Planning A Birding Trip To Thailand

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Tara

Birders are spoilt for choice in Thailand! From the parks in the north such as Doi Inthanon and Doi Ang Kang to the south such as Khao Sok there is a wide variety of bird species to be found throughout the country. Unless you have lots of money and time (don’t we wish) you won’t get to them all on a typical trip so you have to choose the best places to go birding for your situation. Some parks are easy to get to and the birds can be seen more easily but other parks are more challenging. I found Doi Inthanon fairly easy and Mae Ping very challenging.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

With so much on offer, you have to do lots of research online to find out your best chances of seeing the species you really want to see. I always check trip reports on Surfbirds and more recently added Cloudbirders to that. Xeno-canto has mapped locations where birders took sound clips of many species so that can pinpoint them even more.

I also look through trip reports by major birding companies such as Birdquest, VENT, Naturetrek, Rockjumper and more. The itineraries can provide inspiration for your own or you may decide that it is easier to just join a tour. They are not cheap but they do have excellent guides to help you find a lot more birds.

Independant birders have a lot of resources too. Birding is very popular in Thailand and there are many websites dedicated to reports and bird sightings and to help you plan a birding trip. Look for the most recent sightings such as this one. Also pay attention to the time of year as some bird species are migratory. You can also find locally based tours and guides here.

Thai Birding

North Thailand Birding

South Thailand Birding

HOW I CHOSE MY ITINERARY

I was prioritizing parrots, knowing that there would actually be lots of different bird species in the same habitats. We didn’t have a lot of time, just 2 weeks and I wanted to slot in some R&R time in Chiang Mai and Koh Samui. Using the websites referenced above, I decided on these national parks, all of which make for fantastic birding.

Doi Inthanon – Blossom-headed Parakeets, actually best seen just outside the park.

Mae Ping – Grey-headed Parakeets

Khao Yai – Red-breasted Parakeets (aka Moustache Parrots), Vernal Hanging Parrots

These parks will be covered in detail as the report progresses.

HOW I BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS

United Airlines has a fantastic deal on awards between Australia and South-East Asia for 35,000 RT in economy. Since I had burned so many miles on last year’s Africa trip, the best I could do was scrounge enough miles for economy but I did maximize the rules but having a stop-over and 2 open-jaws.

BNE – BKK – CNX

Stopover

CNX – BKK – USM

Open jaw #1

KUL – BKK – PVG (8 hour layover) – AKL – RAR

Open jaw #2 ending in Oceania zone so added 5k to each person’s award.

Final cost was 80,000 United miles plus 47,800 Virgin Velocity miles for the final RAR – AKL – BNE to get us home. The Rarotonga stop was for my husband to visit his friends and family.

LOGISTICS

Our budget was pretty well tapped out after last year so this trip had to be done as cheaply as possible. I figured out that driving ourselves would be cheaper than using public transport and then using taxis or guided tours. We had two cars, one ex-Chiang Mai and one ex-Bangkok.

WHEN TO GO

This was a delicate balance of avoiding the rainy season and allowing enough time after returning from Africa and allowing a full year until our big Ecuador/Colombia trip next year to replenish the coffers.

Weather2Travel has changed their layout since I last used it (I liked the old one better) but you can still get the same information. The beginning of April was the last possible time to travel and avoid the rains but still save up for the trip. March would have been better but wasn’t financially feasible, waiting until Nov would be too close to the 2016 trip.

VISAS

The VISA EXEMPTION RULE allows tourists from 52 countries to enter without a visa. They are granted a stay of maximum 30 days but only if entering Thailand via an international airport. However, persons, entering through a land border checkpoint from neighboring countries will be granted a maximum stay of 15 days.

ACCOMMODATION

I booked almost all accommodation on Hotels.com because at the time they were a partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and I was chasing the free night after 10 paid nights for next year’s trip. Some hotels were booked on Pointshound as well. Rocketmiles had nice properties but we were on a tight budget this time. Mae Ping was unreserved, we just found something when we arrived, details will be in that blog post.

Getting To Thailand With Airline Miles

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Tara

Since I already have a more detailed post on South-east Asia, I will only add some Thailand specific tips here. The good news is that Thailand is one of the easiest countries in the world to get to on airline miles because everyone flies there! You can get a full list of airlines flying to BKK (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) on Wikipedia. The first step is to identify which airlines that participate in one of the 3 alliances serve the airport in question. You can do this by looking the airport up in Wikipedia and making a note of which airlines fly there and cross referencing with my guides on Star Alliance, OneWorld Alliance and SkyTeam. Since this list is so long, I will only put a snippet here to give you an idea.

