Preparing your expedition…
Preparing your expedition…
Preparing your expedition…
Tungnath is Uttarakhand's most accessible snow line birding site — a 3.5 km climb from Chopta that puts Snow Partridge, choughs and Grandala within reach of a day walk.
The trail from Chopta to Tungnath gains roughly a thousand metres in three and a half kilometres, and it crosses three bird communities on the way: rhododendron and oak at the bottom, stunted birch and juniper in the middle, and open alpine pasture above the treeline. That compression is what makes Tungnath valuable — you can photograph Fire-tailed Sunbird at the start of the morning and Alpine Accentor by mid-morning without moving camp.
Above the temple, the Chandrashila summit ridge at 4,000 m is the realistic ceiling for a day trip and the place to look for Snow Partridge and Himalayan Monal on the scree and alpine slopes. In winter, Grandala drops onto the seabuckthorn and juniper below the treeline, which is when the snow line birding here is at its best.
Rhododendron and oak — sunbirds, Himalayan Bluetail, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Koklass calling from the slope.
The transition band: rosefinches, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Black-faced Warbler, Spotted Nutcracker.
Open pasture with Alpine Accentor, Robin Accentor, Snow Pigeon and both chough species overhead.
Scree and snowfield edge — Snow Partridge, Golden Eagle, choughs and Lammergeier at eye level.
A working list of the species our groups target here, grouped by habitat and photographic rhythm.
Tungnath and the Chandrashila ridge hold Himalayan Monal, Snow Partridge, Snow Pigeon, Alpine and Robin Accentors, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Choughs, and Grandala in winter.
It is one of the easiest snow line birding sites in India. A 3.5 km trail from Chopta reaches 3,680 m, so you can photograph true alpine species without a multi-day trek or an inner-line permit.
The trail is paved and about 3.5 km one way with roughly 1,000 m of ascent. It is moderate rather than technical, but the altitude matters — we schedule an acclimatisation night at Chopta first and walk it slowly with photography stops.
April to June and October to November are the main seasons. The trail can be walked in winter for snow line species when conditions allow, though heavy snowfall occasionally closes the upper section.
Tell us your dates and the species you want in the bag. We will come back with a Tungnath itinerary, the right season, and what is realistic to photograph while you are there.