarks and the scat that the animal had left behind and concluded that it was likely to be a leopard. Stripes or Spots, it was an incredible sightings indeed!! Sadly, it had crossed a while earlier and there was no chance of getting it. A Yellow-vented warbler (lifer) made up for Spots, and an another fascinating sighting rounded off the trip very nicely - on a tree we saw Three Red-Headed Trogon males, all hanging together. Now, in species like Trogons, there are no stag parties, so we were left wondering as to what was going on. They seemed at ease with one another, hopping from branch to branch before they all flew off, to the next party venue no doubt. And it was a special moment because Rustam said he'd never seen anything like this in his 25 years of birding! Now that is something!

And that ended a super trip to Manas. A repeat in summer is a must-do. especially to get some of the grassland species that eluded us this time. And to spend more time with the legend of Manas, Rustam Basumatary.

Manas National Park Trip Guide

Manas National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most spectacular wildernesses in India. The habitat is a breathtaking mix of expansive grasslands and wooded forests. And some really special bird species, with more than a few interesting mammal possibilities, including Tiger, Elephant and the enigmatic Clouded Leopard.

How to get there

Assam's largest city Guwahati is the nearest airport and rail head, 133 kms (3 hours) away. Guwahati is well connected by air with almost all of India's cities. 

Stay and Naturalists

The Thobgang Jungle Tourist Camp run by the Maozigendri Ecotourism Society is a lovely place to stay and very close to the gate for the Eastern Zone. Run by Manas's legendary naturalist, Rustam Basumatary, the place is very comfortable, with the new wooden log-cabins nothing short of spectacular. 

The food is excellent, with sumptuous local fare being freshly cooked. On request, they made us some lovely Bodo specialities, including Onla (ask for it when you're there) and also some of the local rice beer, surprisingly smooth.

Rustam needs no introduction as a Naturalist, given the legend he is. His other guides are excellent too; we had the privilege of going with the effervescent Sumla and the excellent driver Nabojit. You can reach Rustam on - +91 7896946621

Other tips

Manas can get cold in winter and really hot in summer, so do check what the weather is like before you pack. Parts of the forest and grassland can get very dusty so some face cover might be handy.

Also, a lot of your birding will be from the jeep so photography is likely to either be hand-held or with a beanbag.