If you are using Star Alliance miles on Thai Airways, you can continue on the same award to other airports in Thailand such as Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, etc. Some airlines such as Malaysian, Air China, Korean, Singapore, China Eastern, etc also serve different airports in Thailand thus avoiding BKK all-together.

Connecting in BKK to another destination such as Chiang Mai on Thai Airways is quick and easy. Just follow the signs to a special immigration counter for domestic connections which in our case was closer to the gate we arrived at. See photos here. The lines are much shorter too! You will still claim your luggage at the final destination airport and clear customs there. We were through immigration in 5 minutes flat and quickly found the gate to Chiang Mai. Our connection was around an hour so I had time to use the free airport wifi to check my emails.

If you are on a longer connection and not in Thai’s business class you can still get a massage at the airport. It’s much more expensive than massages in the city which are around 200 Bhat but if you are pressed for time but have sore muscles it might be worth it.

Arusha National Park – A Day Trip

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Tara

Arusha National Park is often bypassed in favour of the larger parks like Serengeti & Ngorongoro but it is well worth a visit whether you are a birder or not. For one thing, the views of Mt Kilimanjaro are amazing from here! Thoughout this post, you will see several angles of Kilimanjaro taken from different locations as the photos are posted in chronological order.

I asked Fortes whom I had booked the car/driver package with but they wanted to charge the same amount for a day trip as they did for the multi-day trip which had included allowances for the driver’s food and accommodation. I thought I could get a better price so I rang a few places from the hotel and finally booked a different car/driver for the day. One annoyance for me as an Australian is that tour operators kept quoting in USD even though I would have to withdraw cash Tanzanian Shillings from the ATM from my Aussie bank account.

An easy 40-minute drive from Arusha. Approximately 60 km (35 miles) from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The lakes, forest and Ngurdoto Crater can all be visited in the course of a half-day outing at the beginning or end of an extended northern safari.

After you enter the park, you will see the reception where you pay the fees. They take Visa & Mastercards.

The jeep and the contact details as per their logo.

Before heading off, you can use the toilet and check out the information boards.

I am not going to be able to find all these birds in my 800 page book, especially when the LBJs are so similar, not to mention female birds whose partners are more colourful. I’ll do my best!

Little Bee-eaters

There is a museum with some taxidermied displays of birds.

Baboons

Colobus Monkeys – the flagship species of ANP.

Collared Sunbird

The driver takes a break while we chill out at the lookout point.

Paradise flycatcher

Blue Monkey

Little Bee-eater

1000’s of Flamingoes

African Hoopoe

Picnic area

Heuglin’s Masked Weaver

Common Bulbul

I wasn’t happy when a school bus full of noisy kids showed up.

Siesta time!

Common Bulbul

Collared Sunbirds

Somewhere around here was where the Jardine’s Parrot shot out of a tree overhead and disappeared into the dense forest. I tried a Hail Mary shot but failed to get him.

White-browed Robin-Chat

Back To Arusha

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Tara

The drive back to Arusha was anti-climatic. The driver tried to steer us to shop at a couple stalls but we already had enough stuff and I knew he was angling for a commission from certain stalls.

A pink church

Trumpeter Hornbill

Cultural Hertitage Centre back in Arusha

A mosque in Arusha

Interesting pub!

Heading to our hotel on the back roads

Having some time to kill, I got my hair braided in one French braid.

Ina got a shave.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Part 2

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Tara

Continuing on from Part 1, we are starting with an early morning game drive before breakfast. Some Thompson’s Gazelles were grazing at the pond which straddles the border with Serengeti.

Flamingoes make a nice reflection.

Mourning Dove

Blacksmith Plover

Grey-breasted Spurfowl

Lilac-beasted Roller

This next batch of photos covers the drive after breakfast as we leave the lodge and start the drive back to Arusha. Fischer’s Lovebirds were there to say goodbye.

This mixed herd of Wildebeest and antelopes is just a tiny fraction of what you see during the great migration.

Ostriches

Silver-backed Jackal

Drongo

Vultures cleaning up someone’s dinner from last night.

Camels generally belong to Masai people.

Closer to the gate we start seeing our friends the Little Bee-eaters and Weaverbirds again.

