Uttarakhand, March 2017

I attended the 4th Uttarakhand Bird Festival in Nandhour WLS, one of the state’s newest protected areas and part of the incredible Terai Arc Landscape of the Himalayan foothills. After a couple of days at the festival, we visited Munsiari located in NE Uttarakhand for a 3-day trip.

A Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture overlooks the deep Himalayan valleys near Munsiari

Munsiari lies at the base of the great Himalayan mountain range — almost fully visible from the village (& the homestay bathrooms) — at an elevation of about 2,200 m (7,200 ft) and is a starting point for various treks into the interior of the range. The whole landscape offers fantastic birding though it was very sad to see completely overgrazed slopes stripped of every blade of grass.

We were hosted by the wonderful team at Himal Prakirti who help coordinate the Himalayan Ark Homestays. Many, many thanks to Ram who as always available during our stay. We stayed at ‘Rekha & Binod’ homestay and the hospitality was fantastic! One could plan a trip to Munsiari just for the outstanding local cuisine!