Eagles Nest

Guybrushthreepwood

Planning on visiting Eagles Nest Sanctuary in Western Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang District.

Could you guys please help me out.

1) How cold is it likely to be?

2) Can i pitch a tent?

3) if not, approximate cost accomodation would be very helpful
Do they give group discounts, since i will be going with a grp of about 6-8 friends?

4) Best route to take from Guwahati to reach Eagles Nest?

Thx in advance
njoy!

theyyamdancer

Which season?

__________________
"Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

Guybrushthreepwood

Planning on visiting early December and stay in the sanctuary for about 10 days.

Gary3242

There are lots of "Eagles Nests" in India. Where is Tawang? Is it near Itanagar?

theyyamdancer

Tawang is in the westernmost province of Arunachal Pradesh; Itanagar is in the middle somewhat elevated.

ajaybijoor

Hi,

I had been to Eaglenest in April 2007 and I must admit that it was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. True that it's one of the least visited places, but thanks to the varied bird population in the area a lot of birding trips have started happening there. Let me share some of the info that I have, which I hope will help you...

Eaglenest is a community forest that belongs to the Bugun community. Tenga is the closest town and then there are hills which comprise part of the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. The drive from Tenga into the forest is done through a rugid terrain and it takes just over an hour or so. There are absolutley no resources available inside the forest (not even electricity in 2007, and I think even now). So where did we stay then??

In and around early 2000 representatives of the Kaati trust in Pune had visited Eaglenest. They had then sighted a bird which they felt was new to science. More than 6 years later in 2006, this bird was documented and a new species was given to science. The scientist who discovered the bird (Dr. Athreya of Pune) called it Bugun Liocichla (he named it after the community). Since then they started a concept called Vacations for Conservation wherein one could live in Eaglenest with researchers of Kaati trust (for atleast a week) and help them out on field trips they made daily, and this was offered at a very nominal price. They had set up two camp sites at different altitudes and had a staff who would provide meals etc. A fantastic arrangment - basic but clean and hygenic - especially considering that we were literally in the middle of no where!

Over the past few years, this has worked succesfully in setting up a eco-tourism model wherein groups are put up at these camp sites and the locals (who have now been trained) take you around and do birding during the day. If you are a serious birder you have a birding expert form Mumbai who's stationed there for most of the year.

Now to answer some of your questions:

If you are planning a trip in December, I think it will be extremely cold. In April it was extremely chilly and we had to sleep with hot water bags in our sleeping bags to keep ourselves warm. So just reconfirm your timeline with others too.
At Eaglenest they have 2 campsites (Bompu which is higher and Lama Camp). Both have great tents which can hold 2 people each. I feel you may have to pick these since the place has wild elephants. Though I'm not sure they will be around during December, we were alerted of their presence in April. Staying at these camp sites ensured that one person would stay on guard all night. (Just a few days before we arrived the elephants had damaged Bompu campsite which is why we were left with no choice but to stay at Lama camp)

When I went in 2007 - the cost was Rs 400 per day (all inclusive!!) of which Rs 100 went towards the Bugun Welfare Society. But I believe they now have various brackets depending on the type of trip you would like... So please check the pricing.

From Guwahati station you get a bus that takes you to Tawang that passes by Tenga. Please check, the trip takes 12 hrs and the bus leaves early in the morning and you are in Tenga by evening. If you inform the Welfare Trust they arrange for a Sumo to take you to camp site. We had broken our journey... Guwahati - Tezpur - Nameri (Night's halt) - Tenga.

If you want to got, I would strongly suggest you go through the Bugun Welfare Society since they realy manage everything for you (from the permits at AP entry to your meals and also rice beer!!) and all this at a fairly nominal price. Also, I would believe that the only option for staying there are the two campsites. I dont even know if one has the permission to live there otherwise... The best person to talk to in this regard is Mr. IndiGlow: Tenga Market, Tenga, W. Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, Ph 91-3782-273359. Indibabu is the President of the Bugun Welfare Society and a fantastic man! Through gentleman who will make sure that you have no trouble all along!

Just a disclaimer that my trip was in 2007, so a few things might have changed since that I may not be aware about (prices, facilities) but I know for sure that the place remains magical as it was... Paradise if you are going to photograph birds!!

P.S. Check this site for details of all your staying options at Eaglenest... http://www.kolkatabirds.com/hillbird...snestenest.htm

Hope this helps... Do let me know if you need any details.

theyyamdancer

Thanks for this excellent post, Ajay!

Guybrushthreepwood

Thank you ajaybijoori. I had given up hope on this forum. LOL

I have collected some additional info and i will be sharing them with you once i return from this trip.

Thanks again Ajay-bhai

ajaybijoor

I am glad you found the info helpful...

Have a super trip. Look forward to hearing about Eaglenest