One last look at the crater

And time to say goodbye to the NCA. But not without drama! We were 8 minutes overdue for leaving although the clock on the car and both our phones – mine & the drivers said we were 5 minutes early. They let us go but not without a sound scolding!

Lesson learned – synchronize your watches when you enter and don’t cut it too close!

Visiting Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Part 1

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Tara

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is administered separately from the Tanzanian National Parks with separate fees. If you are headed to Serengeti, you have to pass through NCA first and pay both sets of fees! They aren’t cheap either at $50 per foreigner per day. There is also a fee for the car and driver which are paid at Tanzania rates (unless you come in with a foreign car) and will usually be included with your car hire or safari package. If you want to go into the crater, it’s another $200 on top! I had been in the crater back in the 90’s in my backpacking/camping days and I knew the birds would be easily seen up top so we didn’t pay the extra for the crater. Days are periods of 24 hours so if you enter at 12 noon, you must leave before 12 noon. Mid-day is the best time to enter as it gives you time to view the crater, have lunch at the picnic area and get to your lodge in time for an afternoon game drive. Then you have the next morning to do another game drive, have breakfast and get back to the gate before time runs out.

This is where you pay the fees or your driver-guide does it on behalf of all of you. There’s a small shop, a few displays of animals and clean toilets.

Little Bee-eaters

Baboons

There is a nice viewpoint where you can hop out, walk around in the vicinity and get a great view of the crater. There are also toilets at this area if you need them. It’s about 20 min from the gate.

The picnic area wasn’t the best, no tables and benches like the one at Tarangire. These little Weaverbirds kept us entertained while we had lunch.

Sorry, we don’t have room for hitch-hiking giraffes!

There are Masai people living in the NCA and grazing their herds here which is different from the other national parks.

Directions to some of the lodges in NCA including ours – the Ndutu Safari Lodge.

Egyptian Goose

After checking in at the lodge (which I will blog about separately), we headed off on a short game drive. Be sure to check what time you have to be back in the lodge grounds, it will be around dusk but varies according to time of year.

Lilac-breasted Roller

D’Arnaud’s Barbet

In the distance, one of my all-time favourites – a Secretarybird poses majestically, then flies off.

Superb Starling

Sorry, I can’t find this guy in the bird book but he looks like he got lost on his way to the ski slopes! I mean seriously, check out those fluffy boots!

Superb Starlings in flight

Another group got to the Maribou Storks first. The land across the lake belongs to Serengeti NP and in some places the border weaves in and out. You have to be careful to stay inside the park boundaries you paid for!

European Roller

Hildebrandt’s Starling

And the sun sets on yet another wonderful day!

Tarangire To Ngorongoro – Getting There Was Half The Fun

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Tara

I could have called this the “scenic route” to Ngorongoro but in Africa just about everything is scenic! We got a somewhat late start but who wouldn’t when there are all these delightful little Yellow-collared Lovebirds and Red-billed Firefinches to watch! This is where I am different from normal birders or “twitchers”. I can happily sit and watch a couple of interesting species for hours rather than running around ticking boxes off a list.

The driver finally convinced me to go so we headed off back down the road towards Arusha past the Masai villages and farms.

It never ceases to amaze me how these ladies do this!

Then we turned off down the road to Ngorongoro & Serengeti which proved equally as scenic.

Along the way, there were lots of these little art stands.

I resisted the temptation to shop until we reached the village of Mto Wa Mbu.

This larger art market had much more variety so I just had to stop and shop. Prices were extremely negotiable and I found some nice bird paintings in the traditional Tingatinga style to bring home for us and for gifts.

We drove past the Lake Manyara NP, if we had had more time we could have stopped in but it was close to noon so not the best timing.

After passing more handicraft stalls, we came to the town of Karatu which is a dry dusty town that didn’t really interest us, though we did top up the fuel tank.

A few km further and we reached the gates of Ngorongoro Conservation Area………..

Tarangire National Park Part 2 – Afternoon Safari

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Tara

This time I was on a mission – to find and photograph Meyer’s Parrots! Since we now had a good lead on on where to find them we went off in that direction. But getting there is always half the fun when you can also see a Red & Yellow Barbet along the way! He tried to hide but our guide spotted him.

Rednecked Spurfowl

White-browed Scrub Robin

We drove past a sausage tree grove and I saw some movement in the bushes across the stream. I took aim and this is what I got. See if you can find the hidden birds!

After cropping the above photos, NOW can you see them? Meyer’s Parrots! And a little friend in a couple photos, maybe a Bulbul of some sort?

Success! Having seen and photographed all 3 of my target birds, the 3 parrot species, I could now sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Magpie shrike

Dark-backed Forest Weaver

Giraffes

Nubian Woodpecker

Mousebird

Very cool how these elephants were standing on their hind legs to reach the tree!

Rabbit

Superb Starling glowing in the sun.

The end of the day and a beautiful sunset over Tarangire National Park.

Visiting Tarangire National Park – Part 1

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Tara

Many visitors to Tanzania bypass Tarangire National Park in favour of the more dramatic Ngorongoro Crater and the iconic Serengeti. But for the birder, Tarangire is a must! Since there are so many photos, this part will take us up to lunch time, the 2nd part will cover the afternoon and early evening. I have identified what I can, still missing a few so will get back to them – or help me out in the comments!

This is the entrance gate nearest to Whistling Thorn Camp.

Mind the rules!

Fees are paid on a 24 hour basis so you want to spend the full day in the park to maximize your wildlife sightings. If you are staying at a lodge inside the park, you will pay the fee for each 24 hour period you are there. These fees were valid from July 2013 – June 2015. Keep an eye on the website to see the new prices taking effect after July 2015.

Amazing baobab trees are everywhere!

Some delicate little Cordon-bleu Waxbills

Yellow-collared Lovebirds foraging

Curious vervet monkey

Francolins

Drongo

Dik dik

Waterbuck – these guys crack me up as they look like they sat on a freshly painted toilet!

Weaverbird

Mixed flocks foraging – plenty to go around

A pair of African Orange-bellied Parrots aka Red-bellied Parrots

This is where we saw them

Tanzanian Hornbill

White-headed Buffalo-weaver

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Lilac-breasted Roller

Vervet monkey family

Picnic ground where we had breakfast

More Red-bellied Parrots

Dik dik

Poachers tree – they used to hide in here and capture wildlife

Ostriches

Little Bee-eaters

Black backed Jackal

Egyptian Goose

Marabou Stork

White-headed Buffalo-weaver

Waterbuck

Little Bee-eater

Elephants

Baboons

Lilac-breasted Rollers

Banded Mongoose

No shortage of monkeys trying to rob the tourists at the lunch stop – Matete Picnic Spot!

Skilled thieves

During lunch one of the other drivers told our driver where to find these lions. It’s nice how they all share information like that!

Welcome To Arusha, Then Off To Tarangire

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Tara

Our birding adventure started as most people’s do – at the Kilimanjaro Airport. Our driver-guide, Jonas from Fortes Car Hire was there waiting for us.

The ATMs just outside the airport didn’t like my Aussie debit card so that meant we had one extra thing to do in Arusha – find a bank! Jonas ended up taking us to Barclays which happily accepted my card. Cash in hand, we were ready to go!

The first bird we saw in Tanzania was right outside the airport – a Superb Starling. He was the first of many we would see on this trip.

There are lots of small markets like this in Arusha.

Arusha clock tower

Now why would this billboard catch my eye?

Jonas took us to the Fortes office where I paid the cash for the car/driver hire package. We also paid the park fees to Fortes as they would then pay the entry for the car, Jonas (Tanzanian) and us (foreigners) at each park entrance. After finding the main office of Ndutu Safari Lodge closed, I called the lodge to confirm they accepted credit cards and was reassured they did. Having obtained cash for spending money at the Barclay’s ATM, it was time to hit the road. Below you can see the route from Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha, then to Tarangire NP.

During the 2 hour trip to the Tarangire outskirts, we saw a few Masai markets.

Superb Starling in a thorny tree.

Not sure about this one but he’s giving us a very suspicious look!

This was the turn-off to Whistling Thorn Camp. It’s about 10 minutes from the main road down bumpy dirt roads. I was glad to get there before dark so we had an hour or so to check out the camp birds – which you will see in the next post!

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Category Archives: Destinations

Planning A Birding Trip To Thailand

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

HOW I CHOSE MY ITINERARY

HOW I BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS

LOGISTICS

WHEN TO GO

VISAS

ACCOMMODATION

Getting To Thailand With Airline Miles

Arusha National Park – A Day Trip

Back To Arusha

Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Part 2

Visiting Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Part 1

Tarangire To Ngorongoro – Getting There Was Half The Fun

Tarangire National Park Part 2 – Afternoon Safari

Visiting Tarangire National Park – Part 1

Welcome To Arusha, Then Off To Tarangire